Bourne High School - Canal Currents Yearbook (Bourne, MA)

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CANAL CURRENTS, BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL to go through, that romantic, ex- citing time when older people, especially men who treat them importantly, appeal to them. An- nette was at this very stage now and so far there had been exact- ly three of them in her life, a retired polo-player, a grizzled war veteran, and a long-forgot- ten matinee idol. They were all nearly old enough to be her fath- er and took no special notice of her, yet she imagined herself madly in love with each of them. It never lasted more than three or four weeks at a time. Then it would wear off and she would act more natural again. Anyway, Annette’s mother was getting a little tired of the whole matter and like most mod- ern mothers of today, had a ready remedy for this problem of her daughter’s. It had never come into the spoiled girl’s mind to wonder why her mother and father had consented so quickly when she expressed her desire to spend the holiday at a night club of all places! They were both middle-aged, reserved, and re- tiring but tonight was New Year’s Eve and anything could happen. At last they were there, the great lights of the “Silver Slip- per” illuminating the whole block. Inside, all was noise and laughter, crowds, music, dancing, and much confetti. Somehow they reached a table and An- nette in her glory, a smile wreathing her face, flopped into a chair. “This is the life,” she thought and gazed happily around her. After a while, her mother and father joined the dancers and she was left alone sipping her ginger-ale, happy just to be there in the midst of it all. Soon her parents returned bringing with them — goodness, bringing with them the most dis- tinguished looking man she had ever seen! He was about 30, tall and slender, with finely chiseled features and a tiny mustache. His hair was dark brown con- taining faint white streaks at the temples which added to his attractiveness. “Could this be the friend whom Mother had mentioned?” she wondered vaguely as they threaded their way to her. Sure enough, his name was Rodney Townes (he was a native of England) and his first words were, “Why Jane, you never told me that you had such a grown-up and and pretty daughter.” From then on Annette was stricken. She felt a bit dizzy and warm. When he spoke to her she was unable to answer him with the “cute” retorts which had always been so ef- fective with the boys she knew. When he asked her to dance she knew the height of happiness. He was a perfect dancer, guiding her about without any apparent effort while telling her of his experiences in Egypt and she listened in breathless wonder. It was 11:45. Soon it would be midnight and waiters were dis- tributing paper hats, horns, con- fetti, and streamers to the pat- rons. Annette set her little hat at a rakish angle. Her mother and father followed suit and Rodney, not to be outdone, donned his. It was a ridiculous paper thing and when the band began to play “Auld Lang Syne” and Rodney began to blow his Page Seventeen

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CANAL CURRENTS, BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL The Lesson Slowly and critically, for the fifth consecutive time, Annette Wilson surveyed herself in the long glass of her walnut dress- ing-table. What she saw there was a reflection that any young girl her age might well be proud of, and, in the words used more than once to describe her, proved to be “not bad, not bad at all.” A slim, sophisticated girl of about 17, clad in evening-dress, gazed back at her from a pair of very big, china-blue eyes. They were fringed with thick, black lashes, contrasting sharply with her bright yellow hair which was “done” in the latest Parisian style — high on her head and gathered there in a cluster of bright, golden curls. Her face was heart-shaped and although her nose was pert and small, making her seem a little child- ish, yet she had a knowing, proud, woman-of-the-world air about her. The dress was one like those she had always dreamed of own- ing, plain, black, slinky, and a little bit daring — so different from those awful pink things that were all sash and ruffles, and which she hated so! For tonight she was grown-up! Oh how long she had waited for tonight to come and now it had come. It was New Year’s Eve and she was going with Mother and Dad to a real, honest-to- goodness night club. No “infants” would be there and she would never be embar- rassed as she was when Joe Hodges took her to the school dance in February and stepped on her dress with his big clumsy feet and persisted in calling her “toots” or “kid” whenever any- one older was within earshot. After that, “Ophelia”, his relic of a car in which they were sup- posed to ride home and which she had implored him to park down a side street, “froze up” on him and she was obliged to wait a whole hour, her feet numb with the cold, before he had thawed “’er” out and they were chugging slowly home. What if Joe was the captain of the foot- ball team and she was eyed with envy by all the other girls? But she was much too old for that now and she would think no more about it. “Annette, Annette dear!” Sharply her mother called from her bedroom and Annette, for- getting her high heels, inter- rupted her thoughts to rush across the hall turning her ankle sharply. “Annette,” her mother began, “I nearly forgot to men- tion that we are to meet an old friend of your father’s and mine tonight. He has traveled a great deal and written several books on Egyptian relics.” Her mother was tall, and middle-aged, with regular features and graying hair. Annette’s face lit up. “Of course, Mother,” she answered, remembering once — was it only four short months ago? — when she had, with the aid of two of her friends, let the air out of the tires of a car belonging to another of her father’s friends whom she termed a “fossil”. What had changed her views on life and caused her to grow up so quickly? Perhaps it is a stage that all girls are destined Page Sixteen

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CANAL CURRENTS, BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL little tin horn, unaware that her mother was watching her close- ly, Annette had a fleeting thought that he looked a bit silly — but what was she think- ing? Perhaps she was tired. When Rodney had bid her a reluctant good-bye with a prom- ise to visit her the following Monday (he was staying at a hotel in town for the week) and they started for home it was 2 A. M. and Annette was a bit glad to get away from all the noise. In the car she squeezed her mother’s hand. “I’m so happy,” she sighed. “Mother looks a lit- tle worried,” she thought vague- ly but comforted herself with the thought that she too was tired. At school the next few days Annette, called upon more than once by the teacher was caught gazing dreamily out of the win- dow. On Monday afternon she wait- ed patiently, dressed in her best. When at last his large tan road- ster drove up to the house she saw that he had another lady with him. She was about his age, well-dressed, and cleverly “made-up”. Annette admitted that they made a handsome couple. It was like a nightmare when she heard those fateful words but she could think about it now and even laugh a little over it. Rodney was saying, “This is my wife — Gladys.” The world seemed to tumble about her and for a moment she thought that she would faint. Strange that she hadn’t imagined him married before. It was almost impos- sible! Then a great noise was heard outside and the front door opened wide. It was Joe Hodges (dear old Joe). He poked his big bulk inside and yelled, “Hey An- nette, c’mon for a ride.” Making a few hasty apologies to her guests, she rushed out into the waiting “Ophelia” and they chugged noisily off. Rodney, upon leaving stood for a moment staring fixedly at his car. It looked a bit strange, and why? — All four tires were flat to the ground! Dolly Federici, ’39. Driving Carefully Today many lives are lost as a result of automobile accidents throughout the United States. Most of these accidents are due to reckless driving. Some drivers continue to vio- late the rules of safe driving, and not until an accident oc- curs, killing or injuring some- one, do such drivers realize the necessity of obeying traffic laws. Recently on the Cape one man was killed when a car went off a curve at high speed, crashed into a telephone pole and rolled down a bank. Such accidents have occurred again and again, and most certainly could have been prevented by more careful driving. We are indeed thankful to man who has given to us auto- mobiles, a great means of trans- portation. All men should co- operate in making this a safe means of transportation. Georgia Christopulos, ’40. Page Eighteen