Weymouth High School - Campus / Reflector Yearbook (Weymouth, MA)

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How A Dog Celeb rated CliriStmaS Herbert Sullivan ' 35 Our scene is laid far up in Alaska. It is a cold, bleak night. Snow is falling; the wind is starting to rise; a blizzard is in the making. Far down in a valley a light gleams. Let us approach this light. As we near it, we see through the flakes of snow, fast becoming thicker, that the light is glowing through the window of a prospector ' s small cabin. Let us go up and peek in the window now. Before a fireplace with a roaring fire in it, we see two men. One is a grizzled, middle-aged man who looks as if he had seen much of the hardest side of life; the other, a young healthy looking fellow, hardly out of his teens. How they got ac- quainted is of no importance, but a brief history of both might help the story. The older man is an experienced prospector, having made and lost many fortunes. Nobody knows where he came from, but that, matters little. The young fellow is from one of the cities of the western coast. He had gone away from a home, and taken shelter with the old prospector. Now let us do a little eavesdropping and listen in on their conversation. But, perhaps before we go farther, it might be well to give names to our two unsuspecting subjects of attention. We shall know the old prospector as Dan, and the young fellow as Dick. Now let their conversation proceed. Dick is speaking. There has been a long silence. I say, Dan, do you know what night this is? Then, answering his own question, It ' s Christ- mas Eve. Waa-11, drawled Dan, after a long drag on his pipe, what of it? Days are all the same to ya after ya been living up hyar as long as I have. Oh, nothing, quickly answered Dick. Then with a bit of remorse, he added, I was only thinking of when I was a kid. That was be- fore mother and dad — Then he choked up. But did I ever tell you of the Christmas that dad struck it rich and got himself a good job? That was my first real Christmas. Then he stopped, and looked at Dan to see if there was any disapproval in his looks. Upon seeing none, he proceeded with his story. The truth is that Dan knew little of the boy ' s early life ; he had been very quiet in regard to it. Dan welcomed this story of Dick ' s. Now let us go on with Dick ' s story. Well, we had practically finished our first real Christmas dinner that we had had in years, when I went out in the kitchen to get the des- sert. As I stepped inside, I heard a soft whine at the door. I opened it. There was a small mongrel pup, bedraggled, thin, and hungy-look- ing. As we hadn ' t finished the turkey, I thought there would be no objections to my feeding the rest of it to the dog; so in he came. Did he go into that ! After he had had his fill of meat, I handed him a dish of milk. When he had come in, he could hardly stand up, but soon he looked as if he could lick anything his size. At length, instead of lying down and resting, he went over to the door, and gave a few gulps. When I opened the door, he grabbed the cuff of my pants, and tried to pull me along. I couldn ' t see anything wrong with going with him ; so, after putting on my coat and hat and telling mother and d ad I was going out, I fol- lowed along. Now we lived right next to a very poor district. To this district he led me, and right up to the door of one of the poor, broken-down hovels. I knocked at the door. My knock was answered by a little boy of about five. He had clothes on that could scarcely have kept him warm in a heated house, let alone without any warmth except for a small kitchen range. When the boy saw the dog, he went down on his knees, and put his little arms around the furry neck of the dog. He was so happy to see the pup that he scarcely noticed me. A bit later, however, he asked me in. He had little to offer, but he was glad to give me all of it for bringing back his pup. He and his mother lived there all alo ne. His mother had lost her job three weeks before and had, by now, spent all her meagre savings. Before I left, I had already planned to do something for them. Upon getting home, I told mother and dad the whole story, and they agreed to follow my suggestion. This was my plan: I would buy some clothes and toys for the little shaver, mother could buy food and clothes for his mother, and dad, who had many influential friends, would get her a job. Somewhat later, when we presented this good news to the poor couple, they both broke down and cried. All because of a smart little pup! Somehow or other, I was much more pleased with this Christmas than any other that I can REFLECTOR ... 12...

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Xke Christmas Rose Which rose would appeal to you the most, the first in spring, the last in summer, or the one in mid-winter, towering up through a blanket of snow? The winter rose, which is characteristic of the season, having only one leaf and white coloring, would probably appeal to most people. This rose is commonly called the Christmas Rose because of a certain legend. The story dates back to the year our Christ- child was born. Madelon, a flower girl, who had heard about the birth of the new King, was eager to see him. So when the shepherds set out to see the new-born King, Madelon followed quietly behind. Although weary as she was without food, she followed, encouraged and strengthened by the thought of seeing Christ. She noticed the numerous gifts the shepherds had for Him, and she had come empty-handed. Here she was, alone, with nothing to offer and with not a farthing to her name. If it were summer, she could have picked a bouquet of flowers, but in midwinter it was useless. As she was reflecting these things in her mind, her guardian angel, who was the only person who realized her trouble, planted roses around her. She picked the roses eagerly, and presented to the Christ-child a bouquet of flowers and of love. Mary Tirrell ' 36 Xke Tkings I Do When I run downstairs in the morning, The things I am going to do Skip joyfully down before me, And laugh, and I laugh too. We run out into the garden And into the broad sunlight, And some I sing and play with, And some I forget till night. When, in the purple evening, I clamber up to bed, The things I have done come up behind ; They never run ahead. Some sigh as they creep behind me, Some smile and chuckle too, Some say, ' ' Why, don ' t you remember? We ' re what you were going to do ! So the good, the bad, the forgotten, Together upstairs we creep, And they sit down round my pillow, And talk till I fall asleep. Catherine Smith ' 37 On Doing Up Christmas Bundles Christmas time is rolling around again, and that means that a few million people will be lost in jungles of tissue paper, string, glue, and seals. Being an old hand at the game, I will attempt to give you a few ideas on this matter, which weighs heavily on your brain. All a per- son needs to play this game is a sheet of tissue paper and an object to be wrapped. To begin, you lay a piece of tissue paper on the table. Next, by means of various instru- ments, you find the centre, and place the object to be wrapped on that spot. You extinguish the lights, and creep up gently, lest it hear you. Then all at once you make a dash, gather the paper and object in your arms, snarl ferociously, and toss them gently in the direction of the Christmas tree. Then you turn on the light and face the world with a clear conscience. I visited a man last Christmas while he was doing up bundles. Everything was quiet, until aided by the blue streak of curses which emitted from his mouth, the paper started to crackle and my ears started to burn. So it is with regret that I view the coming of Christmas tide with misgivings for it is, as I have yet known, the only time when all Americans, after suffering from listening to radio comedians three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year, go completely, (pardon my English) nuts from doing up Christmas bundles. Charles Tibbs ' 35 No Ck ances Dickie and Frank, aged five and seven, were spending a few days with their rich and gener- ous grandmother while their mother and father were away . A few nights before Christmas, Dickie and Frank were preparing for bed, and their grand- mother was in the next room, waiting for them to go to bed so that she could put out the light. Frank said his prayers, and crept under the blankets. Dickie, still on his knees, was asking Heaven for a large order of Christmas toys. As he increased, his voice grew louder and loud- er. He spoke somewhat in this manner : O Lord, please send me a drum and a tool chest — a big tool chest, Lord — and an automo- bile and a large truck and — . Provoked, the older brother, raising himself up on his elbow, said angrily, Say, you needn ' t be praying so loud. The Lord isn ' t deaf. I know he isn ' t, said Dickie, but Grandma is. Jennie Worthley ' 35 REFLECTOR ...11...

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remember. Some day, when I strike it rich, I ' m going to do the same thing, whether it ' s Christmas or not. Dan didn ' t say a word. He just sat there, puffing pleasantly on his pipe. Finally, he spoke, I guess Christmas is worth remembering, after that story! Let us leave them now, while they both think of Christmas Eve. HeC ame Th Tke Fiekt Before Ch ristmas O, Algernon Percival Oscar McFish Was in love with the swe.etest of girls you could wish, Though he wore quite the thing from his shoes to his hat, Alas and alaska ! his pockets were flat. A sweet little girl was Susie May White, A nice little number, a wonderful sight; But all that she bought was always the best, As Algernon Percival already guessed. ' Twas the week before Christmas as Algy walked down To view all the gifts one could buy in the town. They were all far above his simplest of means, Fit only for movie stars, shop girls, and queens. Well, Algernon Percival brooded awhile, When over his face there travelled a smile. An idea dawned like a light in his head, Which he rushed to complete before going to bed. Algernon Percival reeled down the street, He bumped against Susie and trod on her feet. Horror prevailed in Miss Susie May White, As she gasped in disgust, Why, Algy, you ' re tight! Twas the fight before Christmas, the workings of Fate, And Algernon Percy was given the gate; He enjoyed a gay Christmas, a happy New Year, And when ' twas all over to Susie said, Dear ' I apologize humbly, forgive me, my love. You beautiful creature, you exquisite dove. As for Susie, her horror and heart he made well; Back into his arms she tumbled and fell. So, amorous swains and moonstricken youths, The week before Christmas imply these un- truths. The damsels are cute, but expensive and dumb, And thus you can keep them right under your thumb. Carol Seach ' 36 rough Tom Manly and Jim Davidson were guards on the Stanford basketball team. They were both good players, but Tom was jealous of Jim. One night the team was facing the Newbury team. Tom made two baskets, and in the last few minutes of the game Jim made his third. Tom didn ' t like this. Jim knew it. Jim rea- soned, however, that he was playing for the school rather than to please Tom. The next afternoon Jim was walking down the street on his way to the store. When he came to Whitman Street, a street closed for the purpose of sliding, he saw Tom coming down the hill on his sled. Instead of turning into the field before he reached the main street, he came straight on toward the main street and destruc- tion. Jim thought fast. He yelled to Tom to let the rope go, and as Tom went by, Jim grabbed the rope. Tom was thrown off the sled into a snowbank, from which he climbed without any injuries. Mumbling his thanks, he walked away. When the boys and girls praised Jim, Tom grew more jealous than ever. That night at the gym the coach called Tom aside, and told him if he didn ' t show more sports- manship he would be put off of the team. He also told him that Jim had practically saved his life, and he didn ' t see why he wasn ' t more friendly towards him. Tom did some serious thinking during the game. After the game he walked up to Jim, and told him that he was ready to be a friend. From then on the boys were the best of friends. The team won more games through their co-operation, and the school as a whole had more spirit. Helen Downton ' 37 Ch nstmas Christmas time is here, And everyone is full of cheer. Stockings will be hung And carols will be sung On merry Christmas eve. Then in the night, When the moon is shining bright, Santa Claus will come in his sleigh, To bring toys for all the girls and boys To play with on Christmas day. Richard Milner ' 38 REFLECTOR