A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the president's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied.
For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady told him, "We had a son that attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president wasn't touched—he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly, "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly, "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant at Harvard."
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now.
And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The President's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
adapted from "Appearances" by Kasha Linka
3
What is ironic about the situation?
A.
The president used to know them from the town he was raised in.
B.
Even though the couple is poorly dressed, they are millionaires.
C.
The couple turns out to be related to the secretary's family.
D.
The couple is better educated than the president or the secretary.
Answers: 3
Other questions on the subject: English
English, 21.06.2019 22:00, pinkypie123457
Read this excerpt from wheels of change by sue macy. that said, it's hard to grasp the full extent of the bicycle's impact on americans in the late 19th century—particularly female americans. imagine a population imprisoned by their very clothing; the stiff corsets, heavy skirts, and voluminous petticoats that made it difficult to take a deep breath, let alone exercise. add to that the laws and social conventions that cemented a man's place as head of the household and holder of the purse strings. how suffocated women must have felt. and how liberated they must have been as they pedaled their wheels toward new horizons. what is the central idea of the excerpt
Answers: 3
English, 21.06.2019 22:30, elise47
When the telephone rings incessantly, what is it that the men want to have happen? they want the phone to be answered because it is jangling their nerves. they want mr. frank to go to the office and answer it because they are afraid it might be bad news. they want mr. frank to go to the office because they think it might be miep. they want mr frank to ignore the phone.
Answers: 2
English, 22.06.2019 07:30, silviarahnama
Samuel johnson and oliver goldsmith had which of these in common? select all that apply. sensibility difficult poetic diction life of poverty distrust of parliament whig party leanings admiration of swift and pope
Answers: 1
English, 22.06.2019 13:30, amber665
Each night she lay down in pain and rose to the celluloid butterflies of her beloved dead, lenin and marx and stalin arrayed at the footstead. and rose to her easel, the hundred dogs panting like children along the graveled walks of the garden, diego’s love a skull in the circular window of the thumbprint searing her immutable brow. how does the underlined figurative language contribute to the meaning of the poem? it describes the reason for frida’s pain and suffering. it indicates that the love frida once felt has died. it shows that frida continues to think of politics. it suggests that frida prefers to be around nature.
Answers: 2
You know the right answer?
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off...
Questions in other subjects:
History, 24.08.2019 21:50
Mathematics, 24.08.2019 21:50
English, 24.08.2019 21:50
