Albion State Normal School - Sage Yearbook (Albion, ID)

Page 107 text:

was almost as rickety as the old man's knees, and 111 it were two greasy slop cans. You got any slop you 'd like to have took off? he asked with a decided Scandanavian accent. I gladly shoved him the slop cans and from that time on he came regularly every morning, until We began to get interested in him and rather felt HS tho we ought to know more about him. I de- Olared from the first that he had a sad story to tell and determined sooner or later to learn it if possible. A year went by and more and more was im- Dressed upon me his patient endurance and his Sweet, quite strength. Old Slop, as the irre- Verant people called him, never had much to say but occasionally when he did talk 11e always seem- ed cheerful in spite of the burden that evidently lily on his shoulders. I often yearned to draw him out and if possible to l1elp him and impart Strength to him, but there was something in the Qld man's bearing that forbade me to ask ques- t10ns or I would have had the whole story long before I did. At last tl1e opportunity came. One morning when he came he was fairly bursting with joy and his wheel-barrow seemed to syinpathise with him, for it lurehed along as though it were really 3 1Ve. You seem unusually happy this morning. :live you received good news? I ventured to S . . . Yas'm. And he spoke almost hurriedly in h1S great excitement. I got a letter frum ma leetle gurl las' night an' she 's comin' to me from de ole' country. . Oh, then you have a daughter? How old 1S She-if I may ask? for I was still rather timid. She'll be tirteen een March an' I a1n't seen her since she were two year old. Lg, Well, I don't blame you for being happy. Is your wife coming too? In the few times during this year that I had got him to talk he had occasionally spoken of a vife back een de ole country. No'm, de vife she cant come until de dad die, and the sad tone mingled with bitterness excited my curiosity more than ever. Then he surprised me by saying, I'm going to tell you about it. He leaned back against the house and began: I come here frum de ole coun- try eleven years ago. I was starved out of ma home an' I had to come to America to make a livin.' I was goin' to have ma vife an' leetle Annie come to me as soon as I had earned enough money. I went hungry an' cold to make de money pile grow faster and finally I had enough to bring ,ein over, so I sent it. But pretty soon l' got a letter frum the vife saying she didn't vant to come until de dad die. S0 I vaited an' worked an' vaited an' I vas lonely all dese time. Finally she sent 'me anoder letter an' say she tought de dad was about to die an, she would come. So again I sent her all ma savings an' den de dad right quick got better an' den she wrote me a mean letter an' I knew she didn 't vant to come to me but vas trying to get all de money out of me she could an' oh, I vas so lonely. I still hoped dat when de dad vas dead maybe she vould come so I vorked on an' shiver an' starve some more for I tank maybe if I save hard enough I can buy a home ven she come. But de vork vas too hard an' I get seek and had to pay most all of ma mon- ey to de edoctor an' ven I vas vell again I vas not strong an' all I could do vas to get some peegs an' gather slop for ,em an' I bane so awful lonely but now ma leetle Annie's acomin. . And here he almost danced for joy. As he talked his eyes had assumed their old

Page 106 text:

Now Dick was no philosipher, but after this he thot that it was only fair that he should at least be counted in her good graces. And when at noon she had deliberately chosen Ray, yes, Ray, the very boy who had teased her, as her partner in Hide and Seek, Dick felt very much injured, and that darn was a term not a bit too bad to indulge in. Having come to this conclusion he gave a savage kick and said it again: 'tDarn! I Just then he saw Gladys coming down the street with a bucket in l1er hand. She was coming over to his house after milk. It wouldn't do for her to' see him so he went around tl1e wood shed and began to whistle unconcernedly. Dick! O, Dick! called his mother, come here and carry this bucket for Gladys. Dick whistled gaily on and was finally brought forth muttering something about H girls always being in the way, but at last they were on the street. Dick strode along in front, and Gladys tod- dled after, her breath coming in short puffs. Dicky, wait for 11l9,H she panted. Dick was inspecting a candy pig, which he had drawn from his pocket, and gave no heed to her entreaty. Dick, I'se tired. At this Dick slowed up a little and Gladys caught up with him. They walk- ed along side by side in uncomfortable, pouting silence. Gladys finally said: Is you mad? No, but I feel bad and I just believe I'll run out there in the street and let the cars run over me. He gave a covert glance to see how she would take this. It had the desired effect. Gladys' big eyes grew wide with fright and she nervously drew nearer. ' V Dick, you wont r-e-a-l-l-y! Will you? No response. Say, Dick, I'm sorry I didn't choose you. I dont like 'that old Ray' anyway. Still no reply. Gladys drew herself up proudly, tossed her curls, and, if it were possible, her small tip-tilted nose tilted just a little higher. Having made the advances, it was his turn now. Dick saw the mis- take. Say, Gladys. But Gladys did not answer. Thus they walked all tl1e way home. At the gate they paused. Dick held out the bucket to her. She took it and lin- gered uncertainly, twisting nervously on one foot and began hestitatingly: ' Ise---got-something-for-you-i '. She put something hard into Dick 's hand and retreated to the house in confusion. Dick opened his hand and-could it be true? Surely his eyes deceived himl. No, there on a pink heart were printed the words: I love you. Dick ran home, rushed into the parlor and pro- voked his sister's wrath by nearly upsetting her in his joy, but Dick didn't mind. Out in tl1e yard he pulled the heart out of his pocket and read the words again: I love you. End. GEN EVIEVE MARTIN WEN DE DAD DIED. We had just moved into a small western town and had not yet become acquainted with the vil- lage freaks. Just as we were leaving tl1e break- fast table one morning I heard a rap at the door and upon opening it I saw a strange old man standing before me. His face was dried and weather beaten and one could read suffering and heartache in every line of it. His knees were so weak and wabbly that he looked as tho he might topple over any minute. A short distance from the door stood a wheel-barrow, the wheel of which

Page 108 text:

dimness and his face was again gray and care- worn. I began to talk about tl1e daughter he loved so dearly and he was soon cheered up and left almost as lighthearted as he had come. From that time on he was very different. Al- ways happy and quite talkative. About a month later he came one morning happier if possible than on that other morning. This time he told me that Annie was coming the next day. An' den vont I be happy! he exclaimed. The next morning Old Slop of as I had learn- ed Johan Bjorensan did not appear. But I thought nothing of it, supposing he was too much taken up with his daughter to remember his hungry pigs and the neglected slop cans of his neighbors. About two o'clock that afternoon a boy came and told me that I was wanted in the little dirt cover- ed shack down by th eriver. Anxiously I hurried off, fearing some accident had befallen my friend. When I entered a sweet faced girl came up to me timidily and with an appealing look that went straight to my heart she took my hand and led me over to the bed. There lay the old man, his little spark of life was almost gone. As I stepped to the bed side he raised himself very slightly and looked up at me very pathetically. Vill you keep Annie-until de dad die? I chockingly assured him that I would and he fell back--dead. Old Slop had died of happiness. E. F. B. Fourth Year Class. I