Alexis High School - Memoirs Yearbook (Alexis, IL)

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AN UGLY DUCKLING A group of five girls were sitting beside the open-place in the living room of Edith Hall ' s country home. Four of them were enthusiastical- ly planning a party which Edith was giving. Amy Martin sat as usual and just listened. Now and then she gave a little sigh as some one of the girls related some incident which took place at the last party they had gone to. They were trying to decide what boys they could depend upon to be there. There is a perfectly stunning young man comes out of that house across the street every morning, but he simply will not look at one of us, said Edith in a hopeless voice. He was to the social at the church the other night and I was introduced to him. I met him the next morn- ing on the street and I thought surely he would speak to me but he didn ' t even look at me. : Each of the girls had some story to tell about their adventures with the ' perfectly stunning young man ' except Amy. Amy had not said a word since the girls had begun talking about the party. She got up and excused herself when the other girls began talking about the young man across the street and hurried for home. Arriving at the gate she foiand that she had forgotten her rubbers They were on the hearth in the room where the girls were. Amy turn- ed and went back for them. As she reached the door of the dining room she heard Molly Brown saying, I suppose that Amy will have to be included? Yes, but I don ' t suppose she w 11 come. You know how afraid she is of the boys, answered Edith. Amy did not go in after her rubbers. She went home without them. So that was what the girls thought! They thought she was afi-aid of fellows! Well, she would show them something. She would go to their party and she w ould go with a fellow, too. Yes, she would go with Allen Warren, the young fellow who had moved in next door — the fel- low all the other girls had tried to attract and had failed. But she would not fail! Then perhaps they would change their minds and she would be the ugly duckling no Jonger. The next thing to decide was how to meet him. It was Tuesday and the party was to be Thursday. She spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in thought. That day the sun had shone brightly, the snow on the walk in front of her home had melted. If it freezes to-night I can do it, she told herself as she dropped off to sleep. It seemed as if Fate was with her for the next morning was cold and windy. She was up early and stood, hidden from view by a curtain

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THE MAIL-BOX Jake Hockinberry went out to the mail box just as scon as he had finished his dinner. That morning he had noticed, with indignation, that his name had been almost erased from its tin sides. He gather, ed his brushes and paints together and sat down on an old soap-box. The mail box needed an entirely new coat of white paint. This went on quite easily. Then he began laboriously to paint his name in red. While he was painting the first letter he began to chew vigorously en his wad of tobacco, making his goatee bob up and down with a motion similar to that of a rabbit ' s nose when he nibbles new clover. He divested himself of his coat after he had finished the second latter. The next letter, c, curved itself into a queer looking, hunchbacked figure. Jake eyed his work thus far ruefully. It was a mess and he knew it. He brushed some white paint over it and then, after adjusting his spectacles to a dangerous angle on his nose, he began again to paint the red letters. When he reached the fourth letter for the second time he sat back and grinned fatuously. It was entirely sat- isfactory this time and so he finished his work with pa ' nstaking deliber- ation. Then he called Mandy, his wife, tc have a look. She came to his side and viewed it critically. Then she stepped back a little ways and gazed at it again. Blessed, if I know what ' s the matter with it, but somethin ' s wrong she said after she had cocked her head sideways and stood in every direction from it that she could find. Here, Trix, get out of that paint. The dog, who had been unnoticed until now, went over to his mistress and fondly rubbed his coat, which was full of paint, across her apron. With a shriek of rage, she kicked him away and went in the house. Jake picked up his belongings and went to the barn. Later his neighbor while coming home from town remarked to his wife: Well, look there, Maggie, if Jake ain ' t gone an ' painted his name on his mail-box. Yes, replied his wife, who had sharper eyes than the rest of them, and he has made the i look like an 1 and called himself a huckleberry. — Dorothy Velander

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which was drawn partly aside. She watched the people as they passed picking their way along the frozen walk. Suddenly the curtains were drawn to-gether and Amy Martin came quickly out of her home just as a young man across the street came in view in front of his own home. They both reached the end of Amy ' s wa.lk at the same time and he looked up from his feet and spoke. As Amy turned the corner her foot slipped on the ice. With a low cry she fell forward. Allen Warren caught her and held her long enough to bring a blush to the girl ' s cheek. All right? he asked, simply. She thought she was she told him, and after thanking him she tried to frse herself from his grasp. But he had mistaken the quiver in her voice for cn3 of pain and had kept a firm hold on her arm. As she stepped forward she swayed a little then sank back in his arms. You had better let me help you back home, he offered, and with an arm supporting her, he led her back into the house. He made sure that she was resting comfortably before he left her, with the casual remark that he would drop in that evening to see how she was. As soon as she heard the front door close she rose and went to the w. ' ndow where she watched him until he was out of sight. WeEl, she declared, if all young men were like him I would soon loose my reputation for being afraid of them. True to his promise Allen Warren rang the bell of Amy ' s home at eight o ' clock that evening. He was surprised when Amy, herself open- ed the door, and invited him in, but a still greater surprise was waiting Amy ' s girl friends, for before Allen left that evening he had promised to accompany her to the party. The following evening no one enjoyed themselves any more than Amy unless, indeed it was Allen Warren. As she presented him to the others Amy smiled mysteriously as if she had found out some thing that the others had not meant for her to know. The girls were unable to wait until they should have Amy to them- selves and one more impatient than the rest whispered enviously, Amy how did you ever do it? The answer came in just three -words. Just vamped him, and she refused to tell any more. — Mary Downer