Collegiate School - Torch Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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llllIIIllnllllIIIIllnlmIIIIIulullllllllllll!IIIIIIlllllIlIIIllllllllIIIlllllllIIIIlllllllllllllllllIIIIIIllllIIIIllmlnllIIIlllllllIIIImulIIIIIlllllllllllllmlIIIIIIulllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllHlllllllllllmllllll ullllll lllnllllllllllnln mumIIIIImlnllIIIIllumlIlllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIlllllIlIIIIllllllIIIIllllllIIIIIlllllllllllllulllllllllllIIIIlllullIIIIIlullIIIIIlllllxllllllllmlllllllxllllIIIIlllllIIIIIlllllllllllllllmlllll llllllllllllnlllllllllllllllIIIIlllllllIIIIlllllllIIIIllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllll When I heard de rumbles of de carriege on de road, I ran an' opened the gate like as usual. lVIarster said, 'Come here, Lil Missy, and I saw he was a-smilin'. Then he told me a secret, an' I said I wouldn't tell. Next mornin' come, all we slaves come to the big hall at Marster's house, an' We all said, 'Christmus gif! Christmus gif! Marster.' An' he give us all a present. I got a china-headed baby, an, my! but I was proud of that baby. But Ma wasn't happy-even with a beautiful calico dress. She looked like she didn't see as how I could smile. But she didn't know. 'I want to tell you all a Merry Christmusf lwarster said, 'an' I wanta tell you sum,pin'g I bought a new slave in town yesterday. He is comin' today to live with us, an' I know youlll all be nice to him.' 'lThe door opened. 'Mr. Richard Ellisf announced the Marster. And in walked my father! Ma screemed, an' most knocked him downg she was that surprised. And did you have a nice Christmas ? asked the little boy. Lawsy chile, said IVIammy, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, With lVIarster's wonnerfzzl Christmus gif? MARY HINTON DUKE, '24. Ill lm I I Iml ll Apologies to Chaucer Wlzanne that Aprille with his shoures mole The droughte of Ma1'eh hath pierred to the I'0fE When Zephyrus eek fwith his sfwete hreeth Inspired hath in efvery halt and heath Than longer folk to playe the tournamenie And with raquets and halls and nets they hente Ou! to the four! on mcirh faire a daye As best they can the goode tennis game to plzzye. MARY HINTON DUKE, '24,

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llllllllllllllll lllllllllllll I I III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I III I I I III I IlIIIll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII lllll I IllIIIllIIKIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIllIIlllllllllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll 48 T H E T O R C H Ole Marster's Chris'mus Gif' UTSIDE, night was fast approachingil The pale, wintry sun was slowly sink- ing behind the tall poplars at the back of the snow-covered garden. lVIammy, called a weak, impatient voice from the depths of a big arm- chair -by the Window, Mammy, how many more days are there now ? .Ies' three mo' now, honey, came the response. See, you can count lem, and the doctor is shol, now, that you'll be well time enough to git your own stocking, Christ- mus morningf, The small boy took the calendar held out to him, and, after counting the days that stood between him and liberty, he said, But I Want to see my Christmas presents, lVIammy. Three da 's seem so long n H I :D to wa1t. K'Come ,long here by de fire, honey, and I'l1 tell you about when I was a little girl, an' when I could skeercely wait for Christmus to come,'I and Mammy lowered the shades, shutting out the now-darkened World. The little boy came and sat at her feet on the rug by a blazing fire. HIS it a story, Mammy ? he asked. Well, you see it was this a way, she began, we lived on a big plantation near Doswell, an' yo, great uncle, John Harris, was my marster. Ole mistis was dead, so my ma she kep' house for Marse John, I uster wait on him. I would bring him his slippers at night, an' sleep in the hall at the Great I-Iousen so as I be ready to run errands or do anything he Wanted me to do. He called me Little IN-Iiss and liked me most of all de chillun on de plantation. A cabin in de 'quarters' was where ma lived with my brother an' two little sisters, but my father he was owned by Mr. Ambler over 'crost de river. He could come to see us nights, but we all wished mightily that he could Iifve with us. I never will disremember one night. It was jest' befo, Christmus. I ran over home to see my father, an' thai' was ma, on her knees befo, father an, he was aholdin' a long knife. 'No, Richardf she was beggin', 'I'd rather see you livin, somewhere else than dead here.' When he saw me he dropped the knife he'd been a hxin' to kill hisself with, an' took me in his arms. 'My darlin' chile,' he said, 'l've come to tell you good-bye. Tomorrow, deyls gonna sell me in Richmond' Dat night I cried all night long. I didn't like for NIa1'se John to see my red eyes in de mornin', but he did. I told him all my troubles, den, an' den I felt better. He said not to Worry, jes' to trus' in de Lord, an' I did. Dat day Marse -Iohn Went to de city. Christmus Eve he always Went to de city, an' at night come back loaded down with bundles. 8

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llllllllIIIIIIIIllllIIIIllIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllIIIIlllllllIIIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllln llllllll ll llllllllu ll ll Ill I I1 II ul II Ill IIII Illlltlllllllll H IIImlnIIIIllllllllllIIIIIllllllIIIIllIlllllliIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIllIlllllllIIIIIllllllllIllllllllllllllllr' mlmlunnl llll lull lnllll unIIIIlnnlIIIIIIIImlIllllllllllllllnllnllll llxlIIIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIllIllIIIIIllIlllIIIIllIlullIlIIIIIlulllllllllllulIIlllllllmlIIIIIIIllllllIlIIIIIlmllIIIIIIllllllllIIIIIlllllllllllllmllllllllullllllllllln The House of a Thousand Candles E were canoeing on Lake Sebago when I first saw the House of a Thousand Candles. It was about a quarter of a mile below camp, and almost hidden from anyone on the lake by the tall evergreens, whose sombreness was re- lieved here and there by a white birch. At one side of the steps l caught a glimpse of a few red and white Howers, the only bright spot in the picture. The house itself, of a dull brownish color, was long and low, with a flat roof, and a porch which stretched the whole length of the front. At first the only thing I noticed was the un- usual number of windows, but when one of the girls told me the name of the house, I was immediately interested in the whole place. Who would not be? lt suggested old ghost stories, and, above all, mystery. I could have spent the rest of my life in that canoe, gazing first at the haunted house, as l called it, and then at the redection of the flaming sunset in the water. There was not even a ripple on the lake, and the soft drip, drip of the paddle would have put me to sleep, except for the always obliging mosquitoes. A long, clear bugle note from a neighboring camp reminded us of supper, and as we paddled back to camp, I determined to examine the house inside as soon as possible. With this purpose, three of us started out one afternoon. We had heard that there was some sort of keeper, but we hoped he was legendary, and even .if he were not, adventure was what we were seeking anyhow. The afternoon was cold and damp, but our spirits were not at first. When we got there we looked cautiously around, but could see no one. At close view the house was rather dilapidated. Several window-panes were either altogether out, or broken, and one of the steps had fallen in. We were rather excited by this time, but we walked boldly up the steps and climbed through one of the windows. The downstairs rooms were almost bare. A few chairs were scattered around, and one fine mahogany table proudly held itself aloof in one corner. VVonder- ing why it had been left, we examined every corner of it, trying to find mysterious papers or codes, but, of course, we were disappointed. We reached then what must have been the kitchen, for there was an old rusty stove and a kettle without a top. VVhat was our surprise and alarm to find on a shelf in one corner the remains of a meal, not more than two days old, a box of matches, and an old pipe. lt must be the keeper's, whispered one of the girls.