Allegheny High School - Wah Hoo Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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14 'l' H li XR YXH H00 called up. Oh, l can't part my hair or nuthin'.'y His mother soon found the part. and changed hlimmy's mind. But for- tune was not against him in every- thing. His father had had to shave that night and leave immediately. jimmy had watched where the razor was placed, and was soon wetting his face prior to the fatal scrapingf He dragged the steel down his cheek in one slow stroke, then up again. He looked into the glass. They 'Z2'01tId1l,t rome off. He knew he wasn't going now! But, as I said before, mothers will be mothers, so he went. It was a nervous, excited, freckle- faced youth instill freckledl that rang the doorbell to her home. He en- tered, and immediately went into the corner with his gang to avoid intro- ductions. As he turned he saw her, Graff' Vandvrs, in the corner speak- ing to ri freckle-faced, red-headed sissy. K VVhether freckles are significant of courage, or not, he had both. He man- aged to get her alone and asked her: I thought you once said that your mother said that it ain't nice to talk t'o freckled-faced children, didn't you with an air of accusation. 'GI didn't say that, she managed to say, reddening a bit. I said that my mother said that it ain't nice to talk about freckled-faced children. HT-t-then y-you like freckled-faced kids PM he inquired anxiously. W-well Q she turned three shades of crimsonj, I don't exactly-really like them, but I don't hate themf, she said. I sure am glad my mother made me come ! sighed Jimmy as he fin- ished gulping down a huge sponnful of ice cream. SYDNEY M. SAW.. '22. THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP Ile was trying in vain, it seemed, to figure it out. VYould he never get the report finished? Besides, he couldn't multiply, then add, then subtract, when the vision of a girl that he had just met a few hours ago was con- stantly in his mind. XVhy do all seemingly sweet domes- tic girls turn out to be accountants and so on E he muttered. 'lust then she entered the room. She was neither very beautiful nor was she very homely. just about right, he had said to himself at dinner. VVhy all the paper? she asked. looking around the room, the Hoot of which. besides the chairs and desk. was littered with paper that he had used to figure it out. lust figuring, he answered, hur- riedly picking up the papers that were nearest him. Can I do anything for you ? Your sister said that I would hnd a vase here that she wants for How- ers. Oh, here it is, and vase in her arms, she left the room. t'Nice old grouchf' she murmured, but then she didn't know he was af- Hicted with an income tax report, which was commonly referred to as It by the family. He evidently had not made a very good impression upon her at dinner and had not improved it any in the last few minutes.

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THE WAH HOU 13 He took two lemons from his mother's pantry and went up to his bedroom. He followed the directions specifically, just according to the book, but the book referred to clothes and it was his face that was to suffer. He was rubbing in the last half lemon when his fingers slipped and in went the darn stuff into both his eyes. He rubbed them, he dried them, but the harder he rubbed and the more he dried, the more seemed to go in. He soon managed to dilute the lemon juice with water and once more he was able to see through half closed eyes. VVhat could he do now. Suddenly, as not often before, an idea flashed into his head! He would shave them off. But where would he get a razor? His father did not shave until Friday night and he did not know where the razor was. If he asked his mother for it she would become excited and think that he wanted to kill himself-then she would watch him too closely and he would get no liberties at all. He wondered to himself if Frank, the barber, could perform the opera- tion. He ran upstairs and took twenty-five cents from his bank. All excited, with his heart beating rapidly, he was about to open the door of the barber shop when he noticed that the barber had two customers--they would tell everyone in town that jimmy Brooks had his freckles shaved off- and the town surely must know of her dislike for freckles. Then she would know that he had done it for her- that wouldn't do, and the next barber was six miles away. He turned away and was not five squares from the intended shaving when he noticed Freddy Parkins-he had a big brother! I'll give you five agates if you will :git your kid's razor for me. The price loomed big in Freddv's eyes and he accepted. jimmy had just finished locking the bedroom door and placing the cold steel edge to his face, when he heard a whistle-then someone called, Ho, jimmy, Ho, jimmy! lt was Freddy. j VV'hat's a matter?', jimmy called down. Gee whiz, blinnny, our kid came home and he needs his razor. I'll get killed if I go home without it. jimmy's mother heard, but through the various noisesj round about, all she could make out was killed, Jimmy, razor, home. l She ran hurriedly upstairs and, Ending the door locked, became more excited than ever. jimmy, what's the matter F Open the door! ! ! j Jimmy threw the razor out the win- dow and disgustedly opened the door. Jimmy, are you hurt? Tell me! What were you saying about 'razor' and 'killed'? Aw, nothin' a'tall ! He turned away for fear of more questioning and ran downstairs into the yard. That all happened Thursday. On Friday at o'clock he prepared to dress for the great occasion. He scrubbed thoroughly in the hope that a few stray freckles might come off anyhow. Then came the blow! He was to wear a Buster Brown collar. If one has ever seen a young colt being led about prior to his being saddled--that is the feeling one gets when he wears a collar for the first time. I ain't goin' to wear no collar like that ! J But mothers will be mothers, so he wore it. Then came the vital parting of his hair-he couldn't find the part, so he called downstairs, Oh, maw, I ainft goin' to that old party ! What's the matter now ? a voice

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THE WAH I-IOO 15 Meanwhile he resumed his work tgain, but he found that he did not rave the book that contained the nemoranda of last year's income tax 'eport. He conducted a diligent search on the desk, examined all the nooks in the bookcase, then turned to ihe desk again and searched through :he drawers. In the last one he came ipon an old snapshot album of his sis- :er's. Out of curiosity he opened it md paged through, amused at the pictures of people they had known ten years ago when they were boy and girl. But suddenly his attention was caught by the snapshot containing a girl entirely surrounded by in- numerable kittens. He recognized her by the kittens. There had been only one girl in their neighborhood who had shown such a marked preference for them. That girl was Sally Mc- Bride, and Sally McBride was she. He had good cause to remember Sally. Sally had made a decided im- pression upon him with her tists and fingernails, for he had incurred her righteous wrath by tying tin cans to a great majority of her kittens and by hanging the minority with their tails tied together on his mother's wash line. The boy next door, who was quitc a bully, had dared him to do it. I wonder if she remembers me, bemused. just then the telephone rang and picking up the receiver he heard over the wire the voice of the president of the firm telling him to make arrangements to leave imme- diately or as soon as possible for Chicago. ' lie left an hour after, giving his mother instructions concerning his business and also telling her to get an accountant, from the ofhce if possible, if not to hire one to hnish lt. His mother called up the otlice to inquire whether an accountant could be spared, but she was unable to se- cure one. That evening at dinner table his mother mentioned his need. His sister turned to Sally and said: Oh, it's a shame! That old income tax has caused more trouble than enough. It was the cause of your re- ceiving a bad impression of him, I'm sure. And now he has gone and you won't be able to see him and know him when he is really himself. VVhy can't I hx that report F Sally asked. lt will only take me a short time and it will save a lot of trouble. Please allow me td do it. You're a dear, his sister answered. VVon't he be pleased when he comes home and iinds it finished. Sally began lt immediately, worked hard and diligently at it for two hours and then It was finished. The next morning he unexpectedly returned and fourld her straightening up his desk. f'It's a pretty mess, I suppose, he said, but dlgdnlt have time to ar- range it. t as' been many a day since this desk had been tidied up. VVhy, what's this? He broke QR staring. There- was his income tax report, Eeagly piled, and, wonder of wonders, e ound that it was finished. VVhy, mother secured an accoun- tant atter all. VVell, this is a load off my 1lI111Cl.H He rushed off to see his mother. She slipped out ot the room to pack, as she had to return to work tomor- row. As she was coming downstairs to secure a strap for her suitcase she niet him in the hall. 1 can never thank you enough, he began land lstopped. for he suddenly remem merec how he had always viewed girls who did this sort of work. .She smiled and answered, Oh, that will pay tor that awful scratching that I gave you ten years ago. HELEN HAvsKo'r'rE, '22.