Oakland High School - Oaken Bucket Yearbook (Oakland, CA)

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'l'1-tn: I'IIGl-l Scnooi, Xliuis. I7 May finally said, I thought I heard somebody say something about some- one whom I had l1eard of somewhere. But I'll speak to you later -for here the curtain rose again. I must confess that I was very anxious lor, that act to be finished, and linally when it was, May turned and spoke to me. ' How lovely it was in Mabel to bring us all together this way! I did not expect to see all my old classmates here. I thought she merely invited me because I lived in Oakland still, and this is indeed a surprise ! Where have you been? Wl13t'l13V6 you been doing? What are you doing, and where are you living now P Here the volley of questions quite overcame me and I replied that just now I was trying to find out where she had been and what she had been doing. I told her that I had heard from, and of, a good many of our class, but hoped she had some more to tell me. V Well, she said, I have lived here in Oakland all this time, and conse- quently have watched nearly all of my classmates get married and leave, or leave for other causes. One whom I think of now is May Walker, who has just left on another of her extended tours. Her violin, and -her powers of managing all her own affairs, have been storing up quite a horde of wealth and comfort for May. S-he is agreat favorite in the musical world. Speaking of leaving home, also reminds me of Ednie jones. I suppose, though, you have heard that she left for Africa three years ago. The 'fMornin'g Star just brought back news that she has made a great success in her chosen life-work., but then she always did succeed in whatever she attempted. ' ' ' ' Have you heard anything about her friend, Mary Page ? I asked. - Oh, yes. She, too, has gained the ends she aimed at. She was married just tive years-ago to the President of the Pacific Theological Seminary. She lives at that institution now, though I believe they are soon to move East, to establish a school for lady ministers, Mary, herself, being much interested in Woman's Rights, Women's Progress and so forth. Helen Dille has promised to be a pupil. - ' Well, I'm glad Mary is so comfortably settled. But do you ever hear anything more of Walter Burpee? You know before I left he was a prominent speaker at the political meetings, and I suppose he has climbed still higher by this time. a A - Nog I have not heard of him since President Wills of the United States, who, you know was elected unanimously by all tickets told him 'that his speeches were too anarchical in their trend, and that Congress would order him to make milder speeches, if he did not do so voluntarily. His followers came almost to a state of a second 'Coxey's Army '. ' I laughed as she told me this, but May and Margaret both declared their wonder that I had not heard ofit. I told them that I had beenqaway and had not received very much of the news, and what I had heard of this 'state of affairs had been greatly exaggerated when told to me. Well, I should think you would take at least one paper, the one that'Will Miller and Elmer Hunter edit. It has taken the worthy place of the San Francisco Examiner. But instead of having red, our class color, they have the yellowish kind of journalism. ' I think that not very patriotic to our class, though it symbolizes the june, ,QQ class very well. r Yes, I saw one of their papers, Margaret said. It was theone in which the campaign of Frances Gribble was outlined. Of course, we all knew that she was a strong advocate, but I did not believe she would ever become a second 'Susan B. Anthony'. , p As you mentioned Frances, I naturally thought of Florence Champreuxf' It was May Lemon Cwho used to bej, who spoke. She had been strangely quiet

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16, THE HIGH SCHOOL ZEGIS. I 'finished my kindergarten course, and taught for a while till I was ap- pointed governess to C1aribel's little boy and girl: We ,welp-t to E11I'fg:lfi?itf0f Claribel has captivated our friends 'Justover the WHY, by her W ist mg' 1 OU, of course, manages her concerts and it is said makes a very efficient managepn I-Iave you seen or heard anythipg olfl BessEe.McC21l 111 YOUI' tfaVe1S- I asked, but did not wait for any reply, or t e cur a1n ros. . A The stage was artistically set, and' E1iZabCth', 100.ked Very beautiful, but I must confess that some of these beauties escaped my n0'C1Ce, When I SQW, thmugh my opera glasses, that quiet Bessie McCall was actually acting the part of Mary Stuart. Margaret turned. and smiled a knowing smile at me. H n It is a surprise all around, for I had not heard of Bess myself, she said. At the end of the first scene, the lights were .turned up again, and then my opera glasses were used to good advantage. I' discovered George Oswill, now Berkeley's football coach. Later, at the end of the second act, I spoke to this dignitary, and learned that another of my classmates, Sue IJL1,Db2f, had Super' ceded both Professor and Mrs. McGee as teacher of gymnasium at the U, C. She is not alone out there, either, he said, for Miss Qourdon 1S instructor in mathematics, having taken Colonel Edwards' esteemed position. And Nellie Harrington keeps a first-class boarding house, and, to tell you the truth, the young ladies who board there, are some of the swellest in Berkeley. Of course Gretchen, who is now professor in physics in the miningdepartment, boards there also. The boys who took the mining and .engineering ,course felt bad that they saw so few young ladies, so now that they have a lady teacher she is a great favorite. W just as I had gained all this knowledge the curtain rose again. Elizabeth was speaking to her courtiers, and lo, one of them came forward and spoke for the entertainment of his Queen. What is he saying?-Ah, I have it now.- Q This poem, your Majesty, was written by Miss May Dunsmore just after her high school days. A It is very beautiful, replies the Queen, and I would 'there were' more of it. . A Many others as beautiful as this one, the renowned poetess has written and we hope is still writing. She began her writing in her school days and, like Keats, has continued to improve ever since. V ' I This piece of news was not a great surprise to me, for I remembered that May did write poetry, but when Margaret turned round again, at the 'close of that scene and said she had forgotten to tell me about Esther Avery, whom she met in Paris, I was surprised. ' , ' Why Esther, you know, has taken Paris by storm. With her pretty gowns and her winning manners, Esther is captivating the gay Parisians. Altogether, I think she is probably the most petted of all our American girls that Paris has ever had. r Speaking of gowns and society in general, I replied, makes me think of ,Pearl and Florence. I saw in the papers only the other day that Mrs. -- nee Pearl King, of Oakland, Cal., was to give a ball that was to far supercede Mrs. Bradley-Martin's. After telling of many of the costumes to be worn, it spoke of Pearl's society renown. It seems that both she and Florence married second Vanderbilts, and became favorites in New York. Now they are the favored leaders in the 'four hundred' and very prominent Egures at all the horse showsf' Wh'at an illustrious class, the class of December, '98, of the O. H. S. Was! How glad I am I belonged to it l exclaimed Margaret. . When Margaret exclaimed about December, '98, and the O. H, Su I noticed that a lady in front of us turned round, and, lo ! it was May Barnett, i Margaret and I' were both surprised beyond words, and it was only after a minute or two had elapsed that-either of us spoke.

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Ig THE' HIGHQ SCHOOL IZEGIS- during the whole play, listened, she said, but HOW If Seemed to be her turn to ' ' e information. ' . glVe'?1My husband being governor, she continued, DI, I1Ht11fe115'.haVe a five chance to entertain, especially all those who are pol1t1cally 1IlC11.I16d. Well, Florence was on a lecture tour-by the way her lectures on 'Political Reform are line !-and when she came to Arizona she visited me. We hadljolly times talking over old acquaintances, and as this was only a few months ago, maybe you would like to hear about some, for she told of many of our classmates whom she had either heard of or met. . , , , P H Yes 3 I am sure I would like to hear. Wouldn t you g1r1S 11116 YO, t00- I said., 'Shall we put this-ah--lady under oath'?'f I asked, but as ,she truly confessed that she would not take one, not to mention a half-a-dozen, we took her word for true. , , Well, said May, who was always systematic in her ways, t0.b6glD.W1lEh our class president, Florence, said that she, herself, was his lawyeryin a' trlal in which he was the prominent figure. He became so much in love Wlth the pro- fession of piracy that he and Harry Tharsing conceived of a plan to become Captain Kidds in earnest. Well, they started on their adventurous business and after capturing three or four Klondike steamers, 'reported to be loaded with gold dust,' they found, as did ,another pirate, that the gold was only a number of certified checks, payable in San Francisco, so when they, more foolishly than than their predecessors, tried to cash those checks' they were detected. But Florence saved them from any uncomfortable troubles by her eloquence, and so Charles and Harry have decided to remain at home. Charles, I believe is winning a name second only to Edison's in his electrical discoveries, and Harry has really become a second Samuel Johnson. You remember -but here the curtain broke off the discourse, and I was left to impatiently await the last intermission, which I knew would be all too short. Mabel acted brilliantly, and the orchestral accompaniment was equal to the occasion, so that when it all ended, I felt sorry, and yet pleased, for Mabel had announced in her invitations that I could meet her behind the scenes. -When I saw my other friends going down there too, I began to suspect it was really going to be a reception. b is ' As we entered the little dressing room, Mabel exclaimed, How glad I am you all came! Howard and I have been planning this little treat for ourselves and for you, for two years, and now it seems as if it could hardly be true! Oh Gertrude! How are you? I turned to see whom she addressed, and, although I did not recognize her, Ilearned that it was Gertrude Smith, She evidently did not recognize me, either, but when I spoke she recognized my voice. I asked her how it happened that she had staid in Oakland. Oh, my husband 'is Mayor, you know. Mayor! No, I did not know it. Why, Gertrude, it all seems strange to hear you girls talk of your husbands. Well, I don't talk of husbands, exclaimed a voice just behind me. Pd like to know what good husbands are. Q Oh, well, Sadie Robinson, retorted Gertrude, one who gives herself solely up to art does not want anything else to give herself to, so I suppose that 15 Whl' YOU do not marry. ,By the way, I see that your painting received first prize at the World's Fair in 1910. Are you going to take the prize in r92o?,' Why girls what is this quarrel about? And you haven't met for fifteen or twenty years! - . U Who is that speaking? Her face is familiar,-oh, I have it now. I believe 1t1s Mabel Embury. If I hadn't been kept well informed of most of your whereabouts through my bureauof general information, I should ask you all