I went out to walk this afternoon with B. We were walking very
slow and talking very fast, when all of a sudden we met
Mr. Durant. He was coming along like a steam engine, his
white hair flying out in the wind. When he saw us he stopped;
of course we stopped too, for we saw he wanted to speak to us.
"That isn't the way to walk, girls," he said, very briskly.
"You need to make the blood bound through your veins; that
will stimulate the mind and help to make you good students.
Come now, I'll walk with you as far as the lodge, and show
you what I mean."
B. and I just straightened up and walked! Mr. Durant talked
to us some about our lessons. He seemed pleased when we told
him we liked geometry. When we got back to the college we
told the girls about meeting Mr. Durant. I guess nobody will
want to dawdle along after this; I'm sure I shan't.
Oct. 5. I broke an oar to-day. I'm not used to rowing anyway,
and the oar was long; two of us sit on one seat, each pulling
an oar. There is room for eight in the boat, beside the captain.
We went out to-day in a boat called the Ellida and after going
all around the lake we thought it would be fun to go under a
little stone bridge. The captain told us to ship our oars;
I didn't ship mine enough, and it struck the side of the bridge
and snapped right off. I was dreadfully frightened; especially
as the captain said right away, "You'll have to tell Mr. Durant."
The captain's name is ----. She was a first year girl, and
on that account thinks a great deal of herself.
I wish I'd come last year. It must have been lots of fun.
Well, anyway, I thought I might as well have the matter of
the oar over with, so as soon as we landed I took the two
pieces of the oar and marched straight into the office.
Mr. Durant sat there at the desk. He appeared to be very busy
and he didn't look at me at first. When he did my heart beat
so fast I could hardly speak. I guess he saw I was frightened,
for he laughed a little and said, "Oh ho, you've had an
accident, I see."
I told him how it happened, and he said, "Well, you've learned
that stone bridges are stronger than oars; and that bit of
information will cost you seventy cents."
I was so relieved that I laughed right out. "I thought it would
cost as much as five dollars," I said. I like Mr. Durant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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