Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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1----.1 - ., . .. , . l l Agiffj,-'--'5 ' 'K' X .-wuxji '55 1Q'7'.Q':3f' '- v ' A L Q o . Lflf ,W ' ' ' ' .' ' av' glwitgglif in f - . ,. -,,, ,, . , .e Q x ,,. 4 y .1 .4 , ,. W , ,f - . M215tf'i1aJ.,l.5.,,9'- ea-. If-rvzvzf-r-'f . I., ,-1-L,-457 f , --V rw-'QA N -X 't ' 'swf , f' , . -'f--1' . ' - - .-.-P . :MQW f-2127: e -, '-'el 'LL '-'if-:7Z'W fAn 'ZM'7 f l - .tai Ft. m YfrJ ' ' 4 THE '. RED AND .'. BLACK DOWN PARADISE LANE By Frances Ruth , HE June sun beat down upon the drowsy little hamlet tucked away in a New Hampshire valley. A slight breeze stirred the leaves while the bees lazily buzzed around the fragrant honeysuckles. A motor ear whirled along the curling white valley road and left a cloud of tloating dust behind. Then blessed noonfday tranquility prevailed again until- ' ' Meow-ltIe-ow-fli-leee-ow, ' ' broke the stillness. HJemima, are you twisting the cat-'s tail again? ' ' Uh-Uh-Yes 'm. ' ' HSt0p it. t' Awright. ' ' After a haughty tlip of her curls the twelve-year-old girl flung old Thomas into the cactus-hed from whenee he immediately hied off to safety. Jemima Stone then sat down on the piazza, stroking Rags, the Scotch terrier, with impatient thumps. She was thinking of herself and the universe in general as she gazed at the large, rambling mansion J! ac-ross the road. lt was known as the Old Stone House,', for it and the surrounding estate had been owned by some members of the Stone family since they had come north after the Civil XVar. It had a dilapi- dated and forsaken appearance and was untenanted at present. 'fAunt Polly, Jemima often inquired, 't'Why don't I have some relations, too, and live over in the Old Stone House 'l Prudence Lane- lives in the Lane Lodge and Virginia Lewis lives in sion. . t'NVell your mother and Y when you were a little thing heard of any other relations Lewis Man- father died and I never except some that went down with your father's lake steamer. Mrs. Lewis said that an old grand-aunt, Cynthia Madison, owned the house, but she eou1dn't strike a good bar- gain in selling it, so it stands as it is. You know, your father owed her some money and she got the house when he diedf, She didn't want me, did she? Jemima continued. No, she didn't love anything except an old cat named La.dy Fluffy Dui or some- thing like that. Wclll, she wasn't much of a relation, just your mother 's aunt by mar- riage. She lived near my sister Sally in Kingston. ' ' t'So then you kept me? HYes, was Aunt Polly's reply as she eontinued her work. Grand-aunt Cynthia was now dead, but the house still stood vacant. Today Jemima.'s mind was active and restless. I know what I'll do, she exclaimed de- lightedly as she thought of the cherry trees, so temptingly displaying their fruit clusters on the Stone premises. Rags thumped his tail with appreciation, and within ten minutes she had summoned her chums, Virginia and Prudence, and was boosting them up on the garden wall of the old house. Once the others were up it was Eleven

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, :-j- v-, . -1 ' p il, - - ' ' ' . , r-'-ik 9 64'-'5i,,g!KqA,' ,- '- 1 I ' J- v f-IJ' 's,, 'i ' 4 ' . J, -f,,,7' ,- WF-15575, A- ---4 fi' te -ff. '?TT? '-T .:- .f af .WN . -. -.-- N ' -A4 ' ' . . 2 A . 0:7 ' f , , , -'I' .' - , ,-1' . .592 '--.-f- L- gg, 1, ,, f ,pf .3 ,,,,,,,! . T H E '. R E D A N D .'. B L A C K Oh, hang it all, Mary, l- But-just then, in came Junior and asked in a stage whisper, Oh, sis, Ma. said, 'Hasn't the idiotic fool proposed yet ?' Sis, why is Percival an idiotic fool, sis? If he likes you why don 't he kiss you, Sis? t'Good heavens ! ejaculated Percival, Hthis is enough to drive a man mad. And snatching up his hat, he strode out of the house. Once in his apartment, however, he Hung himself into an armchair before the book- case and gazed dejectedly at the display. Finally the title of one of the books so im- pressed itself upon his mind that he mu- singly repeated it aloud, 'AA Modern Lochinvarn. Then an idea, dawned upon the horizon of his mind with an abrupt-ness which well-nigh overwhelmed him. tOf course, dear reader, you will readily understand that Percival's ideas were wont to display their consideration by penetrating his rev- ered skull with less violence.j However, as this mysterious inspiration grew less and less vague, Percival became more and more delighted. Finally his en- thusiasm so completely dominated his usual self-consciousness that he cried out ex- citedly: By George, l'll do it! Oh, boy! And he performed a graceful pirouette for sheer joy. That evening while Mary was adding the finishing touches to her toilet., she heard a caressingly tender voice, accompanied by a guitar, sing an old Spanish serenade, a snatch of which wafted in through the open window- Ten A star hath been lost, A star hath been lost, And in the sky doth not appear, In thy room it hath been put And in thine eyes doth shine. Vida mia! Mary flew to the window, from which, upon leaning out, she beheld Garcia in a most picturesque pose. And as luck would have it, Percival, approaching at this mo- ment, saw the little tableau thus presented, and retreated into the shadows, but not be- fore he had been perceived by the two lovers, who, taking advantage of the situa- tion, waxed extremely sentimental. Mary blew a kiss to the serenader, and he, in turn, beseeched her in most caressing tones to 'twaft her roselike loveliness through the window of his soul. Mary, however, deemed it wiser to de- scend the stairs than waft through any window whatsoever. Therefore, having chosen the route boasting the most mirrors, she felt it incumbent upon herself to pause several minutes before each one. Meanwhile, Garcia fumed in the helpless manner men assume when they are waiting for a fussy female. Of course, when she finally did appear, he forccdly gulped down his impatience and, conducting her to a moss-covered bench in the garden, he knelt at her feet, and with one hand ro- mantically pressed to his heart, murmured tenderly: My darlink, I love you! WVeel you- But just then Percival rushed up, and before anyone could favor the intruder with a withering glance, he had caught Mary up in his arms and carried her to CContinued on page 1005

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'w 'ILf- . ,W F ,,, 1 ' r 'X 'V ' fr' Q '- ' .. , . . la U' -- N :fi :g5Q'.fN., 3jT1 . I . - L., f . ., , -.5ti5Xig1QQ - ' ' ' L T YZWV foe 'f i l 71 1- wt'ifJT 'T? 'THE RED .'. A,ND .'. BLACK. no trouble for her and Rags to follow, for he was tied safely in her apron. The trio, unconscious of the fascinating June scenery of the little valley and tower- ing hills, carefully picked their steps along the wall till they reached the overhanging branches of the old oak by means of which they swung to the ground. Jemima untied her apron, and Rags, with a joyous bark, jumped out. Then, somewhat tiinidly, the four approached the trees. But instantly timidity took wings, and their constant chatter, once begun, was punctuated only by ripe cherries. Three little girls in cherry trees are not nmch interested in the outside world, but pres- ently Rags began to bark frantically, and Jemima. dramatically announced, lt's a man! The others looked up as if a man were perched on the higher branches or falling from the skies. To their VVhere? Jemima gave the intelligent answer, 'Tfomin' , and the three promptly fell from the trees and fied, with frantic screams, toward the garden wall. Jemima, however, stumbled and fell to the ground, apprehensively regarding her apron pocket adorned with the tell-tale red sfains of accidentally crushed cherries, amid the urgent summons of her safe com- panions. 77 The intruder approached and she turned her blue eyes to him with an aggressive stare. Each silently regarded the other with genuine curiosity. He was a young man of about thirty years, handsome, refined- looking, and athletically built. He looks as if he'd twist that old cat's tail if he got a chance, surmised Jemima as she observed his twinkly blue eyes. 7 wr'I1.fe 'iWonder what he thinks of my freckled nose and tossed-up hair. But l heard the grocer say I was a charming New England beauty anyway, so I don't care, continued Jemima silently. The truce was over, for Jemima scrambled to her feet, perked her saucy face in the air, and declared, Well? The young man burst into hearty laugh- ter. Astonished at his actions, she bent forward and stared at him till he said, tcasingly, Do you like my cherries? She turned and tied after her companions with the intention of never eating Stone cherries again. The next day excitement was aroused in Stoneville. The Old Stone House was to be remodeled. For weeks carpenters, painters and gardeners held sway and soon it was the finest home in the valley. Jemima, overcoming her prejudices, enjoyed herself immensely, 'watching from the wall the wonderful transformation taking place. Then, some beautiful furniture was shipped to Stoneville and Jemima sat entranced at its Hmovin' in. The young man with twinkly blue eyes had moved in. When- ever Jemima met him her nose ascended into the air, while his eyes twinkled more tantalizingly than before. Aunt Polly soon took pity on The Man Across the Road , and with a woman 's in- tuition knew that he would best be set at ease through the medium of a platter of doughnuts. Jemima was delegated to do the errand and she, after much persuasion, got Virginia Lewis to go with her as a pro- tection against his nonsensical sallies. They found him with the greater part of his six feet extended under a 'motor