Joplin High School - Joplimo Yearbook (Joplin, MO)

Page 17 text:

The revelers who were by now completely absorbed 1n thelr own pleasures scarcely notlced the departure of the honorary guest Taklng her seat 1n the rlckety old carrlage Berthe bade good bye to her father who had accompanled her to the gate and the 1ourney was begun The nlght was dark and starless The road was so lmperceptlble that Old FGIIX the drlver who bragged that he knew every foot of the country was often obllged to get out and go ahead w1th the lantern to plck out the rlght way Suddenly Whlle golng down a steep 1ncl1ne a wheel of the carrlage was caught IH a vlne hanglng from a tree above and before the horses could stop the carrlage was preclpltated upon 1tS s1de The screams of Mademolselle Marsannes were mxngled wlth the sw ear 1ng of Old FGIIX After FGIIX had comforted Berthe to the best of his abxl 1ty by the slmple expedlent of expla1n1ng that no posslble halm could come of thelr predlcament he proceeded to evcamlne the carrlage md so wedged was It between a fallen tree trunk and the bank It the slde of the road that he saw It would be lmposslble for him to r1ght the vehlcle alone Seelng a llght further on down the road he surmlsed It to be the Mal colm home and havmg persuaded Berthe to remaln where she was untll hls return he set off to try and obtaln asslstance Bel the sat down on a rock and bemoaned her fate Whv had hen pal ents wanted to drag her off to a boresome party of old fosslls? Whv couldn t they lease her alone when she came home? Why were thev al ways lnterferlng? Her thoughts were 1nterrupted by the return of Feluc who was accompamed by the figure of a shabbxly dressed man Approach mg Berthe Ifellx sald Thls IS Jean Malcolm a frlend of mme who has consented for a small compensatlon to come to our nd Berthe dld not reply and wlthout more ado the two men set to work As thelr way requlred them to go past the Malcolm home Jean was IH v1ted to r1de He accepted and started to lnstall hlmself beslde the drlx er But Berthe under the control of some unaccountable caprlce commanded that he rlde by her s1de After hesltatlng he agreed and the 1ourney once more was begun Jean had newer before been IH such close relatlon wlth so beautlful a glrl In fact h1s entlre experlence IH fem1n1ne company was h1s assocla t1on wlth hls mother and two slsters both of whom were now marrled and l1ved away from home Thls close prox1m1tv thoroughlv dlsconcerted the Vouth so that he could only stammer a reply to Berthe s statement that It was a very bad nlght for travehng Jean had heard h1s share ot the vague rumors travehng about 1n relat1on to the old Marsannes daughter and now he could readlly verlfv as to thelr truthfulness Hls eves seemed glued to her face and her blg dark eves stared back 1nto hls wlth the same audaclty Thus they remamed as lf 1n a dual trance untll the volce ot' FGIIX brought them back to a reallzatlon of the moment Jean proceeded wlthout a word to descend from the carrlage but the sweet VOICE of Berthe called h1m back But Monsleur Jean am I not to pay you for your trouble? You know that was our agreement she added No no It was nothlng Jean stammered It was reallv a pleasure to be of a1d to so beautlful a lady as yourself What' Berthe replled Am I to find such a subtle tlatterel ln the wllds of the country? I pray you slr accept some small payment I, Y I , I . r s ' 5 1 7 I ' 7 7 S . 7 5 ' 7 Y ' ' , I . A ' Y - . I' I' ' In C Q , I c , 2 I c c I , v I K U 1 . C , I I ' . u , I v 1 . , , I c ' I c I I , I I II' . , C I . C ' I I c I'I' I' . A 7 v 1 v I - . ' Y I I C I I C . ' . , , . . i ,, . .' . . 1 , Ic . I I c , c , I ' I l ,, , , I I , c . , c , I . The carrlage was soon r1ghted and Fehx took hls place upon the seat. I , I I - . I' I c I I 7 . I . 1 I C s I . , c . I I n , I I I I I C ' I I I, v , ' , , I I' Id c I . I S I . . . , , l v . ' v I Y 1 , I I . I I I , , l I c I .I' . I 1 I c , C Q C I , k v xc ' , , I , . , as c c I c , I c . U , ' - xy u 7 , I, , , c I , I . 1 I C K c 1 I ' ' rv an an ' ' :I , ' I n I C I C 1 ' ' as I . , I , I I c c .

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A Qljam illrnm the gi?-nnk uf Gite man 5 gfife EAN MALCOLM ever SIHCG he could remember had been forced to work Beslde h1s father he had been taught to tO1l Day after day they Worked together 1n the fields only ceaslng at the commands of necesslty hunger and fatlgue Jean at the age of twenty was a large raw boned youth wlth the stolld worn face of the average poor farmer Already he sllghtly showed the characterlstlcs of over work shoulders stooped shambllng galt and a llf9l9SSH6SS that seemed to be Wearlng heavlly on hls shoulders no mat ter where he went or what he d1d Jean s conceptlon of the world was rather meager for he had never been any further from home than Versallles a small country vlllage thlrty mlles awav But tlme never lay very heax lly on Jean s shoulders for now that h1s father was gettlng too old to steadlly keep hls place behlnd the plow he was gradually assumlng entlre control of the llttle farm To the north of the Malcolm place was the farm of Jacques Marsannes He was consldered very prosperous 1n that part of the country h1S famlly enjoylng all the luxurles of the average bourgeolse H1s daughter Berthe was sald to be the most beautlful creature east of the Chanteclalr though It IS true that probably no more than half of Jacques Marsannes nelghbors had looked upon the g1rl for her entlre edu catlon had been carrled on ID the clty of Beauchamp Twlce a year she came home for a few days Though It IS Sald that her mother mourned her ab sence lt IS hardly to be expected that thls vlvaclous young g1rl felt any pang IH leavlng her monotonous l1fe on the farm for the pleasure of the c1ty One day the news spread about that Berthe Marsannes had finlshed hqr schoolmg She was to come home and awalt the lnevltable marrlage that he1 parents would lmpose upon her In her honor or mayhap more ln respect for old man Marsannes money a party was to be glven It was planned to hold the gatherlng at the parlsh house The rector Father Colombel readlly gaxe h1s consent and all plans were hastlly pushed for ward It was to be on Saturday nlght On the mght IH questlon Berthe was met at the statlon by her parents and a sort of delegatlon who were accompanylng her to Father Colombels house The workmg people for mlles around were ln attendance when the llttle processlon arrlved Berthe was ushered ln as lf she were a queen and made much to do over but through It all she seemed bored and a tr1He plquant She seemed to reallze that she was outslde her sphere among all these rough strong smelllng people She was used to the soclable meet mgs of the c1t3 to the ehte of soclety and never ln all her l1fe she knew would she be able to hold anythmg ln common Wlth all these rough but well meanlng folk M and Madame Marsannes d1d not fall to percexve thelr daughters dlspleasure and were somewhat dlsappolnted 1n her behavior When questloned as to her conduct she pleaded a sllght headache and begged to return home Thelr acqulescence was finally obtalned and as they were haVlDg a falrly pleasant tlme themselves arrangements were made by which Berthe was to be drlven home alone f O' 0' 1 9,0 L s , A , c 1 1 . , , , . .. . . 1 1 1 1 . , . K - - i - . . . . K , 7 ' . . . , , - Y , . A 1 1 . ., , , 1 . . K 7 7 y V . . . . N . ' . . . 1 - . , ! . , . . 1 1 Y ,x, . . . . , - A 1 , , - ' 7 ! Y ,, . . , . ' ! 1 1 , 1 1 s - V . . . . . . - , - 1 . . , . L u V . . . , . . . . . , - - Q l . 5 A n ,A ' . - ,. 1 1 1 1 7 - , . , . . . . , . l . , . 1 . 7 . . . , 7 . .

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No sa1d Jean I w1ll accept nothlng for a SQFVICG so welcome At least accept from me a small remembrance she returned and takmg from her wrlst a small ubbon to whlch her handkerchxef was fast ened she presented lt to h1m Jean tenderly took the filmy plece of cambrlc between h1s large awk ward fingers and pressmg It to h1s llps turned qulckly and ran toward the house W1th0Ut saylng another word he opened the door and was lost to v1ew 1ns1de Dur1ng the remamder of the r1de Berthe wondered somewhat at thls apparently strange young man but qulckly d1sm1ssed h1m from her mmd when at last she arrlved home vslthout further mlshap Meanwhlle Jean very much agltated had retlred to h1S room There overcome by strange and mexpllcable emotlons he gave hlmself up to fan clful thoughts Jean had never been a dreamer The practlcal slde of llfe had always been forced upon h1m Therefore these feehngs were entlrely new to h1m and he enjoyed to the hlghest degree these hltherto unknown pleasures He concelved fancles ln Wh1Ch he was some respectable well to do farmer In h1s new cart all palnted red and drawn by two roan stalllons he would proceed to lay Slege to the heart of Berthe Marsannes And thus nearly the ent1re nlght Jean held hlmself open to such attacks of ecstasy and de lxght When he came ln to breakfast the next mormng h1s father re marked at the changed QXDFQSSIOH of h1s face Jean my boy what IS the matter what has happened? he moulred Walt Jean rephed untll after breakfast and I w1ll explaln The meal was eaten ln sllence after vshlch Jean motloned for h1s father to follow h1m He led the way out to the orchard where there was an old broken bench After seatmg themselves Jean began Father I have thought well over the matter and have declded to sell my lnterest IH the farm I mtend to go to the clty and enter college I What Jean' the father broke ln you would leaxe the old place? Are you not contented here? I have vsell consldered the s1tuat1on Jean rephed and have resolved to better my educatlon but before taklng any drastlc measures I wlshed Vour consent The old man graxely rephed Well my son you are certalnly old enough to d9Cld6 such matters for yourself and though I counsel agalnst It I w1ll not attempt to oppose your w1ll I thank you father Jean rephed I knew you would not and know that all that remalns to be done lg to find a purchaser So, a week late1 Jean began hls tr1p to the Clty In hxs pocket he had the means amountmg from the sale of h1s sectlon of land wlth Whlch to pay for a complete tu1t1on 1n one of the most up to date schools Well may one wonder at th1s sudden determ1nat1on of Jean s to obtaln a hlgher educatlon Jean hardly understood It hlmself A long lme of ancestors before h1m had been satlsfied to meekly eke out an exlstence on the worn out farm so vshy should he hlmself not be satxsfled to thus pro ceed through l1fe? But the falr face of a xx oman had changed h1s ldeas had lmmedlately possessed h1m vuth ambltlon It was for her that he was domg all th1s He vsould try and use to her statlon ln hfe so that he mlght ask her to be hls own an ay ' an ' ' ' rv 9 v - as 77 l s 9 L - , . 1 , - 9 ' 1 ' 1 - - . , . , I , I I 7 , 7 v 7 - v . fs y I I I l . , I , I I . I k , ' ' u 7 7 3 - , f . I I , ' - . 1 . . - . I , I as ' ny - ' s - 5 ' - ss ' H ' as ' ' ' as 9 a 1 ' 1 1 ' v . I , . n - v 1 - . I . . 1 ,y xx av - If Y x - y ' 79 rx , y - ' - rs ' u r a . s 1 ' ' 7 H v ' . N ' . , I , K . 9 . . . ,, , . c av - at , , v - - 1 - - H I I . ' 1, x s n Y . . . - - 1 ' ' . . . , . 1 . I . . I I I' I , I v v ' I - - , I I I I I s I'LN L Y n F ' I l 1 1 I I , I I I .