THE PROFESSOR WAS HASTY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11778, 28 September 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE PROFESSOR WAS HASTY.

A frw weeks figo a well-known sci?utifis mon of Warrin^ton, employed in a professional cipacity by the Gov.'rnm°nt — naval branch — became angry at his man servant. The scientific man U somewhat notetl for the occasional acerbity <if his tamper. Tho man servair had forxrottou to do something he had bef>:i f ■>' ' 'o do on this occa^'on, nnd the eci< ntiti<s man tax?d him with the omission in his library. The serv.4i»f stood Tint", and what was worse, gi'nued — fur he had been in the em{■iov of the man of science for many yp.trs, and was thoroog'ily familiar with his eccentricities.

The man S'rvant'n erin, however, and his indi«poniiion to siy anything to excise himsr-lf, 90 enraged the ies v y and short-tempered raati of scienc-i tlrU he picked up a book ih»t wa? lying on ib- j library table and hnrled it at tho offender's head. The man dodged the book, and it went sailing out of the window, which was wide open for airing purposes, immoderate quantities of fro. J h air b'Miig anot'tproF the «c'enti=.t'a eccentricities.

' Now go and get that book,' the scientist shouted to the man servant.

The latter raci d down to th ' fro:it of the bouse and soaicjfd for tb« bouk, bnt he couldn't, find it. It had obviousTy b^ 1 . n pick^il up by "some passerby who V.p!i'?ved in the maxim that finding^ keoiing'?. The scientist., a^ ?s lv> '"yd cooled down, began to wonder what book be had thrown rut of the window. Ho bo/4-an a little investigation, and wa=» horriQed to fin 1 that a rare and qaniut little volnm) of mathematics, published in Copenhagen in the eighteenth century, w«i missing. He had paid LlO for the b.ook, and it was exceedingly rare. II" 1 remembed havi/jg been looking over the book on the afternoon before, and having left it on tho table. There wa« no doubt that that was the book he had thrown out of the window in his temper.

' The next time I feel that it is absolutely necessary to throw things,' he reflected dismally, 'I'll chose something less evpensive. He was very sore over the lor 3of tho book, and sornr still ov^r the fact thiit be had delftoratply thrown it a<vay.

A little while aftrr this man of science wns rummaging in a seconii hnnd book shop, when he was deiijrh'.e! to pick up a copy of the self-same book he had thrown «way.

' How much ?' he enquired of the proprietor of the shop, holding up tbe book.

' Well, I can let you have it for LB. sir. It's T.retly rare, rs you know, anu I conld probably got 112 or more for it if I held on to it a while longer.

The man of science, delighte ■■ at lhr» idra of picking- up a duplicate of hi=» lost book »t so moderate a figure, paid for it on the spot. He carried (he book home undfr his arm, and when he reached home he sat down to look th" book over and srp if it was as go^d v one as ho had thrown out of tha window.

When b<» opened tl.e book and h*gan to rnffl? (lie p')ge=> a card drof yo I out mto the fl >or. T! c pcienMßo nnn picked it up, find his aniazftrnpii^, not lo say di?cus*-, wlien ho sovv that lite enrd wns hi- ov»n, cannot bs pictnioi! Hflool-el thrr.iTjh the boi-k hn-<iK then, and it t -ok him no time at all to

see ifc was tbe veritable copy he had thrown out of the window.

' Urn — L 8 pounds worth of temper — urn ! I thi*'.k I shall mond my w.':ys.