The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-04-18
His Tutor
She Taught Him to
ConJugate the
Verb to Loue
BY EDWIN SHARPE
By EDWIN SHARPE

! Father has never done a days work
In his life have often heard him say
that to so to store or an office every
day and attend to details such as buy
ing and selling and shipping and tinan-
ciering and such matters that have no
Importance except for the time being.
dying as fast as they are born. like GER
tain insects. would soon wear him ont
But to sit In library and read immor-
tai works such as the Greek poets and
the Latin prose writers-father reads
them in the original Greek and Latin
that is way of spending ones time
fitted not for commercial slaves. tut
intellectual gentlemen
When l was "A child we ived-mt
parents live there yet-in the country
not far from great city. Father had
inherited some property fIom his an
cestors that had been handed down
through several generations. and our
income. though small, was sufficient
for our wants So father was at liberty
to spend his time in way that he con
sidered profitable. sometimes over
heard people sneering at him for living
the life of drone. as they expressed
1t, but since | have grown old it seems
to me that even the real drones in
colony of bees must have their place in
natures workshop or they would not
be there
Another singular thing about Dame
Nature Is that. while she requires years
to transform boy into a man. she will
turn girl into woman in twinkling.
At any rate 1t was SO with me. When |
was thirteen was sitting one morning
on the porch at home, my doll being In
chair beside me. Seeing a young fel-
low-he appeared to be about seventeen
come into the grounds. I seized the
combination of china. cotton and saw
dust and flung it In an open window be
hind me. There were some books on
table near by. and. taking up one of
them, pulling down the short skirt Of
my dress ut the same time so that 1t
would cover my knees. pretended to
read.
The young fellow came along by the
winding walk under the great trees
they had recently put forth that sea
sons leaves : and approached the
porch. Though my gaze was bent OH my
book, saw not the printed words, but
the advancing youth. | have a minia-
ture portrait made OF him at that time
and many who have seen 1t have taken
1t for an ideal creation He was tall
for his years. and his beautifully shaped
head was set on as beautiful a neck
his collar being of the open sort. which
showed the throat to advantage. His
face was perfect oval. his eyes large
and lustrous, his hair falling about his
temples In disordered waves.
l have spoken from experience In
saying that Dame Nature will turn a
girl into a woman in twinkling. My
own transformation did not occupy
more than minute Within that pc
riod I caught sight Of the youth. flung
away my doll and was in love.
The newcomer paid no more atten
ton to me than II | had been made
like my doll of sawdust. l was stung
to the quick that he did not look at me-
He rang the bell, asked for father and
was shown into the house went up
stairs and. stationing myself beside a
window overlooking the walk by which
he must pass out of the place. waited
for him to do so. When he departed
was watching him from behind cur
tains. He walked with satisfied step.
as though he had come for a purpose
and had accomplished 1t.
| wished to go right down tn the ii.
brary and learn all about the visitor
from father. but | feared to show an
undue interest In him. ! tried hard to
wait long while. but five minutes
was all my impatience would allow
Going into the library. pretended to
hunt for book. at the same time ask
ing as If incidentally:
"Who was your visitor, papaf"
Julian Trowbridge."
what did he come forf'
ITO ask me to coach him for his col
lege examination. He has applied for
admission in June"
Are you going to coach hlmg"
ayes. | couldn't very well refuse.
He's the son of my old friend Trow-
bridge. who was in college with me
Trowbridge has devoted himself to ig-
noble pursuits and got rich. pulled
him through his graduating examina-
tons"
"Oh. my goodness graciousr' | said
to myself. putting my hand to my heart
to still its wild beating. Then l asked.
'Is he coming here for instruction."
"Yes. every morning at H."
And so should see every day till
June this young god whom | had sud
denly set up in my heart. IL father
had known the tumult within me he
doubtless would have ordered me to
the nursery every morning before his
pupils coming. Father had publish
ed translation OF ovid's Art of
Love" with copious notes. but he did
not know enough about love itself to