The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-02-24
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into the world was fnrthest from hia

first great object to accomplish vas U
induce my mother to procure some
dresses that would reach at least t.
my ankles. After much trouble i per
suaded her to engage a dressmaker t.
come to the house and make me some
summer costumes. By day mother
would give her instructions as to the
length of my skirts and by night ]
would surreptitiously lower them
while they were merely basted. When
they were finished mother would scold
the poor woman for not obeying her
orders.
"How is your pupil getting on,
papa?" I asked one day.
"Not at all. He's stupid as an owl,
He can't even conjugate the present
tense of the verb ito love-"
do you think he'll pass his entrance
college examinations"
'Not this year."
Father was not looking at me, so
was at liberty to raise my eyes to
heaven with a mute thanks and resolv.
ed that If the coaching should continue
for another year in case the instructor
could not teach the pupil how to con.
jugate the verb ito love" I would do
80 myself.
For a year Julian Trowbridge came
and went for his lessons, taking no no
tice Of me whatever. The next spring
I asked father If he thought his pupil
would be able to enter college that
year.
Possibly" he replied. Shy hard
boning, but he has no taste for the
classics. l don't see why his father
wishes to send him to a university"
"Has he learned to conjugate the
verb to lovey" I asked.
Father gave me a quick glance. l
had changed a good deal within the
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 examine
ton on Caesars Commentaries"
"He must be very backward" I re-
marked carelessly, and as I 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 I said to him:
ST think father is too impatient with
you. If you'll let me read Latin with
you I'm sure we'll be q help to each
other"
He accepted my offer. and I 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 l were
seated on a rustic bench under a tree
with a 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. I had no more intention
Of teaching him the dead languages
than I had of teaching him to fly in
the air. Fortunately for him, how
ever, l 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 oil
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. I
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 deft-
ly wove in that other instruction
which was far nearer my heart. I 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 I confess l had a very
hard time with him. He would conju-
gate the verb ito love-" saying II love"
with no feeling whatever. One day
while he was doing so in this perfume
tory way / 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 I had vainly expected for
weeks. Then I felt an arm stealing
around my waist, and I 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 so.
.But. you do father an injustice" I
demonstrated. "You must admit
"What! That old bookworm? He may
know q lot, butshe 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-
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