St Francis Xavier Academy - Xavier Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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THE XAVIER 19 A LOYAL DAUGHTER. W ALL Street, that magnetic centre of power, known from j continent to continent, that whirlpool of finance which has done more toward the making and unmaking of men than anything else, had been unusually active. With copper the leading topic, Lawrence Dorsey and his colleagues had bid in at the opening of the Exchange and found themselves at the close richer by millions. It requires cleverness and foresight to operate on any stock quoted above market value, and all these qualities were strong in Dorsey. A millionaire capitalist, club mau and society favorite, his one aim in life was wealth and his only care and thought were for his beautiful daughter, Dorothy. The exact counterpart of a father whom she fairly idolized, Dorothy, chaperoned by a maternal aunt, Mrs. Oliver, was the centre of all social functions given in the stately mansion on Madison Avenue. Home only one short year from boarding school where she had been the pet and pride of teachers and pupils with her smiling, happy ways, her entrance into the glittering -whirl of society, had been heralded far and wide, and many looked with envy on the proud father and his charming daughter at her first reception. You may think that Dorothy’s mind was all aglow at the prospect of this gay butterfl)' life, but here you are mistaken. Only at the earnest request of the fond parent was she a willing partaker of its pleasures. Her one object in life was the happiness of her father, who as a shrewd speculator, starting with nothing, had gained the the top of the ladder and was now the copper king of America. Everything he had undertaken had been successful. There had been no such word as “fail” in his upward climb. It had been arranged that she and her father should attend the opera one evening. All week she had looked forward to this event with the eager delight of a music lover and the joyful impetuosity of a child. The longed-for hour came at last bringing Mr. Dorsey, pale, haggard, evidently laboring under strong emotion. Dorothy

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18 THE XAVIER us to the Capitol and we were most fortunate in being present at what they told us afterwards was an exciting discussion. It was extremely interesting and as we watched the proceedings, saw the attitudes struck, heard the vibrant tones of voice, noted the defiance in look or gesture, we said to ourselves that making the laws of this Rhode Island of ours is not child’s play, but requires an amount of energy on the part of State Solons that perhaps few people realize. The real pleasure of the occasion however lay in the delightful welcome accorded us by the Governor himself, upon introduction. Its warmth and sincerity readily recalled what we had so often heard that he wishes every one to consider himself and this time herself “at home’’ in the House on the Hill. September, 1907, brought us into possession of our own— the much coveted title and privileges of Seniors—. It has passed rapidly, this year, and here we are at the “parting of the ways.’’ We would, before going re-visit the happy spots where in those four years, we have joyed to live. The recreation and dining hall from 11.45 till 12.25, sufficient to recall; the French conversations with the beaming and witty Mdlle. Thomeson, we hear even now her “continuez,’’ “tr6s bien.” The delightful physical culture lessons on Fridays with the charming and refined Miss Dodge, a staunch believer in the development of the intercostal muscles and muscles and muscles and that youth should worship occasionally and with dignity at the shrine of Terpsichore; the little class room at the end of the second corridor where the firm rule was maintained, “Ici, on parle Francais;” the exciting ascent of four flights on set days when we did not sweep the cobwebs off the sky, exactly, not having brooms, but we did mount out and upward in spirit and became thoroughly acquainted with the beautiful facts of Astronomy, that queen of all Science; the Chemical laboratory with its wonders and mysteries and our great reverence and respect for the hood. No nook or corner of this dear home that is not sacred to us by unnumbered associations. Our girlish hearts, joyful at advancing fortune, are at the same time filled with the saddest regrets. May that unwritten motto of the school, so reproduce itself in our future that each and all who come within its influence will realize that the true life consists in this,—“Make it pleasant; make it sunshiny for every one around you.’’ Marguerite Gray.

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20 THE XAVIER forgot everything in her anxiety. Following him to the library she found him lying on a couch, his face buried in his trembling hands. Throwing herself on her knees beside him, the poor girl exclaimed, “What is it, papa? Are you ill or in trouble? Tell me, my dearest papa.” ‘‘Dorothy, my little girl,” he said in a broken voice, ‘‘Have you strength to bear a great blow ?” ‘‘Yes, yes, father, anything that will not separate us may be borne.” “Then darling,” he whispered, “We are ruined—quite quite ruined.” “Dearest and best of fathers, tell me all. While we have each other, life can never be entire darkness.” Then he told her the old, old story that has so often re-echoed from Wall Street. That very morning without a thought of such a thing as reverse, he had tried his fortune in a new deal in copper. This was now in a prosperous condition, and receiving a hint from a friend that it would “go high” on the morrow, he bid. Brisk selling for a few minutes drove prices down sharply and afler a few hours of such work, blocks of the stock were transferred from winning to the losing, or from strong to weak hands and pools failed. Losing half his fortune by this, he became reckless, plunged in and attacked the pools again and again. In less than two hours his magnificent capital was swept away as by a torrent, and he had now come to her a beggar. They were both penniless. To her father, who already seemed aged by many years, she said with a brave heart, “Dear father, we will do the best we can. God is with us. He will help us under this great stress.” Dorothy’s mother had left money by will for her child and this now went towards paying the creditors. When everything had been sacrificed except a few remembrances of her childhood, they left the beautiful residence over which the auctioneer’s red flag was already flying, and sought apartments in the lower quarter of the city. Mr. Dorsey from this time forward sank into a gloomy apathy, and let Dorothy do all the planning. As the days went on, his mind, turned by the awful mishap, became a blank, and he a child, ready to do what those around him wished.