SHORT STORY.

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume V, Issue 1330, 19 May 1905, Page 4

SHORT STORY.

THE PREOCCUPIED PROFESSOR,

When Professor Wittimoro took that littlo outing in the Park he had no premonition of the startling adventures that wero to befall him. His intention was to follow the path skirting the main driveway a 8 far as the big glass PalmHouso, and then take a phort cut across the ball and tennis field to a friend's house. With his mind engaged on some problem, he wandered into aby path. This by-path, leading nowhere in particular, soon came to an end, and the professor, not immediately remembering where he waß, seated himself on a rustic bench. The minute hand on his watch' bad; circled twice before the problem was laid.aside and the adventure began. ■■;'■; " Would youmind holding my baby a ' moment while I run back to the Palm House for an:umbrella?'' a woman was rather breathlessly asking. Before the professor bad time to.answer an infant something under a year oldwas pressed into his arms. "It was dreadfully careless of -me to leave my umbreHa," the woman said; but it was a present, and I hato to lose it.'l'd take Katie with mo, only she's so heavy,;Bnd I've carried her 80 far. Thank you.ever so rnticb,. and it won't take long to go to. the Palm House." 7 With that the woman, who' looked, absurdly young, to be the mother of the child, started on a run towards the shrubbery, above which the white girders and glass rooting of the Palm House could be seen. " A very, comely;! little creature," .fe< fleoted the professor, handling the: robed mite as only one accustomed to children ever handles them. "She must bo about the age of little Amy;" and he proceeded to trot ;her;.on. his. knee and puff up his cheeks at the child, whilo she gurgled back at him inarticulate approval■ at the performance. Then she; smiled at him Bwoetiy. and the profospr said! ■" Ypu'ro a good little : girl,~er—what' did. jour mamma say your name was.? ■-. Augusta ?, I think she called you Augusta. You're a good little girl, Augusta; whereat the little one looked aggrieved for a moment, and then smiled again; m ,dne wisely overlooking such lapses bf memory. After son}s fifteen or twenty, minutes of this agreeable: interchange .of the. professor began to cast enquiring and then anxious, glances towards the shrubbery through which, the young woman had disappeared., : " What can have become of her?" murmured the professor aloud,, gazing anxiously, towardsthoPalm House. "Is it possible," he.; reflected,.. '' that she doesn't intend;topomo back? I've read of oases where .mothers have, deserted their ohildred. after placing them in the hands of strangers. -But they are general, ly mothers who aro popV, and this woman was dressed well and apparently -well-to-do." -■■■;:,. ■';■,;.

Into 'a; shrubbery here and, there ho ; peered, and then to the far end' of. the Palm House and back he wont, gazing, at every woman he meet, but without seeing the one who had gone for tho umbrella, " She's a very:pretty child," ho rofleo'ed," and if her.mother really wants togiveher away,.why shouldn't we keep hec? She and Amy could be companions foreaoh other. ; /Ithirik Mary woulii consent to it.■:. I'll take the child home with . me, anyway.'- - . . , . As he turned to; retrace his stops he heard a woman say, ''There he is howl" and glancing round, he saw an. elderly, lady pointiiig.excitedly towards hiui. Inanothor momenta mail's hand was on his shoulder, and a .man's voice was demand': ■fag,■■'■!' Whi- are you doiog with that child?" r . : i ' Unaccustomed to being addressed in this brusque fashion, the professor resented it, "Iwill trouble you, sir," he said, with some asperity, ''to remove your hand from my person." By way, of; answer tbo man took a tighter grip, ond beckoned to a policeman who was strolling;leisurely, towards them, At' the same time he displayed a polico detective's badge.:- "log are under arrest," . be paid. ; . " Under arrest I". repeated the professor. " Kindly, inform me, sir, for what reason." " Well, 1 guess you know the reason all light, said the detective, but I dont't want to be disobliging, so Til tell. you. That, child has been kidnapped, and being found in your arms, : ypuare naturally suspected of having kidnapped her. Gan you explain how you oamo; to have her ?" "Cer'ainly," replied the professor. '! But before I explain I wish to oautiori you that, you aw making a pretty serious oharge .against me—a charge entirely unwarranted; sir," •'Well,.we'llattendto that part of it later,", said the detective. " Just now it's np to you to explain why you are walking off with a stolen child in your arms* If youeananswer that question you, will be doing pretty well." 11 The child was.left in my care by a strange woman," said'the professor, with dignity, ''l..was. sitting on that bench yonder, when she approached and requested me to hold her baby while she: went jn eearoh of an umbrella which she said she had left in the Palm House," 11 You had n'eyer seen the child. until it was given.to you by this stranger ?" . " Oertaihly not," i '■ What is yo>;r name ?" ■,.■',' Professor Harrison Whittemore.' 1 ■i'■ "'Profess.br Harrison Whittemore " repeated the detective,' staring at him with an odd exptession, "Well, I guess you had better come along with rue," he Baid. You've got more nerve than I gave you orediofor." "Don't you believe I am Professor Whitiemoro?" demanded the professor, fumbling for a cardj which, as luok would have it, he could not find. "Oh, yes, of couraqyou are Professor : Whittemor»i" returned the detective ironically, "But you'd better do your talking "before a Magistrate. I haven't time to waste over it. Officer, yon will see that the child is taken homo? Her mother is pretty nearly frantic." .At tho Police Station, the Professor who had fjone with tho detective in uiiproteating aiibnee, again gave his name as Professor .Whittemore, To the Polico Sergeant.the dotoetivo uttered a few words in

alow tone tapping.his forehead suggestive; ly- ■.,■ ■ >'"'■■ ■"..■Youhad: never Been the child until she was; hanSei. to youy. by the strange* woman7" , 'tne sergeant asked not unkindly. . .."No, sir," answered the professor. .''Did this strange woman say she was the child's mother?" "Not in so many words. But I supposed sho was." "You say your name is Professor Har-1 risen. Whittemore ?" "Yes, sir." j "Professor Harrison Wittinore, of No. 329, West Bhinebeck street?*' " The same." " Are ycu married, Professor Whittemore?" " Yes sir." / " Have you any childron ?" " Yes sir, one child—a little girl. "Would you—" But before the Sergeant had time to ask the qucs'ipn a woman rushed in. "Oh, Harrison," she sobbed, throwing her arms around the profossor's neck. " Don't have them hunt any mors, We've found her." "Found who, Mary ?" asked the professor, dazedly, " Who I Little Amy, of course. A man was caught in the Park carrying her off. But they brought her back, and she is all right now. I didn't suppose you even knew she'd been kidnapped till some one told me they'd seen you going into the Police Station here, and I hurried right over to tell you we'd found her. I know' you'd bo dreadfully worried, dear, till you heard." " You say oUr little Amy was kidnapped top?" the professor queried, blankly, Tho woman looked at the Police Sergeant, " Oh, dear, I'm afraid it has affected Ms mind," she moaned. " Madame, are you Mrs Harrison Whi'letnoro ?" the Sergoant asked. " Yes, sir.'' " Arid is this man your husband ?" " Yes, sir," amozcdly. ii Et—Sergeant," broke in the professor, with an illuminated look on his face and an -unprofessional wink at the ysrgeant, " now that my wife hns identified me, there can be no question in your linnd that I am tho Proftssor Whittemore whose little girl was stolon this afternoon; but; tho good news she briugs that Amy has beon found makes it unnecessary to prosecute tho. ijearoh further, lam at times rather absent-minded, gentlemen; and any little lapses of memory that you may have noticed, or other eccentricities in my conduct must be set down to this failing. As it happened, Iwas.pondering'over a rather perplexing prcblem this afternoon,. and—and, as I say, thai must excuse my littlo oddity of conduct which you, and this other gentleman "-nodding towards the smiling defective—" may have noticed in me." "How did you happen to hear Amy bad been stolen?" tho others heard the lady ask as she and die professor were »oing out; and they heard him answer," Qnite by acoident, my dear, qnilo by accident!" At college next day one of tho young women students was saying to a classmate: You'll be more careful next time, Susie, how you make a wager. When I betfive pounds of chocolates that Pro* : fessor Whittemore wouldn't know ta'S own baby if he saw it away from home, I know Tiwinl"