Central High School - Brecky Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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ACDOUGAL THOMPSON, owner and founder of Highville's greatest perpetrator of noise, smoke, and sugar delicacies, the mighty Thompson's Tasty Tempties, Inc., stood on the top floor of his creation and glared out the window. Far below, gently rocking and knitting and listening to the birds twittering in the gnarled apple tree in her front yard, sat the object of his attention, Grandma Clemens. On all sides of Grandma's rambling, ivy-covered house, Highville traffic roared: and harrassed Highville business men, laborers, and factory hands hurried past her white picket gate. Takes up half a block l Thompson said angrily. It exasperated him, though he grinned inwardly in spite of himself, to see that shack squatting calmly in the middle of its green lawn, while all Highville battered at its gates. Good grief, what makes that woman so stub- born! WVe've offered her twenty time what the property's worth. All the other holders are under our thumb, yet expansion is held up be- cause of-of that old . . . Thompson stopped in irritation. Henry Jones, first vice-president and general Thompson stooge, sat on Thompson's desk and chewed a toothpick. No mortgage! Nothing ! he said gloomily. I tell you, R. T., it's no use. Are you sure she was offered as much as I specified ? Went to see her myself. Henry shifted his toothpick. Even took the liberty of raising it a couple. I'm telling you, she doesn't need money. She's as rich as Croesus. And she won't sell. Don't hand me that. Everything has its price. Well, not old lady Clemens. I had a hard time getting her to even talk about selling. And you should hear her line about the poor children whose fresh air and sunshine are cut off by this factory. Phewl Thompson almost grinned. She's got pluck, though, at that, hasn't she P he said, half to him- self, then aloud, What's she holding on to the S Qihzz if Se!! DONNA HILL '40 place for, anyway? If she's got so much money, why doesn't she use a little of it? Move out to the country, set up a decent place ? Sentiment, Henry told him. Property was her mother's and her grandmother's. Thompson remembered that he was angry. And because of that, Tasties loses an opportunity in a million l Well, it can't be helped. Henry shrugged. Thompson snatched up his hat. Maybe YOU can't help it! Seems to me I'm the only one around here who can DO anything ! He slammed the door. You can't DO anything about this, R. T., Henry said, after him. 1 He stood at the window until Thompson came out of the building, far below. He watched with a slight grin as the boss crossed through the heavy traffic, opened Mrs. Clemens' gate, and walked with angry strides up her stone walk. Ex- pecting momentarily to see Thompson emerge. Henry still stood there: but the moments length- ened into a half hour, and the half hour into another. Still no Thompson appeared. He must be doing better than I thought he would. She didn't ask me to stay that long. Henry settled down with a magazine, to wait. At last the door opened, and Thompson ap- peared behind a wide grin. VVell, R. T., Henry greeted him, how'd you make out ? . Henry, you don't know what you've missed until you've tasted her apple pie! And listen, Thompson said admiringly, I'm not so sure she isn't right about those poor kids, either. She has some ideas as to how to improve their environment that sound good. Why, do you realize what havoc Tempties. . . I Sure, sure, I heard all that when I was there, Henry said. But come on. You must have ac- complished somethingg you were there almost four hours. Did you buy the property P Buy the property l Thompson stared incredul- ously. Good grief, no, man! She bought Tasty Temptiesln THE REVIEW l27l

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mazmzicuz Gffbfefics BARBARA THAI, '40 lfullvliu fIif'l.t' .S'jm1'l.v. ES, girls' sports are looking up! A'hle- tics for young women have certainly come a long way, even within the past decade. Not many years ago, any lady seen wearing a gym suit was frowned upon--to put it mildly! Early gym teachers had all this to cope with, and thus sports for women have not had thc opportunity which was offered to men. Yet women demfurled. along with suffrage, other things which they needed, and one was exercise! Of course, girls' athletics can't hope to vie with men's as far as popularity is concerned-yet! The male species has been fooled before, though, so one can't tell what may happen. ln all this progress in the line of ffirls' sports. Central has been in the lead. VVe now have ou of the largest sports curricula of all the high schools of the District of Columbia. Tile are the onlv senior high school in the eitv which has a swimming pool that can be used during the winter -and Central girls use it, too! However, there is one off-kev note in the nrrls' of all this optimism. Manv girls enter Centra' pre-armed with a doctor's excuse. merelv because thev don't like the idea of hanging bv ropes. These eirls don't know of the other courses which are offered them, and manv of them never bother to find out. bringing their excuses instead. Those who discover too late these other activities in which thev might have participated, regret their earlier folly. Alreadv Central's swimming pool has been mentioned. lt is a definite factor in the decision of innumerable pupils to come to our fair school Many of the District's aonatic stars have gotten their start in Central's pool. G'rls who cannot swim but want to learn are enrol'ed i'1 a regular class. Those who can alreadv swim mav take diving and life-saving. or become swimmini' leaders. The latter two classes meet after schoo'. but swimming leaders help teachers with their regular swimming classes. There are many other after-school activities. of course, and one of the most popular is horse- THE Rnviisw E261 back riding. The fact that the riding takes pface in Takoma Park, Maryland, does not inconven- ience the girls at all, as transportation to and from school is provided by the Sligo Riding Academy. You young ladies who cau't dance and who think the bottom of your world is about to drop out, take heart! Central has a class in dancing which is restricted to those who are deficient in this social grace. There is also advanced dancing for those who are already schooled in the terpsi- chorean art. Golf is a favorite sport among Central's girls: each autumn and spring finds a s:ore or more out at the Rock Creek Golf Course. trving to hit the ball. When the weather is not suitable for golfing, the girls hie themselves to the Columbia Bowling Alleys for a game or two. One rather new feature at Central is field hockey. This course is not given after szhool, but during the second period. The game has taken Central girls more or less by storm. and last year three Centralites placed on the all-high hockey team. Then, naturally, there are those who 'pre'er regular gym to any of the other sports which the school has to offer. Girls who are outstanding in the various games and calisthenics become gym leaders. Their duties are similar to those of the swimming leaders. Gym leaders hold classes after school. During the year many tournaments are held which keep up the interest of the girls. Among these are paddle tennis, softball, badm?nton. volley ball, shuffle-board, tieldball. and regular tennis. Winners in these competitions receive a certain number of points toward their C's. There is a C Club at Central for girls who are interested in athletics and proficient in it. To be a member it is necessary to have won two small C's. From this brief resume, one can see that girls' sports have grown up. One side, men! W'e women are on the way!

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Glzcuzce 0 cz ghost- Zime CHARLOTTE DAVIS '41 T WAS midnight in a haunted house at the top of a crumbly hill. As the moon slithered past another cloud, a lonely traveler might have been seen wending his way in that direction. He was no ordinary traveler, certainly. Attired in a long robe of ectoplasm tastefully ornamented with the finest of blue lights and solid silver chains, he was no usual ghost. In fact, he was a spectre coming to 'spect the house which, so headquarters had reported, had fallen into the hands of the ghost of a poet, who was a little too inclined to let his hobby interfere with the serious business of haunting. Nasty night, reflected the spectre. Nasty night, and so cold. Such a long way to walk, too! And all for a house! Why, time was, a few hundred years ago, when I 'spected nothing but castles. Castles of princes, at that! But now they are very scarce. I'm lucky to get one as- signment in ten, and then they're usually museums where people think you're a machine. Well, hello! Here I am. At this he gave a second-class, No. 19284, division 5, blood-curdling moan and shook his chains. A few seconds later the door swung open, and he walked, or rather glided, in. The house had been built around 1850 and abandoned in 1905. There had been no murders, violent quarrels, suicides, nor accidents. There was nothing unusual about the house itself, and on the whole it was a pretty tough proposition for any ghost. But a poet! mumbled the spectre. Wasn't there any other place to put him ? The poet was clearly a young ghost and in- experienced, whose low degree and youth were shown by only one blue light of a poor quality. which did not flicker, and a single set of cast-iron chains. He bowed low and led his superior into the parlor. Not being one to mince words, the spectre came straight to the point. Now, see here, young man, he said. I don't like to say this but- well--I have been hearing some, shall we say, un- favorable reports of your ghosting. VVe expect THE Rrzvraw X281 high standards around here. I know this is a tough assignment, but I don't believe you're actually trying. Mortals are beginning to take all this for granted. Now, what's the matter ? Jasper, the poet, hung his head. I don't know, he said at last. Something seems to have gone out of my work. I was all excited when I first came here, the big promotion and all that. But now, here a tear trickled hown his cheek, I haven't heard a ghostly voice for months, and it's just the same old grind day after day, and I'm so lonely ! Well, well, see here, my boy ! replied the spectre, somewhat sharply. A good ghost is never lonely. A good ghost never has time to be lonely, he is always trying out new methods on stray mortals or practicing old ones. I daresay you haven't gone through your repertoire for days. How long has it been since you howled 2, first-