Santa Clara High School - Tocsin Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE TOCSIN-1922 tiful soap suds. Nothing could be more delightful than to rub those pretty china plates, unless it was to scrub out the iron spider with the linked dish-scourer. But my mother said that I was too young to wash dishes. From that day I tried to hasten my growth by every natural and artificial means. I tried kicking in the air to lengthen my legs, and be- tween act I ate. In fact, I also ate most of the time during the acts and when I could not get common food I ate dirt. Dirt is healthful and I thrived on it. At last, when I was about five years old, my mother let me wipe the forks and spoons. I could not wipe the knives for fear I might cut myself or somebody el e. I progressed very slowly and my eighth birthday passed before I could do all the dishes. My mind also had developed by this time and now I hated dishwashing as cordially as I had liked it before. Several times I threatened to run away because my mother insisted on my doing the dishes. Once I really started, and got as far as the middle of the orchard when I saw my mother approaching with a look of determina- tion. Instantly, concluding that discretion was the better part of valor, I strolled leisurely back, remarking calmly as I met her, Isn't it lovely out this morning? I thought I'd walk around a bit before doing the dishes. However, that did not satisfy me. I can recall a number of times when I meditated suicide because of those dishes and spent considerable time trying to decide which I preferred, the rope, the creek, or the laud- anum bottle. I often pictured to myself the grief of my friends and my mother's intense remorse. When suicide failed, my mind soared to all the pinnacles of fame, trying to find which one would be most suitable for looking down in scorn upon dish-washing relatives. As none of them suited me, I con- cluded to be generally disagreeable. But, owing to my mother's firmness of disposition, I was washing dishes all this time. I had become an expert at it, although I hated it. Some of the noblest aspirations of my life came to me while at the dish- pan. In fact, my only poem was composed while washing dishes. My family all hope I'll never write another. Ellis Benson, '22, Page 26

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R4-ndim.: from ls-ft to right- 1:-zt ruwfillzldys Franck, Grant Ile-chman, Lloyd Berry, Louism- Ilui End row -Marjuriv Phelps, Marpxalw-t Dear. 3rd row-Ellvn ltruwn, Matthew Loom-y, Muriel Richards. 4th row -Minniv Cavvllo, Dorothy Perry. 5th row--Anita Whitv, Xvilliam Ye-ap.-re-r, lh-rnico Brown.