The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-05-13
CHAPTER VIII.
A First Professional.

iIOul lib dCCluCnl lOln lJTiuobdlc was
to go up for his first professional ex-
animation, and his father, who had
now retired from practice with a fair
fortune, remained in Edinbaugh until
that event should come OFF. There
had been some difioulty in persuading
Girdlestone to give his consent to
this prolongation of his wards leave,
but the old merchant was very much
engrossed with his own affairs about
that time which made him more am
enable than he might otherwise have
been. The two travellers continued,
therefore, to reside in the Princes
street hotel, but the student held on
to his lodgings in Howe street, where
he used to read during the morning |
and afternoon. Every evening, how
ever, he managed to dine at the Royal
and would stay there until his faith
er packed him OFF to his books once |
more. 1t was in vain for him to |
protest and to plead for another half |
hour. The physician was inexorable. |
When the fated hour came round the
unhappy youth slowly gathered to-
gether his hat, his gloves, and his
stick, spreading out that operation
over the greatest possible extent of
time which It could by any means
be made to occupy. He would then
Tusfully bid his kinsfolk adieu, and
retire rebelliously to his books.
Very soon. however, he made dis
covery. From a certain seat In the
Princes street Gardens 1t was possi-
BILE to see the interior of the sitting
reom ip which the visitors remained
after dinner From the time when
this fact dawned upon him, his rooms
In the evening knew him no more.
The gardens were looked at night, but
that was mere trihe. He used to
scramble over the railings like cat,
and then, planting himself upon the
particular seat, he would keep a
watch upon the hotel window until
the occupants of the room retired to
rest. Then he would return to his
rooms in a highly dissatisfied state,
and sit up half the nisht protesting
against fate and smoking strong black
tobacco. on the other hand, II he had
the good luck to see the graceful
figure of his old playfellow, he felt
that was the next best thing to
being ACTUALLY in her company, and
departed eventually in a more con-
tented frame of mind. Thus, when
Dtmsdals fondly imagined his son
to be mile away graphing with the
mysteries Of s6ience, that undutiful
lad was In reality perched within
sixty yards Of him, with his thoughts
engroased by very dificult matters.
Kate could not fail to understand
what was going on. However young
and innocent a girl may be. there is
always some subtle feminine instinct
which warns her she Is loved. Then
first she realizes that she has pass
ed the shadewy frontier line which
divides the childlife from that of wom-
anhood Kate felt uneasy and per-
picked, and half involuntariiy she
changed her manner towards him.
Ii mad been frank and sisterly;
now It became more distant and con-
strained. He was quick to observe
the change. and in private raved and
ragged at 1t. He even made the mis-
take OF showing his pique to her, upon
which she became still moe retiring
ed himself in the sleepless watches
of the night, and confided himself
to his bed post that In his belief
such case had never occurred before
IN the history of the world. and
never by any chance could or would
happen again. He also broke out into
IAN eruption of bad verses. which were
found BY his landlady during her
daily examination of his private pap
ers a'd were rsad aloud to a select
audience o. neiRhbors, who were all
much impressed and cackled sympa-
thetically among themselves.
BY degrees Tom developed other
symptoms o. the distemper which
had come upon him so suddenly. He
had always been remarkable for a
certain towsiness of appearance and
scarelessness of dress which harmonic
ed with his Bohemian habits. All
this he suddenly abjured. One fine
40 OoH -uSSSooANO 'AoiNp ~
his tailor, his bootmaker, his halter,
and his hosier which left all those
worthy tradesnlen rubbing their hands
with satisfaction. About week af
terwards he emerged from his rooms
IL a state bf Eorgeousness which
impressed his landlady and amazed
his friends. His old college com
panions hardly recognized Toms hon
est phiz as 1t looked out above thu
most fashionable Of coats and unde
hhe glossiest of hats.
His father was anything but edife'
by the change.
II don't know what's over the lad
Kate" he remarked after one of hi
Visits. "If / thought he was spinI
TO turn into fop. by the Lore
Harry I'd disown him Don't yo1
notice a change in him yourself?
Kate managed to evade the question
but her bright flueh might hav'
opened the cid mans eyes had b
observed it. He hardly rallied ys
that his son really was a man, an
still less did he thinb of John Hars
cons little girl as a woman. It 1
generally some comparative strange
who flrst makes that discovery, an