Ladoga High School - Canner Review Yearbook (Ladoga, IN)

Page 30 text:

Zlulizfa Hinlin N the side of a mountain down in Virginia stood a little rude cabin, unpainted and unadorned, save for a thick mass of vines and roses which clambered about the little veranda. In the early evening of a hot june day, by the aid of the last light of the day you could distinguish three people sitting on the porch enjoy- ing the cool evening. They were Julia NVard, her grandfather and grandmother. julia was now eighteen, she had lived with her grandparents ever since she could remember, her mother having died when she was very small and her father had gone away to work, but they did not know where he was. It was julia's grandmother who spoke. Julia, bring your violin and play for us. julia entered the house and soon returned with her violin, which was her favorite companion. It had been her father'sg she had been told by her grandparents that he was a good musician. julia had learned to play by herself and to imitate sounds from nature. She spent the greater part of her time rambling over the hills or playing her violin, by the side of some spring or babbling mountain stream.- After she had finished playing some of her grandmother's old fa- vorite songs she stepped out into the moonlight and began to play the music she had gathered from the sounds and songs of nature. You could hear the sound of the mountain stream as it hurried along to join other streams, or the call of the birds, and other sounds that are to be heard in the woods. ' A party of young girls came to camp near ju1ia's home. That night as they sat around the campfire one of the girls exclaimed: Listen, girls: I thought I heard a violin. It was Julia playing as she was in the habit of doing every evening. The girls listened with great interest to the beautiful strains and they seemed to read the wonderful stories of nature which she told with her violin. VV hen the last sounds had died away the girls looked at each other in amazement. Girls, said one of them at last, surely this music which so interested us cannot come from anyone but a great musician, who is a lover of Nature. They did not have time to investigate the mystery the following day because they were too busy fitting out their camp, but the next night they heard the great musician play again, and they were determined to find the owner of the violin. The next afternoon when the girls were fishing along the bank of one of the larger' streams they heard some one coming, and upon turning around they beheld julia standing nearby in the bushes. She made a pretty picture standing there with the sun beaming on her long golden culrs. She stared at them a few seconds and then drew back as though she was afraid. They assured her that they would do her no harm and asked her to join them. Julia and the girls soon became acquainted and as she left them late that afternoon they invitedher to their camp that night to join in their fun. After supper Julia took her violin and played some for her grand- parents, then started for the camp. As she neared the place where the girls were camping shexcould h'ear them talking and laughing. She hid her violin in the bushes near the camp and joined in the fun. Each girl in turn had to entertain the others with a song, speech or something of that nature, and when it came julia's turn she said, I can not sing or speak like you girls do. Yes you can, eachoed the girls'g You will have to entertain us in some way, because we entertained you. Julia, thinking of her violin, started to get it. Don't go yet, cried the girls. Wait a minute, said Julia, as she disappeared into the bushes. She soon returned playing her violin. They knew as soon as she began playing that she was the great musician that had played the wonderful music. After she had finished playing for them she said that she must go. because her grand-parents would' be uneasy about her. They invited her to come to their camp at any time she wished.

Page 29 text:

'S Uhr lliuala ILHELMIN A fcommonly calR:d Minaj Morton lay on the bed and laughed. Her room-mate, Rose Farmington, proceeded to study, with only a scornful lift of her eyebrows, till Mina gasped, Oh, Rose, I never read anything so queer as your story. Why did you write about that P Wilhelmina Ccommonly called Minaj Morton lay on the bed and laughed. Her room-mate, Rose Farmington, proceeded to study, with only a scornful lift of her eyebrows, till Mina gasped, Oh, Rose, I never read anything so queer as your story. Why did you write about that P Indeed, NVilheln1ina, I don't think you have any right to make fun of my prize composition. Your own isn't fit for anything but kindlingf' Mina Morton, a fun-loving girl of seventeen, was quite a contrast to solemn, and precise, although very nervous, Rose Etta Farmington. As mere room-mates, however, they got on fairly well together. They, and also a Miss Peterson, noted for her fiery temper and like- wise fiery hair, were competing in a composition contest which was of- fered by the school paper. Really Mina and Rose were the only ones eligible, for Miss Peterson had failed repeatedly in the composition class. Mina often teased Rose about her composition, the subject of which was Bugs and Wormsf' Mina had a far more frivolous article, entitled Girls: Their Amusements and Accomplishments. No one knew Miss Peterson's subject, but it was generally supposed to be dull. One evening when Rose was diligently working at her f'Bugs and Worms, the door flew open, and the unsociable Miss Peterson came in. Mina gasped, and Rose almost fainted at the unexpected advent. Girls, girls, exclaimed the newcomer, I heard the editor-in-chief say the pa- pers must be in to-morrow at noon, and away she went, as abruptly as she had come. Mina took our her manuscript, made some hasty additions, and set- tled down to the business of recopying it. Rose looked up worriedly in a moment and said, Do you know the technical name for a caterpillar ? Oh, F1ddlesticks, said Mina absently. Rose said she didn't imagine it was fiddlesticks, and silence settled over them. , Next morning their compositions went in to the officers ofthe paper. Mina said, Well, Rose, if you get that prize I'll worship bugs and worms forever. They had ,to wait a week for their reports, and Rose and Mina were on the proverbial Needles and pins all the week. Finally the day came, and Mina was engaged in an impromptu battle with Rose for the paper, when a knock was heard at the door. Mina opened it, and picked a folded note from the Hoor. It was from the principal. Dear Young Ladies: Both of your stories were faulty and both were good. Miss Morton uses too much slang and is entirely too frivolous for a moral paper. Miss Farmington has a much better paper, so far as morals are concerned, but rather an unusual subject. Please prolit by these experiences, and remember to 'try, try againf Rivalry of this sort is good for the mind. Miss Rutherford, Prin. Mina settled into her chair with a gasp of dismay, forgetting all about the paper, which was lying in the middle of the floor. VVhat do you think of that, Rose ? she asked, glancing toward her friend's chair. Rose was crying, and Mina tried to comfort her. Did you really want the prize P Indeed, nog but- She didn't say who won it, comforted Mina. That makes no difference. .Of course Miss Peterson did. When Mina finally remembered to pick the paper from the floor, it contained a pleasant surprise. Rose Farmington's essay on Bugs and Worms adorned the front page. MARIE GOSHORN, '18, xxx

Page 31 text:

The girls agreed after she had gone that she would make a Hne mu- sician if she only had the opportunity. One night the girls asked Julia if she would like to go home with them, to a large city, and take lessons on her violin. No, no, replied julia, I can not leave my grand parents, because they are too old and could not get along without me to care for them. On the following Friday the girls departed with many regrets, telling Julia that they would return again next summer. She liked the girls very much and also regretted their leaving because she knew that she would be so lonesome without them and wished that she might go with them to the large city. NVhen the girls returned the following summer Julia's grandparents had died during the winter, and she was living with some neighbors. She had been watching for them for a long while and was very happy when shefound them all settled in their old camping grounds one morning. They spent about a month camping this summer and when they re- turned home Julia returned with them to take music lessons. The large city excited her at first, but she soon became accustomed to the noise. julia now made her home with one of the girls and was treated as a daughter. She began to take violin lessons at once and was found to be very talented. She proved to be her teacher's best pupil, so she was chosen to take the leading part in the recital which the teacher was going to give. The paper was full of the news, that Miss julia Ward, a very tal- ented musician, was to take the leading part in the great recital which Professor Barington was giving in the largest theater in the city. As Mr. Ward sat reading the paper in his room that night, it dawned on him that this girl might be his daughter. He thought it would be best to wait until after the recital to make sure he was not mistaken. He went to the program, and after she had finished playing he was certain she was his daughter, because she resembled her mother. julia impressed not only him, but every one, with her beautiful music. At the end of the program Mr. VVard succeeded, after some time, in reaching Julia. He made himself known to her, but she was slow to be convinced that he was her father. She noticed, however, how closely he resembled a picture which she had often studied as she thought of him, and she finally decided that he was her father. Julia now went to live with him, and he built a beautiful home at the edge of the city. Every summer they spent a month or two at her old home among the mountains. XV hen she was twenty-eight they went abroad, where she advanced her music and became a great musician. NINA STANLEY, 'I9.