Dover High School - Tiger Yearbook (Dover, NJ)

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THE TIGER lived for daily. You see Jimmy had never had any mother, and the few girls he had known were artificial and unnatural. Here was a rose, a flower which he had found too late. Day by day the fabric of Destiny grew. Then came news which the town waited for all year. The annual Rose Ball was to be held in the great hall at Roseview. It was to be a masquerade and all the townsfolk were invited. Jimmy hired a handsome Louis XIV period costume and set forth. Roseview was ablaze of lights and a babble of voices. Music issued from a rose bower at one end of the hall and dancers, resolved to its sweet strains. Priscilla’s parents welcomed all comers with grace and sincerity. Jimmy, formalities over, masked himself and set out to find Priscilla. Soon he spied her, a picture in a puffy hoop skirt, white wig and black mask. He secured five dances with alacrity, these being all she could spare because of so many other guests. Between dances with Priscilla, Jimmy stared at a figure dressed as a trapper which seemed some how familiar, yet he could not place it. This man was engaged in earnest conversation with Priscilla’s parents— and so he gave up. The hour grew late, refreshments were over and the time for the last dance approached. He was scheduled to dance it with Priscilla. Half way through he stopped and led her into the garden. Really she was the only girl and he must tell her so, even tho’ she banished him forver, “Miss Priscilla, Priscilla, the time has come when I must tell you that you are the most wonderful person that I have ever known among woman kind. “You have a heart, and so I will tell you all, then you may take me or leave me as you wish.” “Just a minute, Mr. Fosdick,” said Priscilla, her blue eyes snapping with mystery, “Did you ever hear of a young man named James Walker?” “W-h-a-t?” cried Jimmy. “He had some trouble with a car, hit a cop and ran away, I believe,” went on the unruffled Priscilla. “The police are still looking for him,” quoth she, a pause as Jimmy stood before her tense and shaken—“to tell him that the cop was only stunned.” The earth rose and fell, birds seemed to sing inside Jimmy. He turned to Priscilla, opened his mouth to speak but she held up a dainty hand and said “Come.” Into the house they went and opening a door for him she gently shoved him in. Yes, it was dear old dad, in the trapper suit. After an hour of heart to heart talking Jimmy’s dad said, “Young man if you don’t get me a daughter-in-law soon, I’ll cut you off without a cent,” and he winked broadly. “Watch me,” cried Jimmy. He found Priscilla and hurried to the garden, “As I was saying before,” he began—then—“Say, how did you know Pago 23

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THE TIGER her the layout of the town. Thus it came about that Jimmy under the name of Robert Fosdick took up life in a country town and Destiny was still weaving. On the morning that Jimmy donned his nice blue suit he began to feel for the first time in his young life that he was living, that here was something vital that he had missed. He set off down the street, a swinging handsome figure, whistling merrily to himself, his blue eyes twinkling with content. For two hours he dropped letters in boxes, blew his whistle, and conjoled numerous and omnious dogs into good humor, then he turned to his bag. A paper for Miss Priscilla Thurston, hm, cute name—Roseview Place, West Heights. He looked into his bag once more, ten letters and seven cards for the young lady. My! A little boy gave him the direction and with the last of his mail Jimmy set off at top speed. He followed a pretty lane for a quarter of a mile and then he saw what might have been the turrets of a feudal castle in the distance. As he neared the estate he saw a magnificent ivy clad building surrounded by a high iron fence. He was at the back of the place and he entered through a gate evidently used by breadwinners like himself. Jimmy was now in a neat and well kept garden, filled with tall bushes in bloom, and twists and turns in general. Whistling gaily to himself Jimmy swung around another bush and stopped dead. On a marble bench sat a girl, the most amazing one he had ever seen. She wore some sort of sky blue fluffy thing that was the exact shade of her eyes. Her hair fell over her shoulders in billows and it was—red. Not the red that hurts your eyes, but Titian and god blended. She wore blue stockings and her trim little feet were encased in patent leathers. Beside her in contrast to her glowing face sat a homely, wiggley bull pup. “Good morning,” chirped the young lady, “have you some mail for me? “I crave your pardon,” said Jimmy, hat in hand, “I didn’t know this I— er thought—” “Excuse my hair,” she said, “I just had a shampoo and this sunlight was so beautiful I came out here to dry it. Sit down won’t you? This was always Mr. Peabody’s last stop and I used to chat with him every morning.” Jimmy astounded beyond words that this rich young woman should be so democratic, so lacking in snobbishness, was more than he could grasp, but he sat down. “Here is a card from a friend of mine from France, I love France don’t you?” “It certainly is beautiful,” quoth Jimmy' with much enthusiasm. “You have been there?” she queried quickly. “Oh, you see, why er—that is I see the pictures on the cards I deliver,” gulped Jimmy, almost biting his tongue for betraying his identity. Thus began an acquaintance which Jimmy Page 22

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•THE TIGER who I was?” “How did I know?” repeated Priscilla innocently, “Why my first clue was your stall about seeing France only on post cards and remember the newspaper that you brought the first day? Well, after you had gone I opened it and there you were looking right at me. I knew from the first.” Aw, now what could a nice young fellow like Jimmy Courtney Walker do. Anyhow Dad got his new daughter-in-law that October. .....................M. Toye. I age 24