North Quincy High School - Manet Yearbook (North Quincy, MA)

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MAN ET 13 BROKEN FLIGHT By Janet Adair, 12-2 The short story, BROKEN FLIGHT, is a plot nar- rative written in the form of four brief episodes, each suggestive of intervening action. Continuity and plot are secured by carefully articulated conversation, sug- gesting. at the same time, the characters, the setting, and the situation. Dependence on this technique alone for a full rounded story interest leaves too much to the reader's imagination. Too many details necessary to his understanding and interest are left unexplained. A fuller development of the situation implied by the plot would have made a more effective story Without violation of this type of narrative. It is a commend- able experiment in condensation which succeeded too well. Honorable mention. Starlight filtered through the dusty windows of the weather-beaten shop, illuminating a deserted interior. A battered sign swung on creaking hinges outside the door, but the, men and women who made a beaten path to old Sven's shop would not have noticed it even if it had been legible, for they knew he made the finest skiis in the winter sports world. A tow headed boy sat in half shadow on the door sill with three packages beside him. The steady trot of hoofs muffled in the dust of the country road became audible. The youngster gathered his possessions, and as the wagon came out of the wood and stopped, swung himself up beside the driver. The horse started and this conversation drifted in monosyllables. Don't cry boy? CCN0.77 The sign sighed in the wind. 9? S? 3? 3? Vvllf-311 the huge liner docked in New York, a man and woman met the bewildered blonde child, ward of the dead Sven, whom curious passengers had found so unresponsive. HThat all the parcels you have, kid? Now, Gus, let him alone. He doesn't under- stand English. Are those your clothes, Arne? the woman asked in Swedish, indicating the bundles. 'tClothes, no, he spoke with scorn. t'These are my skiis and that is the cup I won at the winter carnival. 'tI'll take care of them, said Gus, but they didn't reach Montreal the first week, or the second week, or ever at all. He'll be too much expense anyway, Helvi. God knows we didn't want him in the first place. He looks strong, but he won't be much good on the farm so shut up now and I'll buy you a new dress with some of the money. Didn't think a couple of sticks of sandpapired wood could be worth so much. 2? SG S? S? A small black figure flashed down the ski run, crouched, leaped, soared through space, and landing on the steep slope completed the jump by a perfectly turned stop. The crowd gasped with admiration, and already the last of the junior skiers was approaching the take off. Ex- pectant faces craned upward. The air balanc- ing was perfect, but as the skis struck the icy descent, the audience hushed, horror stricken. In a crumpled heap the boy slid down the steep incline, lying still as death, one ski slithering to the bottom, the other tangled under him. A man dashed out, and cutting the rotted leather, fastening the flattened and roughly but pains- takingly hewn barrel stave to the boy's foot, lifted him in his arms, walking carefully down the human lane to a car, and drove off. For days the white figure lay unconscious in the doctor's bedroom, one leg in a cast, the head swathed in bandages except for a single Z -,Y X 1 , , --,-.H QQ? X,-v fn- e we v I -v ,I ,r .,,, X l , r ing I, X i I UF .Q ' KS' Yvwz f' fl Z' , X I Y f . ' QLgyvf f ff N . N iixx A ix x xxkl U janet Adair tuft of yellow hair. Thus he was addressed, Well, 'Sonny', the doctor would say each day in a more worried voice, 'tabout time you came to. It was five weeks before the blue eyes hazily opened. Hi, Mister, what happend? Oh, you took a tailspin when the strap on your hundred dollar skiis broke. t'VVhy does my leg feel so heavy? Did I break it? Yes, and your head too. Pretty wise kid to stay unconscious till you're almost all better, aren't you? 'tAre Gus and Helvi llG1'9?H 'Nof' 4Am I going to stay? 'tMaybe. By the way, how did you happen to enter the contest with those shoe boxes? In Sweden my uncle made skiis, the best in the world. I won a cup. Gus got mad with me one day and said he took them to a pawn shop. I hate Gusf? A week later a car bounced up the rutty drive to a ramshackle farmhouse. A slatternly looking woman came to the door and closed it after the doctor. You don 't think I did wrong, Mister? Gus rin 't even been nice to me since the boy arrived. 4 G CC

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14 MAN ET lim only his cousin and Arne was old Sven's sister 's child. VVhen Sven died the boy almost died too from grief. I let him come here, thinkin' he'd have enough money to pay for himself. Sven didn 't. make his skiis for profit. '4Five hundred dollars, Mister, sure we could use it. A heavy step was heard i11 the doorway and Gus spoke, HI dunno, we were gettin' kind of attached to the kid. A thousand! 'When the car drove off the doctor had a writ- ten relinquishment in his pocket. The pale face brightened at the doctor's entrance. UI saw your friends this afternoon 'Sonny'l Next winter will you teach me how to ski? Next winter? L4 'W Sure-Sonny. ' ' A CHILD'S VIEW POINT By Arthur Schuh, 12-1 A C-HILD'S VIEW POINT is an essay with a ser- ious purpose which is indicated rather than achieved. The comparison between the child and public opinion eiectively realizes the writer's purpose. and the studied formality of the language emphasizes satirically the childisliness of public opinion. Unfortunately, a con- vincing application would have exceeded the word limit of this competition. From the development of even the minimum number of parallel applications would have emerged an essay occupying far more than its space in The 3IflllPf.N Honorable mention. Have you ever observed a child who was looking forward with great expectancy and the happiness of anticipation towards the visit of some acquaintance or relative who usually may be counted upon to bring some little favor for him? This favor may not be much, but so long as its nature is a surprise, Johnny is genuinely thrilled and regards its giver as a hero and a remarkable collection of all of the most. desirous traits and qualities. Needless to say. once a surprise has been given, the visitor emerges from obscuritiy into the limelight of Johnny's hall of fame. His place in this institution is directly proportional to the gift and Johnny's appreciation of it. .lohnny's appreciation depends upon whether or not he has had gifts of the same nature from other people. However, the donor should be careful to always bring a gift from this time on, the gift will be anticipated and Johnny will he expecting to be surprised. lint, let this charitable guest forget once or in his haste bring something which does not meet with Johnny 's approval, and his image is ungraciously removed from the hall of fame to repose forever afterwards in the discarded pile, the pile of has beens . Johnny has forgotten any former signs of friendship and can only think of his bitter disappointment of the pres- ent rather than the bygone pleasures of the past. This is the guest 's reward for setting his standard and then departing from it in some slight way. In this world there are many millions of Johnnies, the only diderence being that the young are franker and not quite so experienced in their opinions. Nevertheless, I'll make a wager with any one that a child has an in- stinctively keen judgment of people which is as good as that of most men of the world. These millions of Jolmnies constitute the world as a whole and are responsible for its opinions. This great thing called public opinion is then, merely the equivalent of the opinion of millions of children. To gain favor in the proverbial public eye, one must figuratively present it with gifts in the form of surprises. When I say surprises, I refer to exceptional performances in one 's chosen profession. Great actors, bankers, politicians, authors, poets, comedians, soldiers lecturers, explorers, athletes, and even crim- inals all gain places in the gallery of public opinion. Their places depend upon the nature of their contributions. 7 Once a man gains the support of favorable public opinion, he is not secure, he must main- tain his reputation because any deviations are frowned upon by the public. He must keep up his fine work and continue to surprise the pub- lic. He must remember that the public is look- ing to him for surprises just as Johnny looked to his benefactor. If in the apparent security of his position, he neglects the ladder which helped him climb to success and forgets to ap- pease Johnny 's increasing desires, his slow and painful ascent of the ladder is of no avail. His downfall is ten times as rapid. Wlieii a man has reached his height of achievement, and can- not add to or better his contributions in any way, the wise course is voluntary retirement. Johnny will inquire solicitously for a while, but a new idol will soon appear and Johnny will forget the old for the new and the former idol may gain whatever pleasure he may from quietly watching his successor follow in his footsteps. Thus public opinion is a tickle versatile feel- ing of the masses which cares for individuals as long as they seem to serve to their utmost ability. But public opinion does not tolerate any decrease in the quality of the service and forgetful of the past services rendered, it pushes him down the ladder into the obscurity from which he rose. XVhat children wc are!