Olivet Nazarene University - Aurora Yearbook (Bourbonnais, IL)

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marble fountains and gushing forth from the bronze urns, which were supported by the hands of beautiful statues. The halls and conservatories were filled with grand splendor, beauty and merriment. But to Laura it all seemed ridiculously hideous; she longed to be away from there; even the music sounded like harsh discords to her. She walked across the floor and stood b eneath a cluster of palms, alone; and forgetful of her surroundings, her searching eyes seemed to gaze off into space, her hungrv soul tried to reach out into the heart of the world and God. Mingled thoughts seemed to be racing through her benumbed brain. She wondered why the sermon in the little Holiness church on Randolph street had impressed her so deeplv, why the very atmosphere of the place seemed so different from that of the great first church, of which she and her father were members. She wondered why she had been thrown into a glittering social world. Her hands unconsciously began to clutch tighter and tighter; her face wore a horror-stricken expression. She realized for the first time the emptiness, the awfulness of spending the remainder of her life in this social bubble of frivolity. With a start her maid returned her to her environment, and be- wildered she looked at her dancing card. Following the first number she observed the name of Lord Canterbury. She continued to look at the card, scarcely able to distinguish its contents, when feeling someone ' s gaze falling upon her she glanced up, and saw Lord Can- terbury across the hall watching her. His handsome face was wine flushed. Her sensitive instinct observed the dark gleam of animal- ism in his eves. That coarse, brutish nature, which had been so carefullv concealed by a fine physique and culture, was openly re vealed to her. A faint color ran across her cheek and she recovered her natural composure in an instant. She turned to go: she could not, she would not consent to float around the room in his arms; she had seen the vision and to yield would be weakness. Everv object in the hall seemed like mockery to her; the forced, hollow laughs of the rest of the company seemed sickening. She- sought the hostess, and after giving a very general explanation or- dered her car and left the building. The butler wore a curious surprised expression on finding his mis tress home so early on Xew Years eve. She noticed his face but said nothing. She hurried to the library to let her father know she [27]

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Ifytrit? attire. T WAS New Years eve. The great hall clock of one of the most fashionable mansions of Clairwood was striking nine as Laura Bradford, the only daughter and mistress of this estate descended the broad staircase dressed in full evening After giving the servant instructions to have her car ready at 9:15, she went into the library to the piano and began to run her fin- gers over the keys in a mechanical fashion, pausing now and then, and gazing toward the window in a blank, dreary mood. Her dreary meditation was interrupted by the arrival of her maid, who was carrying a rich velvet cloak and dainty white veil, in which Laura was soon en rapped. Then the car was off, and Laura nearly lost in beautiful and costly cushions, pictured herself in the ballroom at which she would soon arrive, indulging in flippant gayety, or listening to an envious mem- ber of her own sex criticising every minor detail of the appearance of other women. She shuddered as she saw a vision of herself floating around the room in the disgusting position of the dance. A public spectacle, termed refined 1 for it is shielded by the name, dance. Oh, how false it all is, 1 ' she said half aloud. Why must humanity be so shal- low? Oh, for something higher, something better, more elevated standard. 11 A faint gleam of hope shown in her dark eyes for a moment, but soon vanished, for darker thoughts were crowding in upon her tired brain; and after drawing a deep sigh, she continued: But I suppose I might as well take facts as they really are; the world seldom produces real men and women. 11 She leaned back on her cushions as if exhausted, and with closed eyelids, lines of dissatisfaction and weariness were resting on her brow and creeping around her curved lips. She remained thus until she arrived at the hall, and after alighting from the car, she was ushered into the building by a stiff looking butler. The spacious and magnificent hall was glittering with hundreds of lights; the grand orchestra was playing in low, sweet melodies, rising now and then to louder and harsher strains and switching off into merry two-steps, then floating back into the low, sweet strains again, harmonizing with the twinkle of the crystal water falling from the 26

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had arrived, but he was not there. As she glanced in the room her eyes fell upon an old Bible stored away on the top shelf with volumes of other books, which were termed as drv subjects. A hunger to read its contents seemed to hold her as she gazed upon the word Holy. She glanced around to make sure that no one saw her and with faltering footsteps walked to the shelf, and after seizing the book, shuffled to her room like a frightened fawn and locked the door. A soft death-like stillness prevailed in her room, the furnishings were plainly visible in the bright silvery moonlight. She let her cloak drop from her shoulders and stood before the oval mirror of her little inlaid ivory dressing tabic. The beauty of her fine cut features seemed superhuman in the soft moonlight. She leaned forward and scanned herself more closely; never before had her leaded eyelashes seemed so conspicuous to her, her low-cut gown had never looked so exaggerated and the sparkling jewels that decorated her hands, neck and hair seemed like the eyes of huge demons. The Bible was still in her hands; she opened it mechanicallv and tried to read, but the light was too dull. She went to the window where the rays might fall directly upon the leaves, and read the words Vanity of vanity, all is vanity, just as the diamond in her finger ring gave an impudent flash. 1 1 seemed to mock her, she took it from her finger with an impatient jerk, she tore the rest of the jewels from her person and threw them on the dressing table. A greater eagerness, a greater hunger to read seemed to hold her. She read of Christ ' s love for humanity, of his sufferings for us and his great enduring patience. She fingered the pages eagerly. The next passage read, All you who are wearv and heavy laden, come unto me and I will give you rest. The beauty, the simplicity of the lines seemed to hold her spellbound; she longed for that rest; her hungry soul cried for true holy love; her tired frame was trembling; her eyes were turned heavenward. She knew that God loved her; she could almost hear him say, Come unto me. She was again fingering the pages nervously, almost frightened. She was asking, herself, does God want me, will he keep me, can I look forward to a glorious home in Heaven? But then these thoughts came to her: what would her friends say?. She would be jeered at by the social world and her father, his greatest ambition was that she might be- I 28 |