Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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ujkc Syninaifcn v v xl1mmmnIIInInumuuuunuIuIII1Ilunnumnnmnuum uu1nunnmmnmmmnnuuxIIInmmnmuunmn mnmnmnnuuu uuunmun After knocking for a considerable time, Mary gained ad- mittance. She explained her object and the old caretaker went in search of his wife. He seemed as musty and antiquated as the surroundings, and Mary remarked later to one of her friends that if he had returned, followed by some ante-bellum belle of the Hamilton family, she wouldn't have been surprised. He returned almost immediately and was followed by his wife who fitted into the surroundings as perfectly as her hus- band. Upon learning what Mary wanted, she ushered her into the dining-room and began a dry explanation of the origin of this and that while Mary industriously took notes. She noticed that the old woman seemed to regard her as if she were an objectionable intruder and resented her being there, but Mary had an irresistible charm and soon had the old woman telling her small incidents about the family life as it used to be in the olden days and about intimate affairs of the family. When they had completed examining the house, Mary had the old woman in a very amicable frame of mind, and her countenance wore quite a benign expression when Mary pressed a silver dollar into her palm. As Mary prepared to depart, she caught sight of a pair of vases which had escaped her attention beforehand. Oh, they are so delicate and pretty ! she exclaimed en- thusiastically. They'Ve been in this family nigh on a hundred years, replied the old woman proudly, for she regarded the things here as her own, because she and her husband had lovingly cared for them for the best part of their lives. Mary was admiring them when the old woman hastily ex- cused herself. When she returned, she bore a vase which was similar to those which she had been looking at. You can have this one here if you want it. It was given to me by young Mr. Jack Hamilton's wife when she came here last summer to see about the condition of things, said the old wo- man. Mary quickly responded, But you'l1 want it, Won't you '! No, I won't, was her answer, and anyway, I can buy much prettier ones down at the ten cent store. It was plain to see that she didn't value the vase very much. Thanking her, Mary departed, and on the way back to town, decided to center her speech around the vase. The whole club will be envious of me now, she thought. . . . . Page thirty-two O

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C nnnumnnnumnmm Page vvQf7fS 1nnInnnn1nuunzIuuuIIm11I1umnmnnmnummunnmnunIIunInnn1nnn1uummununmm Broken Pride By Evelyn Reade T 3, n LTHOUGH the day was , 1 egg., - 3 H123 y one of those sultry days which are characteris- ' f '34, pg. tic of the waning sum- wif 'F.,.e .,l mer, Mary Witherspoon . Aemmy 1 N felt e decided change in 1 the atmosphere when she neared f :4.???i',. - WT, the vicinity of the Hamilton T5 ' y' home. Something about it seem- 5e.9 M Q I f ed to suggest winter and cold- p ness. 4 45 ' - Perhaps it's because there Z1 Q kgs, is nobody to love and care for V as 0 ' ' asm it, she mused, half-aloud. She was an ardent collector of antiques and had recently been admitted into an exclusive woman's club which had that sole purpose. The members met once a month and talked about the importance of preserving the few remaining relics of a past generation. Mary had been chosen to speak at the next meeting, and so she had obtained permission from the -owners of the old man- sion to visit it for the purpose of getting information on her subject. The old Hamilton place was well-known for its priceless antique furniture,and she considered herself lucky to have the opportunity to visit it. ' The house was cared for by an old couple who formerly had served in the capacity of butler and maid, respectively, and now lived here alone. The younger generation of the Hamiltons consisted of two sons who had palatial homes in the near-by city, and who never came near the place except when it was absolutely necessary. The reason for their keeping the place wasn't due to sentiment, as you would expect, but because they had promised their old parents never to part with the things which their family had had for generations. Their wives, who evidently didn't value the beautiful things, stored their old fur- niture in the basement and attic and regarded the antique fur- niture, which really did need repairing, as a lot of worthless junk. thirty-one . nmnmnummn Illmllmm

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V V . gc. mm: mmmnumm unnmmnmmnn ummmummnumuunuuu u11IuInn111un1mIuxununn1xIn1nn1x1r1uInIumaxnnrnnxunnuInnumIIInxn1Iumuuuummuuunm S nnuuuunnl Mary arose at the introduction by the president and with the vase before her on the table began her lecture on the re- sponsibility of the club to preserve such relics as those at the Hamilton mansion. Pointing to the vase with her voice full of pride after a long talk on what the mansion contained, Mary said, and this lovely antique was presented to me by the care- taker Who must have sensed my great love for antique vases from the glitter of my eyes as they alighted on two fine speci- mens in the hall. I shall pass this vase around. I'm sure you'1l all agree that it must have come direct from some English castle. Isn't it just gorgeous ? She held it high for everyone to see amidst loud applause for her interesting speech, when upon its bottom in bold blue letters she read- Made in Czechoslovakia. Mary grew pale- Czechoslovakia was founded after the World War! she man- aged to say to herself between gulps. Fifty femenine voices gasped- Oh my goodness! Hea- vens! Oh-oh! as the tiny vase crashed to a thousand pieces upon the floor. How careless of me! Mary said sheepishly. nmnnmuumlummuuuuvu nunmummmnuum Page thirty-three . . . .