Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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S A, ,, 9 N 7.1 Mfg' Past: LITERARY :reissue 'QF 5059! 54 fgirt gg, PRIZE CONTEST , Q SPRING First Prize The night was clear. The silver moon, round and full, cast a watchful eye over the silent earth. Stars, twinkling and bright, seemed to make the vast distance of earth and sky even greater. A faint rustle was heard, tiny bells tin- kled and a troop of fairies, clad in glisten- ing white, stole quietly to their castle, a castle of ice, dim, mystic, lighted only by moon and stars. The entrance revealed within a small open space. In the distance, barely discernible, a narrow path of bluish hue, wound in and out. Bending trees adorned the sides, and as the fairies en- tered, dancing rainbow colors overspread all. They had come to discuss the coming of spring. The gay princess fairy' took her accustomed place. Trippingly the other fairies grouped around her, while with up- turned faces, and folded hands they lis- tened to her with eager interest. Ah, they'd be glad to change their gowns of glistening white to dainty new costumes of pale spring colors. Yes, and they must find another palace, perhaps in the quiet of the forest, in a dusky cave, where the splash of rip- pling water would be heard, or in a valley bedded with mosses. The fairies, tired with their planning, at last became drowsy, and resting against one another, the small up-turned faces I drooped, and the bright eyes were closed in slumber. Quietness was supreme ruler of the castle. A joyous sunbeam peeped in at the en- trance. Drip, drop, drip. The jolly old sun had crept up from the hill and was way up in the sky. What did it all miean? Were they dreaming, or was their castle really melting? The princess fairy rubbed her sleepy eyes, then a cool drop dripped on her face, pushed away the hazy thoughts, and with a start she scrambled up, clasped in her hand the fairy wand, gracefully waved it over the sleeping faces, and, alas the spar- kling castle could be seen no more. Soon the whole fairy troop were wide awake. They looked with wonder at their princess. In place of her snowy costume she wore one of sparkling colors. Then to their amazement they happily discovered their own,-pale green, violet, yellow, del- icate pink and blue. Soon they would be gathering fragrant May flowers, and mak- ing daisy and buttercup wreaths. Joyous- ly they hastened away in search of a new palace. Bright days followed. The clear blue sky was all the bluer for soft feathery clouds. The fields and hills were tinted with green, and the wild apple trees were massed with color. The jubilant fairies, enthralled by the lovely spring, wandered through the woods. A little brook, awake from its long sleep, beckoned them, and near it, round a fra-

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THE HEALTH HABIT A boy walked up to the bubbler and in- dulged in a long drink of aqua pura. It might have been pure, clean water before he drank, but certainly not afterward, for he figured that if he put his mouth right on the bubbler, he would not have to make so much effort in drinking and also, wouldn't be obliged to wipe his mouth with his handkerchief. Pretty good efficiency as far as saving energy, but as far as san- itation goes, absolutely wrong. When told that this was a good way to spread disease, he replied, O, I'm not afraid, I'll take a chance. That's just Where the trouble is. The boy was interested merely in himself. The next person, one of careful habits, might not want to take such a chance, but can- not help being a victim of the first boy's thoughtlessness. When in public places, be careful what you do. A moment's thought might prevent weeks of sickness. If you plead the ex- cuse that you didn't know, the common verdict of the people will be, Ignorance is as bad as wilfully committing the deed. F. K. The stories in this issue are those se- lected from the numerous contributions for the Sassamon contest. The prizes were contributed by the members of the faculty and were divided as follows: First, 355.003 two seconds, 32.50 each, and five 31.00 prizes. This division of the money into smaller prizes was done with a purpose- namely to interest more pupils and to arouse a more hearty response. It is grat- ifying to note that twenty-eight stories were submitted. The basketball squad wishes to express their thanks to Mr. Archibald, for the Am- herst trip, which he so thoughtfully planned for them. The boys realize and appreciate also the fact that it was through the gen- erosity of the merchants and prominent men of Natick that the trip was financially possible. College life and its advantages may be talked about, and attendance urged, but it takes an experience such as ours to make it truly real and vital. We saw there in a Wonderful way, an example of the spirit for which we are working here. This was evident on the campus, at the fraternity houses, and in all contests. We were particularly fortunate to be en- tertained at the various frat houses. The boys were untiring in their efforts to please us. My hope is that some of the under class men may have the same opportunities that we enjoyed. Again, thanks and apprecia- tion to Mr. Archibald and our citizen friends. ROBERT ESTY.

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THE SASSAMON PAGE ELEVEN grant apple tree the fairies gracefully danced, singing: Oh sweet and happy springtime I With your little babbling brook, That trickles o'er the hillside, Through cool and shady nook. You whirl past bending birch tree And splash round mossy rock, While tiny purple violets Smile at your ceaseless talk. And all the birds of springtime Warble at break of dawn, But you, oh brawly brooklet, Just happily ripple on. MINNIE BERRY. A WINTE.R'S TRAGEDY Second Prize Any traveler entering the town of Hill- side would immediately conclude that the place was appropriately named. To the north rose a precipitous hill. Here and there among the massed boulders showed a patch of scraggly grass or heather. As your gaze follows up the hill, you may, in clear weather, see a small house, hardly more than a shack. In this lived a woman usually termed The Widow, by the vil- lagers, 'and her son, Billy. The Widow's real name was Mrs. Green. She was a frail, gray-haired little woman whose face continually wore a wistful, searching expression. Billy probably inher- ited some of his mother's traits, for he was a quiet, thoughtful, little fellow of about eleven, who seldom mingled with the other boys of his own size. in the village below. Instead, he spent his time wander- ing along the cliffs and ledges of the hill. On these various expeditions he was always accompanied by his inseparable companion, Shep. Shep was a shaggy collie that had just recently been added to the family pos- sessions. It was near winter when the boy started out one day for the other side of the great hill. It was a chill afternoon and he walked jauntily, with. the dog trotting ahead. He had a knife in his hand and was whittling a small stick. In a little less than an hour the pair had reached the other side of the hill, where the grass was in slightly greater proportion than rocks. At the further end of a grassy enclosure stood a cow, lazily cropping the scanty herbage. Go get her, commanded the boy. The dog circled about the cow, and with much barking and yelping forced her out of the tiny pasture onto the narrow path. The three were steadily making their way homeward when the boy chanced to look up from his whittling. Whistling soft- ly, he gave the cow a couple of sharp prods with his stick and put the knife into his pocket. The three quickened their steps for they were but half way home. The sky was ,now almost wholly overcast. A raw, biting wind had sprung up and the dog hung to the lee side of the boy. By the time they had reached home, it was blowing a bitter gale. Billy drove the cow into an adjoining shed, gave her some- thing to eat, and went out, closing the door behind him. He and the dog ran over to and into the house and slammed the door. Just then it began to snow. All that night and two more days and nights it snowed, a blinding, driving snow, composed of big, wet, heavy fiakes. On the afternoon of the third day a mild thaw started, but three days later another sonwstorm began and lasted half a week. Ik 41 8 A band of lumbermen were going, one day, up the great hill north of Hillside. They had just reached the halfway point of the tiresome climb when one member of them, Wishing to take his mind off the tire- some climb, began to talk about The Widow. Say, fellas, he ejaculated, what's the matter with takin' the widder and Billy to camp wid us? You all know she's a crack- erjack cook and Billy, well-he could drive a sledge! The suggestion was met with instant ap- proval and the small party talked it over as they laboriously climbed the steep hill.