The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-07-08


seemed to add to the desirability of q
short after-dinner walk down Col
| lege street.
But despite his decision not to stop
| at the Forbes house, he would stop
Sometimes he was tempted even
| further by the tantalizing aroma of
dinner, huckleberry pie or roasted
lamb or fresh aromatic coffee. Mrs.
Taylors coffee could never be smelled
that way when it cooked. Doctor An
dover remembered that she had once
told him that the way she made it she
kept all the flavor in the coffee pot
and that was what made it taste so
good
1t was the test of good coffee, she
said, not having the smell of it escape
from the pot. But Helen Forbes cot
fee always smelled all the way round
to the front of the house, and to Doc
tor Andover it was perfection in the
cup.
So it happened that quite often,
| without exactly intending to do so, the
young college president shared some
of the good things that Helen had pre-
pared for her fathers dinner and al
ways when he did there was the evil
dence of the greatest pleasure on the
part of the hospitable old professor.
who, though he may have worn his
coats until they were shabby, certainly
did not curtail himself on the good
things of the table.
"Of course, though" said Helen
once when Doctor Andover had come
out with an enthusiastic bit of praise
of her cookery, "if | were a perfect
hOusekeeper like your Mrs. Taylor l
could set a better table on much less
money. She must be quite remark
able. Why, just today she was telling
us at the missionary society that she
can make a pound of coffee go two
weeks and the meat bills aren't So
week. OF course, she said she couldn't
manage that way unless she felt q
real interest in you. You really We're
mighty lucky to get her. Really, it
was quite amusing.
professor Partridges wife told Mrs.
Taylor that if you never married it
would be her fault, and then Mrs.
Taylor said that at any rate you'd
never marry for a good home and a
good hOusekeeper. thought that was
so sweet of her"
'Yes, am sure it was" weakly re-
Joined Doctor Andover. He recalled
then that he had fried cornmeal for
supper although he had begged the
perfect housekeeper to omit cornmeal
for few weeks. He had never liked
it anyway he said, but he didn't say
what he felt, that he had been corn
mealed TO death since her arrival.
OF course it was because of the
economy in using cornmeal that she
persisted, and Doctor Andover did eat
it because he had healthy young ap-
petite and he had to eat something.
But, then" continued Doctor An
| dover, "a man doesn't marry for
home or for a good cook. If the wom-
an he loves happens to be a good
| hOusekeeper and all that sort of thing
it is just an added blessing, l sup
pose"
Doctor AndOver was preoccupied
after that. He tried to discuss the
new system of student grading with
| Dean Forbes, but his thoughts did not
seem to collect. At quarter to nine
he rose to leave. Nine was the deans
| habitual bedtime.
He babe the dean good night rather
| hurriedly, and then as he turned to
Helen he looked very intently at her,
50 intently that the radiant Helen
dropped her eyes. I'm coming back
at half past nine. See me alone on
the veranda."
1t was a rather chilly spring night
to be philandering on verandas, but
| there was a soft, radiant moon and
Helen had swathed herself in soft
wooden scarf and was waiting when
Doctor Andover returned.
Il want to talk to you-down here
in the garden he said, ascending
only one step of the veranda, and
Helen slowly went down to meet him.
ITS about marrying you that l want
to talk, Helen" he said when they
| had reached the dark shelter of an old
| lilac hedge. you have always been
the kind of woman I'd want-a real
woman, magnificent and radiant and
beautiful. It's the kind of woman I've
always dreamed about. But, hang it
all, l don't want you to think I'm ask
ing you because you are such a Won
derful cook and housekeeper. I'd feel
such a contemplate BLACKBOARD to
marry a woman for a housekeeper.
You know it is you, Helen, that l
want? I've feared there wasn't a
| chance you'd have me-"
It's funny how gossip goes in a lit
tie college town like that A week
later when Helen and Doctor An
dovers engagement was announced
there wasn't professors wife in town
but had known it for weeks.
Helen, they said had always been
setting her cap for the new president.
For time they said it seemed as if
he might have preferred Mrs. Hide
garde Taylor, in spite of the slight