Page 83 - YB1903

I, the prophetess of 1903, began to wonder how the future of my classmates would be revealed to me. I was troubled accordingly; when suddenly a bright light shone all around and I heard a voicesaying, "Be thou not troubled, 0 maiden; for even as to prophets of old were revealed secrets of the hidden future in dreams, so a mighty sleep shall fall upon thee, 0 prophetess, and thou shalt see strange sights and hear strange things of your classmates. Scorn thou," continued the voice, "to doubt these things, however wonderful, as seeing and hearing are believing." I laughed at this: "a miracle about to be per- formed," thought I. Dismissing the matter from my mind, I started to read; the book being 011C very conducive to sleep, like my surroundings, as has been said before, I soon found my eyes dosing and in another moment 1. I was surrounded by brilliant lights in a crowded opera house. This was the first night in Paris of -'s famous opera company. For weeks past one had read of nothing else but of the coming of Made- moiselle Emma Duncan, the prima donna of America and probably of Europe. All waited expectantly for the curtain to rise. I waited also to see my former classmate, now a star. On all sides I heard of the marvelous voice of the singer, of the presents she bad received from royalty as a token of appreciation of her wonderful voice. All tbis interested me not a little, and I would have been sor-rywhen the curtain at last arose, had not it disclosed something far more interesting. There stood Emma, tall, queenly. She sang; her voice I scarcely recognizedas the voice I had heard so many times in Alumni Hall. It was 'truly magnificent; no wonder the audience sat spellbound. She finished; they clapped, shouted and gave many other demonstrations of their feeling. A shower of flowers were thrown at her feet; she had in- deed achieved success as an opera singer. She had followed her inclination and had becomewhat she most wished to be. After she had graduated from college she had gone to Europe, studied under famous professors, and was now rapidly ascending the ladder of fame The opera house with its brilliant lights and excited facesbecame indistinct and blurred and finally faded, and then 2. I seemedto be at a small seaport in Delaware, Seaford by name. Though small, it was quite an in- dustrious place. On one of the business streets, alas too few, I read, over the door of a large lumber yard, "J. Scott Hurley & Co." Being so near, I stepped in. Yes,there was my old classmate, larger and .. 80 ..