The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-03-10
THE PROFESSOR REVENGE


greeted the crowd of students as they /
surged in one mass to the classroom on
g bright June morning
.'Halloi what's the meaning of this?"
said Pennington THE old fellow was
here as late as 10 o'clock last night, for
I was with him at the Science picnic /
yesterday, and 1t was after TO by the
time we got back. He's gone off mighty
quick"
Perhaps he hadn't time to get his lee
&ure ready" suggested one
More likely his mothers dead said
another.
60 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 We're screwed up almost TO vanish
ing point, he was hardly the parsonage
with whom 20 associate any idea of the
tender passion. His age. too, was
against him, though no one knew eX-
actly what that age was. If you saw
him walking home from college along
the esplauade you put him down at 50;
but when YOU saw his face agiOW with
enthusiasm as ne lectured on the beau
ties Of the Greek particles, you changed
your mind. and said he might be 30.
Anyhow. ne was not popular His dry
Scotch humOr was not appreciated. it
very often bit too deeply into the feel
ings of his victim to be pleasant, 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 mem
berE of the staff. Consequently he knew
little of what was passing around him,
and was given credit for knowing stili
He had never been known to miss a
lecture, even when one morning he
found on his arrival at college that his
classroom had been burnt out in the
Far-1a ssIrr
Of students near the door: Il think
ladies' and gentlemen, with your per
mission we viii deliver our lecture in
the corridor. No wonder, therefore
that there was no small stir when this
historic notice stared the world IN
biushingly in the face.
Il wonder what it can be-" said Eva
Miller to her friend Jemima Bates. as
they turned slowly from the classroom
door and walked away down the corri-
dor Poor man, / am afraid there is
something wrong; and he has no one
to look after him OF to do things for
him 1t seems a very lonely life"
oh hes perfectly happy in his
work, replied Jemima: he doesn't
want anyone to look after him" Je-
NINA judged all men (and women) by
her own feelings, which is a dangerous
thing to do.
II don't know" said her companion.
dOubtfully. However. it's no concern
Of mine. so I'm off to the tennis field
instead
Had she only known that it was a
very great concern of hers she would
have given the matter a little more
thought
The previous day. as young Penning-
ton had said had been the Science pic
ME Much to the surprise of every
body. the professor finally accepted his
inYitation-thOugh he wrote first of all
declining. A perusal of the list of the
invited Arts was the cause of his
McTint was in love; it had taken some
time to convince him of the fact, and
he had argued 1t out pro and con with
himself in every imaginable way But
from the conclusion he could not es-
cape. whatever his premises. the de-
luction invariably came out, There
fore / love her"
He began 10 notice it first in this
way. Into his mind. AS he was busy in
the preparation of his lectures. there
would creep the surTeptitiOus thought.
What VIII she think of this2 How will
she take that"
Then he found himself thanking Prov
idence that by its kindly ordering the
lady students sat in the front row dur
ing 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 "a pair of glasses,
far stronger than those he generally
used and not ait all necessary for mere
reading purposes. Two or three times
he lost his place i'm his notes and stood
confused and put to shame before the
class. q thinw that had never happened
before ign all his experience Finally, he
came to the conclusion that the tie
which he had been wearing when the
senior student was freshman 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
wholesale revolution could mean but
one thng
Thus If came to pass that on noticing
the name of Eva Miller among those in
Vited to the picnic. the professor sud
denly changed his mind. He was 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, distrust-
ing his own powers, and yet so bold as
TO amaze himself, the professor sat
alone and neglected In a corner of the
brake The kindness of heaven how
ever, aided a little by the cunning of
man. had placed the object of his adora-
ton almost opposite him. So while he
gaZed blankly into space. and was sup
posed by anyone who gave him a pass
ing thought to be celebrating a new
treatise on 1.-The Particles" he could all
the time feast his eye unObserved on
the vision of beauty not two yards
away. Lunch eaten. the whole party
broke up and scattered in an directions.
The professor turned aside and enter
ed a small plantation Of young trees. A
narrow footpath led through this. and
as he neared the stile that opened on the
fields beyond he saw two figures leaning
against it, Another moment showed him
Eva Miller and young Pennington, deep
in converse ton and oblivious of all
around Quietly and unObserved lac
turned back. and on reaching his rooms
that night he told his iandlady he had
to 90 away by the early train for two or
three days Hence that notice on the
class room door.
The professors dream was over; there
was but enc thing left-revenges and
the professor settled Gown to plan and
scheme how best to obtain it. Penning-
-. .---..- rLtL Lin. l.ar n..in