Whiting High School - Reflector Yearbook (Whiting, IN)

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 19 sparkling .miis. She recognized me, how- ever, and told me of her wonderful pro- gress in designing the fashions of the city. She told me she had recently purchased an automobile from the Brush Vehicle Works and as she told of her experience at the office of the Company, she became very excited and suddenly exclaimed. “Do you know who they have as agent down there?” I assured her I did not. “Why Ray Ault of our class of 1014.” This did not surprise me for Ray al- ways was progressive and I heard him say he would like to sell automobiles. “Speaking about our class, have you seen Mary’s latest picture?” Of course I hadn’t, so she handed me a small picture with the inscription Miss Mary B. Grogan, Loading Suffragette of Indiana. I looked at the picture and noticed the name of Stewart Stewart, Art Photographers. “Are those the Stewart sisters of 1014?” I asked. Marguerite assured me they were the same but she continued: “Let us see what Mary is doing today.” We looked into the seeeress’ crystal and there we saw Mary, standing on a soap box. in an Elkhart street, addressing a large audience. Iler topic was “Equal Suffrage” and she was emphasizing her words with forcible gestures. Looking further we saw William Gon- don. a renowned chemist in the Laboratory of tie Standard Oil Company, at Cleve- land. Walter Ilatt had just completed the invention of a filtering device, where- by the water was purified and the oil con- tained in it was utilized. Amelia Stiglitz. who had learned her trade under the directi n cf Miss Haskell. had become a prominent milliner in New York City. Her place was one of the largest in the city and hats designed by her were worn by all the leading people in the theatrical circles. Ethel Gladden had happily married and was living a life of luxurous idleness. Eliza Gardner, prompted by her great love for children, had accepted a position as matron in a girls’ orphan asylum in Pekin, China, and was spending a very useful life. Just then Madame Douarnenez was called from the room and while I waited for her, I looked out of the window and saw a very familiar figure outside the recruiting office. “Well if I’m not very much mistaken, that’s Donald Canfield,” I said. “I will go over and speak to him.” I hurried across the street and he told me he had secured his commission chiefly because of his decorative ability, a much desired quality in a recruiting office. While I was talking to him I heard music and turned to see a large wagon on which was a band. An immense sign attached to the side of the wagon in- formed the public that “The Follies of 1935,” with its dancers, performers and monstrous chorus of five thousand, di- rected by the world’s most famous dancer and singer. Merrill Adams, would perform that evening. “Surely not the Merrill of the class of 1914?” I asked. Don laughed and said “Of course, don’t you remember how gracefully Merrill used to dance the tango in school days, and you know the High School Chorus couldn’t get along without

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i4------- Class Prophecy IT was in the year 1935 that I decided to answer an advertisement for a stenographer. The address given was 91st Street and Commercial Avenue, Room 2313, Lederer’s Building, South Chicago, 111. I had some difficulty in finding the room of that number, but at last found it in one of the corners of the huge build- ing. The sign on the door read: “Madame Douaranenez, Sceeress.” I was aston- ished and somewhat disappointed and turned to go. Curiosity, however, con- quered and I turned the knob and walked in. The place was deserted and the op pressive air and odor of Oriental inscence was almost'unbearable. The rooms were decorated with all sorts of fantastic orna- ments and cabalistic signs. Heavy velvet curtains divided the rooms. I kept on going until I came to a very small room at one end. Madame Douarnenez was sit- ting there calmly smoking a cigaret. She was almost hideous to look at. Her very dark skin and black eyes and coal black hair were very suggestive of the East In- dian, she professed to be. She wanted to tell my fortune, of course, but I protested and explained that I had come in answer to her adver- tisement. When I had finished speaking I noticed that she was looking steadily into my face. “Say, aren’t you Catherine O’Rourke,” I heard her say. I was too surprised to speak and she continued, “Don’t you re- member me?” I looked at her and saw no longer the East Indian Sceeress, but a comrade of the long past school days in Whiting High School, Marguerite. I asked her why she had taken this sort of work and how she had been able to deceive the people. “Well, you see it’s easy, and interest- ing besides. I was always fond of study- ing human nature and here I can study all I care to.” This reason didn’t satisfy me very well, but I knew the uselessness of argument, so we started to talk of the school days and especially of the class of 1914. “I would like to know what they are all doing today,” I said. “Why, you know Hannah is a very successful modiste, right here in this block.” Just then the boy brought in a card bearing the name, “Madame Geervier.” “O! here is Hannah now,” Marguerite said. It was a fortunate tiling she told me for I never would have recognized Hannah. She was wearing a very bright shade of yellow, then in vogue. Where the skirt should have been, she was wearing harem trousers, and beneath the trousers. I could see her yellow silk stockings and black jewelled pumps. The waist (if it may be called a waist at all) was a creation of yellow silk and pearls as large as a small tea-cup. Her ears were ornamented with huge diamonds and a string of emeralds hung to the floor. Her face was entirely hidden by her hair and all I could see was 25

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19 14- him. I did remember and so decided then and there to go to that performance. Don said he had been at one of the performances in San Francisco. “Do you remember Olive Carlson ?” She is a noted soprano singer and sings in Adams’s chorus. I returned to Madame Douarnenez’s rooms and we again gazed into the crys- tal which held the present for each of us. Esther Evans had become a wall paper designer in New Orleans. Fearn Morri- son occupied her time directing the minds of kindergarten children and was very successful. Harold Daegling was seated on a piazza, smoking a long corncob pipe, in a very leisurely manner and in a drawling voice, directed a group of Japs, Indians, Italians and Poles, in their work on a sugar plantation in Hawaii. This elevated position required very little if any exer- tion and that part pleased Harold ex- tremely. Lucile was in Zacatecas, Mexico, di- recting a small class of natives in music and art. Robert Spillar was a mechan- ical and mining engineer, exploring the coal fields of Alaska. Edward Bartisska was a cartoonist for the Chicago Exam- iner. He filled the place left vacant by the death of Bud Fisher and his cartoons were enjoyed by thousands. Gladys Harper had taken up Domestic Science as her life work and was teach- ing it to the natives at the Methodist Mis- sion in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Frieda Goebel was perfecting her knowledge of the German language at the Berlin Uni- versity. Anna Baumel had taken up nursing and was now employed as head nurse in the Standard Oil Company’s hospital, which had been recently erected. Hilda Ahlgren was engaged by the Kidpath Lyceum Bureau as an interpre- tive reader. Donald Spurrier, the class beauty, was the nominee for the States Senatorship. Donald had always been a favorite with the ladies, when in school and his best weapon of defence in his fight for election was his promise to boost Woman Suffrage in Indiana. Ernst Vater had become a junior part- ner in his father’s extensive coal business. Harold Cameron was running for State Senator on the Socialist ticket against Donald Spurrier on the Progressive. Lou- ise Mattern was the physical director of women at Bloomington and was very popular. It was getting late and as I had de- cided I must look elsewhere for a posi- tion I started to go. Marguerite insisted that I wait and go to the Gaiety writh her. We secured seats in the front row. The first part was a short comedy entitled “The Old Man’s Money.” The actor taking the part of the old man seemed familiar to me and when he started to talk, my thoughts went back to the old school days when Donald Parks so often delighted and entertained the pupils with his acting. Surely no one else could act the old man’s part in just that way but Donald. The last thing on the program was a reel of Mutual Movies. It pictured a love- lorn lass of Scotland. The lass was a very prim, blond, and reminded me strangely of someone I had seen. I turned to Mar- Continued on Page 79 27