Moundsville High School - Orospolitan Yearbook (Moundsville, WV)

Page 119 text:

commenced to enjoy the freedom of the HANGING PICTURES It is a warm June day and spring has reached its height. Everything has taken on that fresh spring green- ness that appears about this time of year. Even the schoolboy, who has just begun to realize that vacation has really started, is gr-een, in a way, to the arts of housecleaning. He has just great outdoors and fully realizes that he is no longer bound to school work, which he has endured for nine long months. Then along comes house- cleaning with mother saying this about the time you grab your ball-bat: Won't you please come and help me with these pictures? You know how hard it is for me to climb up and down that ladder, and I must have some help. You sadly lay the bat in one corner, put on an old pair of overalls, and sight. This is the last sure sign of spring. You grab the desired picture and climb the ladder with mother instruct- ing each step. She points out a spot for the picture, and you carefully mash your thumb with the hammer the first thing Then you almost forget your mother is near and stammer out some- thing that sounds like dog-gone. At last the nail is in, and now comes the hardest part. You pick the picture up and carefully hang it in the center of the na.il. At this point mother calls up and sarcastically states that grand- pa's picture would be more becoming with him right side out. You meekly take it off and turn it around, and in doing so, nearly drop it. Mother screams and you make a beautiful catch of the precious portrait, mean- while upsetting the ladder. Down you come, picture and all! The picture suffers no damages but the tioor seems uncommonly hard to the back of your head. Mother then asks if you fell and you reply that you just came down for ano-ther nail. At last the picture is hung and you come back down the ladder on the rungs as you should. Mother then discovers that it is crook- ed, so after several trips up and down the job is finished. Such are the trials of picture hanging at house- cleaning time. L, H. '24 WHAT THE CLOCK SAW Tick, tock, tick tock, droned the old schoolroom clock that held the most prominent position on the schoolroom wall, Htick, tock, tick, tock. And no one ever dreamed how many funny and pathetic sights that clock witnessed- in fact who ever heard of a clock hav- -ing eyes? I am sure it could tell many stories while tick-tocking away on the wall. So I am going to let it tell you of one instance that it saw and told me. Of course, it would say, l have seen many little girls copying arithme- tic problems, passing notes, or trading candy, and many little boys lighting ov- er pins, pencils and marbles. But,

Page 118 text:

dinner.' 'Perhaps he isg' agreed mother. 'But come on to dinner Mary. What 's the matter dear you look so pale VZ' she went on to say. Nothing, I assured her, 'only I feel sorta-sick. Don't want any din- ner todayf So saying, I went out., try- ing to think of some plan by which to rescue my brother. Mother being un- easy about me, came out and called, 'Now Mary, you must tell me what is wrong. You're crying. Come tell me,' she continued, fwhat is that piece of paper in your hand?' Then she came over to me taking the note that brother had given me. In amazement she read the following aloud: Dear Mama and All: Now I'm tired of this mystery, and Jimmie and me are going to try our best to find out what is in the dark pit. If anything happens to us-just remem- ber you've got a son that hain't afraid of ghosts like his paw is. Jimmie is just as brave as me, Now-don't cry if we don 't-for we are sure of getting to heaven-for I 've heard many times that if you're not afraid and trust- you'll get there. From your boy what hain't afraid of ghosts like his paw. By,By-John. ' H011 finishing the note, mother ex- claimed, 'Does this mean that my only son is in that terrible pit of darkness? Oh-my-brave son l' So saying, she fell to the ground and I ran for father. I explained to him the best I could, and then seeing that mother had recovered, he went for men to come and help get the boys out. They concluded it would never do to go down through the trap door for they would all likewise be swallowed up like the boys. They decided the best plan was to dig into the earth, where they thought the pit might be. The men dug as fast as they could. Finally they found the pit-but to their amazement they found only utter darkness, with the exception of some light that shone in through the hole they had dug. They immediately got lights and searched every place, but in vain, for the boys were not there. The mothers of the boys were nearly frantic and were reading the note over and over, Each one was telling the other how brave their sons- were. , Then to the astonishment of everyone, the two boys appeared, each smiling, and carrying a little budget. H tNow,' cried teh men, who had been digging so faithfully, 'You boys were never in that pit and we have dug for you until we are about dead. Who started that false report anyway?' ' 'We were so,' exclaimed John, 'And if you'll listen I'll tell you all about it. We were scared nearly to death when we tumbled down-and -Oh-it was dark-but I soon put a tiash light to use. We knew we had to be brave and find some way out. We screamed, but no one came or answered. Finally we found a little door, and up- on opening it we discovered a passage and that is how we got out. Papa you rt-member those willows, down by the le-rc-ok? Well-that is where the pas- sage led to. Now look what we found in a little opening in the wall I' USO saying he opened the little bud- get and poured out on the ground coins of silver and gold. At this everyone opened their eyes, 'Now,' said John tYou men shall be paid for your dig- ging that you were sweating about.' 'Well-Well,' said father, 'I've always heard that some of our ances- tors, centuries ago, kept their money down in this pit, but I never supposed any would still be there. You are brave boys, much braver than your fathers, I must admit. And you shall have the money as your own.' F. T. '22,

Page 120 text:

about the most comic was when a little lad from the Emerald Isles attempt- ed to get the better of a loyal son of Af- rica in a trade of a broken top and a pinching bug for a glass bottle and a part of a fish hook. As you know in the poorer districts of the South the negroes and the 'tPoor whites attend the same schools and often sit together. Such was the case in this particular instance, although the two made a rather striking contrast. Moses Abraham Nebicinezzer Simms was a typical representative of his choc- olate colored race. A funny little fel- low was he with his mahogany skin, his kinky hair and thick crimson lips al- ways spread from ear to ear, displaying pearly teeth, But above all his large, dark eyes which resembled twin stars twinkling from out a midnight sky. And yet tick, tock, tick, tock, tick- the little Mose was no truer type of his unique race than was Mickey Patrick whose red curls and blue eyes tey-es as blue as the sky that canopied the green of the shamrock bordered shore from whence he camej reflected much of the wit, humor and superstition of old Ire- land, the land of fairies and wondrous wishing Wells. The argument began in a subdued whisper and ended in a clashing climax. t'Tick, tock, tick, tock, quote the clock, it did not attract my attention for the first few minutes, but suddenly I heard Mickey say, Oh, gee, Mose, sure and ye know I wouldn't pull it over on ye for the world, but this top of mine sure can spin even if 'tis brokeg and that there bottle of yours ain't very good anyway 'n who wants an old bent fish hook, the likes o' that, I'd like to know. At this the little negro rolled his eyes solemnly and replied, Ah reckon as how mah Uncle Sam caught a fish most fo' feet long t'other day with this heah hook, and that there bottle, am suah enough the best bottle ah evah found. And here Mickey, in his eagerness, tried to guy Mose into the trade and consequently overstepped the bounds of propriety used in addressing any self respecting colored gentleman. 'tOh, come off there, Midnight Mose, sure and if that poor fish was as long as ye are black there sure am some storm brewin'.', Replied Mose, Youall ain't nothin' but po' white trash, an, a red headed, freckled faced one at that and Ah'd rathah be a niggah any day. Pouncel Biff! Bang! The temper of the Irish met that of the African and clashed in deadly combat, and I fthe old clock on the wallj was left so dizzy that I could see nothing but an occas- io-nal red curl or streak of black kinky hair. And I kept repeating this all the rest of the day, Tick, tock, tick, tock. It ain't so much what's said that hurts As what you think lies hid, lt ain't so n1ucI1 the doin' As the way the thing is did, V. H. '24 Mr. Auld: The colored school near- ly burned down yesterday. Joe Cox: Well, I kinda expected it. I saw smoke, so I sex to myself, HVVIIPVP theres smoke there's always tire. Jones: I want to do something big and clean before I die. Bones: VVash an elephant. When Fashion enters the door, bills Hy in at the window.