Paxton High School - Reflector Yearbook (Paxton, IL)

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4 The Paxton High School lief lector fore the sun was up. But I didn’t linger as Iona: as po-sihle under the quilts, as I usually do, but got right up, even if it was cold. Dick had pretended to despair at the thought of ■ny housekeeping, and I had determined to hurry down and prepare a sumptuous breakfast before that lazy Dick’s alarm clock sounded. I’d show him! He’d have to confess that Mary Jane was some little housekeeper, after all! Now I was able to laugh at my fears of the night before. How glad I was .that I hadn’t ’roused Dick, and how he would have teased! Mv cameo and mesh-bag were safe, the noise was probably a product of my active imagination I always hear noises at night after the light is turned off. 1 dressed hurriedly and started toward the door. I’d surprise Mr. D!ck an(| then perhaps he’d have more respect for me in the future. I cautiously grasped the door-knob, but the door wouldn’t open! I tried again—again it stuck as if held bv some force on the other side. Then my fright of the night before had not been false. Ha! I knew what had happened! Some bold robbers ha.1 entered the house, ravaged it, and were keeping me prisoner so that I could not spread the alarm. But where was Dick? My dear, brave, big brother! I forgot his teasing, the dead mouse he had put in the dresser and the fudges he had stolen. He would-not hesitate to fight the villians! So neither would I! Although I was so frightened my toes seemed to be tied in knot9. and It felt as if there were ice chunks coasting down by back, I gritted my teeth and marched to the door like Joan of Arc marching to the stake (and with much the same feelings), I gave a sharp tug—the door op- ened, some horrid inanimate object toppled over, rolled the few feet to the stair and went humping, thumping down! With a wild shriek for Dick, I ran to the closet, and burrowed far into the corner behind my last-winter's coat, with the ice chunks worse than before and mv eyes tight shut. In an instant, Dick entered and I told him of my terrible experiences. He turned to the door and started for the stair, but this only increased my terror. I didn’t know what horrible thing might happen to him down th'-re. “Dear, dear, Dick”, I sobbed, “Don’t go down there, you will be killed! I’ll never. n°ver call you a torment again! But my pleadings fell on deaf ears: Dick can be very stubborn at times. I turned stiff at the thought of what m’ght be waiting at the foot of the stairs, but I was still more terror stricken at the thought of remaining alone; so we picked our way down, through the dark, I, clinging wildly to the cord of Dick’s bathrobe, while the tears rolled down my cheeks and 1 called him pet names and implored him to turn back. He in turn swearing at me in a whisper. (Dick never did have any consideration for my feelings). So we reached the bottom, Dick stumbled over it and rushed for the light-switch and I flew blindly to a corner, crouched behind the piano. The light blazed up. Dick uttered a shriek, the floor flew up and hit my face and everything turned dark------ A little later 1 found myself lying on the conch, with Dick pouring cold, wet water all over me and taking all the curl from my hair. But strangest of all. he was calling me pet names! (Continued on Page f .)

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The Paxton lliyh School Reflector 3 fr 'Twas A Night Before Christmas An Original Christmas Monologue Written as a Part of Composition Work in English II. (By Agnes Johnson, '17 = == It was the night before Christmas; the house was very still; no sound could be heard but the wh'stling of the wind and the slow ticking of the clock down stairs. Yet, in spite of the silence and my weariness, I could not sleep. The day had been a long one for me. Dad had taken mother to Chicago for some belated Christmas shopping, and I was to keep house for my brother. The unaccustomed duties had tired me completely; yet, for some reason, I could not sleep. I lay awake and watchful, waiting for the first peep of dawn, and listening for the clock to strike the hours.) Soon the sound of the wind grew fainter, and I was just losing consciousness when—I suddenly sat erect, every nerve tense. From the hall outside my room had come a loud, unmistakable thump! Not a sharp bang, like the overturning of a piece of furniture, (which would hgve been bad enough), but a thump, as of a soft body falling, like a man falling! Burglars! I stuck my hand frantically under the pillow and grasped my cameo ring while I felt my hair rising until the kid-curlers hurt. What should 1 do? I wouldn’t yell—he’d shoot me sure! I thought of my mesh-bag and my silver vanity box, in full view on the dresser. I made up my mind that if he entered -- . the room I’d make a dash for the window, seizing my valuables on the way, jump onto the veranda roof and slide down the pillar. Of course I had on my prett:est n'ghtie and it would probably be torn, but it would be a worthy sacrifice While I was evolving my desperate plans, I sat bolt upright, my ears straining and my eyes trying to pierce the dark, but not a sound was heard, no glimmer could be seen. I lay down, pulling the covers over my head and shutting my eyes tight. I stayed so for a long time, hardly daring to breathe, but nothing happened. I remember really feeling a little disappointed. That was just my luck! I never had surprising adventures like story-book girls. If I were in a story-book, I wrould have shot the man. or reformed him. or something, and recued mother’s silver and gotten my name in the papers. But such is not my fortune, and I’m sure it’s all because my name’s Mary Jane. If my name were Theodora, or Violet, or Geraldine, I know I’d have adventures, but who ever heard of a Mary Jane having adventures? Their lives are prim, just like their names, and they always live to be old maids. So I finally dropped asleep, lamenting my awful name, as I do every night of my life. I awoke early the next morning, be-

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The Paxton High School lief lector EXCUSED FROM WRITING SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS Only 41.1% of the possible number of examinations were written Thursday and Friday, January 2.1st and 22nd. The rsmainng 59.9% of the twice a year agony was relieved. The rules resulting in this relief may be briefly summarized as follows: 1. A semester grade of 82% with no absence. tardiness, or other irregularity during the semester; 2. A grade cf 83% without class alsence; 3. A grade of 85% and one absence from class, 87% and two absences, 90% --and ihrqe absences, 95% and more han thnee absences. icre UndCTx ..these rules 145 students out of 170 were excused from taking one or more exam’nations. Instead of publishing the grades of the students thus excused, as in other years, It has been decided to publish the number of subjects from which they were excused. Excured from All Examinations Glad?! Bobo, Alma ( rat .. Clfi Darter, Bertha Fagerburg. Ruth Flora, Pearl Holz, Harriet Hamm, Laura Hammerstrand, Mary Hagens, Jamie Kerr. Lola Kelley, Marie Newman, Birdie Sackett, Carl Radeke, Mildred Smith, Gladys Oorbly, Clarence Carlson, Nora Carlson. Lois Coon, Dewey Fagerburg, Alma Gaardsmoe. Hugh Garnett, Aurel Henderson, Lester Peterson. Ix rena Ferris, Mildred Swanson. Maurice Weaver, Bessie Hamm, Katherine Kemp. Evelyn Wylie, Edgar Gaardsmoe, Leonard Hathaway, Perdue Atwood, Gladys Burkland, Rudolph Fagerburg. Lulu Frette, Chailes Henderson, Lowell Hodam, Agnes L2-an ,or. Ida Levinson Viola Lindgren, Carl Peterson, Lencra Pearson, Ralph Stanford, Amy Swanson, Feme Trickle, Clarice Wh'tcomb. Excused from Three Examinations Ag-'a Anderson, Jessie Button. Ruby Flora, Ethel Kelley, Lucile Moore. Flossie Steele, Laura Strong. Dorothy Smith, Howard Wylie, Gladys Kellogg, Florence Martin, Doris Flora. Ruth F ink. Per’.e Swanson, Floy Casey, Olga Pearson. Ixrrene Samuelson, Margaret McQuiston Edna Swanson, Elfie Carlson, Selma Danielson, Avis Moffett Chalmer Rudolph, Hazel Taylor, Theresa White, Gordon Carson. Paul Anderson, Jessie Carson. Excused from One or Two Examinations. I avernp Archer, Clarence Danielson. Nellie Hagens, Perle Johnson. Lora I aBare. Eva Swan, Marie Barrie, Chester Wcsslund, Agnes Anderson Hazel Bar As. Irene Bloom-quist. Randolph CrMen, Stuart Eddy. Bertha Fox. ElizabSi LaBare, Alan McCracken, Mary oftrson, Ray Smith, Muriel Helman. Mam- irr e m rlund, Everett arnes. Otto Nelson Howard Newman, Carl Cratz, Agnes Johnson. William Overstreet, Maurice Peterson, William Westbrook, Linda Pearson. Robert Pearson, Dorothv White, Harold Barnes. I eona Peterson. Elmer Olson, Naomi Miller, Mary Keller. Mildred Evelsizer, Ellen Erickson. AIHe Hanson. Claire Holley, Edna Johnson. Leonard Johnson. FlossI® I aBare Helen Nelson Raymond Ernest, Marie Fox. Myrtle Hedstrand Pearl Hedstrand, Carl Eklund, Gladys Aukland, Ruby L'ndberg, Bertha Olson. James Gandy. Harry Jensen,