Cogswell Polytechnical College - Cogswell Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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45 THE' COGSWELL Everything in the house seemed almost as she had left it a year ago, only when she cut the bread for dinner she noticed that her father had bought a new bread knife. After dinner Margie and her father sat on the narrow porch in front of their little house to watch the moon rise above Scraggy Mountain. Mr. Lane sat in his big armchair while Margie was perched on one of the arms. They sat silently for a long time, although Mr. Lane took his pipe out of his mouth as if to say something several times, but he always put it back again without uttering a syllable. Margie, who had watched him for some time, became curious, so she asked: I-Iave you something to tell me, Daddy ? lNal, said her father, stopping to take another puff at his pipe, ter tell the truth, daughter, I hevg but the trouble is I don't know how ter say it. 'fls it something nice, Daddyiv' Hlhfal, I should say it is.', lN7ell, then, please start right in and tell me all about it. lNal,', said the old man, puffing again and turning slightly in his chair, diye remember John Thompson, the man that lived about two miles up the Gak Road in that big red house?', The man whom the boys used to call 'Governorf and who always dressed in black? 'Ilhat's him. Oh, yes, I remember him. I-Ie used to spend his time writing stories, didn't he? Yes I f'But I thought that he had left this part of the country in order to go somewhere else to sell his stories. USO he did, but he come back th' other day to his ol' house again an' he come in to see me, too. VVhat did he have to say? asked Margie, becoming interested. lNal, it seems that he's sold his stories or poems, as he calls 'em now, out in California and he's made a heap o' money by 'em. Yes, said Margie, what else did he have to say? Now I'm a comin' to the point, daughter, replied Mr. Lane as he shook the ashes out of his pipe. Seem, as he's made so much money a sellin' his poems he wants to move away from here and go to California to live, so he wanted to know if I didn't want to buy his house. XNhat? I-Ie wanted you to buy that fine big red house out on the Qak Road? W7ouldn't it be wonderful to live there! Vlfhat did you tell him, Daddy?,' Margie asked all these questions with one breath, while all kinds of plans for a new home were running through her head. h I told him that I'd have to talk it over with you before I could tell him anything for sure.

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THE coGsWELL 45 a1'gir'a Ulhauntvh Munras Puff, puff, thundered the mighty engine as it stopped at the little town of Cow Hollow in XYestern NYyoming to leave one passenger and go on pufhng down the track again. Thar she be, said an elderly man as he left a group of men to rush toward the fashionably dressed young girl who had just left the train and was approaching him, smiling. Daddy, dearest daddy, she cried as she embraced him. XVal, wal, Margie, yer the same little gal thet left me a year ago, only yer, a heap prettier with them new clothes on. 'Tm so glad you like them. daddy, she said as they approached an old-fashioned wagon with a group of curious looking men standing around it. The curious looking men were all cowboys and were as awkward as can be imagined trying to welcome Margie home after a long year's absence. However, after they had exchanged commonplaces with her and had also learned that she had liked New York very much, Margie expressed the desire to hurry home as she was very anxious to see her pet, Dandy, a beautiful Indian pony that her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday. XVith Margie's trunk fastened in the back of the wagon and her valise at her feet. the two started toward home. lVhile they rode silently over the familiar road it seemed to Margie as if she had only been away from this wild country, which she called home, a few weeks. All the days that she had been homesick and had longed for the open country, her father and Dandy, were forgotten now. She felt free to do as she pleased, for there were no strict boarding school teachers ready to scold her here. Ch, how good it was to be back home with her father again ! Now as they neared home the shadows began to lengthen and the horse, as if wishing to have them home before dark, quickened his pace As he quiclcened his pace Margies spirits livened and she planned to get up very early the next morning and take a long ride with Dandy. At last they approached their gate and Margie drove through while her father held it open. She had only driven a little way up the road to the stable when who Wasithere-right in the middle of the road, looking to see who was coming-but her 'dear old Dandy! Margie jumped out of the wagon, ran up to him, hugged him and petted him and said over and over again: 'fDandy, Dandy, oh, it feels so good to see you again! You remember me, donlt you, old boy ? In her excitement she almost forgot to give him the sugar she had put in her handbag especi- ally for him. I V V I After her father had unhitched Andy, and Margie and Dandy had looked the place over from the outside, Margie and her father entered the little house which was their home. A V A

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THE coGswELL 47 But don't you think it would be lovely to live in that line big house? Dandy and Andy would like the hue big stable, l'm sure. Then we could have chickens and pigs and perhaps a lamb or two, couldn't we, Daddy, dear? asked Margie, patting her father's cheek as she always did when she wanted anything very much. That'll all be very line, daughterq but d'ye think yer know enough 'bout housework to take care o' that big house all by yerselI? Now for the first time Margies enthusiasm lagged. She hadn't thought of that. She sat still for a long time as if in deep thought, then she sud- denly brightened. I have an idea, Daddy, she burst out. XYhen I go back to school next year I'll make a special study of housekeeping, and when I come back I'll know all about it. 'llhen we can go right to the new house and every- thing will be Finefi All right, daughter. l'm willin' to have it that way if you are: but do ye think ye can learn that at school? lYhy to be sure I can. Lots of married women take special lessons at school. Very good, then. Then you really mean to buy that big house for the two of us to live in? lYon't that be fine! You will let nie have some chickens and pigs to take care of, won't you, Daddy? asked Margie. patting his cheek again. lYell, we'll see about those things later, said her father, very much amused by her chatter. Thompson's comin' back to-morrow to see about it, an' I suppose we'll be able to make an agreement that'll suit us both. USO we're really going to live in that Fine big house! It seems almost impossible, doesn't it?' asked Margie, dreamily. That's what it does. But it's the truth just the same, replied Mr. Lane with a smile. After they had been sitting silently and dreaming about their new home for some time, Mr. Lane suggested that they go to bed, for Margie must be tired from her long journey and he had to be in the corral early the next morning. Margie decided that the suggestion was a good one, so after saying Good night to each other they went to their own rooms and were soon fast asleep. About 7 o'eloek the next morning, after she had said Good-by to her father, and after she had performed her household duties, Margie Lane, dressed in a becoming tan riding suit and with a felt cowboy hat upon her head, started out for a long ride on her Indian pony, Dandy. After they had gallopecl along the road for some time, Margie decided to turn up Oak Road and look at the big house that was to be her own before very long, so she turned her' pony's head in that direction. Wfhen they arrived at the house. Margie thought she would like very much to enter the gate and peep through the shutters and look into the