The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-08-28
She Won
Two Prizes
By SADIE OLCOTT


right hand and rocked to and fro.
"Amo, / love. Amas, thou lowest !
Amat, he loves. Amamus, we love. |.
Amats, you love. Amant, they love-"
Now, this girl was anything but
child. She was eighteen years and six
months old. She was petite, and the
fashion for womcn's dresses was that
the skirt should not reach much below
the knees. Her father was colonel and
quartermastcr of the army and station
ed in city where supplies were being
collected to be sent to France for the
use of the cXpeditionary force there. A
young soldier had come to the coOneTs
house before Office hours on army busi-
ness and was waiting to see him in the
living room, which adjOined the library
where the girl was studying She knew
of the young soldiers proximity, but
she was pretending that she supposed
herself to be alone.
When she corrugated the present
tense of the verb ito love" second time
she did it ip this wise:
"Amo, 1 love- Amas, thou lowest.
Amat, she loves. Amamus, we love.
Amats, you love. Amant, both love.
Lieutenant Bob Blackstone sat wait
ing for Colonel Henderson to come
downstairs and listened to what he
supposed was a little girl studying her
lessons. He was of the senior class In
- university and was one of the
large number of graduates who had
donned khaki uniforms before grad
uation. He did not need to be good
Latin scholar to Know that the pupil
had corrugated the verb wrong. Step
ping to the porticre, he raised it and
saw the child, as he supposed, study
ing. She started at seeing him, but
the action was feigned.
81 say, little girl" he said, you're
conlugating that verb wrong. Amant
doesn't mean both love. 1t is they
love-"
Dear me, how could l have made
such mistake! Are you sure it isn't
both love"
81 ought to know. l took a prize In
college for n thesis written In Latin
Miss Hcnderson's eyes, which were
large and expressive, were brought to
bear on Lieutenant Blackstone in a
sort of wonderment. Presently she
said:
Didn't the Romans have any ex-
preston for both love"
81 don't see,' said the lieutenant.
"what that has to do with your les
son. | take it your task is to learn to
conjugate the present tense Of the
verb to love. You have 1t right except
the last word, amant, which means
they love instead of both love-"
"What does Gmat mean"
"IIe loves"
81 thought 1t was she loves"
at means either he or she loves"
doesn't IL mean he and she love"
"IIardly. 1t means but one person"
"And does amant mean they love
each other?'
"No; it means several persons love.
1t doesn't mean that they love each
other. ~ means that each person
loves some one else"
"How do YOU know that?"
that l don't remember ever hearing
the question brought up. They might
love each other mightnt they?'
IF they We're both very nice.'
He looked ut her searchingly. Her
glance was fastened to her grammar
1t was beginning to dawn upon him that
he was not teaching n schoolgirl, but
hn ri,,1 OH I'm,
: Let me see the text" he said, bend
ing over her shoulder. This brought
his face very near hers.
Then heavy footstcp on the stairs
, bctokcncd the approach of the colonel
Blackstone beat hasty retreat into
, the other room, closing the portiere be
hind him. The child in the library
; went on coniugating the verb "to love,
but when she came to amant she in
variably gave it both love"
When Blackstone had transacted hi
business with Colonel Henderson HI
took his departure, receiving at tn,
same time an invitation TO dinner th
same evening The little schoolgirl haC
stung him, and when he returned t,
camp he had forgotten all the colonc
had told him. What nonsense! To b.
turned topsy turvy by kid studying
the rudments of Latin!
Bob got himself up in evening dres
: for the dinner, taking as much pain
, , to hcautify himself as If he was to NEE
: woman instead of kid, When h
was formally presented to tour littl
Billy" she looked more like Miss WI
hclmina Henderson, which she reall
was. Bob didn't know what to say o
what to do But the colonel led tn
way to the dining room and there wa
> nothing for Bob TO say or to do till the
reached the board and then Miss Hen
dcrson made it very easy for him.
"IIave You been graduated this ycal
Mr.. BlackStonc?' asked Mrs. Hendel
son.
II have-only few weeks ago"
"Our little gil was graduated las
ycar. she should have remained n
school longer, she is 80 childlikc,"
"Dil she take any hOnOrSp" aSke