St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-08-27
A Commencement
Day ldyll.
BELIEVE you are fasht, Tn,
By Sarah DeWolf Gamwell.


6fI BELIEVE you are flint. TIL
l college graduates and alumna,
are in evidence with the roses ant
brides. June has come to be the month
OF the flowing robe and the tasselet
mortar-board."
Eyes, and the best place to see til,
scholastic gowns, in their many-huet
velvet facings and brilliant hood lin
ings, is the college campus. TIL,
faculty and official guests will sooI
pass in procession to the chapel"
What high scholastic attainment
they bespeak; what dignity and beauty
they lend to an occasion like this"
The gray-haired speaker moved on
while a man who had caught snatches
OF this talk shook his broad shoulders
to make sure he. was wide awake HI
removed his straw hat to fan himself
noting curiously the scene before him
He saw broad expanse of turf green
and velvety, intersected by many wind
Ing paths under over-arching trees OF
primeval mold, dotted by a score OF
more of large, red brick buildings.
Out OF these poured crowds of young
women, singly and IN groups. He
looked at them closely. He was not
used to women of this type, hardly ot
any type. All dressed in white, bare
headed, except those who wore black
gowns and square cap with a tassel
hanging in front. This must be- the
flowing robe and tasseled smortars
board" What did it signify? AL
seemed in great hurry; all happy and
eager, on rush for something, brush
ing SO close to him that he inhaled the
scent Of their roses, yet paying Ii
more heed to him than it hi fed been
invisible. ssAss~lte
thought, "and this is Mount Pisgah,
but where in it all, is she ?p-. e
He took from his pocket faded bit
Of paper, which he had CHANGED upon
hve days ago in a coffee-house in Sc
attic, and reread it for the Tooth time.
commencement at Mount Pisgah,"
and in the list Ad sgraduates'e her
name, Dorothy Knox. 49,
It took one day to get himself to-
gether, four days In special car to
cross the continent, and he was here,
but where was she? Would he know
her? The woman Of cholastic at
tainments" could have no remembrance
of the barefooted boy of Is years ago
He could never make her believe that
he had worshiped her all his life, since
he had not kept in touch with her.
And why had he not? Fool! what
was he here for at this 18th houS. any
way? Meantime the campus was filing
from every quarter by the constant ar
rivals.
And always the talk, and he, crowd
ing on with the rest, hearing 1t III Sec
lions. The bell jim the chapel struck
the hour. r. g
That's the signal for the procession
to start. See the .marshals! They have
enough to do, to keep this crowd
quiet"
"Will the chapel hold It all?"
mot half; not4esen tip4toe room. = .
.'There they come! graduates first, l
suppose" Z, y o. 81 ssgs. D
mo, choir gifis lead. stand back
and give themar0om, It's the largest
vested choir in the world, It's said.
Nov the graIe and reverend seniofs
come, next the graduates.
The man took a long step forward.
VUnuld ho know her?
you'll see them change their tas-
sells to the Other side as soon as they
receive their desrees."
Their degrees"
eyes; the deeee of bachelor Of arts,
with their dipltpas."
Shoulder to oulder, step to step,
they come alonle the line like trained
soldiers, their veite gowns just show
ing under theiT black. robes, these
young women. They looked neither to
the right nor LEFT. but straight ahead.
The goal was sthight ahead.
He who had almost annihilated time
and space to meet this hour. trembled
with the weight Of 1t, now that It had
struck. 'sWas there telegraphy OF
spirit!" he asked himself. He was
used to impres11ng men. Gould he
impress herr" Send signal from his
heart to hers Make her turn her
head. as she PACED? Force her eyes
TO meet his!" Had she grown" He
hoped not muchlS
He remembered her trick Of throw
ing her head back q little. tilted over
her left shoulder: he remembered her
dimples: and th1shufnness Of her hair
the color Of spur gold: and her great
brown eyes! He'd defy flowing robes.
mortar boards and changing
wears. to do their worst. with such
hair and eyes, t6 say nothing Of dim
Piles. Il.
All! one Is coming now. down the
line. on his side too, head held high
ana tilted in the old way: hair funny,
color OF spun gid: two steps nearer
ana he sees the dimples in her cheek
and chin.
.sNow, heart! d Out with your crap
Ming iron, for ills she!"
Suddenly when directly opposite to
rim and 60 near 1sat he smelt the Eng
lish violets in fisrw baltassa nsar sthaf
he could touch her the Ydce turned,
ana 4 pair OF brown eyes looked full
mo his with questioning wonder He
~ one dusE 60 up from he. llps 70 :