East Liverpool High School - Keramos Yearbook (East Liverpool, OH)

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Krramna 157 Unel' Mose Sees AY, Pa, can you tell me what this here thing of Commence- I ment means? I was over to Mrs. 0'Reilly's today and she was atellin' me about how Jemimy was agoin' into town to Commencement, as she called it. Well, of course, I just let on I knowed all about it, and kind of said in an off-hand way, that Pa and me was atalkin' of goin', too. It seems to me,I don't remind of even hearin' of Commencement before. Oh, Ma, you are so awfully slow of comprehension not to know what Com- mencement means. Now, Ma, I know all about that, only that I don't quite grasp the meanin' of the word itself, because 'peers to me it oughter be ending. Now, you know, Ma, when we went to school, when we finished we ended, but now in town, when they finish, they just begin, or I reckon they do because that is what they call Commencement. These town dudes have always got to be doin' some- thing crossways to us. Say, Ma, didn't you ever hear me tell of that there time I seen a Commencement Cconfound it, end- ing does sound betterl into town? Now do tell, Pa, you don't mean you ever seen one of them things that begins where it oughter end? Land ob love, do tell me. Well, Ma, if you'll jest give me a little of intention, l'll gladly explain it fer yer. It 'peers to me it was the spring Old Grey broke her leg, but that's not here nor there. Anyway, I was into town, I guess it was the time I sold those dandy porkers of mine in Oh, Pa, tell it if yer goin' to, but I can't be in contraction like this here all the time. Commencement Well, alright, 'xcuse me, Ma. I hap- pened to be into town that day anyway as I was sayin' and I was going to stay all night, too. Don't yer remember about me atellin' you of that 'er big buildin'I slept in and about 'em calling pancakes saffles, I guess yer do. Well, yer know I didn't have one thing to do, just walk around, and I seen ev'rybody goin' all one way, so says I to myself, 'Mose you just go, too, you never get to go any place like this very often, and it don't cost very much, so I just followed along behind an old woman. Why, Ma, she was almost as fat as you and at last I got there. And Mose Turner, if you're goin' to call me names, I will just decently go out. . I am not one bit fatter than Emily Wiggins and you know it, too. Well, Ma, who said you was any bigger than this here woman I seen. I said she was almost as big. But that just slipped out, it didn't have anything to do with that 'er Commencement. The next thing I knowed, I got into the inside of the big- gest buildin' and was just goin' right on in, when 'Money please.' 'How much, says I?' and he says, 'Where do you want to sit-orchestrer, balcony, box, etc.' I says: Yes you can take me to a box, if you please. CI didn't forget my manners now, Maj So I paid him a little more than I kind of expected, but had an awful nice seat, set off in a little round thing on the side of the wall. I tell you, Ma, that's the place to sit, all the stylish people yer know. There were two powerfully stylish women set with me. I tried to ask them a few things, but they jest sort of-, urned up their noses and looked the other ay. So I just did the same and never-lbaed at fff. e .'

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156 Kvramnn ing eyes and cat-like footsteps, approaches the casket of his dead. He will have one moment more with her alone-then he will close and lock the coffin and it shall never be opened again. For a moment he stands quietly watching her. Asking God's for- giveness and her's, he raises his hand to place down the lid-when suddenly the left hand, on which a simple wedding ring gleamed, was lifted and fell back again in the same position as before. Frantically he pushed down the lid. What means this awful torment-what can be that quiet signal. Sweat stands out on his forehead in mighty drops-he can bear it no longer. He will watch her the whole night, then, for something says in a quiet whisper, She is alive! He would swear by the eternal God that she lives. Did the hand not move? Did he not see the hand move? Still the little clock ticked Murderer, and in his soul he knew that it would to the end only speak that one word. He had killed her. He knew he had killed her-by his own brute selfishness. Lower burned the candle, darker grew the night, but the wild, burning, searching, gleaming eyes of the man never closed-they were watching, glued upon the face of his dead wife with the same fixed stare. Listen! There is a faint stir, a tiny rustle. He looks. The hand is again raised! With the clutch of a madman he clutches it in his own-it's icy coldness chills his very soul. Look! Oh, is God in Heaven merci- ful? Will this agony never cease? A long time-ages it seemed to the almost exhausted man-the hand lies lifeless in his own. Suddenly he feels a tightening clasp, and the eyelids slowly part. Terror! Can that one word de- scribe his agony? Can that one word describe his fear? The eyes! Watch the eyes ! Slowly they open and look unsee- ingly into his own. Maddened he drops the hand and falls back almost uncon- scious in his chair. Again the knife is piercing his heart-again the demons dance before his eyes, beckoning with cruel fingers. But her eyes now opened see and the lips are parted to speak. A low, sad voice says, What, John ? and the form is raised upright in the casket. Then, seeing in what she was lying, seeing the wild eyes of the man by her side, she uttered an awful shriek and falls back in a dead faint. 1 When the frightened servants entered they saw the heaving breast of the woman in the casket, saw the madman who sat by its side. A doctor is called, who pronounces it a trance, and the next morning the woman was fully re- covered. Ae in is as as an In a padded cell of an insane asylum, on a stool in the corner, with bowed head and glistening eyes, sits a man, whose one word is Murderer, murderer. A sweet, gentle, sad-faced woman visits him some- times-but it would have been better if she had died. I. M. P. MARSHALL, '10. Willie had tried by various means to interest his father in conversation. Can't you see I'm trying to read ? said the ex- asperated parent. Now, don't bother me. Willie was silent for almost a minute. Then, reflectively: Awful accident on a train today. Father looked up with in- terest. What's that, he asked, an acci- dent in a train ? Yes, replied Willie, edging towards the door, a woman had her eye on a seat, and a man sat on it. The wise graduate forgets his books, but not what he got out of them.

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158 ilfvramnn them again -, only once or twice. No, Sir, them kind of women don't suit me. I'm particular who I 'sossiate with. You'd better be, Mose Turner, or me and you will just dis'sossiate. Say, Ma, you do use some big words of late! think you have been reading that there new almanacg women folks always can find more time fer such things than men. But to make it short, when I got seated, I found myself in one of the biggest places you ever seen, Liz. Turner. I jest bet it was three, or maybe six, I don't know, times as big as our new Chapel into the village. It certainly was just lovely, fixed so nice yer know. Land of peace, ejaculated Ma, bigger than the Chapel! How could it be ! Well, again began Pa, I set there quite a spell, just alookin' around, I didn't know what was acomin' next, but just picked up enough from them there two stylish women to know that it was an end-ah Commencing. But by the time it was out, though, Ma, I knew all about Commencement. It is when they quit school into town, or graduate as they name it, you know. Oh, is that it ? exclaimed Ma. I jest thought it was something along that line, or a kind of a circus. I suppose they are kind of similar, arn't they? Why no, Ma, you jest wait and don't show your ignorance so much. About this Commencing, it surely was fine. Yer know they, the graduates, were all sitting up front on sort of a platform, it looked awful nice, sort of melancholy like when that band played. I jest do wish you had been there, Ma. Well, they sang some first of all, an awful pretty piece. CI think Ifll try it on the fiddle some of these daysj Then some bright looking chap, all dressed up so fine, came boldly front, and Ma, you oughter heard him talk and throw his hands! Ijest sat there with my heart in my mouth, actually it beat the Jews, just sounded like a preacher, yer know. And when he sat down, why everybody just got up and clapped their hands and cheered! I thought I was at one of our county fair horse races, sol jest got up and cheered and clapped, why Pa, you don't mean you got out of your seat? I jest bet everybody else didn't. Now, how dirl you act. Well, said Pa, perhaps I was a little noisomer than them there two women, because they jest set there and looked at me. Isuppose, ma, they thought I was pretty good lookin' bein's I was dressed up in my new striped suit. That suit does sorter befit you, Pa. calmly replied Ma, as she cast a side glance at her toil-worn husband, now glowing in the excitement of his narrative. Well, then, Ma, slowly began Pa, when that confusion sort of stopped, out come a little gal, just as pretty as a pic- ture, and talk about your manoevuers, that girl certainly was trained, much bet- ter than those there trained animals at the circus that time. It certainly was wonderful, how she would laugh, cry, sing, pray andI just don't know what all. She certainly deserved a prize. I just felt like going up and shaking hands with her my- self, only I didn't see any way to get over you know,I was settin' right on the wall. Do tell, Pa, I never heard of any one could do all these things at one time. Its certainly wonderful, the things they do into town. Yes, Ma, its very, very strange, and when she stopped, we jest clapped and hollered again, and cheered and throwed up my handkerchief. And - Just wait, Pa, what handkerchief did