The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-10-14

4 r Side Of Chicago, left the
9ON train at Cover Hill Sta
ton, Wis, where a teach
ers' summer school was in progress.
Professor Bent-he had sat in a COL
lege chair in his day-was forty years
old. His hair was a trifie gray, his
eyes were kindly and his shoulders
bit stopped. He was going to the sum-
mer school to hear the natural history
: lectures Of Audubon Burroughs Wood,
sld to get bit of nature first hand
from the fields.
At, the big boarding house by the
brook with the great trees at its back,
Thaddeus Bent met half dozen teach
ers whom he knew and half hundred
whom he didn't know. The assistant
principal Of the Diogenes was there,
and had been there for a month. She
felt bound to doher duty by her chief.
She introduced him right and left.
Then she put on her thinking cap.
"He won't care much for those frivo-
lous creatures just out of the normal"
she said to herself. Hell want some
one to pair off with. Now there's
. Theodosia Desmond, principal of the
Plato School, way up on Chicago's
North Side. She's just his opposite,
but opposites get>on we'll, SO here goes"
And the assistant principal introduced
Principal Thaddeus Bent to Principal
Desmond.
Professor Bent found himself in the
company Of Miss Desmond, on the
yeranda, the second morning after his
arrival. Theodosia was little crea-
ture, with trim figure, a rather posi-.
tive manner and a piquant nose Oh
which rested pair Of glasses. Theo-
dosia was thirty-fve and admitted it
when it was necessary.
whats your hobby, Professor
Bent" she asked. Every one of us
has hobby, or we wouldn't be here"
"Well, I confess, Miss Desmond, to
weakness for natural history.
frogs, snakes, snails, turtles, water
and the rest"
Eerrers, all Of them. Excuse me,
thought you were above creep
B things. haven't a bit of SYM
athy with you or with them. The
proper study Of mankind is man
and mans attributes, let me add.
study mental philosophy. It's the only
Bthing worth studying. We won't get
Aalong at all we'll. Thank goodness,
pm above the earth q bit, as high as
mans head, at any rate. The brain
and the Observation-Disclosures be noble
themes. Snakes and toads, or, how
can you?"
"Well; trust am little above the
creepers and the hoppeTs at times.
There are the birds and the trees; they
appeal to me-"
'All Of kind; mans and woman's
mentality is the thing for me. I've
heard forty Of Professor Searcher's lee
lures on Mind already, and I'm going
to hear the other forty. Some Of the
other teachers have fallen away. They
are not true blue, though they made
much pretense at the start. Can't 1
induce you to hear Professor Seacher?
He'll convert you"
"Pray forgive me, but I've heard
Searcher and found him a bore, but
Til go if you'll take me-"
Theodosia blushed a bit. She was
past even such remote hint of gal
lantry as this, she had thought.
"No, won't take you,' she said, "but
you may come if you will. Go we'll up
to the front. Professor Searcher does
not speak any too clearly and I sit up
there-I mean you can hear better
there"
- There were excursions into the woods
and fields arranged by the teachers as.
sembled at Cover Hill. Professor Bent
took the tramps, and through the urg-
ing assistant principal. Theodosia Des-
mond occasionally went along. This
student Of man amused Professor Bent,
and despite her antagonism she attract
ed him a little.
On one Of the excursions he found
himself alone with her in woodland
path. Each had books. What have
you there, Professor Bent:" asked Miss
Desmond.
II have P. II. Gosse, man too little
read now, and Burroughs. and White
Of Selborne. They are full OF frogs and
snakes and foxes and birds"
, Theodosia Desmond tossed her head,
and her piquant nose became as near
pert as her thirty years would ad
NIT. "Trash. every bit of it," she said.
"There's nothing human about it."
"Surely there's human interest in the
lives of the frogs and the loves Of the
birds"
"Loves of the birds! I thought you
were beyond sentiment. Professor Bent.
Well, there, 1 did not mean to be rude.
Here have John Locke's Human Un-
derstanding' Now that's the proper
study for a student. He isn't read
Much pow.. but he ought to- be. He
would not touch sentiment with q
pole"