Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-02-17

year and might now have passed for
a young lady. But he saw no con-
seriousness OF a double meaning in my
demeanOr and replied:
''Oh. he's got beyond that, of course.
but he couldn't yet pass an exumina-
ton on Caesars Commentaries
HE must be very backward" re-
marked carelessly. and as 1 left the
room father called to me, You're far
ahead of him
This gave me an idea. I had met
the "blockhead" many times, and he
was beginning TO treat me with more
consideration. One day l said to him:
81 think father is too impatient with
you. If you'll let me read Latin with
you I'm sure Wen be a help to each
other
He accepted nv offer, and 1 told IA
Their that he might spend the time he
was devoting to Julian in his library.
turning his pupil over to me. Father
was very glad to get rid of him, and
the very next day Julian and I were
seated on a rustic bench under a tree
with copy Of Virgil between US.
have boys OF my own now, and I
surely would not consent TO have one
of them fall under such an influence
as Julian Trowbridge experienced at
that time. / had no more intention
of teaching him the dead languages
than / had of teaching him to fly in
the air. Fortunately for him, how
ever. had inherited my fathers abil-
ity TO learn and to teach them. My
object was to teach him to conjugate
the verb ito love"-"I love. thou lowest,
he or she loves. we love, you love. they
love-" In short, in my code of instruc-
ton every one loved. and that's all
they did. But since Julian's mind was
bent especially upon getting into col
lege and he found in me a more Sc
ductive teacher than my father the
lesson resulted more to his erudition
than might have been supposed.
didn't care how much Latin he learned
provided he didn't fail to master the
verb ITO love" Girls between, say.
twelve and sixteen are usually far
more capable of learning than boys.
This gave me an advantage. taught
Julian Latin and at the same time delft
ly wove in that other instruction
which was far nearer my heart. pre-
pared him to enter college and to be
my future husband at the same time.
In learning the first he was not as
stupid as my father considered him:
as to the other 1 confess 1 had a very
hard time with him. he would conju-
gate the verb "to love-" saying 81 love"
with no feeling whatever. One day
while he was doing so in this perfume
tory way 1 sat very near him-so near,
indeed, that a few loose strands of my
hair brushed against his cheek. Sud
denly there came a fervor into his
voice that l had vainly expected for
weeks. Then l felt an arm stealing
around my waist, and 1 knew that my
pupil was prepared both for college
and to be my lover.
He passed his entrance examination
without a condition and gave me all
the credit for enabling him to do 80.
"But you do father an injustice"
demonstrated. "You must admit
what! That old bookworm? He may
know a lot. but he has no ability what
ever to impart knowledge to any one
else. Why, do you know, he spent
months trying TO teach me to conju-
gate the verb TO love without my be-
ing able to catch even the mood. AS
for I am loved 1 didn't know any
thing about it,
1 laughed and remarked that 1 was
the only one Of the three who at that
time knew ali about that mood.
I have said that, having boys Of my
own, I would not Ike to have them
fall under the same influence that their
father fell under at eighteen. This
needs to be qualified. 1t depends on
the girl. If any Of my sons should at
that age fall In love with a girl who
would have ia her the traits to hold
his affection when he has grown older
and to make him a valuable life help
meet I should be very glad to have
him do so. I believe that early mating
is not only natural, but beneficial. pro-
vided the persons mating are fitted for
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