Franklin High School - Molecule Yearbook (Franklin, VT)

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10. Love Hath 7 ays Johanne Gradinnl, Jon for short, tightly clutched his collar about about his neck. It was a cold, stormy night and the thin, threadbare coat he wore did not shelter him much. Even this could not freeze him, for he had a lump of warmth in his heart , caused by the violin in his left hand. Now his day was over, and he could go to the little attic room that he nou? called home. Jon had been raised by his well-to-do parents, and had wanted noth- ing until his mother had died about two years before. Ever since this time Jon had missed her maternal care, and to make matters worse, his father had decided , only one year later, to remarry. Jon, still re- membering his mother, and not being able to bear the thought of another woman's taking her place, had beseeched his father to change his mind, but all in vain, for his father ’would not listen to reason. Jon had tak- en his departure from home without even seeing his future step-mother. A year of dead, dreary work at his violin had brought forth several fruits, among which were courage,,self-determination,coordination, and self-reliance. In his spare time at night he had tried to compose, and at last he had started a song which if it had the beat of life would be a work of art. At last the tenement house steps were reached; then he fumbled for strength to climb the steps. .Yhen , at length, he stumbled into the familiar room, he drew a safety match from his pocket and applied it to the gas jet. The first sight that met his eyes was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. Her complexion was of a rosy tint, and the frame of hair that surrounded her finely featured face was a radiant gold. Her eyes oGrdeep blue were filled with a lo k of inquiry and surprise. Finally Jon broke the silence by saying, Hello. I'm sorry to have disturbed you, but if you will kindly move to one side a nice v.rarm fire will soon stop those chattering teeth. I didn't mean to intrude, but I was so cold that when I found this room unlocked I couldn't resist getting out of the 'wind. I will leave immediately so that I won't disturb you. I am sorry to have intruded. Quickly Jon said ’,''.7aitJ Don't leave yet. You aren't intruding. Soon I shall have supper ready and you must stay. You are so kind and I am so cold that I accept. Thank you very much. Soon Jon was warming over the fire, a can of beans which he had opened. After supper one thing lead to another until soon he learned muc of her past life. She also had had well-to-do parents, but now had been suddenly thrown to work, not by an impending stepmother but by the death of her parents. She hgd worked in a restaurant where she had met a man with whom she had fallen madly in love. They had become engaged and had set the date for the wedding, but just the very day before the wedding, after she had left her position, the man died of a nervous breakdown. It was said that he was worrying about a wandering son by a former mar- riage

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11. For about six months sue had been able to support herself on a small income from sewing and her savings from the former position. After this she had been forced from her room because she had not been able to pay the rent. She had found a small amount of work, barely enough to pay for that night’s lodging. Then the next morning, the very day that she had stumbled into Jon's room, she had started her fruitless search. At the end of the day, she had stumbled, weary and hungry, into the shelter of the little room. ,tT. fter hearing her story Jon was silent for a moment; then he said, 'hrs. Green, my landlady, ha3 a spare room which I can secure for very little, and I can sleep there on a few blankets. You can sleep here. ■Jhile I work $ou can stay here. But that would be having you do too much, I am afraid , said the girl whose name was Bess, No, I want you to ,stammered Jon. It could easily be seen that he was very much attracted to this charming girl. This plan worked very well, for as the days seed by the young cou- ple grew more and more madly in love. In the evening Jon would sit by the stove with dearest Bessie , as he came to call her, and idly play a few notes of his song. Gradually the song grew from a few lifeless notes to a beautiful,heart-throbbing strain of life with its joys and sorrows, One night as they were sitting by the stove, Jon asked Bess to mar- rt him ' But,Jon, how will we support ourselves if I marry you? she askea I have been supporting you for quite a while,dearest, and besides today I gave my song to a publisher to be copyrighted and presented to the public. It promises to be a success ,he says. Then my answer is 1 yes1,dearest Jon. As they applied for the license Jon suddenly asked, I forgot, but what is your name? Your last name? Elizabeth Conant.And yours? Johanne Gradlnni. At this point, Bess fainted. As soon as she recovered she explained to Jon that his father was dead and she had been searching for him. She had promised her future husband, Jon's father, in his delirium, that she would try to find his son, -and bring him back to his legacy. Jon's father had loft his only son a forture of fifty thousand dollars. . Here we leave Jon and Bess in hapoiness, and the last we learn of thorn is through a small , obscure item in a prominent New York newspa- per, wh i oh re ads ’• Hr. and Mrs. Johanne Gradinne and their t.vo chilrden have taken up residence in this city. Mr. Gradinni has a position with the Symphony orchestra. David Gates '43