Framingham State University - Dial Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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16 The Trials of a Train-Girl NE morning I dreamed that I had experienced the keenest mortification by failing in every class that I had attended that day. From this pleasant dream, I was awakened with a start by hearing that familiar ring-the alarm clock. I am so light a sleeper that I generally need only an alarm clock to wake me, but occasionally I do sleep rather soundly so that even that does not succeed. I looked at the clock, and, after a long intent stare to see if my eyes were deceiving me, I cleared the middle of the bed with one leap, and, luckily landed on the floor. Usually, when I intend to land at a certain place, I never do, especially if I am in the gym- nasium. The clock said as plain as day twenty minutes past six gn and that exasperating alarm had gone off late. I ought to have been up and dressed by that time. The whole household was awakened by this time and each one was doing her best to help me out, but, as we are a large family, we only succeeded in getting in each other,s way so many times that, if I had not been so nervous and in such a hurry, I would have laughed until I cried. After someone handed me my rubbers and someone else put on my coat and hat and I had found my bag, I rushed out of the house. My mother's last words were: Remember, I told you to wait and take the later trainf' I have found out by bitter experience that whenever I get that injunction and take no notice of it, something is bound to happen. VVhen I got to the bottom of the street my car was no where in sight, so I decided to walk or rather run, to the station. I ran. My hair coming out in strands and flying in my eyes did its level best to blind me and prevent me from making much headway. The wind blew very strongly and my eyes filled with tears. But the climax came when I got so blinded that I fell. Of course everyone was looking and a friend of mine who had been behind me all the time, although I had not known it, offered his assistance. I was so embarrassed, mortified, and angry that I declined it with curt thanks. After I recovered my equilibrium I started out to finish my race. I was so out-and-out, Anglo-Saxon mad, that I decided I would get to the depot if I died in the attempt. I think it took me about a minute more to get to the station.

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15 known as the Belle of the School. But the indignity did not go unrevenged, for, soon after, the tormentor was tied by the hair to the back of her chair and held long in durance vile as a punishment for her annoying conduct. Speaking of their restless study hours reminds me of the necessity of saying that although they had their jokes and their good times, these formed only a small part of their life. The work was even more exacting than it is now and a thorough comprehension of each subject was as much insisted upon. They were constantly inspired to do their best and then-a little more. It seems almost inconceivable that such a tireless worker as Horace Mann should have been forced to remonstrate with the principal for overworking the girls. Yet such was the case. It is their good times and their mishaps, however, which inter- est us most. So just one more anecdote. It seems a common failing of humanity that we think well of ourselves and enjoy our laurels in anticipation. A certain young miss who boarded in a nearby family had a rather trying experience because of this. She tells the story as follows :- f'By a combination of circumstances which will sometimes occur in the best-regulated of families, household duties once devolved upon me in the family of Mrs. Wi- Where I boarded. I bustled around like a person of no small consequence, conscious of little brief authority and resolved to exercise it most becom- ingly. c'Noon arrived, the Rubicon, I thought, was passed, and my fame established on a foundation that would endure, and I was already reposing in imagination beneath the laurels that I had won. I had baked some beans for dinner-of course felt very proud of the achievement and everything was ready but removing the beans from the oven. One can hardly conceive the sweet satisfaction I felt as I seized the beanpot, when alas, it slipped my grasp, transferred itself from a perpendicular to a horizontal position. Alarmed and horror-struck lest my beans should be numbered among the things that were, I thrust my hands into the steaming oven but sent them out at the opposite door on to the hearth, when, true to the laws which governed earthern beanpots, it broke. A' few of the beans were rescued uninjured but the feeling of chagrin and mortification it produced will, I fear, be a lifelong companion. I told Mrs. VV--- on her return that the beans were so very delicious they had eaten the beanpot, too. The story was so very reasonable that of course she believed it. S. L. S.

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17 Running across the tracks I just stood stock still, for, to my horror, my train was just moving out of the station. I could have put my hand on that train and I stood there impotent. My hands unconsciously clenched and if I had been a man instead of a feeble woman I would have expressed my feelings in suitable language. I had to wait a whole hour in that station for the next train, so I had gained nothing by not following my mother's injunction. Furthermore I could have slept another half hour if I had known that I was going to miss that train. I turned wearily back to the station to compose myself and to ask kind Providence for patience that I might not think harsh thoughts about the Boston and Albany, when my sense of humor came to my, assistance in my hour of trial, and I laughed-yes, laughed, until the tears came, and then I felt better. Well, I waited an hour in the station, and fifteen minutes for good measure, for the next train was late. What do you think of that? If the first train had only been late, I would have got itg but out of the large fund of my traveling experience, you can believe this that I tell you. When you are late for a train, the train is always on time. I got into the ,train and after stopping at every little station, the train stopped at South Framingham at twenty-five minutes of nine, just five minutes too late to get the half past eight car for school. I thought ironically to myself, Well if I had succeeded in getting that half past eight car, it would have been a miraclef' I waited ten minutes in the freezing cold and at last, I got into the quarter of nine car. To make a long story short, I arrived at school just two minutes too late for opening exercises and I was tardy. How I got through the day I don,t know, but I took the two forty-eight train home, was stalled an hour, arrived home about half past four, resolving in my heart that the next day I would start for my train half an hour before it started, or my name wouldn't be Julia Fleming. i J. F.. F.