Conneaut High School - Tattler Yearbook (Conneaut, OH)

Page 29 text:

June. 1922 THE TATTLER Many people came, including a well known musical critic. Jean’s father who had come to New York for the event, knowing the critic was there asked his opinion of Jean’s playing. “Your daughter has talent, Mr. Marlowe.” The critic seemed to avoid comments on Jean’s ability further than this, but Mr. Marlowe was not an individual to be disregarded. ‘‘If she has talent, what is the trouble? Will she ever become an artist? She has studied under the best professors in the country, I will send her to Europe if you think it would he advisable.” The critic finally told Mr. Marlowe frankly what he thought, lie said that Jean had unusual ability, as to her ever becoming an artist he would not venture to say, but something unusual would have to take place if she did. He called her a cold fiddler.” A girl’s boarding school, too much money and too much attention had led Jean to think that her playing was above criticism. She played for praise, not for the love of playing. Iler technique was fine but there was no soul in her music. That June. Jean graduated and much against her wishes was taken to Arizona by her father. Mr. Marlowe left her in care of a family living not far from Flagstaff. “No. thank you, I do not care for dinner this evening,” said Jean. “Oh! my dear, after your long ride you must be hungry and we are to have a guest this evening, answered Mrs. Brown with whom Jean had stayed for two weeks now. “Thank you. but I am too tired to meet anyone this evening.” Jean went to her room. The minute the door was closed she threw herself on her bed and sobbed as only an unhappy girl can sob. She hated 2f the desert, everywhere she looked was desert, red colored, dreary desert. The Brown’s had coaxed her to ride over to Sunset Pass from which the San Francisco Peaks can be seen so plainly. The week before they had ridden for hours with nothing to see but the chocolate drops on the desert. True, the peculiar looking brown colored mountains did look like chocolate drops, but a box of Ragtime Chocolates would interest her more than the mountains. At the end of the journey, the painted desert, they had witnessed the famous Snake Dance given once a year by the Hope Indians. The Indians had spent weeks in collecting the largest, most poisonous snakes they could find. The dance was a very sacred affair to them. All during the dance one or more of the dancers would leave for a few minutes. Jean had learned that they were putting medicine on themselves. This medicine was a preparation known only to the nope Indians, and would prevent the snake bites from harming the men. Thinking of the many things she had seen in Arizona and of the seemingly happy lives led by the Browns, Jean fell asleep. The next morning she felt ashamed of herself for refusing to meet the Brown's guest the evening before and so she offered to help in the kitchen. It was a new experience for her and she was very awkward. As she was lifting a kettle of boiling water she tripped and dropped the kettle on Jimmy the twelve year old son of the house. “I’m awfully sorry. Jimmy. Docs it hurt?” anxiously inquired Jean. “Not in the least, it’s really a pleasant sensation to have boiling water poured on you.” replied Jimmy very politely.

Page 28 text:

24 TIIE “For my part I eon si dor myself lucky, boomed a Chemistry book. “My owner never takes me home, gives me very little handling, and 1 am molested only about fifteen minutes daily. My pages are clean and new.” be proudly boasted. Is it possible that there exists a Chemistry book with such good fortunes? came a dampening voice. 1 am always laid right beside of the sink where every time the water is turned on I am given a generous bath. My complexion is ruined.” “You don’t know how relieved I am that vacation is here. a tired voice answered. “My mates and I are all carried home every day and even deprived of our rest by being studied far into the night. Our faces are disfigured by pencil marks and all our joints are weak from so much studying. 1 alone escaped from being carried home for study over vacation, but because of my overtime work last week. I was allowed to remain here.” Just then, far in the distance from a back lot on Sandusky street there came a prolonged wail which must have been a cock crowing. Immediately the whispering ceased, all sounds died away and silence reigned in the large room once more. BELLA BROWN, 22. ARIZONA. “Oh, indeed! I fail to see the necessity of such a thing. Who is she? Jean Marlowe was standing by the window in her room at Miss Overton’s school in New York City. Jean was the daughter of wealthy parents who lived in a small city in New Jersey. She was arguing with her roommate “Billy” Richards, the advisability of noticing a new girl who had recently arrived at Miss Overton’s. TATTLKR June. 1922 Joan was a leader among the girls at the School and if she chose to ignore the new girl most of her friends would also. Hilly did not like to argue with Jean but she did feel sorry for the girl who was very poor and had been sent lo the school by wealthy relatives, and was very home sick for her home in Wyoming. “Well, you may befriend all the poor girls you care to, hut I shall have nothing to do with her. Thus Jean dismissed the subject, and picking up her tennis racket left the room. Jean was a rather striking looking girl of seventeen, tall and with black curly hair and hazel eyes. Her mother as the wife of the wealthiest man in their city was a prominent society leader, and expected her’daughter to be like her. She had taught Jean to expect homage from every one. and to associate with only the wealthiest girls. In order that she might have an opportunity to meet the girls she wished her to. she had sent Jean to the fashionable girls school. Jean had always been fond of music and at the age of five had begun to study the violin. To Mrs. Marlowe it was only an accomplishment that would make her daughter more popular. Mr. Marlowe whenever he had been at home while Jean was practicing, thought that while playing the violin was the only time that Jean was her natural self. W hile he had not opposed sending Jean to school he often worried because he knew she would become the affected, snobbish, sort of girl her mother seemed to wish her to be. Jean wrote him telling of the new girl and that she intended to ignore her. The idea of such a person coming to the school! The letter worried Mr. Marlowe who had once been a poor, homesick boy at school himself. About two months later Jean gave a recital at the school.

Page 30 text:

26 tup: tattler June. 1922 In her excitement Jean dropped a letter which she had received that morning. Jimmy picked it up and as he did so he could not help seeing what was written on the paper. This is what he read “Tommy diet! of an overdose of Chloroform at ten this morning. Funeral to-morrow.” R. S. MARLOWE. “Oh! mother, no wonder Jean was nervous.” exclaimed Jimmy as he showed his mother the letter. When Jean next came into the kitchen Mrs. Brown looked at her sympathetically and said. “You poor girl, why didn't you tell me?” “Now. just you keep your lovely self out of this kitchen,” said Mrs. Brown. “How old was he?” asked Jimmy. “Hush. Jimmy,” cautioned Mrs. Brown as she conducted the puzzled Jean to her room. Everyone was most kind to her. The next morning she came to the breakfast table laughing. “Did you find a letter of mine from home? 1 have lost it,” said Jean. “I found the one about Tommy, that's the reason we are so sorry for you. lie was your little brother, wasn't he?” asked Jimmy. •R. S. Marlowe is my small brother Richard, and Tommy is or rather was his hull pup, the homeliest and worst tempered dog ever received into the l osom of a respectable family. Tommy has cast a shadow over all my vacations for more than a year. He killed my kitten, and ate my Venetian lace collar. 1 hoped he would have Italian indigestion but lie didn’t. He stole door-mats for blocks around. Property on the street appreciably declined, for prospective purchasers refused to buy so long as “Dick” Marlowe kept a dog. Often “Dick” has rescued him from would be dog murderers, but this time I suppose he committed some supreme enormity, probably chewed up the neighbor’s baby or one of father’s Persian rugs.” The relieved Brown family laughed heartily, with the exception of Jimmy who said that when there was a death if only that of a dog he could not understand how anyone could laugh. Weeks passed and Jean began to feel the lure of the desert. She enjoyed wandering over the desert and examining the grotesque rocks, many of them as high as a one story house. The refreshing air. the miles, and miles of land covered with nothing but God's handiwork, the kind, wide awake westerners who seemed never to be jealous of one another, all made Jean adopt a different outlook on life. She began to realize what a snob she had been. In a letter home to her father she said: “My enthusiasm is just cutting its eye teeth. Arizona is wonderful but riding a mountain burro, horrors! There is a lurch to larboard, then a lurch to starboard with a sort of ‘shiver my timbers’ interlude.” During the following week Jean and the Brown guest she had refused to meet, Jack Vincent, a handsome mining engineer, who was an Easterner and one year out of college, became good friends. They took long rides into the Canyon and over the desert. She often wondered what her Eastern friends would think if they' could hear some of their conversations. They were not at all little cut and dried exchanges of compliments, on the contrary they discussed many things besides their own petty affairs and often got into heated arguments. In fact Jack remarked to himself one day that if the young lady (meaning Jean) had ever been impolite enough to stick out her tongue he would at present be a cinder.