“Dorothy, if you’ll tell me how an oration begins, I’ll do your French sentences every day for two weeks.”
Dorothy stopped reading. This was worth considering, since her rank in French had been B for some time. Of late Dorothy’s resolutions made in the fall had been considerably bent if not broken. Still it would not do to accept with too much alacrity. She closed the magazine.
“I can’t see, Lucile, how you can have been studying orations all the fall with Miss Wallace, and not know what one is like. Don’t you listen in class?”
“Of course I do; but they’re so dry I forgot them. I know Napoleon’s ‘Address to his Troops,’ but I can’t understand Washington and Webster. If I could just begin this I might go on. It’s got to sound patriotic, you know, and thrilling, like ‘Soldiers! you have precipitated yourselves like a torrent from the Apennines!’”
“But you’re not talking to any one. You’re talking about the Pilgrim Fathers. Now, why don’t you begin like Lincoln? Of course, you can’t say, ‘Fourscore and seven years ago,’ but you can subtract 1620 from now, and say—let me see-‘Fourteen score and thirteen years ago.’ Now, I think that’s original, Lucile.”
Lucile looked more hopeful, and blew her nose for the last time. Then she began to write. After a few moments,
“I’ve done three sentences, Dorothy. They’re landed safely. Now what shall I say?”
Dorothy was plainly impatient. Still there were those French sentences!
“Well, I should think you’d tell how they overcame all the elements. Something like this, ‘Nothing daunted them, breaking waves dashing high, or a stern and rockbound coast.’ That’s from a poem, you know, called ‘The Landing of the Pilgrims.’ Then you might say something about their fortitude being an inspiration to us. Orations are all about that, you know,—bravery and inspiration and reverence and all kinds of memories. But for goodness’ sake, Lucile, don’t put my words down! I just suggest. You must write your own words.”
“Why, of course I will. I’m just putting it down roughly now, you see. I’ll do it all over this evening. Oh, dear, here’s Virginia and Priscilla and we’re not half done. Do you suppose you’ll have any thoughts this evening?”