Kelvin High School - Kelvin Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 29 text:

DRAWINGS CONTRIBUTED BY STUDENTS hKs De t H l ' 7 u£KLe. y GftCBD tlvc 44 f euTe . y OsstsHoLrt• 30 FIRST PRIZE— Design. Drawn by Ruth Moncrieff Room 37. 17

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SHORT STORY CONTEST hKs JUDGE’S REMARKS I IKE everything else, the short story is on the march. Stories considered J good when I first began to judge the Short Story Contests for Kelvin, would now go into the discard. People are beginning to understand psychology, to demand that the characters in a story, be not mere puppets of fate, but rational human beings capable of being changed by circumstances or of changing cir¬ cumstances. Some of the more radical editors are beginning to value content more than form. There are rare occasions when an incident has more emotional value than the more complicated form known as a short story. It is encouraging to note that the short story has elasticity and vitality enough, to adapt itself to a changing world. Submissions by the students this year are marked by the great variety of sub¬ jects chosen. Most of the students went to life for their material. Of course, there were the few who wrote on time-worn themes, but I think both teachers and students should be congratulated on the vitality of most of the subjects chosen. “Phil Returns,” I gave first place because it excels in form, content and characterization. There is no digression. From the first sentence one feels that the life on the farm is disintegrating. Change is imminent. That change, is going to be more than a change of place; it is going to be also a mental change. The writer creates an atmosphere that leads the reader to expect certain things and he does not let the reader down. “The Big Frogs,” is a very interesting psychological story, with a convincing small-town background. To it I give second prize. “The Play’s the Thing,” comes third, a convincing story of character change among students. I am glad to be able to give honorable mention to, “Size Thirty-Six,” “Brown Hands, “The Way to Glory,” and for the delightful intimate naturalness of the writing to, “My Ordeal.” Let me conclude with what I feel very strongly. There are no failures in this contest except those who did not try. Lillian Benyon Thomas. FIRST PRIZE. “Phil Returns” — Irene Benoit-, Room 22. SECOND PRIZE: “The Big Frogs” —Clarence Blundell, Room 26. THIRD PRIZE: “The Play’s the Thing” — Clare Robinson, Room 26. HONORABLE MENTION: “Size 36” — Betty Horne, Room 26. “Brown Hands” —Ruth Stunden, Room 25. “The Way to Glory” —Shirley Lister, Room 35. “My Ordeal” —Janet Rossini, Room 37. 16

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FIRST PRIZE STORY—PHIL RETURNS By Irene Benoit, Room 22 Silence. Then the alarm clock began to ring shrilly. Phil jumped out of bed and hurriedly drew on his clothes—an old shirt, a worn pair of overalls, and a pair of heavy, old shoes. He went into the kitchen, lit the fire; then took the two pails off the washstand and went out to the pump. He was tall and strong¬ looking. Although he was only seven¬ teen his muscles were as large as any man’s. His face and arms were tanned, and the hand around the pump handle was large and rough. He took the two full pails into the house and went out again with two more pails, this time to the barn. The cows had to be milked. Now the rest of the family was be- binning to stir. Mother got up, hur¬ riedly combed her white hair and said her prayers. She said her prayers every morning, although Pa laughed at her and said she was wasting good time. Jack, her eldest son, got up. He dressed a little more slowly than Phil had. He was twenty and Pa didn’t dare bawl him out as he would Phil. He went out to the barn and helped Phil with the milking. While they were milking, Mother set the table and began making breakfast. Then Pa strolled into the kitchen. He stood still and looked at the table, then at the food on the stove. “Hurry up there, Mary,” he said to his wife, “there’s a lot of work to be done today.” Mary said nothing but she thought to herself, “A lot of work to be done. I guess I’d better give the boys a treat for breakfast.” She went down to the cellar and brought up a jar of her best preserves. Th en the boys came in with the pails of fresh milk. Phil began to work the separator. In a few minutes Pa came in and stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Phil turning the han¬ dle round and round. When Phil finished, he took the skim milk out to the pigs while Mary took the cream down to the cellar. After these two tasks were done everyone sat down to breakfast. They ate in si¬ lence for a few minutes. Then Pa said, “Well, boys, we’re go¬ ing to start haying in the south field today. Want to get that hay all in by the end of the week.” The boys made no answer. They’d been told what they were to do; there was nothing to say. A few more minutes of silence; then Jack said, “I saw Bill North in town yesterday. He had on a new suit. His dad gave him it for his birthday.” “That’s like Jim North,” said Pa. “Al¬ ways wasting his money on fool things. Don’t need good clothes on the farm.” “Bill doesn’t stay on the farm all day,” said Phil. “His pa lets him go to town every night. Even lets him take the car most nights.” “Well, don’t think I’m going to let you go chasing around the country in my car,” said Pa. “Probably smash it up. What good would you be on this farm if I let you chase around all night.” The meal was finished in silence. Then Pa followed the boys out to the barn, watched them take out the horses and hitch them up. He went with them to the fields, and after showing them where to begin and telling them to work hard, he returned to the house. By this time Mary had washed the dishes, cleaned the separator, fed the pigs and chickens, and done several other odd jobs. When he entered the kitchen, she was on her knees, scrub¬ bing the rough floor. “Well,” he said slowly, “guess I’ll go into town and see if there’s any mail. Need anythin’ at the store?” “No,” said Mary. She knew he wouldn’t get it anyway. Meanwhile the boys were working in the field. Suddenly Jack looked toward the road and said, “There goes Pa to town again.” “Oh, he’ll be back in time for dinner,” Phil said, and added after a minute—