Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-01-01
The Professors
Revenge
By G. X. HILBERT.

hhDROF. M'vINT regrets that, Ow-
ing to his absence from town,
his lecture on The Aspirate in Greek
is unavoidably postponed"
This was the notice that greeted the
crowd of students as they surged in
one mass to classroom No. 20 on the
morning of June some two or three
years ago.
"Hallol what's the meaning OF
thisP" said Pennington "The old
fellow was here as late as ten o'clock
last night, for I was with him at the
science picnic yesterday, and 1t was
after ten by the time we got back
He's gone off mighty qutckl"
Perhaps he hadn't time to get his
lecture ready" suggested one.
"More likely his mothers dead )"
said another.
"Ten to one he's in love, and gone
off to pop the question" added a
third. At this there was general
laugh. in which you would have joined
if YOU had known the professor. Tall,
lean and angular, with a decided
stoop, and eyes that were screwed up
almost to vanishing point, he was
hardly the parsonage with whom to
associate any idea Of the tender pas
sion. His age, too, was against him.
though no one knew exactly whatthat
age was. If you saw him walking
home from college along the espla-
made you put him down at so; but
when you saw his face aglow with
enthusiasm as he lectured on the
beauties of the Greek particles, you
changed your mind and said he might
be 30.
Anyhow he was not popular. His
dry Scotch humor was not apprecl-
ated-it very often bit too deeply into
the feelings of his victim to be pleas
ant, and all who came beneath the
lash of his tongue bore him no small
grudge for what he made them suffer
Then he lived absolutely apart from
college life, not even mixing with the
other members of the staff. ConSe-
ouently he knew little of what was
passing around him, and was given
credit for knowing still less.
He had never been known to miss
lecture; even when one morning ne
found on his arrival at college that
his classroom had been burnt out in
the night, he calmly remarked to the
crowd of students near the door; Il
think. ladies and gentlemen, with
YOUR permission, we will deliver our
lecture in the corridor" No wonder,
therefore, that there was no small
stir when this historic notice stared
the world unblushingly in the face.
ST wonder what it can be" said Eva
Miller to her friend Jemima Bates as
they turned slowly from the class
room door and walked away down the
corridor. "Poor man, I am afraid
there is something wrong; and he has
no one to look after him or do things
for him. It seems a very lonely life"
30, he's perfectly happy in his
work" replied Jemima; "he doesn't
want anyone to look after him" Jeml-
ma Judged all men land women) by
her own feelings, which is danger
Gus thing to do.
"I don't know" said her companion
doub+fullv "However. it's no concern
of mine, so I'm off to the tennis-feld
instead"
Had she only known that it was
very great concern of hers, she would
have given the matter little more
thought.
The previous day, as young Penning-
ton had said, had been the science
picnic. Much to the surprise Of every
body, the professor finally accepted
his invitation-though he wrote first
of all declining. A perusal Of the list
of the invited "arts" was the cause OF
his change of mind. The fact was
Prof. McVint was in love-it had taken
some time to convince him Of the fact,
and he had argued it out pro and con.
with himself in every imaginable way.
But from the conclusion he could not
escape; whatever his premises, the de-
duction invariably came out: There
fore I love her."
He began to notice it first in this
way: Into his mind, as he was busy
in the preparation of his lectures
there would creep the surreptitious
thought: what will she think OF
this? How will she take that?" Then
he found himself thanking Providence
that by its kindly ordering the lady
students sat in the front row during
lectures, and, therefore, more within
range of his somewhat limited vision.
The next thing that he was conscious
of was that he was hunting high and
low in his room for pair of glasses
far stronger than those he generally
used. and not at all necessary for mere
reading purposes. Two or three times
he lost his place in his notes and
stood confused and put to shame be-
fore the class, thing that had never
happened before in all his experience.
Finally, he came to the conclusion
that the tie which he had been wearing
when the senior student was fresh
man and which he had worn ever
since, was a little the worse for wear
and must be replaced, and then what
he had long suspected broke fully on
his mind. Such a wholesale revolution
could mean but one thing!
Thus it came to pass that on MOTTO
ing the name of Eva Miller among
those invited to the picnic, the profess
sor suddenly changed his mind. He
was a man of few words and prompt
deeds. He would try his luck that very
day.
To describe his feelings during the
drive to the scene of action would be
impossible. Strangely out Of place in
the middle of the chattering crowd,
his own powers, and yet
so bold as to amaze himself, the pro-