Conneaut High School - Tattler Yearbook (Conneaut, OH)

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12 THE TATTLER “No, I don’t think I need your help,” snapped Austin. Halton without a word left the room. “Why did you speak to him like that?” asked Wilson. “You know that a little help might be the means of our getting through.’ “I don’t need the help of a man who has worked for Heyward Hi,” was the answer. “But he is a Morton man, now,” protested Wilson. “Yes, he is trying to get on our track team, and who knows that he will not throw the meet to Heyward if he succeeds.” “No, I think you are mistaken. He would not do that.” Soon after Wilson left the room and a few minutes later he was at Halton’s making what apologies he could for the rudeness of his friend and preparing for a systematic “cram” in geometry under Halton’s directions. On the next day Austin needed but one glance to tell him that he would not pass the examination, but he had learned on the athletic field never to give up while there was yet a chance. So he plunged doggedly into the study of lines and planes. But when the allotted time was up Austin handed in his paper without a regret, although he had finished but four out of the seven required problems. He left the class without a word to any one, and later in his own room tried to reconcile himself to seeing the meet as a spectator, for he knew that he would not be allowed to take part. In the evening Austin walked around to the hall where the marks were posted, not because of any interest in his own mark, but to see if Wilson had fared any better than himself. His face lighted up when he saw that Harold was among the “eligibles.” Perhaps he (Wilson) with a few others who were working bard for a place on the team could carry off the victory. If only Halton could be depended upon, if only he had been mistaken about him, perhaps he was mistaken. Such thoughts as these filled Austin’s mind as he read off the names. He smiled bitterly when he noted his own mark of fifty-six. Besides these names were the names of those who were to meet at the gym on the next morning to receive their final instructions before the contest. Wilson, Strong, Halton, but. Ned could go no further. He could endure not being on the team, but to read the name of another in the place that should have been his was more than he could endure. The morning of the meet dawned bright and fair. It seemed as if even the weather were interested in the day that was the most important of the school year to every member of the twm schools. At least everything turned out to be favorable for the event. Everyone of Morton Hi was on the Morton field line before the time set for the first event. Although there were many regrets that Austin, the school's ravorite, could not enter, yet nothing could for long keep down the soirits of the school on that day. Morton had not long to wait before the Heyward team, accompanied by hundreds of loyal fans, anpeared on the scene. While the two teams were dressing for the meet, the members of the rival schools carried on a miniature battle to see which could cheer the loudest. This was kept up until the contestants lined up for the first event, the quarter mile, then both sides in their intense interest forgot to cheer. Heyward won the quarter mile, but thanks to thegood work of Halton and Wilson, the score stood even before the last event., the half mile. In this Halton of

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THE TATTLER 11 pill for the boys to swallow, for one week later they mounted the platform in chapel and made their humble apology. They had missed one whole week of school and were thus ineligible for athletics. They spent but few nights at the “Red Star’’ for the next two weeks, for if they wished to play in the championship game on Thanksgiving they had to be up in their studies. Tuesday their lessons were all in, Thursday was to be the big day. A terrible suspense reigned in the minds of the boys all day Wednesday but that night after receiving a severe lecture in the office they were given permission to play. The next day as the team was journeying to the “Shipyard City,’’ “Micky” turned to Jite, who sat beside him, and said, “Well, kid, I guess we got out of that pretty slick.” They entered the game that day with all the vim they had and in the last game of the season “Micky” carried the pigskin over the goal for C. H. S. NED AUSTIN’S MISTAKE. A. W. Spring had come and with it that irresistible longing to be out of doors, linked with that peculiar dreaminess, which every one has felt. So it happened that the attention of many of the solid geometry class at Morton High wandered from the face of Professor Welsch to the beauties without. But suddenly all were brought back to life by his words: “As you all know,” he was saying, “it is a rule that no one shall take part in our annual track meet who oes not have a passing mark in all his studies. In order to ascertain who will be allowed to take part in our coming meet there will be a geometry exam tomorrow.” Astonishment could be seen in every face for this, an old rule, had never been enforced and there wrere many doubts as to the rating of some of the best men. Morton Hi and Heyward Hi had been the most bitter rivals since the time when the old confederate soldier, Major Heyward, had founded a school, and Colonel Morton, a Union man, had founded another near by Founded by enemies, it was not strange that they were rivals, and it han pened that the annual track meet was the scene of many a hotly contested struggle. This year Morton, anxious to wipe out a defeat of the year before, was making every effort to win. The announcement of the geometry exam was especially unpleasant to Ned Austin and Harold Wilson. These young men, while not brilliant in their studies, were the main strength of the track team. As they left the room together they were met by the Morton coach. Calling them to one side tibe coach addressed them, “You fellows must see to it that yon pass that geometry exam tomorrow. You know that I depend on you and Halton to win that coming meet. Professor Welsch tells me that there is no danger that Halton will fail, but he is not so sure about you.” The coach noticed the scowl that passed over Austin’s face as Halton’s name was mentioned, and sighed as he turned away. He knew that the hardest task a coach has is to making a winning team out of men who do not trust each other. That night Ned and Harold were in Ned’s room when some one knocked. “Come in,” Ned called out, and Halton stepped into the room. “I thought perhaps you fellows would like a little help on your Geom. You must not fail, you know.”

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Till: TATTLER IS Morton and Brush of Heyward were the contestants. Both runners were side by side until almost to the end, when Halton made one last effort and crussed the line ahead, winning the meet for Morton. There are no words to describe the scene as Morton Hi rushed out on the field and lifted Halton, the hero of the day, to their shoulders and carried him about the field. Among the foremost of this bunch of joyous students was Ned Austin and as Halton, finally having gotten away from his excited classmates long enough to get into his street clothes, started for his room, Austin walked along beside him. “Halton,” he was saying, “I have been mistaken about you. Can you forget it and be my friend?” “Don’t mind that,” answered Halton, “and,” he added, “If you need any help on that geometry before the final exam, come around.” “All right,” called back Ned as they parted. “I will be around tonight.” And the coach, who had overheard part of the conversation, smiled, and thought of the victory that these two working together might win another year. BURLAPP’S BUSY BEES. C. M. The name of Bohunkus Burlapp is not very well known in this section of the country, as this learned gentleman has not yet attained his ideal of becoming famous. From an early age he had become interested in the cutlivation of unnatural and extraordinary varieties of common vegetation. Among his many achievements, have been the producing on rose bushes of apples, that tasted like lemons, and producing peach trees, that bore fruit six weeks after planting them from seed. Mr. Burlapp was a man of about fifty years of age, he was tall and angular, and usually wore large green spectacles, and side-burns. Another important part of his make-up, was his habit of lapsing into fits of absent-mindedness, while propounding in his mind his great undertakings. A story is told that in one of these lapses, while waiting for a train to take him to the city, he, thinking that he had left his watch at home, took the aricle in question from his pocket to see whether he had time to go back after it, before the arrival of the train. He. however, pointed to these lapses with pride, for was this not a characteristic of the noted scientists of the day? One bright summer afternoon, while walking through the country, as was his usual custom, this being the only exercise he would allow himself, he became interested in watching the bees gathering honey from the flowers. Thus far in his career he had ventured in his experiments only in the realm of plants, but by watching these insects the idea became lodged in -his mind of the possibility of cultivating animals as well as plants, and especially, did he think about the possibilities of improving upon the bee, so as to render it more efficient in its work. He became so lost in the contemplation of this, that sitting down in the shade of a near by tree, the better to think, he was soon lost to the world in the study of this one idea. He remained in this state until after dark, when he was startled, almost to death, by a lightning bug flying directly in front of his eyes. It then appeared as if something had entered bis mind, for he took out a much .