Annie Wright School - Shield Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

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THE nYAK. 25 Lucy— T his promises to be interesting! Adelia— I was out in the country one summer for my health. Edna— Adelia ’s health! What seemed to be the matter? Adelia (irritated)— Nervous prostration! Perhaps you don’t believe it, but it was brought on by over-study during my four years at the Semi- nary ! Well, a young man came along selling patent medicine, and he made my boading house his headquarters, while he was canvassing the country. Amelia — H ow romantic! Adelia — I thought he looked familiar, and come to find out, he was a chap I met going over to Tacoma on the Interurban one Sunday, when I was coming back to the Seminary, and I thought then, that he was pretty nice. LuCy (laughing) — I guess we all remember that. Adelia — So when he came out there, I said to myself. “Now Dill, if you’re bright, you won’t let him escape, and I didn’t. Lucy— B ut how did you manage? Adelia— Well, one night we were sitting out on the front porch, and we got to talking, and pretty soon I didn’t say anything for a long time, and he thought I was ill, and was going after some of his patent medicine, but I told him that all the patent medicine in the world could not cure my sickness. Then I told him all about it, and asked him if he could cure it (my heart) and he said “yes.” Edna— A nd the end was— a wedding. Amelia— Now, if that isn ' t an original way to get a better-half! Delia « lways did like original things, even those in Geometry. Sara — Yes, the way she got him was original, but I don’t think I should like the sort of life she leads; I like the comforts of a home and the attention of a host of servants. Lucy (aside to Adelia) — Sara does revel in her newly-found wealth. Sara— I should not like such an unsettled life. Always on the go. Lucy— H a ! Ha ! And do you really make up part of his traveling outfit ? Amelia— Y es, and the better part of it, too, I imagine. Adelia— W ell, I must confess that I was a paying investment. But men are so stupid.

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24 THE HYAK. Lucy- Why, how lovely that must be! But I believe I would rather have Polly recite poems to me, than a man. Sara— Oh, Lucy, it’s a shame that you are the only old maid in the class, and we all had such hopes for you ! Lucy I m not sure its such a misfortune! Lara— Why, you used to be surrounded by the despised sex at all our parties. All our parties girls! We used to give so many! Adelia— Yes, didn ' t we? Two a year! if I remember rightly. But say, do you know the Delta Pi’s give a dance every Saturday night, now, and they have boys, too ! Edna— O h, ’Twas not like that in the olden days, in the days of long ago. Sara— Speaking of the Delta Pi’s, I guess you’re the only one, Lucy, who still has her Delta Pi pin. Why, my Pete asked me for mine, the night we were engaged. Edna— O f course, you gave it to him. Sara— I had told him some time before that no one could wear my Sorority pin unless we were engaged, and about a week from that night, he asked me if he might wear it. Wasn’t that the dearest way of propos- ing? Lucy— So you got your Pete that way. Well you got a lovely home into the bargain, too. Sara— Yes, I do think our little — Amelia — Little ! It only has about thirteen dozen rooms! Sara— Our little home is very cozy, and then you know what a col- lection of paintings we have. They are simply splendid. I often thought of you, Lucy, while we were choosing them, because you always were fond of art. What a pity that you never have had the opportunity of going abroad on a honeymoon. Adelia— Yes, Lucy, dear, it is a perfect shame. I just would not be an old maid. To be sure, didn ' t I propose to John, myself? But what are the odds, so long as you get a man in the end. Edna — T rust Dill to get there some way. Lucy— W hy, how did you manage it? Adelia— W T ell, you see it was just this way—

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26 THE HYAK. Lucy— That s Just what I think. Adelia Now, when we would go to a house to sell our medicine, John would try to sell the mother some hair dye, or something of that sort, while the poor baby was almost dying with the whooping cough or croup, and then I would bring on Mrs. Winslow ' s Soothing Syrup and it stands to rea- son that she would take a bottle. So you see I wasn ' t a bad bargain after all. Lucy— So you are all happy; Sara with her Pete, Edna with her poet, and Adelia with her patent medicine man, but you have not told me who is the lucky man that got Amelia? Sara— Why, didn ' t you read it in the papers? She married that great actor, Gerald Russell, who was leading man in a comic opera. Lucy— Ilow r exciting! An actor! And Amelia is married to him! Tell us about him, Amelia? Amelia— Well, you see, after I left the Sem., after I graduated, I went on the stage. It was my voice that got me the position. Lucy— I remember that Miss Fitch always wanted Amelia in Chapel. Amelia— I was in church one Sunday and the manager of the Tacoma Theatre was sitting behind me and heard me sing and wished me to join the company. So I did, and it was there I met Gerald. Lucy— How interacting ! Amelia — He always said that it was my beautiful voice, that first at- tracted him, and now we are married. Sara — And you are the only one who cannot tell of such experiences. Poor Lucy, you do not realize what you have missed. Edna— O h! I don ' t know whether you have missed so awfully much. Adelia— Why Edna! such a remark from you, and you the possessor of such a husband as a French poet. Edna— W ell, you know, poets are such queer people. Not like other men. Amelia— N o, I suppose not. Edna— They are so queer. It is their poetical temperament, don’t you know? Everything has to be just right. Sometimes his breakfast is served too cold, and sometimes too hot, just as he feels, but it is the poetical temperament.