College stories; Women college students -- Juvenile fiction
Just after two o'clock the three lower classes appeared in view
carrying a long white daisy-chain. The band, concealed behind the
trees, began to play softly, and at the sound of the music the girls
swayed back and forth, lifting their chain in the measure of the music
and then danced in and out of the trees and finally formed two long
lines on either side of the opening to the space roped off for the tree
exercises. The chain was held high above their heads, and all at once
every voice broke into "Alma Mater" and the stately seniors in their
black caps and gowns marched down between the rows of girls and stood
by the seats nearest the "Grand Old Elm," as the tree was called, under
whose branches the temporary platform had been erected. Then the other
classes dropped their chain upon the ground and marched two by two to
their places. They had been singing "Alma Mater" all this time and when
every girl stood by her seat all finished the verse they were upon and
sat down together.
There was an address of welcome by the class president and then the
tree oration, followed by the class history, which was extremely funny
from beginning to end and boasted of all 1912 had done in her four
glorious years at Ashton, and ended with the distribution of gifts to
the undergraduates. There were class songs and class yells, and after
the senior class ode the Class-Day marshal proposed that they cheer
all the buildings. Forming as they had done at the beginning of the
exercises, the under-class girls cheered the seniors as they passed
through the double lines and headed the long procession that hurried on
from one building to another. Not one was forgotten, and many a throat
ached when they finished and disbanded at the chapel steps. Each girl
then hastened to find her guests and go on to the society and private
spreads which were to be held in the society rooms and some of the
college buildings.
"Did you think we would never finish?" said Jean, as she and Elizabeth
and Peggy hastened up where Tom and Mr. Thorndike were leaning against
College Hall.
"No," said Tom; "I enjoyed every moment. You've sure got some clever
girls in this college. That was one of the best tree orations I ever
listened to. Please introduce me to Miss Mary Frances Buffington. I'd
like to talk with her. What's next on the programme?"
"We're going now to Gamma Chi spread in our club rooms, then after
you've eaten all you can there, I've tickets for the Alpha Delt spread
and the Tennis Club spread in the gym, and Madeleine Moore has invited
us to a private spread in her room over in South. Of course we don't
have to take them all in, but I think it will be loads of fun, for
everywhere we go we will meet different people, to say nothing of the
eats, which of course will appeal to Tom more than anything else. I
propose for once to see if I can satisfy him on that score."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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