The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-05-25

taIh dBOai what S1HaTt VIE he
get. Yes, all o. rs cow-bogs board
With her. As approached the
house / saw a very stout woman in a
blue percaI dress and a red sunbon-
net sweeping the front steps When
she saw me she exclaimed. Bless
NJ soul If it is not Gladys Wallis.
Il vas then | recognized Alice Sex
ton. After supper Alice an | dis
cassed the ups AMI downs Of 1913
and 4 and the various fortunes Of
our school mates. Her husband is
not at all had. Why ne can tell the
funniest jokes / have ever heard and
play the mouthharp beautifully.
1t grieyed me TO leave Alice but |
was homesick for the United States
SO | postponed all the sight seeing
which / had planned in South Amer
lea and fastened to Florida / did
not return by water, but came up
through Mexico, across the Rio
Grande and the Southern states.
On my way to Ocala / was delay
ed few hours in Chattahoochee by
train wreck, and there I went
through the asylum. While view
ing the building | was disturbed by
one shrek after another As they in
creased was reminded of the
screams of little Nellie Beckham in
the days of SO long ago. Just then
h,; I
came to the cell where the shrieking
patient was confined. There was a
little thin woman tearing her gol-
den hair and screaming, stop it, /
say quit The keeper remarked.
They say when she was a girl she
was cruelty tantalized by her friends
who were more fortunate in size, so
she had a continual struggle to de-
fend herself. Later in life she lost
her mind on the subject of woman's
rights and is now in serious con-
dition" This remark of the keeper
made me sure that the patient was
really Nellie Beckham SO / begged to
be admitted Rushing in l took the
pathetic little figure in my arms,
Nellie" / said, don't you remem-
Der me-" She at once recognized me
ani grew quiet. Then We discussed
those good old school days. She
seemed perfectly happy as | recalled
to her mind Miss Abernathy's scheme
of putting one student on bench so
that no one might hear his neigh
Dor think aloud in Latin, Miss SCOTS
order Every one who is chewing
gum go to the window and throw it
out" Miss Deans byword, Rise
quietly in your Seats and then last
but not least your own expression,
Students yea have these parts ball
ed up in yolr head just like scramble
ed eggs All these things she req
membered we'll, and then / told her
the fortune of each of her classmates.
Carlton, / said, lis the same old
Carlton" At that, she at once began
shrieking again and the keeper sent
me away, feeling quite blue over the
tate of my once gay little school
chum.
l reached home today and made
visit to the o. H. S. Not the
splendid building which the Ocala
students attend to-day, but our dear
old wooden building where our class
spent it's happiest hours together. AL
though the present structure of brick
may contain many brave hearts, with
all of it's size and grandeur will new
er produce a greater number who
struggled more bravely to do their
duty and to reach their goal, for on
the roll of fame there are the names
of many of those, who received
their first inspiration for nobler
things in the walls of that old build
ing. As / passed out of the gate l
looked down at my feet expecting
to see deep sink in the limestone
walk. That sink which had in rainy
weather formed an impossible pond
was there no longer but in its place
was an evenly built cement walk. l
fingered to view that once lively girls
campus No spot over all the world
seems so beautiful to my eyes.
Those trees, under which we once
in picnic fashion, enjoyed our mid
day lunch, have spread their shading
branches above the now oyergrown
basketball grounds. The basket
ball posts are lying on the ground.
and the benches on which We once
gathered to translate Virgil are there
no more. | then turned my eyes to
the boys campus. That ground
which was once deep dust, caused by
many boyish feet attempting to the
loved football, is now overgrown
with grass: and the fence, the cause
;-hy for