Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-14

we would do well to 60 up b. my room.
where there is fire."
"DeIighted," cried the old man. "a
fire. ] long to see one. Let us go 10
your room by all means.
Mr.. Bland suikily staIked to his mat
tress and secured gayly colored bed
quilt. which he wound about his thn
form.
This is positively helast experience
meeting attend tonight he growled.
They assembled to No. Z. The pro-
lessor removed. along with other I'M
pedimenta. his ear tabs. which were
connected by rubber cord he "aVeo
them like risky detached ears before
him.
IAN old mans weakness" ne re-
marked. Foolish they may seem TO
YOU. But l assure you found them
useful companions In climbing Bald
pate mountain at this hour.
But / am not here to apologize for
INV apparel. am /? Hardly. You are
saving to yourselves why is he here!
Yes. that is the question that disturbs
you. What has brought this domes-
ticated college professor scamperlng
from the Pagan renaissance to balo
nate inn? For answer. l must ask
you to go back with me weeks time
and gaze at picture from the rather
dresry academic kaleidoscope that is
my life.
II am seated back Of desk on
platform in a bare yellow room; In
front of me. tier on tier, sit hundred
Young men in various attitudes of in
attention. I am trying to tell them
something of the ideal poetry that
marked the rebirth of the Saxon gen
Jus. They are bored. l-weil, gentle
men. in confidence. even the mind OF
a college professor has been known to
wander at times from the subject in
hand. And then-I begin TO read
poem-a poem descriptive of woman
dead 600 years and more. All. gentle
men
He sat erect on the edge Of his great
chair Back Of the thick lenses OF MS
spectacles he had eyes that still could
fash.
This is not an era of romance. he
said. "Our people grub in the dirt FOR
the dollar. Their visions perish Their
souls grow stale Yet nov and then,
at most inopportune times. comes the
flash that reveals to US the Giories that
might be"
Mr.. Bland wrapped his gay quilt
more securely about him. Mr.. Magee
smiled encouragement on the newest
racopteur.
II shall be brief" continued Profess
sor Bolton. Heaven knows that ped
agogic room was no place for visions,
nor were those athletic young men Mt
companions for soul gone giddy- Yet
i lost my head. AS j Tead on there
returned to my heart glow i had not
known in forty years. The bard spoke
of her hair:
Her yellow locks. crisped like golden wyre
About her shoulders were loosely shed.
And / saw. as in a dream-aheH, can
trust YOU. gentlemen-a girl supposed
I had forever! forgotten in the mold
and dust of my later years. | will not
go further into the matter. My wires
hair is black.
And reading on. but losing the
thread of the poets eulogy in the gold
en- fabric of my resurrected dream. IL
came to me to compare that maid
knew in the long ago with the women
1 know today. All. gentlemen Lips
made but for smiling fling weighty ar
cuments on the unoffending atmos-
phere. Eyes made to light with that
light that never was by land or sea.
blaze instead with what they call the
Injustice of woman's servitude. White
hands made to find their way to the
hands of some young man in the moon
light carry banners in the dusty streets.
1t seemed / saw the blue eyes or that
girl of long ago turned. sad, rebuklng.
on her sisters of today. AS | finished
reading my heart was awhirl. said
to the young men before nae:
"'There was a woman. gentlemen-a
woman worth a million suffra getteS.'
They appIauded. The fire in me
died down. Soon was my old meek.
academic self The vision had left no
trace. / dismissed my class and went
home. L found that my. wife-she of
the black hair-had left my slippers by
the library fire. / put them on and
plunged into n pamphlet lately pub
lished by distinguished member of
German university faculty. l thought
the incident closed forever"
He gazed sorrowfuiIy at the two
young men.
"Rut. gentlemen. i had not counted
on that viper that we nourish in our
bosom-the American newspaper. At
present | will not take time to de-
nounce the press. am preparing an
article on the subject for a respectable
weekly of select circulation. Suffice it
TO record what happened The next
day an evening paper appeared with
huge picture of me on its front page
and the hideols statement that this
was the Professor Bolton who had said
that One peroxide blond is worth
million sutfraGettes.
''Yes. that was the-dreadful version of
my remark that was spread broadcast.
Up TO the time that story appeared
had no idea as to what sort of creature
the peroxide blond might be-. ! pro-
tested. OF course. might as well have
tried to dam a uoai wave with table