Corona High School - Coronal Yearbook (Corona, CA)

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You don’t ever feel anything but tol’able, do you, Uncle Mose?” she asked. Oh, yes! I does, 1 have felt as good as I ever felt in my life, and then again I’ve felt as bad.” Margaret choked and tried to escape, but Aunt Jane stopped her by saying, Miss Margaret, that young man over there certainly’s intrested in you, he jus ben asken ’bout you.” And what did you say, Aunt Jane?” she asked. Oh, I done said you was alright s’ far as I knew, but I didn’t know very much ’bout you.” Why, Aunt Jane, I think you are real mean. You might have put in a good word for me and said something real nice about me,” Margaret said, trying not to smile. Mary, who had come into the dining room in time to hear the last of the conversation said, “Really, that was too good a joke, but you must be careful what you say to Aunt Jane, she takes everything you say in earnest.” Some time after this Margaret was out in the garden, when Aunt Jane, who had just come from making a visit from next door, came up to her and said, “1 done tol’ that young man something nice ’bout you this time, honey.” “What did you tell him?” she asked anxiously. It sure was nice, I done tol him you was jus crazy ’bout him.” Oh, you didn t really, did you? Why, you know it isn’t true, and now I 11 never be able to look him in the face. I hope 1 11 never have to meet him.” Jes’ look there, chile,” chuckled Aunt Jane. Margaret turned quickly to find the subject of their conversation stand- ing there smiling at her. Her first thought was to run, but he stopped her by saying politely, ‘1 beg your pardon for eavesdropping; it wasn’t intentional, and I hope in spite of the bad beginning that we will be the best of friends.” And they were. Although Margaret would never have believed it at the time there came a time when she could not deny what Aunt Jane had said about her. G. U., ’ I 6. Page Ticenty

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“THOSE NEGROES” “Will you please ’scuse your presence from the room. Miss Marg ' ret,’’ asked Aunt Jane, coming into the den where Margaret sat reading. Margaret West was making her first visit to the South, having lived all her life in sunny California, where one rarely ever sees a negro, and she, there- fore, found them very interesting and amusing. “Of course I will,” she answered, laughingly, and picking up her book she went out on the porch, where her cousin was idly swinging to and fro in the hammock. There comes another man after work! Mother advertised in the papers, you know, for a hired man, and at least a dozen have answered. 1 think she has hired one now, though, Mary said as a negro man came up the drive-way and went around the house. “Listen, and we ' ll soon find out, I can hear them talking.” “No. I ' ve already hired one this morning; 1 guess you’ve come too late; I’m sorry, though.” “I proznozticate I have, Missis.” Proznozticate! laughed Margaret; they do coin such funny words.” Just then a carriage drove up to the house next door and a fine looking young man stepped out and turned to help his mother, a frail little woman, out of the carriage. Margaret picked up her book and began to read, but Mary smiled to them as they came slowly up the walk. “You might at least speak to them, Margaret,” said her cousin. “For my part, I think he’s awfully nice.” Well, then. I’ll let you have him, dear,” and Margaret began her story again. “You know very well, Margaret, honey, that he’d never look at me again after seeing you.” Oh, Aunt Jane is making some more of my kind of cookies. I smell them, and I am as hungry as a bear. I’m going to the kitchen to get me some, right away,” Margaret said, as she ran into the house. Uncle Mose, Aunt Jane’s husband, was just bringing in the fresh vegeta- bles for dinner as Margaret entered the kitchen. “Well, Miss Margaret, he said, “did you have a good time las’ night?” “I certainly did,” she answered, “one of the best times I ' ve had since I came.” “Well, he said, shaking his head, “I certainly does ’preciate that, 1 cer- tainly does, most as much as if I’d been there myself.” Margaret tried not to laugh, and said, Well, Uncle Mose, how are you feeling today? ” “Oh, jes’ tol’able, Miss, jes’ tol’able!” Page Nineteen

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A CAMPING PARTY One afternoon in July an automobile party stopped by the San Jacinto River to camp for the night. It was a beautiful camping place, a small open glade, shaded by two sycamore trees and hemmed in on all sides with a perfect tangle of buckthorn. All joyously scrambled at once from the ma- chines and began to explore. Some ran up and down the open road looking for flowers, others attempted to follow some little runways leading back through the dense thicket. Father remained on the spot, collected dry twigs for a fire, built a little fireplace from stones lying about, and soon had a good pan of bacon and eggs sizzling and the huge coffee pot bubbling over the fire. The bacon had not sizzled and the coffee had not bubbled but a minute before the members of the party came in sniffing, and before the supper was half cooked all were squatting around the fire hungrily eyeing the frying pan and the coffee pot. When all was ready the plates and cups were passed to the cook, who filled them and almost as quickly they were emptied. It did not take long to wash the dishes, for each person took his own cup and plate and washed them at the spring. By this time it had grown quite dark and all gathered about the fire to tell stories. After several stories of hunting and fishing were told, one of the party told a story of how long ago, near this place, a party of immigrants were encamped when two big bears came crashing through the bushes and began to eat their provisions and turn everything upside down. The immigrants, much frightened, climbed trees and stayed there shivering with cold until the animals shambled off. Everyone was interested, and shivered over the possi- bility of bears prowling about camp, and some even looked anxiously toward the thick bushes as if expecting the bears to appear. All were very tired so, with the story fresh in their minds, they spread out the blankets and sleeping bags, and began to tuck themselves in. In spite of the thought of bears they soon fell asleep. In the midst of their dreams suddenly came a great crashing of the bushes as if some heavy animal were entering the camp. The brush was parted and three black figures appeared. With the cry of “Bears!” “Bears!” everyone tried to get out of the way, fall- ing over each other in their haste. Two of the girls slipped from their blankets and climbed into the nearest auto. Several scantily-clad boys were soon at the top of a sycamore tree. The boys, still in their sleeping bags, tried frantically to get out of the way, yelling all the time. Just as a thoroughly good sack race was under way one stumbled and rolled under the feet of one of the approach- ing bears. With a hair-raising yell he staggered to his feet and started to run, only to crash into another bear. To his great disgust he found that he had bowled over a wobbly calf. By this time the others had gotten to safe positions, and looking back, also discovered that the three bears were the three calves they had seen feeding by the roadside the afternoon before. F. G., ’ 1 4. Page Twenty-one