Barstow School - Weathercock Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

Page 15 text:

THE YEAR II lvlonday morning talks: blue lX4onday turned rose color. and never did a girl fail to reach her seat long before school had begung for who would linger on the way when good Queen Bess and her gallant Drake were due to visit us. who would miss a moment of College Life, or 'iSuffragettes, or Strikes? At last Father Christmas called for attention, and we were determined to give him such a welcome as he never received before. Prophets and shepherds came from the olden days. a host of heavenly angels swooped down from on high, singing joyous carols. and, with savory odors drifting 'round. came snowy cooks with cakes and ale to help us celebrate the Yule tide. But over all these festivities, a cloud had been hovering threateninglyg now it descended in earnest. The freshman's face no longer beamed from behind her desk top. the sophomore sternly faced the front of the room. the juniors sat silent and depressed. even the seniors grew morose and unsociable. Examinations were upon us. Wednesday the storm gatheredl Friday it lifted. as, paper by paper, the spell was being shaken off, and, altho' still dazed, we actually crept forth, at the end of the three days, into the sunlight again. Suddenly we came to our senses. The first term was ended! Eleven whole weeks of school had passed, and we had not felt the lapse of hours. Eleven whole weeks full of work and fun. And yet some pretend to think school a burden! And oh! how we welcomed it again, when it came as a peaceful release from two weeks of luncheons, dinners, dances. card parties, and teas.-all fun, but too much of it. Too snowy for basket-ball, too cold for hockey, or too wet for cross-country walks, what restful times we had. Then it was that we turned to our row of poets. We even enjoyed our lessons. It was fun to write stories, fun to read German and French, even fun to translate Virgil. We found we had minds as Jvell as bodies,-and we loved the discovery. Now must the Pretenders again come forth as gallant gentlemen in cocked hats, gay coats, and skirts, or fine ladies in middy- blouses, to enliven our conference period with vivid scenes from The Rivals. Kenilworth or 'iHenry Esmond. At this time we were not so entirely absorbed in our own selves that we failed to catch news of the Fuller sisters in Chicago. with their old ballads. Now we had studied those ballads, laughed at them, learned them, loved them, and here they were in their original form almost within our reach. And Miss Witham. who had hrst planted this affection in our minds, and knew how we would love to hear them, went to Chicago to bring them here, and within that very week we had the good fortune to hear those delightful folk songs and their still more delightful singers in memory of whom three groups of Lucca Della Robbias singing boys, now hanging in our upper hall, pour out strains of unheard melodies.

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,O THE XVliA'liI-USR-KIOCK Flavor of novelty to the daily routine of the new year. lhis. as some may have all-Cady gugggcd, was the first day of school. that sensational, chaotic. topsy-turvy day, when periods pass by all unrung. and rules are not yet born. But after these first few days, when thc shine was in danger of being a bit dulled, and the frost was beginning to bite the trees. came the call to arms. Yes, those were really hockey sticks in the gym! Be sure to put your names on them and look out for your s!1,ins. ' And the non-com- batants. if they would not play, had the exquisite pleasure each morning of watching their friends limp stifny into the Academic room, Having tried the mcttle of the brave newcomers by these knocks and blows, we resolved to test the others by another method. A cross- country run and dinner at the Winn farm was our decision. and the remark- able fortitude of this band in eating strawberry ice-cream covered with maple syrup. jelly, and salt, has been handed down as a vivid part of the school history. And through all this we had been getting acquainted. Now we were calling everyone by her first name, there were no longer any new girls, school was very much in danger of becoming ordinary routine. But the fates never have apportioned that lot to our school. Some elf had whispered in the ear of the calendar-maker. and Halloween was marked with a red letter for us, Needless to say, we seized upon it with all its possibilities. classes organized and made their sole aim in life concealment of Someihing from other classesg we carried lumpy and mysterious bundles from home to school and from school home: pianos and voices could be heard drum- ming out old familiar tunes, muffied by closed doors. The faculty seemed to jump backwards into their teens. altho' they couldn't seem to cease being the arm of the law. But who shall disclose the mysteries of that magic night? Then came basket-ball, and along with it the old wails for bloomers, middies, shoes, pins. ties and lost keys. Many and strange were the costumes that were wont to appear on our dusty oval,-marvelous head-dresses. and bachelor shoes, as one discouraged player dubbed her vari-colored footwear. And oh! the excitement of the nrst real game of the year. and the glorified triumph of the conquering sophomores, and that still more glorious victory, when, after weeks of Miss Dunlaps training. we for the first time vanquished an out-of-town school. and found that dread. mys- terious band from Miss Wests School in the end neither giants nor titans, but only girls like unto ourselves. Soon afterwards came a dawn when small. white envelopes were thrust into the hands of a favored few,-those well-known messengers, bringing joy, and fear. and surprise. For that body known as The Pre- tenders had been watching and choosing, Then began the custom of

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IZ THE Wiixi I iieiz-cock ln the meantime, the talent within the school itself was busy. Scenes from Dickens, compiled with great pains by our two tireless managers, was the Pretenders' choice for their llaster playi a choice which pleased both audience and actors. Never were there such jolly rehearsals, never were costumes assembled so quickly, or parts so easily learned. Une enthusiastic spectator exclaimed, Dickens himself couldnt have managed it better! Then again that awful monster, examinations, crept upon us. breathing dire threats and fearful prophecies. But with the end of school approaching, and our goal in sight, we prepared ourselves for the attack, and came out a conquering army. As if to celebrate our release, the peach and apple trees burst into foamy seas of pink and white, the bluebirds. robins, and meadow-larks came flocking from the south, and even the shy wild flowers peeped boldly through the fresh, green grass to greet our victory. And now we returned for the last time, nlled again with that noble resolution Unot to neglect a single lesson, and, for the few remaining weeks, to work as hard for our teachers as they had worked for us. A guardian saint was Sent to watch over us in our labors, our Shakespeare, of the calm, Uvietorious brow. Was it the ghost of a worried frown that Hitted over that brow, dear bard, when Baroness von Blomberg vainly tried to slander thee? Nay, we cannot believe that thou wouldst stoop to listen to such.folly. Thou smilest and art still, outtopping knowledge. Since the'winter term the Pretenders had been discussing the problem of a commencement play, now they decided to relinguish it in favor of the more glorious. and more laborious, pageant. None were more appreciative than ourselves of the great honor conferred upon us in giving us so great a part in this festival. Little did we realize, while we were admiring our beautiful costuming, and the whole exquisite coloring of 'ACalidore, how much care and thought it had taken to bring about the effects. Miss Witham searched New York as well as Kansas City, choosing and matching materials that, inexpensive in themselves, should give the effect of courtly splendor. Busy fingers worked day and night, clcvcr minds planned marvelous costumes, untiring workers produced shoes and shields, harness and banners. Truly we had every right to hold our heads high with pride, for what lady of Arthur's court ever steneilled her own dress, or what knight enameled his own shield? And now how soon will the day come when we must again, some of us for the last time, gather up our papers and bid good-bye to the dear shelf of poets, the singing boys, the novelists, NVill Shakespeare, and all our dear, familiar friends, who have watched us come and go, sometimes in basket-ball bloomers, again in evening gowns, sometimes in the splendid jewels and velvets of royalty. What matters it if lessons have at times