Millsaps College - Bobashela Yearbook (Jackson, MS)

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I owe you an explanation for my tardiness. As ' Bre ' r Rob ' and I drove down Capital Street on our way here, we saw a little boy thrown from his horse to the street. We went to his rescue and found that he had a broken arm. Taking him in the carriage, we drove to the Sanitarium, where I dressed his wounds. I could never have enjoyed being with you had I not seen him relieved, for my work — oh! I ' m so enamored with my work that I ' m happiest when I can do most for suffering man. And listen, I ' m going to issue a small volume of poems before long. The applause was spontaneous; she had always been a favorite. Sharbrough. Up he bounced with a start that shook the table. He threw back his head savagely and pushed his hair far enough out of his eyes to look around. When he spoke, his voice was as the voice of Jove, who speaks in thunder: I have here a copy of a little book written by myself and just from the press. I have spent all my time for nearly twenty years working on it, supporting myself meantime by selling encyclopaedias. It is neatly bound in paper or calf, as you like, only one dollar the copy. I have ordered one thousand copies and tomorrow will set out on horseback to peddle them over the whole State, hoping that by the study of my book the masses may become better educated. I want every member of the Class of ' 09 to have one; I therefore take great pleasure in presenting to each of you, with the compliments of the author, a copy of Sharbrough ' s ' Topical Anal- ysis of the Greek Verb, ' a humorous poem in blank verse. The thunder ceased and he dexterously tossed a 500-page volume to each of his hearers. Miss Sp. ' VNn. As her classniates looked upon her, they found it hard to believe that twenty years had passed since they sat together in the class-room. Save for the little white nurse ' s cap and kerchief, she was the same. Vho said ' Miss Spann ' ? she quickly answered; when I haven ' t been Miss Spann for thirteen years. Here she laughed heartily and, straightening her cap, continued: I put this on because I wanted to show you I am still proud of my profession, even if I have deserted it; and then, the Doctor Hkes me to dress up occasionally in my nurse ' s costume — he says it makes him think of those days so long ago when I was head nurse in the Memphis Sanitarium and he a sentimental young physician. I remember one night not long after I met the Doctor — you know it was a case of love at first sight — a heavenly night it was, the full moon was just rising over the trees and — but really, I mustn ' t bore you with all this. Just let me say that I could wish nothing better for each of you than a happiness as complete as mine. Stennis. And, rising with ponderous dignity, the next speaker began: I need not say, my comrades, that in some respects the passing years have been most kind to me. Good digestion has waited on appetite, and health on both, and so I stand before you to-day 225 pounds avoirdupois in my stocking feet. Financially I have prospered. On the bonny braes of the Chicafuncty I hold a fair domain of sixty acres, rich of soil and prodigal in crops. Here on a flowery rise, ' far irom the madding crowd ' s ignoble strife, ' have I built a rustic palace artistically designed for two. Life there has been indeed a dream, a long sweet siesta, where every air was laden with the sighs of dogwood groves and music of sweet birds and murmur of low fountains that broke forth in the midst of roses. 29

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fecting it. By means of this one instrument I shall hold the world in the hollow of my hand, the whole scheme of the universe will be changed, and you will live to see it. He sank back into his chair exhausted, his cheek paled, the light faded from his eyes, and his habitual expression of ennui returned. There were a few moments of silence, then the name of LeggeTt was called. There was no answer. The master of ceremonies drew a letter out of his coat- pocket and read : Lincoln, Oklahoma, June 6, 1929. To the Class of ' 09: I regret exceedingly that I can not be with you on the night of June loth, but certain unforeseen events necessitate my absence. Ordinarily my practice would allow me to leave, as most of my patients are at present alive and well; but I have decided that by proper economy two can live on my income, and — well, it will be impossible for me to get off just now, as things seem at last to be coming my way. But you needn ' t tell her I said so. Yours as ever, W. C. Leggett. MULLIXS. All eyes were turned with interest on the man who now stood up. He was tall and lean almost to emaciation, his clothes hung on him with a forlorn air, his face was a network of mournful wrinkles, even his eyes seemed to droop at the comers. And when he spoke it seemed as though the sorrows of all the ages had been poured into that one voice. Listen to the sad story of my life. Just sixteen years ago on the twenty- first of last month I had finished my electrical course at Cornell and was employed by the Electric Company of Meadville. I was sent out into the suburbs of that great city to mend a transformer; the current was to be off until six o ' clock. It was all due to a habit I got into at college — the disastrous habit of working over- time. I picked up the wire and could not let go. It was drizzling rain and not a soul in sight except a young girl who was just then coming ' round the comer. She realized my plight instantly, pulled oft her rubber overshoes, and snatched my hands from the wire. T:en I regained consciousness, several people were trying to help me — but she was gone! Boys, — here large tears gathered in his dismal eyes and slowly trickled down his cheeks — boys, I have been looking for her ever since. I have been all over the civilized world and the greater part of Franklin County and I have not found her. I shall spend the rest of my life looking for her — the most beautiful, the most — But here he broke down entirely and, sinking back into his chair, sat with drooping head while the other names were called. Miss Ricketts, calls the master of ceremonies. All is silent There goes up a sigh, for each remember how she, in the good old days, delighted with her verse of wit and humor. Consequently, despite the fact that she is now a great physician, they had expected a poem, for surely the divine spark had kept itself aglow. The master calls the next name — but hold! there is a rustle without the ban- quet-hall and all are gladdened with the familiar but long unheard I ' m comin ' , Br ' er Rob. Greetings being over, her name is again called. And as she arose it seemed to all that she had changed little from the Miss Rickets of our school- days. Time seemed to have laid his hands less heavily upon her than any other member of the class; her hair was still as black and her eyes as bright and cheer- ful as before. 28

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But weigjit and crops and songs of birds and dogwood blossoms are not all of life. Even Adam was not happy living alone even in Eden, for the poet says: ' Man the hermit sighed till woman smiled. ' I also sighed and, to be brief, my sym- pathetic friends, after a long siege she smiled, once, and then — but I shall grow extravagant or noetic if I don ' t take care. In a word, then, my friends, I have had a good time. I am justice of the peace and ex-officio notary public for my supervisor ' s district, and have been prominently mentioned for representative in our next legislature. I have the prettiest wife, the happiest home, the best crop, fhe fattest cattle, and what one of my neighbors calls the ' egg-layin ' est ' hens in Kemper County. Come to see me, and Samanthy will set you down to a dinner of spareribs and sausage and chicken pie that would give even a college boy dyspepsia. Welch. A man of splendid physical proportions responded as though glad of the chance to speak. Save for a few deep wrinkles in his face and for a heavy Vandyke, the years had left him the same old Prep. He folded his arms and thus addressed the class : The question of the hour, my classmates, the question of supreme moment is: ' How. many of you are members of the Y. M. C. A.? ' Now we have a fine association here in Jackson, but Mrs. Welch and I were saying the other day that we, must increase the membership at once and put in that new heating-plant be- fore fall. I m very anxious that my secretaryship prove successful, and if you will pardon anypossible inappropriateness, I will circulate my hat and take a few subscriptions, while we all join in singing ' Pass Aroun ' Yo ' Derby an ' We ' 11 All Give a Chink. ' This performance over, the name of WiTT was called. In the, glare of the electric lights he seemed all black and white — neat black suit of clerical cut, neat white tie, neat bald head, glasses balanced neatly on his nose; he was so mild and meek and calm, he looked as though he might be just waiting for the Xlollegian to come out. Boys, he began, a short while after I finished college I decided to become a preacher — and just here let me say that I have never, for a moment, regretted it. - For the first six years after I joined the conference my work was on the smaller circuits, but since then each successive charge has been a better one until now I can reasonably claim to be pastor of the best church in our State, Having thus disposed of himself, he went on to speak of what his classmates had done in the world and of the good that they might yet accomplish, and as h spoke the men and women around the table leaned forward to hear, for he spoke with the eloquence that comes from a sympathetic heart. Even Mullins seemed to forget for the mo- ment his sorrow and Bailey to become unmindful of the impending storm. Tenderly and feelingly he spoke of the years that were gone, and encouragingly and hopefully of the years yet to be. And the voice of the speaker grew more serious as he said at last: My classmates, let us remember that there is yet another summons which will sometime bring us together. May each one of us at that meeting answer confidently when his name is called. The orchestra played the opening bars of a well-remembered air and, standing at their places, they sang again the Class Song of old ' 09.