Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-07-18
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A Brief fI0DeilIent
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particular winter lnal fTOleSSOf We'll man was principal had the slightest idea that he had any romance in his soul. He hunted for boys to lick; he rave out double lessons: he scared lit, tie girls half to death with his scowis."
 And yet the professor was bubbling over with soft heartedness and only waited an opportunity to develop it. The opportunity came two months aft CT he did, and he was embracing it at the same time that we were calling him a stony hearted wretch and predicting that he would never find a woman to
 marry him. The professor being bachelor, went to board in the family been a widower for five years and had at last at the age of forty-five married a girl of twenty three. He was &C., counted fatherly man and good man. and it soon became common gos- sip that his young wife was making things bad for him. In the school master she had some one to tell her troubles to. What he didn't see as an inmate of tue house she would tell him. When she became confidential he be- came her champion. She told him of the deacon skipping her mouth. and he shuddered She told him of being choked and he bubbled. She told him of being dragged around by the hair of the head and sat on, and he wanted 10 take tho husbands life.
 According to the young wife, the dea- con was sly He would call her his birdie at the table and half an hour later chastise her and squeeze her throat i'll the bedroom He would sing hymns with her in the sitting room and threaten to murder her down eel lar. The professor saw nothing, but heard all lis pity, indignation sym patIy and several other sentimea-4 were aroused.
 One day the deacon had fe % e4yI to Bcrryyille on buaiaeaS taal Wauli detain him two days IIe=went by train leaving the old horse and ba@@y at home. That night his wife and the sehoolmastcr eloped. Their trunks were packed and tied on to the buggy and they set out to drive Il distance of twenty-five miles 10 the trdiu.
 They had scarcely got clear of the town when tlie old horse. which had no sentilnent in his soul and was not a bit interested in e!opcments feH down and breie the ;haft Up to this moment the wife had been as soft as butter and as tender as chicken, but now she suddenly changed and called the professor names. She called him a dou@'fhead and l fool and d lot of other things that astonishcd him. but by and by he repaired the broken shaft and q new start was made.
 A mile farther on it began to rain. It was a cold rain. It was a rain that meant business It soaked them to the skin in ten minutes. Then the deacons birdie sworc. She swore cheerfully and freely. The astonished professor chiied her, and she slapped his mouth. He expressed his belief that she wasn't the martyr he took Il r Tor. and she slapped il a2,ain.
 By and by the rain held up. II will do that sometimes, DO matter whether you are cloping or out on the road buying hogs. Then new start was made The professor was between two minds. He didn't know whether to keep on and save the woman from fur ther chokings or go back and lick the boys harder than ever, and as con sequence he drove into q mudhole, the whole outfit sticking fast. Thinking ne had arrived at tho end of his jour hey, the old horse lay down and al lowed the buggy to settle to the hubs The woman swore some more She also clawed the professors face
 It took an hour to make the horse un derstand that the journey had just be gun and to extrcate the vehicle, and then new start was made for an Is iand in the Pacific. Sentiment had | chilled but not killed They had made another half mile and were talking about the way the husband had men aced her with the croWbar when both front wheels of the. weary buggy wet ! down in unison, the cd horse stagger- ed and lurched around, and finally the 1 outfit rolled down the bank into |, creek. The woman was the first out | She welcomed the professor with Ian suage and kicks. She made q new at .ach on him with fists and fingers. In | Iact, he had to haul off and hit her in tne nose In self defense. The professor craWled up the bank and started back | TOT the village. If any observations fol lowed him he gave them no heed. He | knew that he was followed for some | instance by woman with a club, but | in the darkness he had all the advan- tage.
 on saturday and Sunday we saw the | proiessor about He looked like a man | 'hat had loved and lost The deacon | got home Sunday night to find that his wl1e had gone. and certain folks said tnat they hadn't seen him look so re- .ieVed since his marriage. He was even Jocular and jolly in his talk. On Mon- "ay morning We were in school at the |