The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-09


and enforced wanderers between shrines
Of learning. changing quarters as well as
teachers for every recitation; and the con-
slant rsadjustment of mood to meet the
varied kemperaments OF successive teach
ers is wearing on the temper
Yet there Is a law in the high school SUI
perior To that OF the teacher. At the die
tates OF gong classes arise in the face Of
teachers incompleted peroration and de-
part As for the pupils. there is no rest for
the soles OF their feet; a freshman in the
high SCHOOL is a mere abecedarian part of
an ever}moving line, which tolls, weighted
with ponds OF textbooks. up and down the
stairwass OF knowledge, climbing to the
mansarA heights for rhetoric. to descend.
past doors to which IL must later return,
to the foundation floor for ancient history.
Looking back at the undulating line wind
ing in dizzy spiral about the stairways.
Emily. 1T times, seemed to herself to be a
vertebrate part OF some long. forever I'M
coiling monster. one OF those prehistoric,
Observation-Disclosures affairs. She chose
her figures knowingly, for she was study
ing zoology now.
Glasses went to the laboratory for this
subject. fling into an amphitheater OF
In the center OF things and wasted no time;
she even clipped her words. perhaps, that
they might not impede each other in their
flow. which lent a disconcerting curtness
of enunfiation to an amazing rapidly of the
same. Indeed, Miss Carmichael talked so
fast that Emily got but a blurred impress
sion OF her surroundings, carrying away a
dazed Consciousness that the contents of
a.
were aIaphibian In their nature, and that
certain other objects in skin leering down
from dGsty shelves were there because of
saurian claims. And because man is a YER
tebrate., having internal, Jointed. bony
skeletoF. man stood in a glass case behind
the oraeular priestess of the place In awful,
articulased bony whole, from which the
newly iaitiated had constantly to drag their
fascinated, shuddering gaze. Not that Emily
wanted to look; indeed. she had no time to
be looking, needing 1t all to keep up with
Miss Carmichael discoursing in unpunc-
tuated. polysyllablic flow of things batrach-
ian and things repellant. which. like the syl-
tables falling from the lips of the wicked
daughter In the story books, proved later to
be toads and lizards.
Miss Carmichael was short and square,
and her nose was large. She rubbed 1T with
her knEckle like a man. She had rubbed 1t
one day as she looked at Emily. whom
she ha9 called upon as ''the girl who an
swers 10 the name of MacLauren."
1t wss not fattering way to be desig-
mated. but freshmen learn to be grateful for
any identity. Then. too. Miss Carmichael
was faEaed for her wit, ano much is to be
overlooked In wit which in another might
seem IL be bad manners. Once Emily had
been hFzy about the word wit, but now she
knew. II you understand 1t once it is not
wit: but II, as you begin to understand, you
find yoa don't. that is apt to be wit. Miss
Carmichael was famed for hers
Thus called upon. the girl who answered
TO the name OF MacLauren stood up. The
lecture under discussion was concerned
with a matter called perpetuation of type.
Under dre of questions il developed that the
pupil iI hand was sadly muddled over 1t.
Under such circumstances II was a way
with Miss Carmichael to play with the
pupils mystiication. "'Be a kitten and
cry new" said she. her eyes swapping
with TIE humor of 1t. 'Why NEW and not
baa? Why does the family Of cow continue
TO wear horns?"
Why. indeed? There wasn't any sense.
Emily Felt wild. Miss Carmichael here evil
IDENTIFY decided 1t was time to temper glee
with ssmething else Emily was prepared
for thet. having discovered that wit is un-
certain IN its humors.
IAN organ not exercised loses power to
perform its functions. Think. said Miss
Carmichael. Haven't you taken down the
Lecturer
Emily had taken down the lecture but she
had net taken In the lecture. She looked
unhappy. II don't think understand it"
she confessed.
Then why don't you have 1t explained ?''
II dbl try" Which was true, for Emily
had gens with questions concerning per-
petuation OF type to her Aunt CordeIia.
Whit did you want to known" demanded
Miss Carmichael.
"Abcnt-about the questions at the end for
US to snswer-about that one, What makes
types repeat themselves:
And what does?" said Miss Carmichael
''Thae is exactly what I'm trying to find
out"
Emily looked embarrassed. Aunt Cor
delia's answer was the same one that she
gave to all the puzzling why's, but Emily
did not want to give 1t here.
COME. come. come" said Miss Car.
michael. She was standing by her table
and she raped 1t sharply. "And wha,
does?'
God" said Emily desperately.
She felt the general embarrassment as
she sat down. She felt Hattie give quick
look "a her. then saw her glance around
Was 1. Tor her? Hattie's cheek was red
Rosalie. with her cheek crimson, was look.
ing In ,her lap.
In the high school some have passed on,
81 Eden. while others are only approaching
the fruit OF the tree.
Hatt;e glanced at her protectingly and
though Emily did not understand just why
she WIS glad. for OF late she had been feel
Ing APART from Hattie and estranged from
Rosalif. and altogether alone and aggrieved
Hattie now wrote herself Harriet and hat
seemed to change in the process. though
Emily. who had once been Emily Louis.