The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-06-16
Sitting on a Log
A Story Of
College Students
By F. A. mitchell

the same age can't come together bu
that they must needs be talking sor
of maudlin philosophy?
And ten TO one the season In whic
they fall into such talk is in the spring
when the birds are mating about then
and they are really thinking about do
ing the same thing without realizin,
It. They suppose they are talking th,
one while they are really talking tn,
other.
Margaret and I had both returned
from college for the spring recess o.
our senior year. We were to graduate
in June. The last part of college life
Is likely to contain philosophlc studies
ours had at least--and we were
walking, so to speak. on Mount Olym
pus. At any rate. we thought we
were. We were ready to take the con.
tract to solve the problem Of the uni
verse. The problem we were really
solving was whether we should follow
the example Of the rest of nature. the
fora and fauna about US, for we were
walking In the woods. where the life
of another year was springing forth.
do you believe matter to be indie
structibleT asked Margaret
II do. believe what appears to be
its destruction is its passage from one
form to another. But this you know
as well as /. Why did you ask ?"
II had an object II matter b in
destructible why should life be de-
structible?"
Life is not matter
"Scieptists are now claiming that 1t
is. At least they say that matter is
alive, and recent experiments indi-
CATE
THAT log will afford us comforta-
BILE seat Shall we sit down? We can
discuss the problem better while rest
ing. 1t involves deep thought"
We seated ourselves and when we
spoke again had bridged the enormous
gap between the constitution of mat
ter and two young persons sitting on
log. The former was speculative;
the latter was real. Wild flowers were
springing up about US; insects were
beginning to stir in the grass: squir-
rel was sitting up on his launches
looking at us; bird was carrying a
feather to branch as material for a
nest. We dropped to the considera-
ton Of what the other living things
about us were doing. but could not get
down oft at once. We halted In our
descent at abstract matrimony.
do you think that intellect should |
wed intellect?" asked Margaret.
Margaret was intellectual. l was
not. paid just enough attention to
books and lectures to get smattering
Of the learning they contained Mark
how quickly l got down to business.
NO" I replied II should like an in
tellectual wife"
THAT was very modestly put" she
said, lifting her pretty eyes to my face.
II prefer action to books; graphing
With the world as II is; to lectures.
am content that the other fellows shall
take the college honors so long as
.un the class politics"
81 don't call myself intellectual, but
| prefer to dwell upon such problems
rs what we are for and whittier we
ire going. Every year we spin faster.
rhe changes In decade are greater
low than they were formerly In hun
lred"-
She shrieked and chung to me. A
make had crawled from under the log,
doubtless going out, after a long win q
or,c SLAM m coa ~ crrtpo bad ,or,,a | 1
rhe shrek startled him. and he got
way as fast as possible Margaret = :
covered her equanimity, but not her :
reedom. l held on to her. She made !
faint effort to disengage herself. il
II think he's coming back" said. v
ooh, heavens!" cllnging to me in ter c,
or and hiding her face against my
pring cardigan jacket b
The situation was pleasant. There b
vas pastoral flavor in It, The spring J
lg flowers, the twittering birds, were a :,
lore delicious than before. As for the =
make. he had taken his hideous self .,
ut Of sight Margaret's eyes being "
ressed against my breast, she did not o
now that he was gone. &
'Is he coming?" she asked with a
1udder. y
IL can't see him."
She spoke very low, and Ibid the y
lme That she might hear the better ',
bent my head down toward her ear. II,
y cheek rested on hers. m
What a descent from Olympus to sit W
ne on log!
1t may have been a serpent that in
ought trouble into the world-indeed. le
nee have been married have some II
mes thought it quite possible-but ue
ting at twenty holding Margaret in -,
y arms ! felt very grateful to the 10
ptile that had put her there. Ia
as he coming?" she asked again. or
He is crawling under the dead II
ayes. He may be coming this way. ct
II can't see him."
She shuddered and chung closer.
There he Isl" "
Another shudder and closer cling.
knew that II I pressed my lips W
ainst her cheek ! would in another
oment be pressing them upon her a.
S and then there would be the mis- v,
ief to pay. But couldn't resist I An
'sed her cheek. and when she raised
r face to ask what did you do that
n" kissed her lips. W
That ended the matter
"a haur Ala all fhie havf19 pv har Bu