[Illustration: PROFESSOR SCHMIDT]




CHAPTER VII

PROFESSOR SCHMIDT.


A small country place named "Five Oaks," a short distance from "Clear
Spring" farm, was owned by a very worthy and highly-educated, but
rather eccentric, German professor. He came originally from
Heidelberg, but had occupied the position of Professor of German for
many years in a noted university in a near by town. A kind,
warm-hearted, old-fashioned gentleman was the Professor; a perfect
Lord Chesterfield in manners. Very tall, thin almost to emaciation,
although possessed of excellent health; refined, scholarly looking: a
rather long, hooked nose, faded, pale-blue eyes; snowy, flowing "Lord
Dundreary" whiskers, usually parted in the centre and twisted to a
point on either side with the exceedingly long, bony fingers of his
well-kept, aristocratic-looking white hands. He had an abrupt, quick,
nervous manner when speaking. A fringe of thin, white hair showed at
the lower edge of the black silk skull cap which he invariably wore
about home, and in the absence of this covering for his bald head, he
would not have looked natural to his friends.

The Professor always wore a suit of well-brushed, "shiny" black
broadcloth, and for comfort old-fashioned soft kid "gaiters," with