Richmond Womans College - Puffs and Patches Yearbook (Richmond, VA)

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The chapel auditorium was crowded on the final night. All of us felt eX- cited and self-conscious for the lady of our dreams was 'somewhere in the crowd. The program was almost completed, only jack's valedictory. After the overture had been played, he mounted the platform and went toward the front of the stage, his face lighted with the joy of conquest, the knowledge of owner- ship. His words rang clearly through the building and brought tears to all eyes. Suddenly he paused, his face paled,'then flushed and he started forward. Then recovering himself he completed his oration. The applause was deafening and flowers rained upon him, but he was nervous, restless. Wheii the diplomas had been awarded he broke away from the crowd and made for a corner of the build- ing. Straight as an arrow he went, deaf to the congratulations, right to where a slender girl, with high-dressed, golden-brown hair and deeply blue eyes stood. Something caused her to turn and their eyes met and clung together. They seemed unconscious of us all and the crowd. The light on their faces was holy. Her cousin saved the day by introducing them. As their hands met he bent low and whispered something in her ear, she nodded and together they went into the lantern-lit campus. Now she lives with her husband, Jack McBride, near the University. He is already a prominent lawyer and she still our goddess, to whom all important affairs are brought. - 1 Jack had a miniature of the picture made and wears it over his heart to warn off all evil, he says. , ,. . P 68 gnu-.. .- 'EAL .' . :,.,,g4,4L4i,.,..- nm , .

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simply held our breath for fear he'd go off again. Things went well until one night he got a letter asking him not to call again except as an old friend. that she was engaged. She liked him but could never love him. Well. he took his usual manner of drowning his troubles, only this was the longest carouse he had ever been on. For two weeks we searched frantically for him and were going to telegraph his father when he returned. pale. weak. but with a new light in his handsome eyes. XYe learned later that in the middle of the night he crawled in the room. He had planned to write the girl a letter and then shoot himself. ln his maudlin state he saw the picture and imagined it was laughing at him, so he took it from the mantel in order to turn the face to the wall. But something in the pictured face stopped him. The narrowed eyes were scornful, the lips seemed curved in a sneer. Then he thought she spoke. Don't be a baby, -lack McBride. The girl never fooled youg it was your foolish vanity that led you on. You knew she wore a diamond, that she treated you as a boy, and now in your drunken self- pity would you throw the blame on her? Bring her into notoriety and break your father's heart ? The sweet eyes were very stern. 'gBrace up and try to be a man. - Cf course, it is tough, but you are no baby. You ought to be ashamed to act as you do. God has given you a marvelous intellect and you drink it to the gutter. You could be the most popular and brightest fellow in school, and yet you let others with half your powers beat you. Don't be a puppy. Cut out drink, get down to work and, most of all, think of someone besides yourself. jack put the picture on the table and buried his face in his hands. For some time his conscience had been saying these same things to him, but you can argue your own conscience down. yet the words of a girl, a mere picture, could not be argued with. , N He never told us of his two weeks' adventure and we knew him too well to ask. He buckled down and worked as he had never worked before. He kept away from 'the picture more than ever. He did not want to see her until the brave eyes could smile approval. One day her cousin came rushing into the room, a letter in his hand. Qlt was late and all of us were in the room except fack.j Excitedly he waved the letter. It,s from her and she's coming to see rne graduate. The fellows went wild for awhile and we could hardly wait for the day to come. . ' Jack was rather abstracted. He had won all the highest honors, the praise of us all, the congratulations of the professors, and the pride of an old father. Everyone was confident that he would be awarded the medal 'for the finest oration. But I knew that there was one thing he coveted more than all these- the love of the original of the picture. 67

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