Balmoral Hall School - Optima Anni Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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15 direction in which they were travelling. We should be in the wood soon, he thought, then perhaps the trees will shelter us a littlef' The fierce wind and blinding snow were not the only diiliculties facing Doctor McGarther, for he began to feel sleepy, then strange, weird thoughts entered his mind, and the monotonous white wall of snow was becoming a burden to his eyes. Often, when he felt drowsy, his wife's face appeared before the sled in a mirage. As they passed through the woods, the force of the wind was broken to some extent, but another danger arose. Great piles of snow falling from the trees would often land in the sled. Molly halted when she came to the creek at the edge of the tree line, but with a word of encouragement from her master, she proceeded cautiously to cross the frozen ice. john said a silent prayer for the horse's safety. No sooner had he finished, than Molly's right foot slipped and she tumbled on the ice with a dreadful cry of pain, sending the doctor sprawling too. Uninjured, john staggered to his feet. He took a bottle of ether from his bag and approached old Molly, who was lying in anguish. Reluctantly, he poured out the contents, knowing that a horse with a broken leg in a growing blizzard, and five miles from the nearest shelter, would have had no chance of survival. Now the problem of his own survival faced McCarther. Shall I go on, or return home? He pondered a moment, then decided to continue, for again devotion to his work gave him renewed courage. Walking was dillicult and slow without snow' shoes, so John travelled very little distance in the next hour. His legs ached from the cold and with each step he sank down into the deep drifts. Again he felt the temptation to sleep, but with the thought of the sick woman waiting for him, he plunged onwards in the raging storm in a semi' conscious state. Gradually his courage and physif cal strength weakened, his limbs became immovable, and the doctor's will to live faded as sleep conf quered his exhausted frame. An anxious week of worry passed for Agnes McCarther, wondering if her husband would return or if he were lying dead in the snow. When these doubts could be contained within her soul no longer, she resolved to tell the next visitor. A few days later, a party of neighbors was formed and the task of finding Doctor McCarther began. Not until spring was the body found. It lay one quarter of a mile from its destination. Yes. Doctor John McCarther, like so many of the early settlers, had lost the battle against the forces of nature. MARGARET Goonna, Grade IX Liberty Our lot was servant to the King And nobles. We dressed in rags of dirt and grime And filth. All men worked hard, and harder still, But starved. Because the King loved riches well, We suffered. Then bitterness became too great To bear. Gut hate gave strength unto our arms At last. And so, with hate, we started out To slay All those oppressors. One by one They fell, Their blood looked red upon our knives And swords. Revenge was sweet, and grew unchecked. We watched The guillotine give up her dead With glee, And cry for more to bring her axe Upon. And now so many years have passed, And men can work with mind and hand, We're proud we fought for liberty, In this our free and prosperous land. MARGARET FISHER, Grade IX Intermediate Literary Competition Prize Poem Rainy Days The ground was saturated, and still the rain pelted down on the small farm buildings. In the fields, the cows tried to graze on the soggy grass, The hens huddled in the henhouse to keep them' selves warm, their heads under their wings. Old farm cats and little kittens sulked in the barn, while two pups hid under the tractor in the only dry spot they could find. But inside the toolfshed no one was idly waiting for the rain to stop. The farmer was mending a harness, his sons were building a trough for the chickens, and the hired man hammered at a dent in the fender of the new combine. You may have no use for this kind of weather, remarked the farmer to the old collie who was gazing forlornly through the doorway, but we have. When else would we get all these jobs done? And besides, just think how the corn will be shooting up in a day or two after this! No, we couldn't do without a few rainy days. BETTY Nicol., Grade VIII

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14 On Being a Wallflower Only those with true Wallflower tendencies can achieve perfection in this art. The predestined Wallflower can be detected by her unimposing entrance and her hasty withdrawal to a dark corner of the dance floor. Despite her shyness, she has high hopes for a glorious evening, with men fighting for each dance. But two unhappy hours later, the dream of even one dance diminishes and her spirits wilt. The Wallflower sneaks furtively home, unnoticed and unescorted. She continues, however, to go to dances, as only real Wallflowers do. Since each occasion ends in the same way, the young potential acquires one of two predominant traits, She may either sit in Victorian straightness, her unseeing eyes peering directly ahead, or she may assume a look of challenge, daring any boy to ask her to dance. Both of these habits frighten away any possible escort. But these disheartening experiences become easier to bear, and it is when the Wallflower looks forward to a dance for other than dancing that she becomes an acknowledged professional. Many people find this difficult to believe. They cannot understand why anyone, however dull, would not want to dance. Obviously they are not Wallflowers, hard, callous Wallflowers. It is some time before the girl realizes this change in herself. She only knows that she has become quite an authority on the styles of various orchestras and the specialties of several caterers. She may even find herself smiling faintly when she notices a blonde, definitely peroxided, wiggling excessively in a black clinging sheath. Another source of amusement occurs when a jiver slips on the highly polished danceffloor, sustaining a nasty fall. But the Wallflower's greatest triumph in ballf room observation comes when she learns to classify men. Those who brush past her, their inflated egos almost visible, she places in category one, The Great I Amsf' This type she can tell at a glance by their swagger and debonair manner. In class two, are the males who walk up to her, filling her Wallflower heart with hope, and choose the belle behind her. She despises these men utterly and names them 'lThe Sneaksf' The Weaklingsu are the third group. They are the species who start towards her, pause, take another step, peer closely and in a wild, uncontrolled movement, rush in the opposite direction. The above types of men the Wallflower ignores, but there is a fourth for whom she has only contempt. They are entitled The Herd. These despicable creatures, the lowest in male life, in her opinion, cling together in a small knot, disregarding all girls. It has never been decided whether they are frightened to walk alone across the dance floor or whether they abhor the entire female sex. Whichever it is, the Wall' flower considers them cowards and smiles her grim smile as they leave, en masse, for the supper table. But the ascetic life of every Wallflower must end when a man, impervious to her glare or in an equally desperate situation, chooses her to be his waltz partner. Then she will dance from the Wallflower ranks, she will smile again, and, being merely mortal, she will forget her sisters and will scorn them. LINDA RIDDBLL, Grade XI Blizzard of Death Life in early Canada was not easy. It involved many hardships and heartbreaks. Settlers lived and died to build this nation, and Doctor Mc' Carther was among the most courageous. He and his family lived in a small village in Quebec. One typical midfwinter day snow fell steadily against the McCarther's primitive homestead, and the wind rattled the doors. Doctor McCarther finished packing his coonskin kit and pulled on his old beaver coat. He had just received an urgent message from a neighbour that the mother of new homesteaders was seriously ill. His wife looked at him anxiously and urged, Dear, hadn't you better wait at least another day until the storm dies down? You know Molly's footing isn't very secure in deep snow. No, he replied firmly, I am in good health and strong enough to make the trip even if the horse fails. All calls for medical aid, no matter when they came or where they would take him, were vitally important to john McCarther, and he never allowed such a difliculty as had weather to stop him. Having kissed his family goodbye, he opened the door and started towards the shed where Molly was waiting. A biting gust of wind greeted him, stinging his leathery skin, and blinding his eyes for a moment. The first few miles were the worst, since the roads had disappeared under the drifting snow, and direction could not be determined. He realized that Molly would have to follow the route to French's creek by instinct. Constantly the horse stumbled, jerking the sled and almost throwing her passenger into the snow. The violent wind blew drifts of snow into the open sled, so McCarther, with only a fur blanket and heavy clothing for warmth, pulled the cover more tightly around his legs and shouted encouraging words to the old horse. His clothing and cover soon became inadequate. His face and feet were frozen numb and a chill was gradually spreading through his very bones. While wind and snow continued to beat against the doctor, and no sign of the woods could be seen, McCarther became doubtful of the

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16 Winter's Night Cold moon stares on white expanse And watches Renard's sly advance, Whirling wisps of snow appear As rabbits leap the drifts in fear, Snowy flakes to blanket all Like stars from heaven gently fall. Soon the trees begin to wail, CThey're telling of a winter's galejg Treetops in the wind are toss'dg The moon behind the clouds is lost. Now the snow falls thick and fast, Driven by the tempest's blast. When the night at last gives way Before the pleasant light of day, What an artist could have done With bright blue sky and redden'd sun, And the little chickadees Afflitting through the frosty trees! PATRICIA McMAi-ioN, Grade VIII All That Glitters . . . Madeleine waited until her father was com- fortably settled with his coffee before bringing up the matter that had been uppermost in her mind all through dinner. L'Dad, there is a conference in New York this Easter, she began, wand all the dramatic clubs are sending two representatives to it. Miss Sparling said I was a possibility for one of ours, and that I should ask you if I could go. May I? Please? Mr. Smith would not give an immediate answer. He had a methodical mind, and wanted to know who would be in charge, details of the plans, and other things which were, to Madeleine, quite trivial. However, she promised to find the answers to these questions since without them the idea was obviously not to be considered. The next day there was a meeting of the Dramatic Club, when Miss Sparling gave them more details about the proposed trip. To Made' leine's dismay, her archfrival, Jane Patterson, was very interested in it, and, furthermore, her parents had apparently consented without reservation to her going. If that isn't just like her, thought Madeleine bitterly. 'lShe always gets everything she wants. Well, this is one time when she is going to have to earn it! The teacher explained that to qualify for the trip, each person would have to achieve good marks while learning a part from a play to demon' strate his acting ability. The choice would also be made on the basis of the person's ability to work with others, she added. Madeleine resolved to be pleasant to Jane Patterson at all costs. By dint of ceaseless persuasion, she wrung her parents' consent from them, thus surmounting obstacle Number One. Obstacle Number Two presented a greater difficulty, however, for it concerned that old bugbear, money. The Little Theatre of Hamilton had agreed to pay the railway fares, but that still left the hotel bill. Mr. Smith promised to meet Madeleine halffway on that, and so she began to work towards her goal. Babyfsitting seemed the most logical way to earn the money, and so almost every evening saw her putting a neighbourhood child to bed. When her homework was done, she spent the evenings learning the part of Portia in the court scene from The Merchant of Venice. The day for the test came at last. All morning, lines from the play kept flitting through her mind, but, try as she would, she could not conjure up the whole part. Several times Madeleine came in for rebukes for inattention, and her answers to questions were far enough off the track to bring a gleam into jane Patterson's eyes. At two o'clock she went to the hall, with her knees knocking like castanets. Once she had begun the opening line, however, Madeleine lost herself in the part as she always did. As soon as she had finished, she returned to class and tried to prepare herself for the possible forthcoming disappointment. When the bell finally rang for assembly, every' one's excitement had reached fever pitch. The teacher came straight to the point, saying, We have had a very difficult time choosing from among our excellent candidates, but we have decided that the two who deserve this trip most are David Atkinson and Madeleine Smith. Amid the burst of clapping that followed, Madeleine sat in a happy daze while her friends congratulated her. The remaining two weeks before their def parture flew by. With the financial problem now overcome, Madeleine's thoughts turned to clothes. Mr. Smith hovered suspiciously in the background while several outfits were made, and he was at last persuaded to let her have a new party dress. An added surprise was the gift of a pair of diamond ear' rings from her aunt, to wear with the new dress. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were astonished at such ex' travagance, but Madeleine accepted the gift calmly. After all, she had been chosen to go to New York, and so nothing seemed impossible. Her parents watched her leave with mixed feelings, secrectly hoping that all this unaccustomf ed attention would not spoil their daughter. The week in New York passed in a whirlwind of dramatic classes, sightfseeing, shopping, and meeting people. On their last night they went to the opening performance of a new Broadway play. When they returned to the hotel and were pgeparing for bed, Madeleine suddenly gave a s riek.