y saying, though he
was a Republican, as his father is, he intended to vote Democratic--he's
domiciled here--as a protest against the impure and corrupt Boss-system
which was disgracin' American political life. Twas baby talk. But it's
like this. The buildin' of the branch line South has brought a lot
of Irish here--they're all Democrats--and there's quite a number of
Mugwumps, an' if this Professor goes about workin' them all up--what
with the flannel-mouths and the rest--it might be a close finish. I'm
sure to win, but if I could get some information about him, it would
help me. His father's all right. We've got him down to a fine point.
Prentiss, the man I made editor of the 'Herald,' knows him well; ken
tell us why he left Kaintucky to come West. But I want to know somethin'
about the Professor, jest to teach him to mind his own business, and
leave other folk to attend to theirs. Ken you help me? Is he popular
with the students and professors?"

She thought intently, while the colour rose in her cheeks; she was eager
to help.

"With the students, yes. There's nothing to be done there. The
professors--I don't think they like him much; he is too clever. When he
came into the class-room and talked Latin to Johnson, the Professor
of Latin, and Johnson could only stammer out a word or two, I guess he
didn't make a friend;" and the girl laughed at the recollection.

"I don't know anything else that could be brought against him. They say
he is an Atheist. Would that be any use? He gave a lecture on 'Culture
as a Creed' about three months ago which made some folk mad. The other
professors are Christians, and, of course, all the preachers took it
up. He compared Buddha with Christ, and said--oh, I remember!--that
Shakespeare was the Old Testament of the English-speaking peoples. That
caused some talk; they all believe in the Bible. He said, too, that
'Shakespeare was inspired in a far higher sense than St. Paul, who was
thin and hard, a logic-loving bigot.' And President Campbell--he's a
Presbyterian--preached the Sunday afterwards upon St Paul as the great
missionary of Protestantism. I don't think the professors like him, but
I don't know that they can do anything, for all the students, the senior
ones, at least, are with him," and the girl paused, and tried to find
out from her father's face whether what she had said was likely to be of
service.

"Wall! I don't go much on them things myself, but I guess somethin'
ken