Albion High School - Chevron Yearbook (Albion, NY)

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0I llill l THE CHEVRON sit o CINDERELLA IVERS Are the decorations all ready, Jane? Are you sure Spud brought the balloons? Yes, he brought them, but- Oh Bab, did your dress get here all right? Say, Jim, I've got a last-minute girl for you. Some looker, too. Wait'll you see her! Amid such evidently happy preparations for a mid-year prom, Alan Baird plodded along the hall in deep dejection. Oh. yes, they can all go about making plans. They aren't under a terrible handicap. Honest, I'm in a worse fix than any fellow playing football could possibly imagine. Why did I ever do it? What a state of mind for the most popular fellow in school! As several pretty co-eds approached him for a confidential talk, they were actually frightened away by his appearance. His ordinarily sleek dark hair was rumpled in a very disturbing manner, the well-formed brows met in a most unpleasant, decisive frown, and his heretofore smiling grey eyes seemed glued to the ground. What could be the matter with him? When he neared the boys' locker-room, Alan suffered an inward twinge of pain-or was it jealousy? Of course, all the fellows in there would be talking about the girls they were expecting to bring tonight, and what had he to offer in the line of such conversation? A homely old-maid, probably, who couldn't dance and didn't know how to be a sport! The kid hadn't given any of the particulars in the case and he was free to imagine anything. Where was Stuffy Ivers, anyway'? If he could find him, he had half a mind to back out. But no, he couldn't! The girl was going to arrive in about two hours, was probably on her way now. As Alan paused on the threshold of the dreaded room, he met the inquiring eyes of the fellows in his crowd, who were all lined up exclaiming and talking in unison. They hailed him. Hey, Alan, when are you going to reveal the monstrous secret? Which one are you taking tonight, Betty or Letha? Yes, who's the lucky one, Al? Have you got your dance program all filled out? The dejected hero slumped down into a handy and vacant chair. He had put off the evil hour long enough. He supposed he would have to give the fel- lows fair warning of what they were to expect when he entered the gym that night. He began: Say, boys, have you heard that measly Stuffy Ivers going around here for the last week? Heard him? Why a fellow would have to be stone-deaf not to hear that whining cry! Yeah, contributed one youth Sandy, employing a high falsetto, Won't one of you fellows take my sister to the prom? You know she's new to this town and hasn't got acquainted yet. Please, somebody take her. You wouldn't want a young girl to be lonely and disappointed on such a night, would you? Young girl, me eye, Sandy! l'l1 bet she don't look a day over thirty, if you ask me. Same here, Bill. Well, boys, this isn't finding out Al's secret. That's so, Jack. Come on, Al, show us you can beat the old-maid Ivers. Page Sixteen

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0l lIlll l THE CHEVRON l ! O At half-past eight she had half run, half skipped downstairs with a brand new nickel clutched tightly in' her small, hot hand. In exchange she had re- ceived two really pretty valentines. Pausing every ten hops or skips to look at the valentines she had hurried to school. One by one, her classmates marched to the teacher's desk and whispered in her ear the name of him or her to whom he wished to send the valentines. At last her turn came. To her dismay the teacher told her that the girls had to send their valentines to boys. Mary, perplexed, whispered the first two names that came to her head, the names of the boys who sat in front of her and behind her. Mary had been a quiet child. She could not mingle freely with the other children. She tried, oh so many times, but she couldn't. She felt older than the rest of the children. She had no close friends. Except for another incident the morning passed by joyously for Mary. A boy, Louis Sorn, whom she detested had sent an inquiring glance at her while deciding to whom he should send his valentine. She had vigorously shaken her head and sighed relievedly when he had glanced about the room again. At noon she could hardly eat her dinner. It seemed she would never have time enough to put on her new dress, which she had taken off so that she wouldn't spot it. Slowly, oh so slowly the hands of the clock turned. The bell! Two o'clock. The party began. Ray Lorry, one of the big boys, had been chosen postman. He had delivered the valentines. She had quivered expectantly every time he strode up her aisle. Then, with a feeling of terror and something undescribable she had realized that all the valentines had been passed out and that she hadn't received a single one! It was unbelievable. There must be one, at least one. Maybe it was in the very bottom of the bag. But no, not a single one for her. A queer lump formed in her throat. No, she mustn't cry. She bit her trembling, tell-tale lip until she realized the pain even through the over-power- ing emotions that controlled her. Then the teacher noticed that Mary had no valentines. Before Mary could act or speak she had said, Children, Mary has not received a valentine. Lena, won't you give her one? lLena had received hfteenj. Lena had pettishly answered, No, I got them, they're mine. I won't give her any. A wave of shame and anger rushed over Mary. Shame at the thought of the whole room knowing that she had received no valentine and anger at the teacher and Lena. The lump in her throat was growing bigger and bigger. It wouldn't let the ice-cream, cake and candy that were served go down. How the time crept. The time between the clicks of the minute hand seemed interminable. Would they ever be excused so that she could go home? She wanted to cry. She had to cry. But not before the class. No! She would die ilrst. At last she could go. She rushed home blindly. She crept up the stairs, hazy through a mist of tears that could be held back no longer. Stumbling, she had groped to the darkest corner of the darkest closet and she had cried and cried. A bright tear fell on the biggest and reddest of Janet's hearts. -Tulia Brunetti. Page Fifteen

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0l l THE CHEVRON I l 0 That's just it, Bill. I can't, lamented Alan, because I'm the unlucky guy that's going to take her. Help, help! How come? Fan me, quick, somebody! Not so, Al. I won't believe it. How about those darling little babies, Betty and Letha? Yeah, what's the matter, anyway? Well, if you fellows will just be a little patient, I'll give you the low-down on the affair. Been keeping it to myself so long I'm kinda glad to get rid of it. Alan settled himself more comfortably and began his tale with vigor. On the way to school yesterday morning I was strolling along trying to de- cide whether I would take Betty or Letha to the prom. I knew that if I took one, the other would be mad, because I've been going kind of steady with both of 'em. Well, as I said, I was walking along, when who should cross the street and join me but Stuffy Ivers! I had heard him going around begging everybody to take his sister to the prom, but I decided to be rather decent to him because I was already sure of either Betty or Letha. Well, about the flrst thing he said was, 'Won't you take my sister to the prom, Alan?', and, do you know, fellows, all at once I saw my chance. I was darn sure Stuffy couldn't get any- body else to take his sister, so I thought I might settle my own difficulty by taking her myself. Then I w0uldn't have to decide between Betty and Letha. So without thinking further, I accepted, and I've been suffering ever since. Every time I think of what an old-maid she'll probably be I feel just like back- ing out! Don't you even know her name, Al? demanded Jack. Oh, yes, but that's the extent of it. Her name, my friends, is Miss Susan Elizabeth Ivers. Whew, can you beat that? Is she really such a prim? Hasn't she got a shorter handle? I know no more about it than you fellows do, so why ask me? By the way, how many of you fellows are going to exchange dances with me? I've got to get somebody for every dance. How about you, Jack? Well, Al, I can let you have about two, I guess. I'm not crazy about it, mind you, but I'll do that much for your sake. You can have the fourth and seventh, if that will help you out. Thanks, Jack. That'll be fine. Now, Sandy, how many have you got that you can relinquish? Well, I don't know, Al. I've got mine all arranged and I hate to give any up for the old-maid Ivers. I tell you, I'1l wait till tonight. If I find she can dance, I may take a few of them. All right, Sandy. I may have her program all filled, anyway, by then. Bill, I know you want some. Just two, Al. Make it the the third and eighth. That's all right, Bill. I don't imagine many of the other fellows will give me any. They don't like to take chances. Say, is that clock right? I'll have to get home. The family's going out to dinner, and I'm supposed to go over to the Ivers early to kind of get acquainted before the big event. Miss Susan Elizabeth has been visiting her great aunt in Rivermore and hasn't even seen her new home in this town yet,Jso her homliness will be a surprise to every- one. With a heave and a groan, Alan slowly elevated his long frame and moved Page Seventeen