The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1907-10-24
The Professors
Love
By EMELIE TRACY Y. PAREHURsr
C20S0G0
Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles,)

He stepped priSKly lnJo the olHCe
of his most intimate friend one morn
ing, and drawing a check from his
pocketbook, he said, in subdued
tone, as If afraid that the walls would
hear:
John, am going away for about
six months, and there are a few. lit
tie commissions that would be crate
full to you for fulfilling during nT alb
sence If you will, There is lady
in town, a friend whom you do not
know. am in the habit of observing
all her little anniversaries. The
10th of July is her birthday, so | usu-
ally send her hower-pieee of Russian
violets, made up into her initials, with
my initials in light blue violets under
meath. You will do these things for
me, John?"
with all my heart! But who is
this girl that you, the dreamer the
mystic, the man who lives among,
the stars, has seen fit to bow down
to and adore? You in love? l can't
imagine you in such predicament.
1t is really too absurd. Come, tell
US your divinity's name, and tell US
where you found her."
Ned Finlay was a tall, slender man,
pale like all scholars, with rather
small features, short cropped gray
hair and an ambling gait, like that OF
one accustomed to striding across
mountain roadways. He and John
Rowland had been close friends since
boyhood. They knew no reserve ex-
cept on the subject of the women Of
their mountaineering both consid-
eredS the subject too delicate for dis
cussion.
Ned hesitated a moment as though
1t were deed of black sacrilege to
mention her name, and then he muir
INJURED, dreamily:
Her name Is Mildred Mills. You
probably do not know her, as she lives
q most secluded life"
1.-The devil!" exclaimed John How
land looking at Ned curiously, and
then stopping short. In moment he
asked, as hard expression took the
place of the curious one: "Who is
this Mil--dred--what did you say her
last name was? Has she accepted
you? Do you think that she really
loves you? Are you going to marry
her? Has she any money? Has she
any folks? How do they feel?"
Stop, stop one moment, John" said
Findlay, seating himself on the cor
ner of the desk and dangling his long
Legs helplessly in mid-air. One ques
ton at a time, and l will answer to
| the best of my knowledge. don't
wonder at your surprise; am sur.
prised at myself l have not spoken
to her yet; l had not the courage
What's that? thought you spoke
| Pardon. She seemed to feel so re-
lieved to find that l did not bore her
to death with love-making. She has
fine mind and l have been leading
her along the paths of science-astron
omy, Greek, archaeological all that
She has been i'll lately. ! thought
that she was going to die. ! came tC
che conclusion, after carefully weigh
ing the matter, that loved her"
Then you have not spoken to hei
YETI"
"Oh, no, not yet, not yeti" saiG
Findlay, as though the very idea
struck terror to his soul.
"How-how long have you beer
sending her-things?"
Ever since / knew her. Three years
about"
| Rowland muttered something inco
herent, and then turned toward the
great pile of letters that waited his at
tention. One envelope caused him t.
change color ominously. He Olsen
gagged it from the rest of the pile
and thrust it savagely into his breas
pocket.
Findlay dropped down from the cor
ner of the desk and extended his hant
to his friend. Rowland grasped i
with a grip of iron and said:
Il hope you'll be happy with you
Mildred M-Mills. I'll do all yol
wish"
Fipdlay swung himself out of thu
door, and when Rowland had seen hin
disappear around corner, he drew
tire letter out of his breast pocket
turned 1t over and over three or fou
times obviously, and then tore it opel
at the end. Taking it out of the slip
he read as follows:
Dear John: l am awfully sorry abou
this evening but l am going to ask vol
to release me from going to the theater
My old friend and tutor, Prof Findla,
is going away tomorrow, and so this will
be the last chance 1 shall have to SCI
him for some time Besides, what is on
evening more or less to you when we ar
going to be together all our lives, John
know you will like the professor, ant
I'll try to arrange 1t for you two to NEE
when he returns. Yours faithfully
NJ NJ"
fear John Howlands correspond
ence lacked clearness that day. II,
seemed inclined to be reflective. A
times he rested his left elbow on tn,
desk, supported his cheek in his up
turned palm, and his eyes fairl,
bulged and grew ~bloodshot with tn,
intensity of his abstraction.
Being wise and discreet man, 10y
al as heaven to the woman he loved
and as staunch as steel to Findlay, h,
resolved to let things drift for a while
and give Mildred time to choose be
tween them. He opened the gates O
memory and sauntered back over tn,
highroad of the past few years. Man,
| little things which had escaped his at
tention at the time now came back Il
aim with new significance.
Mildred had so often thanked hin