Willard Middle School - Target Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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Two days later Dr. John Evans sat in his private office giving per- sonal attention to the many letters he found upon his desk. One large business-like envelope addressed in a small cramped hand surprised him. He opened it hurriedly and read as follows: “My Leap Year Proposal — “Dear Daddie: I have decided to propose to you ’cause with all my heart I love you. Brother says I’m too young. But I ' m not. I know just what I want. “First, a silver collar for Bruce. Then I want an Aunt Jemima dolly, and a new carriage for my real lady doll, Floradora. Then I want one more white kitty with two or three black spots on him. “I do hope you will accept my proposal, as I could not wait another four years for these things. From your little girl — Mary Jane.” JESSICA CAULKINS. The Mountain Pool N THE Butano Canyon is a small rippling stream at the head of which are many waterfalls where the green water splashes over tiny cliffs and finally falls splashing and dashing into a deep circling pool. The little trout swim faster to avoid the rapidly falling water. The beautiful five-fingered ferns and maiden hair grow thickly on the tall rocky cliff above the pool. From the steep worn path one looks upon the rapidly moving pool through the trees and bushes. Across one end of the pool lies the long trunk of a tree upon which sits an old fisherman. The sun is just going down and the pink clouds are reflected in the cool green water. It is the hour for all fish to come out of their dark rocky caves to find a worm or fly for their dinner. As the old fisherman sits upon the mossy log he feels a jerking upon his line. He pulls it in and finds a large rainbow trout which is jerking and wriggling to try and get back into the cool deep home. The fisher- man takes his fish and puts it into his brown basket and as the shadows grow longer across the pool and the pink fades from the sky he picks up his laden basket and winds his way along the edge of the creek until he reaches his small hut. BEATRICE LATHROP.

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A Leap Year Proposal RUCE, you just simply have to explain to me what it all means.” Mary Jane, a small girl of seven, made this earnest remark to her faithful puppy, who was her constant companion. But Bruce only wagged his funny little wisp of a tail, and barked joyously in dog language. ‘‘Oh, Bruce, why can’t you talk? I just know you want to, and then — besides, you wouldn’t laugh at me for asking foolish questions, now, would you?” But by now the little dog had espied a ladybug in the grass and was examining it curiously. t Mary Jane realized that she would have to get along as best she could. Why did everybody laugh at her, though, when she asked them if she couldn’t make a leap year proposal? Her mother would always say, ‘‘Oh, Jane, whatever put such foolish notions into your head? Now, run along and play and don’t bother mother again when she has com- pany.” Then she would pat Mary Jane’s head and glance understand- ingly at her friends, who were sure to remark, “What a cute little girl!” and, “My, how much you have grown, my deah!” until she would run wildly from the room. However, Mary Jane continued to ask questions. Her brother (who was nearly 22) would go into paroxyms of laughter when she tried to talk to him about it. “Mary Jane,” he would say, “what does a small child of your age know about proposals?” Would not that be enough to make anyone angry? Maybe someone had proposed to him and that was what made him so silly. In fact, she had heard it hinted that brother had had a proposal. But her big sister, Betty (who was 1 5, and quite grown-up) , was more considerate of her feelings and seemed to be more interested. She had told Mary Jane all about proposing on leap year. “You ask the person you love the very best,” she had said, dramatically, “to give you your heart’s desire.” Ah, well, it was all very strange. But she had at last found out what a leap year proposal was! With these thoughts she mounted the stairs to her nursery, and was soon tucked away in bed, but strongly resisting the powers of Somnus. Yes! The decision was made! It should be done tomorrow. Oh, how very, very sleepy she was! How happy and impatient she was! Would morning ever come?

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The Revenge of Hezekiah some neat little plan of revenge. For Hezekiah was judge, prominent citizen, owner of “Barlow’s Main Emporium”, owner of a little fishing smack, and fisherman. When enumerating his chief points, he usually left out the last item, but it will have to be added here because of its reference to our story. One eventful day, a city man — very visibly a city man — walked up to the Honorable Hezekiah and, after discussing the weather, asked if he might be allowed to go out in the judge’s boat. “Wall now, it ain’t ev’rybody I’d take out in my boat, but seem’ as yer willin’ to pay a good price. I’ll do it. When do ye want ter go?” asked Hezekiah with an eye for easy money. “Well, say tomorrow afternoon about 2:30,” replied the citified one. “I’m interested in seeing the cape. My name is Reginald Hanover if you want to locate me for anything. How much do you want to take me around the cape? A dollar?” “A dollar,” sputtered Hezekiah, too wrathful to speak distinctly. “I won’t take nobody nowhere for less’n ten anyways, and seem’ as you want ter go a good distance, you’ll have ter pay fifteen.” “Oh,” murmured M r Hanover. “All right,” he concluded. Thus they parted to meet again the following day. Now the judge disliked tightwads greatly. He also prided himself upon his personal appearance, and whenever he looked into a mirror he saw an excellent example of one. The next day early, Hezekiah arose and went down town. Drop- ping in at “Barlow’s Main Emporium,” he noticed the back of the dapper young man he was to pilot around the cape. He was talking with an equally well-dressed older one. “Well,” said Reginald Hanover, “good luck to you. I’m going to spend the afternoon going around the cape with an old codger who will give me wonderful material for my next story. To have him described will make people roar.” “Huh!” muttered Hezekiah, who had been accidentally — on pur- pose — listening to this conversation and had grown more and more angry as the conclusion of it approached. “I’ll show ’em.” EZEKIAH BARLOW was a man of extreme likes and dis- likes. When he felt that anyone had not been as polite and considerate as he should have been, he immediately thought up