River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-09-01
The Old Academy Girls Picnic.


The Old Academy Girls met again
in their annual picnic and exchang-
ed the years greetings at Glen
Park on Thursday, Aug. Is. There
were forty-two of us who brought
our baskets and responded to roll
call promptly as the clock struck
twelve. AS our president, Elmira
Nichols Powell, was away on a
visit, there was no one to direct as
to who should bring the various
articles to make good menu; in
consequence everybody brought a
good deal of everything, in fact,
enough for herself and all the other
girls. Such a spread has seldom
been seen in River Falls! The
sight of it would have made every
woman in town wish that her A B
C's could have been learned within
the walls of the Old Academy, and
certainly no one of our girls need
still be writing her name with
Miss" if only the manageable
men could have been permitted to
see and taste the good things the
girls had cooked. Of what remain
ed there was certainly twelve bas-
kets full
After dinner came the routine of
business and our officers for the en-
suing year are to be Eunice Foster
Thomson, President; Hattie Powell
Ensign, Secretary, with Helen Pome-
roy Fuller to act as chief of the
commissary department. The n
came one of the pleasantest features
of the day in the reading of letters
from absent schoolmates. One that
we especially enjoyed was from
Ella Haven as it told of her better
health in the sunny land of Cali
fornia. Others came from the north,
south, east and west, showing us
how widely scattered our band is
getting, and yet we can see how
their hearts turn to the o Id home
and the old school as the time for
the annual picnic draws near. AS
one expressed it, she felt these days
are like the "Old Home Week" of
our eastern states. But these days
are not all joyous, for every year we
have some name to which there is
no answering voice and we know
that one more has gone from our
midst to the Great Beyond. AS
token of our love and sympathy, we
appoint committee to prepare
memorial of those who have gone
from us.
We sat long talking over the old
school days and exchanging bits of
family history, etc., and not till the
afternoon was we'll spent did we
adjourn for another year. We
heard many expressions of regret
that our two teachers who graced
our board last year were not able
to be with us this year. Mrs. Weld
and Mrs. Webster trusted that we
would be on "our honor" and be-
have as we'll as we used to when
put to the same test. We also
missed Maria Loring Field, for it
was her fertile brain that is largely
responsible for these yearly meet
ings, but her postal showed US that
she was with us in spirit if not in
person. Several others were miss
ed, but we shall hope to see them
next year. That some of the girls
have not grown very old along with
their years is shown by little cir
cumstance that must not fail to be
repeated. One of our members has
become quite infirm and is forced
10 lake d ollOLL nap dAISA SAhAANA
every day. So while the others
talked and laughed, she dozed off
for few moments. While she nod
ded and slept, what did these mis-
chievous girls do but vote that she
be appointed to write the account
of our picnic for the paper. Ac-
cording to the old saying that what
is everybody's business is no.
body's," when she awoke no one
told her what she had to do. On
Thursday of the next week her tele-
phone bell rang and the JOURNAL
man stern1y demanded that copy. "
This was her first intimation of the
prank that had been played upon
her and now she solemnly vows to
herself that next year she will keep
awake and keep her ears open and
get even with somebody if she can.
This accounts for this tardy report.
Sincerely yours,
MAPPING SUSAN.
WANTED. A girl for general
1.o.zox,,or1x c oL-x,1o~ II a ,,oi14Or