Salem College - Sights and Insights Yearbook (Winston-Salem, NC)

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Class Prophecy, 1905 TjT ' ' E, years had flown swiftly by since our daisy festoon fell apart at Salem T|] on Commencement Day and we. the members of the Class of 1905 were scattered m every direction. Santos Dumont had. after various experiments, succeeded in fitting out an air- ship that was no failure and was a grand sight as it floated above the tree-tops and then like a bird went swiftly out of sight. I had heard so little of my old classmates in these five years that uhen he sug- gested to our party a voyage in his airship, with all the luxuries of modern travel- ing, with the permission to go where I chose. I gladly accepted his ofTer As I was near our national capital. I concluded I would look ui. Mai.lai who 1 had heard was there. The alighting from this somewhat unusual equipage caused no little stir in the street ,n front of the New Willard. As I was turning into fhe hotel a handsome automobile whirled past and in its beautifully dressed occupant I recognized the girl for whom I was looking. She knew me too, for in a short time her card was brought to me. I descended to the parlors where I spent a pleasant half hour with She had married a young politician who had afterwards risen to a prominent place, which was remarkable considering his youth, but after hearing how popular his dreamy-eyed companion was I could not help wondering if his political suc- cesses were not partly due to the influence this trick of the eves had gained for this gentleman. As we were so near New York I decided to look up Mary, as Maidai told me she was there and interested in the Red Cross Society. We expected great things of Mary when we left Salem but had no idea that she would attain to such an eminence: for upon visiting the headquarters of this useful organization and in- quiring for the president, in order to obtain permission to see Mary, imagine my surprise when m this im,:,ortant personage. I recognized the very girl for whom I was looking. ' After talking to Mary a while she began laughing, and asked me if I had heard of Ora. L pon telling her I had not, she gave me the latest news concerning that member of our Class. Soon after leaving school. Ora had married a very pld millionaire, who was

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slie was jirepared as an electrician to run a twentieth centnr - railway from the earth to Alars. The fare there anil hack for one person is only six niillions of ilollars. Rockefeller, (umlil. N ' anilerhilt and several other nnilti-niillionaires have been over, bnt as yet I ilo not think any of our girls have ventured. Mittie we find in this city keeping a restaurant; all the fashionaljle iieoide in the place go there to (hue with their friends. Now, little acorn cup, have you anytliing further to sa. ? I )n looking into it 1 dti not see the characters that were there when I first took it up. Tired and hungry, I dropped it to the ground and a squirrel quickly snatched it up and carried it to his nest. Just at this time I became conscious of the hour and hastily wended my way homeward to think over what had been revealed to me concerning these members of the Class of 11J05. R. L. S., ' 05. 27

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shortly afterwards killed in a railroad accident. After her terrible bereavement she lost all interest in social events and retired to her beautiful country home on the Hudson. I remembered quite well Ora ' s fondness for pets at Salem, so was not at al! surprised to learn that she was now spending her time and her millions in making a most original collection. Her two hobbies were peculiar-looking cats and various anti-fat remedies. lust before telling Mary good-bye she asked me where I should next stop, and upon learning that I was starting on a long journey, she gave me a copy of the last Cliristiaii Herald to take with me. Among the news in foreign fields I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw an account of the progress our mission was making in the heart of Africa. It was not the announcement of our success, but the name of the person through wdiom so much was being accomplished that surprised me. Of course the minister in this ])lace was doing much, but the great attraction with the people was the noted vocalist wdio sang at all the meetings. And ' t was this name that startled me so, for it was no other than our Class President, Nell. On leaving Salem, she devoted herself entirely to the cultivation of her voice and after several years of hard study, she went to this place, with an unpronounce- able name, so that she could learn from the song-birds of the region a few notes wdiich her vocal teacher had been unable to impart to her, and while there had consented to help the missionary in his religious services. We little thought wdien this noble songstress was among us in good old 1905 da s that we were living with such an incipient prima donna. By the time I had grown tired of pursuing this line of thought I had reached the Egyptian capital where Annie was searching for some lost records of the times of the Great Cleopatra. But upon inquiring for her at her hotel I found that she was not in the citv but had gone on a little further down the Nile and had left a letter for me, as 1 had written her that I was coming to Egypt. In this somewhat brief epistle she told me of her work during the past five years ; of her failure in finding the lost sheet of papyrus, and of her determination to remain in this place until her efforts should prove successful. She asked me if I remembered the description of ATiss Blimber in Doiii- bcy and Son. and said that now she was as dry and dusty as that young lady, so she did not care very much if she never returned to her old home again for after all modern things were very dull when compared with the deafl and buried wonders of the ancient world. All this certainly seemed strange to me for .-Knuie was nothing like that when I knew her. Pud after thinking of this (|ueer. fancy for fossils and antiquities I concluded it wr ' ust as well that I coulil not wait for her return.