Greenwood School - Tree Yearbook (Ruxton, MD)

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lllffi lllliff Excellent, indeedl Our friend here, Irving indicated me as he spoke, 'cneeds his code of living rejuvenated, so he tells me. uWell, you may find something to suit your case herewith inscribedf' and Franklin lovingly stroked his precious book. We might have learned more had not a knock upon the door made us glance up. ' 1 Th the threshold was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow! VV hat a surprise. ere on I went forward to greet him cordially and introduced him all around. He responded ' ' ' d. H t' ed Poe with the enial manner and kindly smile one might have expecte e no ic g had crept off to a dark corner alone and went up to have a word with him. f'This is Mr. Poe, is it not? Why not come before the fire? M . P l ked at him strangely, as though he saw a dreadful spectre instead r oe oo g of a kind old man. Gnly these words came from his lips, 'K 'Quoth the raven, nevermore, . Mr. Longfellow saw that persuasion was useless and besides his attention was called at once to the window. Peering out, he exclaimed, Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere! He beckoned and even Poe turned to the spot. Like a flash down the dirt road tore Paul Revere, his whole body bent to the hard task that was before him. Suddenly the horse was pulled to a stop. Longfellow turned to us eagerly. He is changing horses here. Come, gentlemen, let us see America's herof, They filed out hastily. Franklin, seeing that I was in a daze and was not following, laid his hand on my shoulder saying, Will you not come with us, sir?n if I shook my head mumbling something, and suddenly everything seemed to fade away. I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the face of the old innkeeper whose hand lay on my shoulder. Forgive me, sir,', he said, abut as it is nearly dawn I though best to wake you. You have been sleeping so comfortably I hadn't the heart to disturb youf, Indeed, I have been sleeping, I replied. And yet I doubted my own State- ment as I told him of my very real dream. When I had finished, he nodded his aged head knowingly, Tig great they Were, sir. Spirits like those brave Americans live on foreverf' And as I rode away from the old inn yard the next day, I knew he was 1-itrhr, Those guests of other days who had so kindly included me in their Ci,-de Wsuld never die. K'Spirits like those live on forever. Class I Page Forfy-aight

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iff E U Iliff cc - , Good evening, gentlemen, good evening, he cried as he came in. This room looks cozy enough to a shivering traveller. But do not let me j . interrupt your conversation, my frxendsf' ' We were just discussing the political situation. What do you think of it? asked jefferson politely. My interests do not run to the lawf' replied the guest, whom I now recognized . l 1 . l ' b as Washington Iiving, but iather to the legends and traditions of the country. Really? Then you would be interested in the ancient superstitions of our negro slaves, said jefferson eagerly. HI Would, indeed! replied Irving. lVly Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van I'Vinkle, and numerous others of the short stories were founded on the superstitions of a village in New York. CMr. Hamilton, who had been sitting silently during the conversation, brightened at the mention of his home state.j Being now fairly launched on his favorite subject, Mr. Irving passed the sherry again and proceeded to make us laugh hilariously over his delightful stories. Suddenly there was a flapping-of wings, a pecking at the door, and into the room came a tall gruesome-looking figure with a raven perched solemnly on his shoulder. A sepulchral voice spoke, C' 'Long I pondered weak and weary .... ' As I live, it is my favorite poet, Edgar Allen Poe! I exclaimed amazed. Pray sit down, sir.', Excuse me gentlemen, but since my beloved Virginia's death I can concentrate on nothing, nothing! I hear the 'moaning and the groaning of the bells' H. As he spoke, the raven flew from his masterls shoulder to perch on the door. Now, come, friend, said Mr. Irving, and cheer your spirits with a glass of winef' We were all a little relieved at seeing Mr. Poe step out of the shadows and accept the chair proffered him. For a moment there was silence broken only by the rhythmic flapping of the raven's wings, and then suddenly a voice broke the stillness. Now mind you, boy, spell honor with an 'or' instead of an 'our'. This is America. Did you get that? Yes, sir, the stable boy agreed, Yes, sir, Mr. Franklin. It was indeed Benjamin Franklin who walked into the room, and with his entrance the mystic atmosphere caused by Mr. Poe was at once dispelled. , Ahal There you are, gentlemen. I hoped I might find some friends to help me while away the time. I have some extra copies of Poor Richard along. Allow me, do! With that he dived into his great coat pocket and produced several copies of the last edition of the Almanac which he distributed among us. Page Forty-seven

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THEE U Till INTO THE WORLD OF BOOKS DEFINITION .4 poem a fragile vessel is, But carries as o'er land and time To days long fled, and men long dead. A poem a fragile vessel is, By gossamer sails of fancies blown, The young man's dreams of days to come, The old man s dream of days far gone. M. G. MACHEN, ,37 Emma by Jane Austen. This book is a perfection of the Drawing Room novel. Jane Austen has succeeded in making a thoroughly engaging story out of almost nothing: a few conversations and a simple love affair against the background of a middle class country estate.-B. Gillespie, ,37 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Elizabeth is real and attractive, and Bingley catches our hearts witbi his frank friendliness. Silly Mrs. Bennett so amuses and provokes us with her tactless remarks and schemes for her daughters' progress that we sympathize with the long-suffering Mr. Bennett. And how we laugh at iidiculous Mr. Collins!-A. Benedict, '38 Silas Marizer by George Eliot. Although Silas Marner is the possessor of some extraordinary traits, such as the loss of faith in God and man, he is not inhuman. When you realize the circumstances which he has gone through, and the conditions under which he has lived, it is only natural for him to form those peculiar habits of hoarding gold and living apart from the rest of the world. The change that comes over him later can be accounted for by the arrival of the small golden-haired child, and if he had not changed, he would not have been so life-like nor so real. C. Streuber, 737 The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell. It is largely told through Charlotte's letters to her few close friends, but in the part written by Mrs. Gaskell you feel the author's strong desire to portray the life of a woman whom she con- sidered much greater than herself.-l. Patterson, '38 Ethan Frome by Edith Wha1'ton. How easy it is, I reflect, for one, just one occurrence to change the life, and character of a person, and how very .clearly this thought is brought out in Ethan Frome. When I think how the ambitious, simple Page Forty-nine