Joplin High School - Joplimo Yearbook (Joplin, MO)

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blrss, whrch we are all so desrrous of grasprng but whrch few people ever catch a glrmpse of Please dont mrsunderstand me I 'rm happy rn a w ry I have many frrends, and John sees that I h rve rll that money can buy, and yet there rs some thrng lackrng Really I shouldn t say rt but srnce thrs letter rs to contarn only the truth I shall speak plarnly, a thrng whrch I seldom do I have to guard my words so, rt rs a relref to speak freely for once I don t belreve John ever drd really love me' I don t beheve he knows what love rs' Of course he admrres me and rs proud of me but rf anythrng should ever happen to me, my place, I am sure could be easrly frlled by another Very easrlv John rs very popular among our frrends I would never admrt rt agarn, but I am horrrbly Jealous' lhrng of rt Cecelra Many trmes I have to put on a smrlrng rndrtferent face when I am nearly wrld to rush rcross the room and tear John away from elther a hrgh browed shrnrng lrght or a fur srmperrng debutante Ihey 'rll adore hrnr And what can I do I The first have the rntellect that I never h rd and the last have the beauty th xt I am fast losrng And then he gets restless rf he stays at home two evcnrngs rn successron I seem to bore hrm I get so lonely We have no chrldren O Cecelrr ten ye rrs ago I hoped md prayed that I vsoulclnt bc the one to rccerve those lctters but I h :vc ch rnged my vrews completely Xou should be rf you arc not nr my trmes h rpprer than I Well I sh rll not burden you longer wrth my tale of woe I do hope the othcr grrls have fared better I wrsh we could all see each other But that rs not to be thought of You wouldn t leave your books and I shouldn t drre to le we Iohn Wrth lots of love N-XNCX Mrss Cecelra paused a mrrrute after readrng thrs letter to vs rpe her eyes Dear lrttle Nance, she sard to herself you were so confrdent that you would be supremely hrppy wrth fr good lookrng husband and plenty of monev and yet thrs IS the result bhe opened the nerct letter currously for rt was from Fstelle, a grrl for herself alone But 1 year after Commencement Mrss Lecclra had heard that Lstelle had marrred and w as xery h rppy I erhaps, thought Cecelra, Estelle has found the happrrress that Nancy has farled to reach Dear Qecclrr I rlw rys thought and sard that I would be the one to re cerve those letters and now l rc rlly wrsh I were You know how craly I was to be an opera srnger How I wrsh th rt I mrght have kept my arnbrtron before me and frnally realrfed rt' I sh rll begrn my story from the fateful Commencement nrght ten long years ago I left rn r few d rys you renrember for Haddon Con servatory to study musrc I loved the work I studred farthfully for a year, and was far rn the second year when I met Arnold You know the rest I lost rn terest rn rny musrc My aunt becrme drsgusted and just before the close of my second year at Haddon, told me sharply to choose between Arnold and a mu srcal career And I took Arnold of course He was young a promrsrng law yer Our future lool ed very brrght The brrth of my daughter Hlled my cup of happrness to the brrm And then Arnold s health fuled and he became drs couraged I-Ie hui to leave hrs nerve rackrng professron and began work as a bookkeeper for a busrness nran rn Anton Our clrcumstances were greatly re duced, but I never complarrred for Arnold assured me that rt would be that way only a short trme Arnold grew stronger, but hrs ambrtron wrs gone He no longer talked of makrng of hrmself anythrng better than a thrrd rate book keeper I grew peevrsh md compl uned That m rde hrm cross and sullen and for a few nronths our home lrfe was any thrng but happy And then came the clrmax Arnold rn a fit of temper had words wrth hrs employer and wrs drs mrssed I drd not know what to do We hid to lrve Arnold seemed to care very lrttle what became of us At last I thought of nry long neglected musrc I went to the manager of a musrcal comedy company and trred out He lrked my vorce and gave me a place rn the company but rt was only a second class company I traveled wrth the company and though rt almost broke my heart to dot rt left lrttle Grace at Anton wrth Arnold I sent back nearly all that I made to Grace and hrm Whenever I suggested that he find somethrng to do, he always excused hrmself by statrng the possrbrlrty of another nervous break down At last I could stand rt no longer I sent for Grace and rn a short trme 1 - ' 1 , 44 , ' ' , 1 C C 1 i' 1 1: 1 C . 1 ' , 1 A. Z 2 .1 . 1 , 1 'S L. - ' . , , .' 1 . Y -. ' ' . , ' 1 . ' 1 . ' . , . , D . . . 1 a A 1 1 ' 1 ' 1 Y 5 - 1 1 1 ' . . . Q Y ' v , . . 1 V ' V . ' . . .1 1 ' 1 1 1 . V I 1 1 1 ' I 1 fr ' . ' . 'f 1 ' . . . ' ' ,. ' ' . . ' . 1 1 . ' ' ,. ' ,. 1 1 ' . .' .' ,. . 1 ' v 1 11 ' 11 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 . . . . . , 11 ,. kv . 5 hx. ' B. . vb- 1 1 ' ,-A ' .1 . L-S' . L1 x x 1 ' ' ,- L1 . 1 1 I 1 x I 41 , ' . 'a , 12 -L1 . ,- 1 2 -1 . y ' , - 1 - ' t- , , -ks, 1 1 . - 2 r 1 ' 1: . I 1' ' -. Y t - '- , 1 . 1 ' ' . I , s 2 ' 1 r I 1' ' y 1 l , . - . K. . 1 . , .v B. K, , . . 1' . 'L1 ,1 . ' 1 ' 1 1 Y 1 I 1 1 4 AA ' Y 11 A A n A I u KK ' 7! I ' Y KK ' . . . , . L C C ' n ' ' N YY W 1' 1 ' '1 1 ' . . , . ,. who had vowed that she would never marry, that she would carve a career A1 ' 2 1 1 1 , 'L-1x1 Y' 1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 ' . 1 1 1 . U J 1 1 '. I s C Q s fl W 1 w 1 . 1 v 1 l .1 l ,I I '1'z:- 2 z J r' . r -- u I le -S, ' at V V 5' -1. v v v 1 11 fl 1 A . 1. ' ,. 1. 'l. l ' ,- 1 f 1 ' ' . . ' 1 . . 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THE TEN YEAR CORRESPONDENCE CLUB ISS Cecella left her rubbers and umbl ella m the h Ill and opened the door of the small sunny llVlHg room D1d the postman leave anythmg for me 7 was her IIIYIOLIS query to a large rosy cheeked woman who looked up from her work as Mlss Ce cella entered Yes three letters there on the t 1ble Mlss Q8C6llI w1s 1l1ttle old m 11d of thlrty a teacher of de 1d l1ngu1gcs at the Youngstown Hlgh School She h 1d no rel 1t1ves III Youngstown she seemed to care very httle 1bout m lklllg' tuends and llved alone wlth Norah the woman whom she h1d eng 1ged to take care ot her l1ttle cottage and Ifelvc a l1rge AHgfJF1 c 1t Mxss Q6C6ll 1 s grey ey es l1t up wlth unwonted ewcltement as she caught slght of the letters She read the postm 1rks 1nd smlled delxghtedly to her self Then she whlspered softly to Ielw who had 1umped upon the table beslde her and was rubbmg h1s back agamst her hand Bell! they dldn t forget they d1d not forget' She took the letters 1nd went to her 1oom where she ch 1nged her wet clothlng for the l1rge woolly dresslng gown 1nd Worsted sllppers She sat down before the flreplace Wlth the letters stlll unopened III her hands The l1ttle room wlth 1ts tmy bookcase desk and lron bed began to fade slowly from Mlss Cecella s eyes She was bemg carrled back lnto the days of her glI'll'lOOCl It was Commencement mght at Rolls 1 c1ty three hundred mlles from Youngstown l+1fty benlors clad IH c1p and gown stood tremblmg Wlth ex cltement as they w 11ted for the Prlnclpal to d1StI'1bLlt9 hfty whlte dlplomas decorated w1th blue 1nd gold rlbbons and M1ss QECBIIA was among them The nest scene was th It of the Cl1ss PICHIC What a day that had Cecella w1th three other g1rls h 1d m 1de a solemn comp 1ct The agreement was that lf after ten years from Commencement nlght any of these four g1rls should be an old mald she wo11ld recene from each of the other glrls a long letter tell1ng what h 1d been her pa1t1cula1 QYDGFIQIICES and whether or not she had found happlness len vc us w lS decxded 11pon because each g1rl felt that m ten Veels her l1le s woxk would hue been begun 1nd she could tell then whether or not her l1fe would be a success -1: -I: 11' And now after ten years she MISS CeCCl1d was the one to recelve those prom1sed lettels these the letters lymg 1n her l1p' Wxth tremblmg fangers Illd 1 wlldly beatmg he llt she opened the flrst lctter from Nancy Ah she surely has found happmess mused MISS Cecella as she took out the da1nt1ly w rltten pages She has had every reason to be carefree a happy g1rlhood be 1uty 1ccompl1shments dotlng parents dozens of Slllt ors a model husband 1nd rlchesl Well we shall soon see Deal Ceceln the letter lan and Ift61 ten QSWIS you Fecella ale the one to IGLQIVE oul s1mple confesslons How much h IS happened m those few years What changes' I 1nste1d of the llght heuted gnl whom you knew ten y93lS ago 1m a pesslmlstlc hateful old wom1n Re1lly Lecella I do feel and look dleadfully old although I 1m but twenty elght -Xnd what has caused ltr' I dont know I h lve tllfxfl so h 11d to ove1t1l1e h 1pp1ness I guess that lSJl1St It I have WOIIIQLI m5 self sxck tzymg to c 1tch that evel Valllblllhg happmess and k L L 1l 4 C 2 C ll ' K , , ' l' 0 !! ' 1 . 1 1 1 K 1 1 c , 1' ' , 1 1'1' 41 , , , 2 H . , . . 2 2. 2 i , 1 1 2 2 2 x' 1 I1 1 A l C 1 1 , 1 , - 2 z ' s, ' , 1 I I 5 ll - I 1 1 C , X . 1 1 1 1 , c c c c . 1 1' 2 1' J ' 1' . 1 1' 1 1 1- I 1 I' 1 1 Z 1 2 1 . - - ' v I 1 1 gd D v I , . .... . , , ' 1 ' ' 1 1 1 ' 1 1 1 14 ' ' 1 .... . , . , . . ,, , . . 2 . , . 2 , ' ' 1 1 1' - 1 1 1 1 ' 1 ' 11 c , 1 . 1 1 1 1 . 1 1 5' s , .' . , s 1 1 1 1 1 1 K L1 C 1 11: :gf :5: 15: 15: 15: sg: :1: 1 my C 1 1 Y x' N - 1 . 1 1 ' l - 1 1 1 , C 1 1 c L 1 1 , . I . 1 - 11 Y .1 1 1 c 1 ,f 11 1 . .1 1 C 1 C C 1 1 1 been-as merry as Commencement nlght had been terrltymg. Here M1ss -l . . 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 , 1 C C 1 C 1 . 1 . 1 C 1 C 1 C 1 . K, . ,, H .V I . 1 .1 . , . . I - I 1 1 - 1 1 I 1 c c . 1 , 1 C ' I ' 1 1 rd xi -1 vi 1 ' 1 1 f ' ' 11 ' . , 1 v I v Z v 2 1 Q . . , . I v 1 1 1 ., :lc :fc :Es :K zi: ., . V 1 1 .1 .1 1 ' , g 1 , 1 , 1 1 , 1 1 1 ' 1 1 1 1 h 1 2 ' ' ' L1 2 2 ' 1 ' 2 1 As ' K1 .1 . U 1 1 ' ' 1 77 ' ' 1 , . . , , . . ' I Y . A A' KL W 5 V C L1 , 1 , 1 , 1 1 s, , . . - 1 1 1 . 1 Y 1 I 1 1 ,, 1 , 1 c , c 1 . , 1 1 1 1 ', 9' . 1 U. 1 1 1 .1 ' 1 At I Ly , C C 1 V 1 ' , 1 ' ' ' 1 CS 1'. Z 1 1 1' ' ' . 1- .. , ' 2 ' ' - 1 ' f ' ' ' 1 1 1 ' ' 1 ' 1 1 1 li' ' ' ' 1 ' ,' 1 ' ' f' ' : ' . . ' . ' ' . z ' . s 2 ' 'z ' 2 1' 3. ' ' J . , , . .' ,S .' . . ' . .2 1 . .- 1 . . 1 1

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secured a drvorce from Arnold I stayed wrth the company three sears I hated the Work Durlng my lersure moments I taught Grace to read and wrrte I managed to save enough money to buy a llttle cottage at Newkerk a small coast town and here I am grvmg plano and vocal lessons I feel that my llfe has been very much of a fallure Of course, I have Grace and I shall see that she has all the care that a devoted mother can grve but thls rs what hurts me so Arnold marrred agarn and 1s now a successful lawyer He IS quoted far and wlde by newspapers and magaflnes I read not long ago a speech of hrs ln Whlkh he attrlbuted all hrs success to hrs wrfe Why C ecellr drd Ifa1l You c in see that mv llfe has not been happy I h wc found th xt lt rs not bcst to look for Ideals rn flesh and blood I suppose Cecella that you are the sxme sweet 1,111 grown Into a sweet unselhsh woman I can see you worklng among your grrls and boys and your books best beloved of all I wlsh you mlght come to sec us Auntie though she washed her hands of me when I marrlcd his relented md llvcs wlth us Well my dcrr Iam georng to end thrs dreary lettcr rrght now VV1th love ES'I ELI P Mlss Cecella was very quiet after she read thrs letter qhe had newer dreamed that Estelle had been so unhappy She had recerx ed a letter now and then from her but thrs was the first to tell her of her sorrows 'ihe opened the last letter Ah Harrret sard she ferx entlv to herself I do hope you have found lrfe krnder than have the first two glrls Dear Cecella I wonder lf you have possrbly forgotten that pledge we made ten years ago today I can hardlv realrze that rt has been that long ago It seems onlv vesterday Really Cecella, I don t know what to wrlte These letters I understand are to grve a complete record of how we have spent those fear that an account of my lrfe durlng that trme wrll be very humdrum You know I never had the ambrtrons that the rest of you had I never wanted to be a socrety leader or an opera smger no, not even a school teacher Cecella I never spoke much about my ambltrons but hrdden deep ln my heart was the prcture of a cozy lrttle home a lovlng, husband and fond chrldren I never thought that my dream would ever be realmed I never was bright and qurck lrke Nancv I could not play or slng lrke Estelle nor drd I even make the grades at school that you dld The year after I graduated I marrled Harold Lofton who you remember graduated four years before we d1d I have two lovely lrttle daughters Harold 1s not rrch but we are comfortably srtuated and I belrexe Cecelra that I can truthfully sav that I know what happrness rs Of course I h we seen the dark s1de now and then I have had doubts and drsrppomtments but they have never mastered me I used to worshrp Harold and placed hlm on a tmselled throne but after helpmg an lrate husband search for cuff buttons one rs soon LOIlVlDLQd that he IQ mortal, too' Harold and I lead a very quret life The dur man now 18 dolrng before the fue md scorchrng hrs new Sllpp6lS I used to trv to read Brownmg and Tennyson to h1m ln the evenmgs but I soon found fand lrked hrm none the less for ltb that he much preferred to read the newspaper by hlmself and to have me slt near hlm, elther sewlng or playlng and slnglng to hlm We go very lrttle I have my embroldery club We occasronally attend 1 good opera or a lecture I wish you could VlSlt us some tlme Cecella Our home IS not beautrful, but I thunk you and I would enJoy berng together again I have re read my letter and I rm afrald rt wlll be very dull beslde the letters from the other gnls How I should love to see them' Nevertheless mv letter though humble bears loads of love to you HARRIET As Mrss Cecella hmshed the letter she breathed a srgh of rehef Thank goodnessln she exclalmed at least one of us has found the pot of gold at the end of the ra1nbow ' For a Whrle she sat motlonless, her eyes havlng a far away expressron Has my l1fe been as happy as the1rs Surely rt has been as happy as Nancy s, much happrer than Estelle s, but has my happmess equalled Harr1et's Mlss Cecella drd not attempt to answer her questlon, but a wlstful ercpresslon crept rnto her face She opened a lrttle ' - - . , .' 1 1 .B ' - ' ' ' 1 U . - 1' . . ., . It . A . I , . L. . , . .. In ' . 1 1 1 1 D 1 1 L 1 1 ' 7' ' K 3 I ' . - 1 1 L' 1 ' , . 1 ' ' v T u 'a . 1 ' 11 1 ' 1 1 , . 1 . A ' . 2 ' . 2 ' 2 3 -.' ' - ' , - , KK 1 1 n . 1 1 1 1 1' 1 v ' 1 1 ' K K y , L 1 L l L 1 1 , , ' , 'L' ' r x A- 1 L mf. ' Y Q ' .' ' .' ' , if ' , ' , 2 H' ' C. , 2 ' 1 r ' ,. 'S . , 1 , . .' ,- v. ' , . 1 1 ., A 11 . ' Y W . I v l Y A L L x L 1 K ' I v Y . . . I ' 1 1 w v 1 , L L L L L . L me - n , - w , ,, as . . , , . . . 1 . , . . . ,, ,, 1 . n . . v . 1 l . . I' Y 1 ,V ' ' 1 1 ' 1 v 1 ten years, and whether or not we have drscovered the abode of Happrness. I 1 1 . l 1 I . v 1 It I m , L ' D ' L I ' ', I ' 1 . . v , , L, . . A . . Y ' 7 ' L KK ' , ' . ! 7 ' ' 1 1- 1 1 . I 7 I' .1 1 1 ' 1 ' Y Y 1 L' . ' C2 . , , ' , . . i , . . K - , K u , , , , ' ' . ,Z . K1 V4 . x . . . 1 . . 3 U b, . ., . . . k- , li ' ' 1' 1 r ' , I. ' 1 . , 1 ' ' . ' . .,, . . 2 . . , - , K- L- ' ' L . 1 I . ' -11 Q1 V9 , . , . w 1 w 1 1 1 w W' ' li ' . . I . . . . ' as , ' ' ' w 1 ' ac ' ' ' ' . - ' s ! , ' 7 . . . - - . Y . ,, . W . . 1 A L x 1 x L I N l D v 1' . 1 .