Hobart Senior High School - Memories Yearbook (Hobart, IN)

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16 HOBART TOWNSHIP A CHERRY TREE EPISODE FLORENCE BANKS. CHAPTER I.— THE MEETING. Geraldine Pambroke was a jolly little girl of nineteen summers: laughter on her lips, in her eyes, and in her every movement. People called her pretty. Her features were regular and faultless. Her eyes were blue, her cheeks an exquisite pink, and her head covered with a mass of sunny hair. It was not her beauty alone, however, that made her so generally loved. It was more her disposition— bright, mirth loving, tender, and winsome. She had been reared on a large farm lying just outside the City of Chi- cago and near a beautiful little lake called Sylva. Her father, though past the most active years of his life, still clung to his farm and superintended the work. It was early summer. Nature was at her best. The land wore the evi- dence of God’s loving handiwork. Cherries were ripe. Home from college but a few weeks, Geraldine was enjoying the freedom of the farm and the love of life-long friends. The July day had grown to the hour of ten when Geraldine said: “Mother, I believe I will go out to the orchard and pick some cherries and we will have a fine, big, juicy cherry pie for dinner.” And she made her way through a garden of flowers to the little fence that divided the garden from the orchard. Springing quickly over the fence she walked about half way across the orchard, stopped beneath a splendid cherry tree and looking up — hushed suddenly the tune she was humming and involuntarily exclaimed. “ Oh ! ” For sitting in the cherry tree was a young man, perhaps two years her senior, feasting on the delicious fruit. Hearing the ejaculation of the girl he looked down, his brown eyes betraying consternation. A cherry pit, that under the excitement of the moment he had unconsciously endeavored to swallow, caught in his throat and he began to cough. This but added to his embarrassment. It was Geraldine who first recovered herself and she said, “I did not know these were choke cheri’ies. ” The laughter in the girl’s eyes gave the young man a little r eassurance and he replied, “I suppose that if I received my just deserts 1 would continue to choke. But instead I am rewarded hv meeting a most beautiful young lady.”

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HIGH SCHOOL. 15 and converted the forest into homes. Let us not, in mistaken pity for the Indian, condemn the white man, who eventually conquered, as he must. Again we see our hero as the patriot at Trenton, Valley Forge and Yorktown, fighting for liberty. Later he is at Vicksburg, Gettysburg and Appomattox, determined to preserve the Union. Then, as the inventor, he has brought the forces of nature under the control of man. lie has lightened labor and promoted culture. We see his influence as the scientist removing our limitations and enriching our lives. As the state builder we see him signing the Declaration of Independence, shaping our government, proclaiming freedom, maintaining laws of equity and justice. As the cool-headed captain of industry he di rects and controls the great business concerns of our country. As we call to mind our hero’s varied and wonderful deeds, adventurous ambition, admirable sturdiness, unselfish spirit, masterful inventions, splendid laws and skillful management of finances and industry; who would not wish his deeds immortalized in epic song? We have reviewed the strenuous unwritten epic of the West, lid us praise without stint its deserving hero. Unlike the victorious Achilles he did not possess divine immunity from mortal wounds, but with his great purpose and strong resolve, fought and conquered savage beast and worse than savage man. Nor, like father Aeneas, did he drift about upon protecting waves to found an empire great though perishable, but he forced his way through a seemingly impenetrable forest, overpowered the fierce red race and planted the germs which have developed into the greatest of all governments not soon to reach its zenith and never to decay. Nor did he fight to gain the possession of a doubtful tomb, as did the chivalrous crusader, but by the most wonderful effort carried into a new land the lasting principle of religious freedom. Heracles killed the hundred headed hydra, which was a symbol of disease, but our hero discovered ways to stamp out the great white plague. Heracles showed some engineering skill in his Augean labor, but our hero has banded the East and West with ribs of steel. He has “put a girdle round the earth in forty minutes.” Beowulf gave up his life that he might slaughter the fire-drake which laid waste the land of his people, our hero has used his energy to bring new life to arid plains. To-day we are justly proud that the “aggressive spirit of the West reflects the predominant characteristic of our sterling prototype — -the spirit of deter- mination in progress.” Our hero grasps the situations of life. lie causes the forces of nature to obey him. lie provides religious freedom. lie establishes an ideal government. He is master of all branches of learning. Yes, greater than all epic heroes of the past! “By dint of grim tenacity our hero advanced from eastern mountain to western sea and spurred ever onward by the fierce desires of an eager heart, wrought out in his Titanic struggles, the destinies of a continental nation.”

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HIGH SCHOOL. 17 It was Geraldine’s turn to be embarrassed, but she quickly answered, “Father has always thought our cherry trees suffer from robins and not from blackbirds.” “Your father must be unreasonable indeed, if he expects robins or black- birds to stay away from these cherry trees with their delicious fruit and such charming company. Geraldine was about to laugh at the audacity of this handsome young man but the laughter died on her lips when she heard her father, who had ap- proached unseen, say: “Geraldine, who is this young man who speaks to you with such familiarity and seems to be at home in my orchard ? ” Geraldine would gladly have helped the poor fellow in his predicament, but her father, grasping the situation, would not listen to anything further and, when the young man tried to speak, continued, “A gentleman speaks to a lady in such familiar terms as I have heard you address to my daughter only after long acquaintance and a term of closest friendship. A gentleman asks permission to enter an orchard and take fruit and does not assume the privi- lege. Geraldine, you will accompany me to the house and if I find -this young man here when I return it will go hard with him.” CHAPTER II.— THE CAMP. The young man did not at once depart. He hoped for some opportunity to make an explanation. After waiting in vain for the return of the father he made his way out of the orchard, walked to a nearby cross-road, and boarded an interurban car. Near Sylva lake he left the car and in five minutes had reached the grassy slope on the shore of the lake where in a small grove was pitched a large tent. Over the entrance to this tent was printed in large letters, “The Silent Eight.” A more inappropriate name could not have been chosen. Eight young men of Chicago University were spending a month of their vacation here. They passed the days hunting, fishing, bathing, eating, sleeping, and having a good time generally. It was noon and as Jack McConnel ap- proached he found his companions gathered about a table eating as only hungry boys can eat under such conditions. “Hello Jack ! Where have you been ? Look as though you had been steal- ing a sheep. Where is your panama?” called one of them. “Gee Whiz! I left my hat on a limb in the orchard and, by jinks, I left more than my hat — I left my heart. Boys, she’s a beaut. Joliest eyes and her laugh is the merriest ever. But her dad is a mean old guy. It will be a cold day for me if I get near the premises and he knows it.” “Guess he’s daffy. Know what he is talking about, boys?” said one of