Westfield State University - Tekoa Yearbook (Westfield, MA)

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6 TVES T FI E LD .YOR.UAL. 1909 had thrown it down again as worthless. but its magic lay in the fact that the old man. ninety years of age. with the beard way down to here a11d nowhere was not to emerge until 1920. unless someone utttered a wish while holding it. and how could I help but chance upon this good fortune when there had been a con- stant wish in our inmost thoughts for weeks. The old 111311 was so grateful for his deliverance that he pro111ised to tell us all about the future of our classmates as they would be in the year 1920. So we opened our notebooks which we always carried with us in order to be ready to jot down problems of algebra or geo1net1'y which might present themselves. XYe now began to liste11 to the future of Class '09. and the first person we heard of was the one and only boy of our class. Benjamin T. Riley. And what a strange fate had over- taken him. He had married Lizzie Battenburg who had always been a favorite with the Normal girls. and the couple had set up a great millinery establishment where the latest styles in hats were always to be procured. XVe were not very much sur- prised at Ikey's becoming a Benedict for he always was fond of Lizzie. But we did receive a shock when we found that Grace Howard was in the insane asylum. whither she had gone soon after leaving Normal. Those strong nerves which had sustained her so many nights in her vigils on the second floor. and her trips down the pike had at last failed her. and she was sent to Northampton a sad wreck of monitorship. at Dickinson Hall. XYhat a different fate had befallen her roo1111nate. Ruby Cowing, Immediately after graduation she had settled down to a quiet life as a shepherdess. tending her Hherd' with the great- est of care and devotion. XYe paid close attention at the mention of the word Ma- honey. What had become of fun-loving. ever-smiling happy-go- lucky Florence? XVhy the saddest ,of fates possible for her. She had always been fond of a trombone. so had organized a brass band. with herself as leader playing the trombone. But she became so fond of it and had the band play so much. that she strained her vocal chords until they became quite useless and oh! so sad to relate had become quite dumb! Another great affliction had befallen one of the other girls. Antoinette Charest. She had set up a telephone exchange of her

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190.9 WESTFIELD .Y0li.l1AL. .5 lgrnphrrg nf Gllaaa 19119 Given- Monday, Juno 21, 1909, at the Class Picnic. BY IIELEN T. HOVSIIXRD, IHARGARET I. LEAHY. VVO poor unfortunates! Chosen as the foretellers of the future of the illustrious Class of 1909. NVhat were we to do U? Mere babes in the gift of prophecy. Wfhat a e vast amount of courage we had, to lay aside a whole Week to haunt Dickinson Hall and to wander about the Campus with a View of probing the veil of mystery shrouding the fu- ture of our classmates. Although this was a mammoth Nl sac- rifice, we felt ourselves amply repaid. One afternoon about five o'clock, the usual hour for all of the girls' constitutionals, Margaret and I were strolling about the Campus, just outside the geology room, when we saw a strange gleam in the grass. It proved to be a queer specimen of a stone which we tried in vain to associate with some of the magnetites, siderites, etc., which we met with in our past geology days. I had hardly picked it up when it began to crumble in my hand and the next moment what should I see in its place, but an old, old man, about ninety years of age, with a beard, way down to here and nowhere. So sudden was this apparition that Margaret sank on the ground and I immediately followed suit, but only to rise again to greet him. VVe had hardly regained our breath before the old man began to murmur in a thin quavering voice, which bespoke his ninety years and more. Pricking up our ears we listened closely and we were able to give our greatest attention to every word he said. because of a two years' training in Mrs. Knight 's classes. The old man informed us that he had been imprisoned in a queer stone, and for many years had been kept by Mr. XYilson as a curiosity. But the latter did not know its true value. and long ago had Cast it out of the window. Many had piel-:ed it up. but

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1969 WESTFIELD .v0R.u.iL. ' r own, but as the place was entirely fitted up with red and no other color was prominent. so the poor girl became color blind. We next heard about our old friend Elean Pfeiffer. who in memory of Dickinson Hall life had built a lodging house for those wayfarers who might be Afraid to go home in the dark. Septa Lynn we found had finally her dearest wish granted- that of being a doctor. and she had so pursued her studies that in 1920. she was a great surgeon. famous the world over. Septa was ever a cut-up. so we knew she nmst be just in her element. As for Elaine Holt and Helen Stockwell what more could be expected when one saw how fond they were of the house cat at Dickinson Hall. than that they should hetake themselves off to some distant land. no matter what the name. tfor no matter how simple, Helen never could pronounce it.Ql where they kept a home for houseless cats. with no thought for anything outside the care of their pets. XVe paid strict attention when we heard one of the beauties of our class mentioned. XVhat could have happened to her? VVhy she had become a photographer and connected with her es- tablishment was a picture gallery. .showing the likenesses of countless numbers of men. for was there ever a fellow any girl might know, whose picture was not in Anne Halfpenny's collee- tion 'Z And Anne not only knew the name but was well ac- quainted with every gentleman in her or any other girl list. Ruth Nocke and Helen Lewis. we were told. had started a private railway line between Springfield and XVestfield by which Normal girls could arrive at and leave school every imaginable hour. No need to say that the line had become immensely popu- lar with the school girls. all of whom gave up the public street railway for that convenient one of two old lYestiield Normal school girls. And Louise Arnold? lVe certainly expected her to be a prima donna by that time. but a far different course l1ad been adopted by her. After leaving Normal school. she had gone to Simmons where she pursued a study of domestic science. in order that she might later introduce it into her favorite school in life. 11a1nely Clark l'niversity. Now we found what had happened to good natured Kather- ine Dowd. From the time ef our psychology days we knew Kate