Weber State University - Acorn Yearbook (Ogden, UT)

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THE ACORN 3 “I told Captain Muller that a storm was brewing, and that we oughtn’t to set sail tonight,” he said suddenly. “Do you see how black the sky is becoming, Bob?” “Yes, I have been watching the sky all day, and I thought how very much like my own life it is,” said Bob, with a passionate bitterness in his voice. Louis glanced at him curiously, and catching the look, Bob continued, “Let me paint a picture for you Lou—you know I am somewhat of an artist. Here it is. I see a youth starting out on life’s road with everything before him—wealth, influence, friends. In college, there are none so popular as he, both with the students and the professors. Now the clouds begin to gather! His father invests his money in a big enterprise and finds—too late!—that it is a losing game. This knowledge he keeps from his son, thinking to let him finish school first, but fate decides differently. Seven weeks before commencement, a vast crowd assembled on the campus to witness the baseball game which will decide the league championship of the two rival colleges. Both sides are anxious to win, and pennants of crimson and of gold flutter in the air. I see only one group in the crowd, and that consists of perhaps a dozen young people, all loyal to the crimson. All the players are on the ground, except the Captain, and he suddenly makes his appearance amidst the roars of applause from the audience. He turns to the group of young people, waves his crimson banded cap as a sign of victory, and then enters the game with such enthusiasm that his followers catch the spirit and play as they never have before. The game is half over, and by the skilful outcurves of the pitcher, the victory is certainly on the Crimson side when— and here’s the climax Louis—the Captain makes a dash for third base, stumbles, falls, and—all is darkness. Do you recog- nize the picture?” Bob held cut a paper as he spoke, and by the fitful rays of the pale moon, which had just emerged from behind a cloud, Louis saw a curious combination of sunrise, sunset and dark, lowering clouds. “What a queer idea, Bob,” said Louis with a short laugh. “It would have been more real if you had made the sunshine predominate the clouds.”

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2 THE ACORN rfjrottfll) ti)c UaUejf of The sun sank, leaving the west a dull, red glow. Softly the gray shadows of twilight came creeping, creeping over the deep blue ocean, over the land, and up the distant mountain side, leaving the crest illumined for a few seconds in almost blinding brightness. Then suddenly as if by magic, this light, too, dis- appeared, the scarlet hue gave place to a hue of inky blackness, and silent night reigned supreme, her stillness broken only by the wind as it shrieked through the riggings of the vessel, which lay anchored in the harbor. “Do you think it safe to venture out tonight, Captain?” asked Louis Lorimer pausing at the cabin-door. Safe!” Well I suppose so. Here we have been delayed four hours already, because of that other mishap. I can’t lose any more time, for I promised to be at Promotory Point by noon tomorrow, and old Captain Muller never breaks his word.” “Even if he should break his neck,” laughed Louis, push- ing his cap farther back on his head. Then assuming a more serious air, he continued, “but I thought the sky looked like a storm and-------.” “O, yes, perhaps, but nothing serious. Didn’t you see the red sun-set? That’s a sure sign of a fair day tomorrow.” Louis retraced his steps back to the deck, where a young man, about his own age, sat in an invalid chair, his eyes fixed upon space. “Well, Bob, what are you thinking about?” asked Louis lightly as he sank into a chair beside his companion. “Are you sorry to leave the scenes of your childhood?” “Sorry?” repeated Bob listlessly, “what for?” “When I came up just now, I thought you had rather a sorrowful expression on your face,” returned Louis quiet- ly. “Perhaps it was only fancy.” “Perhaps,” murmured Bob evasively, shading his pale face with one thin hand as though he feared that the glim- mering light from the moon would reveal his thoughts. Louis was silent for a few minutes, watching the dark clouds gathering in the west.

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4 THE ACORN “No, it wouldn’t,” said Bob decidedly, “a single failure has blighted my whole life.” “0, come Cousin, cheer up,” exclaimed Louis encourag- ingly. You know it is not nearly so bad as all that. Why failures sometimes make—” “Don’t begin to preach Professor Spruce to me,” inter- rupted Bob, raising his thin hand with a despairing gesture. “I know, and you know, that failures are blockades to success. That kind of tale sounds all right in literature, but it faces you in life; it is a different proposition. You, although your pros- pects were not so fair at first, have everything before you now and 160 credits besides, while I have nothing.” “What about Nona Everett?” asked Louis teasingly. “We will not discuss—Miss Everett,” murmured Bob coldly. “We were speaking about failures.” “But you’re so unreasonable Bob. Now if I had been hurt—” “Yes, how much better it would have been if it had been you instead of me.” Then he added hurriedly, “Not that I want to be selfish, Lou, but you are so light hearted, and always look on the bright side of everything. “I wish it had been me,” said Louis unhesitatingly. “There’s no hope for me now,” continued Bob recklessly. “I shall go to grandma’s little hovel in that island wilderness and die a hermit, for if ever I get well—and I hope I don’t— I’ll never go back to the city and try to keep up appearances. It would simply kill me. Father says perhaps they could man- age to exist on the money he has left, for mother declares she’ll never live in the country, while I would rather live on codfish, corn bread, salt breezes and solitude than to live there now, although I suppose Grandma will drive me mad with her ever- lasting knitting.” “Well, I’ll admit that grandma don’t have elaborate ban- quets and garden parties and does an awful lot of knitting, but there’s no better woman living, and I ought to know for Susie and I have lived with her ever since we were tiny children,” ex- claimed Louis with sudden spirit. “We would never have been