Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-03-09
into the world was furthest from his
thoughts.

tnOOEDIS.
In nature the first step In mating is
to build nest In my case there was
lot of preliminary work to do. My
hrst great object TO accomplish was 70
induce my mother to procure some
dresses that would reach at least TO
my ankles After much trouble per
suaded her to engage a dressmaker to
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 surreptitiousy 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?" l asked one day.
"Not at AL He's stupid as an owl.
He can't even conjugate the present
tense of the verb ito love"
DO you think hen pass his entrance
college examnationsY
"Not this year
Father was not looking at me, SO
was ut liberty to raise ny eyes TO
heaven with a mute thanks and rcsolv-
ed that If the coechlug should continue
for another year in case the Instructor
could not tc2ch the pupil how to con
iugate the verb to loye" I would 10
so myself
For year Julian TrowbridEe came
and went for his lessons, taking no no
tice Of me whatever The net spring
asked father If he thought his pupil
would be able 10 enter college that
year
Possibly" he replied, "by hard
boniuc. hut he has no taste for the
classics. don't see why his father
wishes to send him TO a university"
Has he learned to coniuSate the
verb to lover asked.
Father gave me u quick glance.
had changed good deal within the
year and might now have passed for
young lady But he saw no con
seriousness OF double meaning in my
demeanor and replied.
ooh. he's got beyond that, of course,
but he couldn't yet PASS nm examina-
ton on Caesars Commentaries
HE must be very backward" | re
marked carelessly. and as | left the
room father called to me, You're far
ahead of him"
This gave me IN idea | had met
the "l,lockhead" many times. and he
was beginuln% 10 treat me with more
consideration One day ! said to him:
II think father is too impatient with
you If youll let me read Latin with
you I'm sure wen he a help to each
other"
He ac.crted my offer and | told ia
Their that he might spend the time he
was devotiue to Julian in his library,
turning his pupil over to me. Father
was very g.ad to get rid Of him, and
the very next day Julian and | were
seated on rustic bench under q tree
with "a copy Of Virgil between us.
have boys Of my own now. and J
surely would not consent TO have one
Of them fall under such nm Influence
as Julian Trowbrldge experienced at
|, that tiEo | had no more intention
Of telch.~g 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 coniugate
the verb ito love- love. thou lowest,
he or she loves. we love. you love, they
love" In short, in my code of instruc-
ton every one loved. aud 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 deft
ly wove in that Other instruction
which was far nearer nv heart pre-
pared him to enter college and to be
my future husband at the same time.
In learning the first be was not as
stupid as my father considered him:
as to the other l confess l had a very
hard time with him. lie would conju-
gate the verb "to love- saying Il 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 n few loose strands Of my
hair brushed against his cheek Sud
denly there Gme fcrvor into his
voice that 7 had vainly expected for
weeks. Then felt am arm stealing
around my waist and | knew that my
pupil was prepared both for college
and to be my lover
He passed his entrance examination
without q condition and gave me all
the credit for enabling him to do so.
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 10 love without my he