Arlington High School - Indian Yearbook (Arlington, MA)

Page 9 text:

THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION “Whistling ' Mary” and the Standard close behind. They crossed the finish half a length behind the biplane, which had made a thrilling finish just nosing out the Standard and Whistling Mary. The second day was a beautiful cloudless summer day with a blazing sun looking down at the throng that had packed the grounds. The entries in the loop the loop contest reached as high an altitude as possible before starting their loops. The biplane did five or six and was then seen to glide to earth. After what seemed a thou- sand loops, Fred said the Italian was the only other plane still in the air. They were very low when they saw the Italian glide to earth and were only able to make a few more loops and they too had to glide to earth the win- ners, having completed seventy-six loops to seventy-three for the Italian. It was the following day, rather early in the morning and the planes went up after the officials had tested the deli- cate altitude recorders to see that 1 bey were working properly. Jack and Free had been in the air about two Hours 1 amt a stiff breeze was blowing. They were at an altitude of thirty-seven thousand feet with one plane above and two be- low them when their motor missed and dropped dead. They began to descend very rapidly carried by the breeze tak- ing tail spins, and nose dives. Jack, a clever pilot, descended at an angle against the wind which slackened bis j speed. He landed in an open field near the grounds after narrowly missing some tall trees. When they had pushed the plane into its shed they found that the Italian had won. lie climbed to a height of forty-three thousand feet and though not a record breaker it was ! a good showing on a windy day. “Let’s fix up the plane for tomorrow and furthermore we got to win to- morrow,” said Jack. They began to tune the motor when Fred found that the carburetor had been monkeyed with. It was fixed so that it would refuse to function at a high altitude. They left a close guard that night- at about twelve o’clock Jack heard some- body outside the tent so woke Fred and going in opposite directions around the plane they attempted to catch the man. The intruder saw them so he threw a bottle and run. Fred remained to watch the plane while Jack chased him. Jack was, only out of high school seven years, where lie was a half miler, but the intruder had too much of a start and Jack lost him in the dark. He ran back and to bis relief was told by Fred that the bottle didn’t do any harm. They didn ' t sleep any more, but studied the plans for the race. It was five minutes of two ana three planes were on the starting line anx- iously waiting for two o’clock. “Come on, cheer old top,” said Fred when he saw Jack was nervous, “(lee, I wish it was two o’clock, Fred.” The starter’s gun went off and so did the planes at a terrific speed. Jack lost all nervousness as he ascended. They bad to race to a tower about fifty miles from the grounds go around it and the finish was directly over the grounds. At the tower Jack lost con- trol for a second and lost more than half a mile. He gave f he engine full power so quickly that she seemed to leap from the tower as if shot from a catapult. At the three quarter mark he was second steadily gaining on the Standard. When they could see the grounds the Standard led by but half a length the Italian seeing the way Jack was gaining made a turn in to- ward our ship. There would have been a wreck if lie hadn’t stopped when he saw Jack would not give. When he

Page 8 text:

(; THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION By Caesar, Stone and Mill is, Frazer and Sqnair, Hitchcock, and all the rest, NO! What he considers hard work he leaves to his conscience. And alas, his conscience also refuses to work. There is a general strike on all sides, for he has contracted the spring fever. Even such strong minded individ- uals as vow at the beginning of March to attend strictly to business and bring up their marks and so on, and so forth, have to give in when the first balmy days of April come — soft and warm and moist and deliciously languid. The poor people have to submit. They come in like lions but they go out like lambs. There is a question as to whether spring fever is limited to hard worked individuals alone, or whether anyone is susceptible to it. That is, can teach- ers as well as pupils catch it? I don’t know. Not being a teacher I cannot tell you. 1 can only say: How much nicer it would be if everyone who had spring fever was treated with as much consideration as lie deserves consider- ing his serious condition. Those on t he danger list should be kept at home. Those with lighter cases, let strictly alone and treated with the best ante- dote — no work. Let the world recog- nize that spring fever is no joke; also that it cannot be helped; also that it has its good points as well as every- thing else. There are two sides to every question. So t lie next time you find yourself yawning remember it is the season of yawns. For Spring has come Ho-hum ! Ruth Hopkins, ’ 26 . WHISTLING MARY Two ex-army air pilots bought an old army airplane cheap, through which they intended to make their liv- ing. They lived in a little town in the western part of Massachusetts. Jack was the older of the two and lie was a pilot during the World War. His chum Fred was his mechanic and vice- versa. ‘“Well,” said Fred, what are we go- ing to call our machine?” I think we shall call it Whistling Mary” because of the way the wind whistled through the stays when we were coming from Buffalo. When do we give our first exhibition Jack? I think we shall en- ter our plane in the contest given at the Fair in Detroit on June Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth. The contest ran as follows: On the first day there was to he a five mile race in which the contestants were to fly at an altitude of not more than three hundred feet for the last mile. On the second day, there was going to be a loop the loop contest, the winner being Hie entry that made the most loops. On the third day there was go- ing to be a contest to see which plane | could reach the highest altitude, and on Hie last day a hundred mile race. The entry making sixty points won the contest. The points were given as fol- lows twenty points for the five mile race, the loop the loop contest, for the ship reading the highest altitude, and forty for the hundred mile race. “ ' We are going to win the contest Jack,” said Fred. We sure are, Fred, but that Italian with his Standard is going to make the pace hot. It was a gray, sort of a cloudy day, but huge crowds were at the Fair when the planes lined up at the starting line for the five mile race. With the pop of the starter’s gun, five planes | roared down the stretch with a small biplane in the lead. At the half way mark the biplane still lead with

Page 10 text:

THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION 8 straightened out again we were even and we won by a length. In winning we made sixty points, won the contest and the twenty-five thousand dollars, the first prize. C. Coi.lixs. THE PRIVILEGE OF A LADY It was a crisp, cool morning, in the latter part of August, a kind of morn- ing which can only be found among the New Hampshire hills. A crowd of young people, (including myself) had decided to go horseback riding before breakfast, so at 5.30 A. M., it was a rather sleepy looking, yet lively group that finally assembled at the stable doors. They stood eagerly awaiting the appearance of the groom. He had been out until the unheard of hour of 11.00 the night before and found rather difficulty in rising. At last, he arrived on the scene, still chewing at a great rate, the remains of his breakfast, (a shredded wheat bis- cuit) as could easily be seen. With his right hand lie was 1 savagely trying to comb back his curly locks, which persisted in forming “cute” ringlets on his brow was causing him much disgust. With his left hand lie was clumsily fumbling with the buttons of his jacket. “Hi there, Maurice,” called one of the boys in the party, “Need any help?” “Guess not,” responded Maurice, blushing deeply. “Are the horses ready?” “Well I should hope to tell 1” piped up quick tongued, Jean II. Hall. If they weren ' t, why you wouldn’t find us loafing around here at this late hour ! No sir ! Why your royal high- ness, do you realize we have been wait- ing for you just a solid thirty min- utes? ' ' With that she dashed towards the stable and quickly mounted her horse. The others of the party all did the same but me. I still stood gazing in awe at the groom, who during Jean H. Hall’s little speech had stuffed into his mouth, two piping hot rolls. At last I came to my senses when I heard the gleeful voice of Harold Hall (Jean ' s younger brother and general nuisance) call out teasingly, “Oh Tim you’ve got to ride Lady, you’ve got to ride Lady ’cause I ' ve got Dixie, tee hee!” Ye Gods and Little Fishes! My heart dropped like a lump of lead to the soles of my feet ! Ride Lady ! Why she was the slowest horse in the stable, and here all the morning I had been just aching to ride! Not just go, but ride! I couldn’t have Dixie, for well I knew that young vagabond, Hall, would never give her up while he was in tantalizing mood ! Plead, beg, or bribe, I knew nothing could stir him so I decided not to try, but calmly mounted that old, worn out, half don- key-like nag, termed “Lady.” “All set?” called the groom. “All set!” came the general chorus, which drowned out my emphatic, “No!” And before I could settle myself in the saddle the others were half way down the road, while her Ladyship was calmly partaking of the grain set aside for the work horses. Trying hard not to lose my temper, I spoke soothing words into her long, lopped ears. But she heard not! Sud- denly I remembered the sugar which I had bought for Dixie. Leaning over I stuffed two large lumps into her mouth. These she devoured greedily, and I guess they must have brought her back to earth for she seemed to discover that the other horses had gone on ahead, so we started off at a slow trot. When we reached the main street