Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1900-02-03
OUR BEST SPEECH NEVER DELIVERED
The Reason and Inc Disappointment Which
Followed. Story Of the
Ions Ago.

There are tints and shadows in every
life. There are bright days and dark
days in every calendar. There are days
OF pleasant memory and days one would
gladly forget. 1t is of dreary day and
OF the disappointment it brought we
would write in this story. i.
InJune 49,, we were to graduate from
one OF the oldest chartered and best
colleges in the Old Dominion. For four
years we had applied ourself diligently
and studiously to our text books, and
had the assurance OF being graduated
with honor, not The honor OF valedicto-
rian, but of winning the orators medal,
which made us the senior hero in the
eyes OF the sophomores and freshmen.
A few weeks before commencement
we had delivered society Grafton for
which we were given much credit by
the faculty and students OF the college
and by the press of the city, aud for the
reputation made then we were expected
to do ourselves honor and the institution
great credit on commencement day.
Years before going to college Mar
gorie Taliaferro was u classmate of ours
mt u country school. We often sat ut
the same desk and studied from the
same book. Margorie was brown
eyed, rosy checked little beauty, as
cute as she was pretty and rs pretty AS
she was quick and bright. She was first
in her classes, first in girlish sports and
first in the hearts of all her schoolmates.
She never failed to get first choice of
all the red apples, luscious peaches,
oranges, candies and nuts brought to
school. We were in the class of her
lovers, and while many of the boys ieal-
ously believed Us to be the favored one,
yet it was fact, she had never spoken
word to anyone so as to confirm the
belief.
In the course OF years as the years
rolled on we completed our course at
the private school and Margorie WAS
sent to female college in another
state, and we to male college in our
native state. In the correspondence
which followed our separation her let
tiers were rs gems of poetry and inspi-
rations from the MUSES.. They were
often full of sentiment but not one ever
contained word of love. As at the
country school so in her letters she par
ried the subject of love AS adroitly and
skillfully rs a fencing master parties
the thrusts of his adversary's sword.
On that subject she was as tantalizing
rs the tabled waters that reached the
parched lips of the criminal and reced.
ed before he could bend his head and
moisten his lips with its cooling wares.
But while she gave US no encourage
ment she gaze us no rebuifs. For fouI
years her magnetic letters kept us as q
pendulum oscillating between hope and
doubt.
But lovers trouble like farmer:
lane has its turn and its end. On the
lst OF June Margorie graduated and re
turned to her home. We would gradu
ate in three weeks. AS soon as she
wrote to us from home we answered heI
letter in these words: ''In two weeks
will win my degree. Ny literary edu
cation will be as complete as this col
lege can make it. shall hasten home t.
see my mother and then go abroad
How long shall remain away depends
upon your answer to this letter. Yor
know of my feelings for you. l told yol
hundreds OF times before you went {,
college, and | have written you az man
times since. You have never given M
an expression of your feelings for me
Unless you do in reply to this letter
will not see you when | return home.
shall interpret your silence in this mat
ter as uufavorable, aud in that case /
were better that | should forget you.
BY return mail reply came. Ate
expressing her delight at being at hom
again and telling me of her anticipates
pleasure at hearing my graduatin!
speech Margorie added: ~ have beel
reading the papers which mentionet
your society Grafton in such compli
mentary terms, and l desire to say
you will acquit yourself with like credi
at commencement and on the 4th O
July following. will be pleased to Civ
you an expression of my feelings 70
you, and for which you have urged M
SO many years. My father informs m
that our people will celebrate the At
OF July as they have never done before
and you have been selected orator G
the day. Five Thousand people will b
present. | shall hear you at commence
ment and on the 4th of July. May 70
win additional honors on those occa
sions. will be greatly pleased If you do.
AT commencement we met expecta
tions Of our friends and was an cas-
winner fthe orators medal. Margori
heard us and was cordial in her cor
CALCULATIONS and spoke Of the appaus
given US but made no special meutio