Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-10-03
Down With
Stockton
By JANE OSBORN
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(ConyTIRhtl


Stockton family that college stu
dents were moi to he considered In
the light of possible husbands-at
least students In Gleason college
where Doctor Stockton had reigned as
president for these twenty years, The
four older daughters had followed this
rule and found husbands elsewhere.
Lucy Stockton remained, living "a soil
tary enough existence with her father
and the old housek eeper.
Lucy was twenty, but she had come
to the conclusion that If one couldn't
marry Gleason student then It was
waste of time to notice them at all.
She saw them by the hundreds at col
lege celebrations; she even talked to
them occasionally when they appeared
as matter of duty AT the presidents
receptions. But the best looking,
straightes limbed athlete among them
did not concern her more than the
most bow legged, stoop-shouldered, be-
specialized little grind. They were
just students belonging to sort Of
third sex so far as Lucy was con-
cerned.
And Lucy's air of complete dlscon.
Germ rather pleased her pedagogical
father, for Lucy was quite the pref
test of his daughters, and there wns
an archness about her eyes and
daintiness to her rather short nose
that indicated streak of tlirtatlous-
ness in her nature. There had been
times. when Lucy was much younger
when Doctor Stockton had felt con
Germ. Il really would never do to
have one Of the girls marry one of the
men at the college II they did, II
might seem as II he, the emlnently
dlgnlhed Doctor Stockton, had con.
sldered this a desirable territory In
which to bring up Eve manageable
daughters.
Lucy had an lnkling that she was
rather pretty and she sometimes used
to dream Of time when she could be
miles and miles from Gleason with
plenty of men, none Of them from
Gleason, to hlrt with.
She was thinking such thoughts to
herself one spring evening when she
heard some sort of commotlon In the
street outside. There were voices
student voices, she knew. In the win
dow she could see reflections of red
llghts-they we're carrying torches OF
some sort And then quite clearly.
right before the house, she heard the
shouts:
"Down with Stockton, down with
Stockton. We don't want Stockton r
For Lucy 1t was a terrible ten min.
utes while the students--the entire
student body, II seemed to her--stood
there insulting her father In this way
What made the situation more diff.
cult for her was that her father was
away. lie had suddenly left town
that afternoon, telling her that he
wished to consult with the chairman
of the board Of trustees Of the college
on some urgent matter He would
have TO be away from home for four
or five days.
Fortunately the housekeeper was
deaf and lived at the back Of the
house, Whatever was done Lucy
would have to do alone. And what
Lucy did was to go downstairs, snap
on the electric light on the front porch
and deliberately go out and face the
mob OF students. The torches they
carried glorlfed the slender. womanly
figure there and her face, always
pretty, seemed exqulsltely beautiful
There was n startling silence. She
had no difficulty In making her voice
heard my father Is away" she told
them. II do not know what this all
means, but | am glad that ne IL not
here TO feel the--the humiliation that
you have made me feel"
There was stir among them and
then II was that George Harowe best
looking, stralghtest llmbed young nth
lete among them, sprang to the yer
anda AS president Of the undergrad
uate association he took II upon him
self TO offer some sort OF appropriate
apology.
"We have gone too far" he said
and cheers from the students assured
him that the mob agreed with him
See here, fellows he said. leaning
over the railing Of the porch, the light
clarifying his handsome young fen
lures, too, shall we apologize TO Mis-
Stockholm
A denfenlng chorus OF apologize
apologize" was the answer and then
the mob dispersed and George flar
lowe and Lucy stood alone George
explained the situation. President
Stockton had expelled four OF the
most popular men and best athletes IN
the senior cinss on some very Hlmsy
preiext SO In a mass meeting they
had requested the reinstatement OF
the students Doctor Stockton had re-
piled by dcbnrrinR the student officers
who had presented the petition from
all athletic activities for the remain
der Of the year There was another
mass meeting ana they had passed
resolution TO request President Stock
toms resignation,
Lucy knew none OF the prellm
lnarles but her father had evidentl,
been sufficiently alarmed TO go 10 con
suit tie president OF the board OF
trustees
when President stockton returned
the next day the nrsi thing he did
was 10 relnslate the students Hls
friend. the chairman OF the trustees.
had advised H. And Lucy held her
peace
That spring she told her father thai
she was going 10 marry George Per
haps President Stockton had heard
something OF the episode before HE
mouse when no vas away Al all
events no had NJ protest to make
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