Framingham State University - Dial Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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18 A Hurricane VER since earliest childhood I had heard of that most fearful of all storms, the hurricane, and wished away down in my heart, as I listened open-mouthed to the wondrous and marvel- ous tales, that I, too, might taste of that experience. It was not until the year 1906, however, that I had this fantastic wish Cas it mav seem to some who feel not the joy in the dash and plunge of the wavej granted. In September of that year I took a trip to one of the West India islands. The weather on the downward trip was perfect and the sea as smooth as glass. One of our number, Mr. Blank, had a camera with which he was wont to take pictures of most anything he could take a picture of, but his one crowning ambi- tion was to secure a picture of a wave, a great big wavef, and at no time had he ever had an opportunitv. As I said, all went well on the downward tripg and all was going well on the return trip until the third day. It was on the said third day, about three hundred miles to the north of Cuba, that the waves suddenly changed their peaceful nature, and one by one the passengers went crawling to their rooms with that weak, wan, smile and the old so often repeated remark, I think I shall lie down awhile, until only a few remained in their chairs upon the deck. As the wind rose and the waves grew higher the steamer naturally began to roll, and still more naturally, by the force of gravity, our chairs began to slide on the inclined plane. Things at last grew so bad that we had to have our chairs ,lashed to the railing that ran around the house. All went well for awhile, especially when the ship rolled low on the other side, -but when she rolled on our side it was hang on for dear life and many times we slipped half out of our chairs. While we sat there watching the waves, which were perfectly marvelous with their emerald colouring and snowy breaking tops, we noticed two birds flying close to the ship. They were about the size of a crow and of a rich brown colour, from their beaks I knew them to be birds that fed on fish. At last they succeeded in making a landing and one of them alighted almost at our feet, this at the time surprised me very much, as birds of that kind are usually of a wild nature and when touched will attack one fiercely

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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.

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19 and digging their beaks into one's hand will tear the flesh off in strips. The passengers were greatly pleased with the birds, but I quickly interposed and gave them a very bad reputation. What was my amazement when the one near us allowed the first officer to take it in his hand and to all appearances was as meek and as gentle as a lamb! Indeed I think some thought I had slandered the bird most unjustly, and all the sympathy was with ihe poor pretty bird which I still looked upon with distrust and ept my distance. Meanwhile the captain, upon whose face for the past hour had been a look of grave concern, passed by, and the look, not readable to all, deepened when he saw the birds, the other one of which had also made a landing. And oh cruel and heartless man! he saw not the beauty in the pretty birds, but scowled in a dreadful manner. He had but to look at the birds and know, what all of us did not know, that those birds are never, except in great stress of weather, found more than fifty miles off the coast. He reasoned that bad weather and heavy winds must have driven these birds from their course, and they stupified and frightened, were suffering themselves to be handled without the slightest resistance. His glass and the increasing volume of the waves were fast prov- ing the correctness of his judgment. Soon the waves began to break in over the lower deck, and in one of the sudden lurches an exceedingly fat man fell out of his steamer chair and rolled down over the deck and only his excessive bulk saved him from rolling out through the rails. After that protesting was of no avail and we were ordered in, and, as the captain,s orders are law, in we had to go. The waves at this time, as they rose like huge mountains and shook their shaggy heads at us threateningly, were the most beautiful things I have ever seen. When we went in I found Mr. Blank huddled disconsolately on a settee in a corner of the social hall. As he had always been one to protest that he was not seasick, no, not he, and remember- ing his desire to get a photo of a wave, I thought it no more than kind to tell him of the fine specimens outside and suggest that he go to the door and take advantage of this opportunity which he robabl would never have again. Some men are the most Iingrateiiul, unappreciating, creatures that ever lived, for all the answer I received was a low grumble from which I barely made out -his camera wasfnft working. Things began to grow worse until at last we could neither sit up nor stand up, and as it was not very pleasant holding on to the floor every one sought his room and lay upon his berth.