Anderson Union High School - Aurora Yearbook (Anderson, CA)

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resolved that she would never speak with him again until she returned from Massachusetts, bringing with her a six-year course from old Harvard. Doss went home to his mother and father shortly after listening to Bess. His mother met him at the door and kissed him. Doss noticed that there were tears in her eyes and sat down to try to comfort her. She informed him that his only sister, Donna, the most wonderful little songbird that southern Idaho had ever known, had left home and gone out in the world to follow her career as a singer, about two weeks before his return, and that suddenly the night before, his father had taken deathly sick and was expected to pass away most any moment. Doss Kenyon was strong, but always before, when he came home bewildered, there had been a teasing baby sister, as he always called Donna, to comfort him. Now there was no one, and with the anxiety of it all, mingled with the sobs of his darling mother, Doss laid his mother back on the couch and mounted the stairs to his own room with tears streaming down his handsome, boyish face for the first time since his thirteenth birthday. Immediately he thought of his father, and much provoked at himself for being so weak and negligent, went to him. It was then that it actually dawned upon him that his jolly old daddy was leaving him forever. To-morrow is celebration day -the thought entered his mind but was of no significance. The Fourth came and went. Of course, there were songs, orations and fireworks, but none of them interested the Kenyons who were usually some of the most prominent citizens of the day. In the early part of the morning, Mr. Kenyon left them all behind. They could not locate Donna -could get no word of her, so the funeral took place without her. I After the funeral Doss realized that Bess Wilder, the dearest girl on earth to him, was leaving Shoshone Falls, and the time when she would return was indefinite, so far as he knew. She was innocent-girlish. He must see her, explain to her, but it was too late. He was told by the only guardian that Bess Wilderl had had, since a mere infant, her rich and proud old dad, and that she had gone away the night before. Oh, the pity and terror of it all! Doss sighed-frownedA-ran his hand through his hair-wiped the perspiration off his brow and turned homeward to the only one he had in the world now-his mother. He found her but- she fell in his arms and clung to him as death was clinging to her. Doss shuddered, almost collapsed, but suddenly became strong again. He suc- ceeded in getting her to bed and rang for the doctor, but it was too late. His darling mother,with the words Donna, my Songbird! on her lips, had climbed the Silver Passway to his once jolly old daddy. There was much weeping and sorrow over the departure of the much beloved Kenyons among the people of Shoshone Falls, but their grief could in no way compare with that of the Kenyon's only son. That night Doss wandered to the graveyard. He sat down by the graves of his dear ones. From there he could see the transparent green water, where Donna had always gone boating when she was home-also far below this was the gushing cataract-Shoshone Falls. After all it was beautiful! His thoughts wandered to Bess, to Donna, to father and mother. For a moment his mind was at ease, then something in him or about him seemed to whisper, Doss, are you a man? You've got to live, you have your parents' estate. You are a surveyor by nature and by training. Don't you see this tangled beauty before you? What can you develop out of it? Conscience was his inspiration. He arose. Standing straight and tall in the moonlight, with his handsome face, which had so quickly tained from that of a boy to that of a lPage Nineteenl

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Y All I . W Social Criminals of Shoshone Falls I 'rim' Sforv CC OU are a Social Criminal! Bess flew at him, almost spasmodically, lt was now approaching the Fourth ofbluly, and Bess Wilder, a young high school graduate of Shoshone lfalls, at the age of seventeen, pretty with her rippling hrown hair and deep hlue eyes, was inclined to he frivolous. especially at this time of year when everything for the young graduate is teeming with excitement Yes, Doss, you'll have to admit that l've found what you are. lndeed I took a medical course in high school, hut l always was devoted to my dear old civics hook, and it was in it that l found what you are. Now l can make you understand. l'm really very happy to see you hack, but l knew what you were going to say when l saw you coming, so l thought l'd stop you hefore you had a chance l Gnd no interest in my medical course, Doss. lt's really quite a failure, and Civics is only the study of Uhow man makes a living, so what can l do with only a high school educationl But now, lylr. Doss Kenyon, as l said hefore, you are a Social Criminal You are! Doss was stunned. lic was a graduate of the grammar school and also of the Boise School of Surveyors, hut somehow in his school career he had missed the study of that which he was now heing called. All that he could do was to stand there hluntly, until the hreathless girl Finished. Social Criminals are those people who take advantage of all their oppor- tunities, hut refuse or neglect to do their duties. You took the opportunity of asking me to promise to marry you. Do you see that palace over there? She pointed to her home. Now look at your home, Why, Doss, it's a mere hovel heside mine, and can't you see? You neglect to do your duty of furnish- ing a home for me which is as good as the one l now have, Besides, turning, after the celehration l'm going away to Massachusetts to Harvard, l'll never marry a man who is not my equal, With this she ran hack to her palace, and with her friend, the dear old civics hook, in hand, threw her foolish, yet wonderful little self, carelessly down on the carefully made hed, to think and to plan on what she was going to do at Harvard, Everything will he wonder- ful theref' she thought, Hand l'm going to have so many friends, l'll just forget that there ever was such a person as old Doss Kenyon. Still she wondered if she had hurt his feelings. She couldn't seem to help it, hut lPage Eighleenl

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man, uplifted. He uttered a low prayer over the mounds where his parents lay sleeping. On his way home he took from his pocket a lock of glistening, brown hair. The words You are a social criminal came to him. This time he smiled a bit sarcastically, and placed the lock of hair back in his pocket. During the six years that followed, Bess Wilder, working her way through university, changed wonderfully. The people at Harvard did not yield to every wish of hers as the people of Shoshone Falls had done. She had forgotten that she had ever cared to be a doctor. She thought she had forgotten Doss, but indeed she had not forgotten Shoshone Falls. She found in her advanced Civics, the study of laying out parks and cities. The last four years of her course she studied with one aim-that of returning home and with the riches with which she had always been blessed, build a magnificent park out of Shoshone Falls. The time finally came for her to start homeward. Oh, she was happy! She thought of Doss, of her daddy and of Shoshone Falls. The inspiration that came to Doss, six years ago, was all that he needed. He now owned two productive gold mines, his father's estate and a house which was carefully modeled after the so-called palace of Dad Wilder. Now he was surveying the land around Shoshone Falls with the idea of making it one of the greatest parks in the United States. When Bess arrived home, she found her father sick-dying. He passed away. Her grief was terrible. For a long time she would not see anyone. One day she picked up the local paper and noticed the unusual headlines about the great work Doss Kenyon was doing. At first it hurt her terribly. Doss had beaten her to it. One day when she was passing the new palace, so exactly like her own home, she wondered whose it was. She had never been interested enough to ask before. Then she glanced up and saw in the doorway-Doss Kenyon- yes, it was him. She waved. Doss came out to meet her and cordially shook hands, They went into the house and when the ice had entirely melted away, they told each other of their conflicting plans and all that had taken place in the time during the six years they were parted. That evening they wandered to the lonely graveyard. It was Doss who broke the silence by, Bess, am I not your equal? You too are a social criminal. You took the opportunity of leaving me alone for six long years and now you rfjeglect to do your duty of saying you accept the palace ' which I have built or you. Doss, I accept it. Now, am I a social criminal? No, but listen, I built thefpalace' for you. You condemned me because I didn't do it. Now, am I a social criminal? UNO! she cried. Doss, what a foolish, wonderful man you are! and' as the dusk faded into night and the mellow moonbeams danced on the pure dashing waters of Shoshone Falls, the two who had been social criminals, with their career looming up triumphantly before them, stood hand in hand in the lonely graveyard, garbed in exquisite robes of happiness. Suddenly, from up the river the entrancingly clear, ringing tones of a carefully cultured soprano voice reached their ears. It sang, Silent o'er the lPage Twentyl ' 'nl ii-r M ul