Oakwood Collegiate Institute - Oracle Yearbook (Toronto Ontario, Canada)

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mother, sitting there alone. Then Peterkin was puzzled. He sat for a long time, staring first at the strange starlet, and then at the window in the small white house. And then he understood. He hui'- ried over to the strange starlet. who was no longer strange, and taking her hand a little timidly, lcd her back to the corner he al- ways played in. They smiled hap- pily at Marian's mother. but she only looked at them sadly. But Peterkin was so happy that he smiled at her over and over again THE OAKWOOD ORACLE Then that sad look in her eyes went away, and a faint smile came over her face: at last Peterkin and Marian knew she was no longer lonesome or unhappy. Marjorie and Teddy never knew who the strange starlet was, but they knew that she brought Peter- kin's smile back, so they loved her too. So if you see a very happy little star tumbling about in the big. blue meadow, some evening, and a shy, little star close by, you may know it is Peterkin and Marian made her understand. until he you see. The Behr! CAn Adaptationj .Yriting all day at Botany tests, And marshaling figures in rows, Debiting purchases, crediting sales, Discounting provisions and clothes. Sitting all day at a miserable desk, With fifty more doing the same, -Xnd the road outside where the traffic goes by, Like a flickering, beckoning flame. I am sick of the school routine, Sick unto death of the rut, Tired of being a cog in the wheel, And receiving marks like a nut. I want to get out, to go drifting again, To forget about lessons and files. And search out a road that winds through the hills, And follow it miles and miles. I long for the peace of a country retreat, For the stars on a desert at night, Or the laugh of a girl in a Mexican town, Or the brilliant Sunnyside lights. I hear the road calling, I know I'll be gone, When the summer skies are heavenly blue, Latin, Algebra, French and other books, You're welcome to take them, I'm through. MARIAN FLEMING, Form 2B. Page Forty-Fire

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.D alba 5- r-43.9 HHH ravi by ' fri -- l N P1 .,i 1 Y 1 4? 2i?.i f ., . 'Ni 'ff Q fqegt-Q ianiles Peterkin's smile was missing! lt had been missing two whole nights, and poor Mother Moon was becoming quite worried. All the other starlets behaved very well and twinkled beautifully, every night after Father Sun had gone to bed, and covered himself all up with the big purple cloud-covers. Teddy and Marjorie, the twins, who lived in the big white house on the hill, were worried too. Every night, after mammy had put on their nighties, they would 1'un to the window to say good- night to the starlets and Peterkin was their favorite, for his smile always seemed just a little happier than that of any of the other star- lets. Nobody knew quite why Peter- kin was sad, except Peterkin him- self. But he knew quite well. Ile was sad because Marian had for- gotten to say good-night to him. Marian lived in a small white house a great many corners away from the house where Teddy and Marjorie lived. Every night Mar- ian and her mother would sit at the window and talk to Peterkin. Then his smile would grow hap- pier than ever, and they would know that was his answer. So when Marian did not come to the window Peterkin was sad. livery Pflgr' fwfJl'fl -FIPYII' evening, as soon as he had jumped out of the soft, grey cloud-bed, he would hurry to the big, blue meadow where they played all night, to see whether Marian was at her window. But she was never there. One night Mother Moon sent one of her moonbeam-pages with a message to the fairies. lt must have worried them, for that very night the Queen of the fairies her- self, came to the big, blue meadow. But, although Peterkin was very fond of her, she could not make him happy. lt took her a very few minutes to find out why Peterkin was so sad, and just a few minutes more to find out why lVlarian was not at her window. But it took longer to decide how to restore Peterkin's smile, and before the Queen had succeeded, Mother Moon was tueking him up in bed, and the happy little Breezes were singing him to sleep. The next night, when Peterkin woke up, there was a strange star- let playing in the big. blue meadow. And that night, for the first time in many nights, there was somebody at the window in lVlarian's house. Peterkin was so happy, he almost shouted-but not quite. lt was only Marian's

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TH H OAKWOOD ORACLE The Market Blame The market-place of Beirut was crowded. A seething tumultous mass filled it from end to end. Men, there were men of all nations, castes and religions. Hin- du traders, Persian merchants, ln- dian fakirs, men from Ispahan, Bagdad, the plains of Trans-Cau- casia and Bokhara thronged the square. There were men with brown faces, men with nearly white, aquiline features. and men with dark. swarthy coniplexions. A Hindu at a richly ornamented stall held up a necklace of spark- ling, red rubies, calling on the populace to behold and buy. A few stepped forward, followed by a wild pathan from the Himalayas. One thousand rupees, shrilled the son of Judah, eager to be first, and fixing his glistening eyes on the string of jewels. By the beard of the Prophet! exclaimed the Pathan, his evil fea- tures bearing a look of contempt, a paltry offer for such a prize, two thousand rupees will I say. The auction proceeded. the price went higher. The Jew's brow be- came wet with the sweat of an- xiety, his rival's face, however was cool and composed, in the extreme. Ten thousand rupees, sudden- ly piped the Jew, as he wiped the moisture from his forehead. What sayest thou? said the Pathan, leering in his antagonistls face, so that he drew back. Then his face became distorted with an- ger. and the thunder-god sat on his brow, O Jew, thou dost jest! Such a sum is to be found only in the minds of idle dreamers. Then, there was a glint of steel. an evil laugh and a body rolled in the dust. Thou wilt receive the offer of five hundred rupees, by Allah! said the slayer, with a sardonic sneer, holding his blade to the Hindu's throat. Obtaining an unwilling assent, he snatched up the stones. threw down his money, and hastily de- parted into the waving sea of hum- anity in the square. Another transaction had taken place in the market of Beirut, and the crowd moved on as before,- unseeing,-unknowing. Fred Bell 1 B. 3519 the jfire The wind blew loud with an eerie moan Through key-holes and chinks with a deeping tone. l sat by the fire and saw in its gleam The light that floats in the land of dream. I dreamed of gold, and castles in Spain, Of plaudits and honour and glory and fame, Ot' fields, and of streams, of mansions, and cots, Of gardens filled with forget-me-notsg Oi' hundreds and thousands of fanciful things: As I sat by the fire my thoughts had wings. bk Pl' Then I woke, and the fire was grey and cold, And gone were my visions of castles and goldg Yet a melody lingered with comforting sound, Vhough the wind still wailed in the world around. Ijflfjl' l U'l'fjl-Sl..I' l'IlJlTH Kink, n., C.