Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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THE Spirit: Thanks, Sabrina, your charms just litg In a mud puddle, dear, may you never sit. Come, maiden, fair and sweet, Come and dance to every beat, For I must go and leave you now To the woods of pine and balsam bow Where the other spirits dwell And fairies dance o'er hill and dell, There under sunny skies and golden moons The water nymph his love song croons And everyone is gay and free And sweet birds sing in every tree. V. Mills, L. Whitcomb, '26. ll How 1 BECAME HUMAN WAS only a poor struggling author. My works were masterpieces of art, only the editors did not seem to realize it which showed their ignorance. My story on, The Gastro-vascular Sys- tem of the Coelenterata of the Etheopian Realms, was turned down by six editors who said, No one could ever understand this unless they were very learned Pro- fessors of Etymology and could also un- derstand every long word ever used in English or Latin. So you see, many pieces of wonderful literature are turned down simply because people who examine them are not well educated. But then, we authors must expect such treatmentg were not Dickens and Poe treated thus? I must tell you something very tragic. A short time ago I wrote a very exciting article on the Coleaptera and Dermistids, Their Life Cycles. This should interest and be read by every school boy and girl for recreation, as it is much more educa- tional and entertaining than ordinary litera- ture. As I was saying, something very tragic happened. I sent this story on Coleapters, etc., to the Editor of the Laurel. The next week I got a reply which said, Not worth return postage. This was almost the last straw. I nearly decided to cut my hair, throw away my black bow tie and become a street cleaner, garbage collector or anything that was human. But no, I could not leave my LAUREL 29 chosen profession. It was what I was cut out for and I could never forsake it. After much thought on the subject I had an idea. I would see the Editor and with my personal attractiveness influence him to accept my story. I washed a soft collar and called up the Laurel Board office and found they would see me at five o'clock. At half past four I started on my mission. My mind was so occupied that I did not notice the heavy afternoon tranic as I walked up Broadway. I was pushed and jammed by the after theater crowds but my mind was too taken up with my high aspira- tions to notice mere jostling crowds and whizzing automobiles. At last I arrived at the Laurel Board otiice and was ushered into the presence of the Business Manager. I found her seated at her desk amid a confusion of paint brushes and paste pots. Get out of here, she yelled as she hurled a gob of bright green paint at me. As I left the room, more or less ornamented by my new com- plexion, I collided with a lazy looking indi- vidual in a muffler who informed me that he was the Literary Editor. I told him what he. had said about my masterpiece at which he replied in a cross voice, Why, how do you expect to get a story in the Laurel? Don't you know that the Laurel uses only the works of noted authors such as William Bryant, William Shakespeare and William er-er Mills! He looked so cross that without a word I turned and walked out of the room. Now I knew. I cut my hair, threw away my bow tie and became a street cleaner who is at least human. So now I carefully ply my trade while dodging jostling crowds and automobiles. ' This is my sad tale and here it ends be- cause I have stopped writing stories for- ever. But I shall always think as Nero did, What a great artist dies in me. Clarice Lufkin, '28,

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28 THE LAUREL So Father Jove has sent me down To guard good folk from this bad clown That changes them into pigs and cows Or rats or bears or wee bow-wows. And now I must hasten for I am so good, To guide her fair footsteps through the wood. Clinter Comus with his crew singing and danc- ins? Song of Comus: Bow-wow-wow! Wee! Wee! Wee! We are on our nightly spree. Cats and dogs and little pigs Now we sing and dance our jigs. Comus : With my gigantic eyes and my gigantic size I 'll tell the stupid world that I am very wise, Standing with my marvelous poise, I hear a little noise, 'Tis a human being: which are my exclusive toys. But hist it is a footstep light NVho can be coming here tonight? Quick! my lads behind these trees, Would you were in the seven seas. CEnter the lady--a flapperj The Lady: My brothers are gone, what shall I do? I've lost my compact, my lipstick too, My face is white: I look like a ghost: My rouge is what I am missing the most. Enter Comus: Oh! fair young damsel, are you led astray? The night is fallingg now ends the day. Lady sings: Oh! now good friend, my saviour true, It really is so kind of you. Won't you harbor me safe and warm Until the morn begins to dawn? I 've lost my brothers in this dark lair, Perhaps you 've seen those youths so fair. Comus: No, winsome maid, I've seen them not For the day is warm and walking is hot, But if you are lost and if you are free I 'll find you shelter in a house in the lea. Lady sings: But what of my face and what of my hair, I'm perfectly sure there 's no curl there. I'm nervous, so nervous, and worried and blue, I 'm hungry and thirsty and so tired too, So come, let us go to a house as you say Where I can get shelter until dawn of the day. CExit both! CEnter Brothers! First Brother speaks: Where, Oh! where has our dear sister gone, I 'm worried, so worried: I 'm pale and wan. Second Brother: Our sister will be safe I'm sure, She is so good and sweet and pure. Let us raise our voices in proud acclaim To bring her back here safe and sane. Song: Once we had a sister fair But she went away And now we have no sister So we are going to bray- Sister, Sister, where are you? Oh! Where can you be! Maids like you are but a few So pray come back to me. Enter Attendant Spirit: Ho there! To the rescue quick! That wicked Comus has worked a trick, Your sister good, is in his power, Take-n by magic to his bower. Rush right in and break the glass But grab the wand and do it fast. SCENE II A beautiful palace. Comus' animals are seated about the room. The lady is seated on a throne with Comus standing nearby holding, toward her, a glass of punch. Comus: Song: Drink! lady, drink! It 's fresh from the sink! It will cause the flush to come On those cheeks that look like gum. Lady: Nay, monster, nay. I would rather eat hay. Comus Ctrying againj : Come, gay tlapper, staid and sure, Sweet and carefree and demure, All in a dress of scantiest mien, Thou art a buttercup so serene. Come and taste the brimming cup Then on golden plates we 'll sup. Lady: Here are my brothers, now you whelp Throw up your hands and call for help. Brothers rush in: Begone, base idler, Let not your face disgrace this scene: Depart, you are not tit to be seen, For now we 've come to save our sister, We cannot say how much we 've missed her. Spirit: Now, Comus, you have driven away But you have not gained his sceptred sway, For his waving wand you did not seize, Now your fair sister will have to freeze. But wait, I hear a singing voice approach, 'Tis Sabrina, riding on a roach. Song: Come, Sabrina, do I pray, We need you here, dear fairy fay. Oh pretty Sabrina, fair and sweet, Come near and Lady Alice meet. For she is stuck right in her chair And just cannot get out of there. Come and wave your fairy wand, Come o'er dwindling brook and pond. Come and set this maiden free And praises all we 'll sing to thee- ' Enter Sabrina: I have flown lightly o'er vale and hill But was delayed by one slight spill, That 's the reason for muddy locks Where I fell on slimy rocks. CShe pats lady on the head three times which sets her free!

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30 THE LAUREL OBSCURITY, LIGHT AND DARKNESS FF in space a metric body stood mo- tionless in its course. Suddenly from its vicinity rose a volumnious flame. A cloud of metric dust floated off in an ether current. In this quiet current the dust gathered to form a planet. It was enlarged by the addition of numbers of small mete- ors. Veins and deposits of various sub- stances were formed on it at various dis- tances beneath its surface. ' There were formations of substances known by the earth people as truth, hope, faith, pity, hate, fear, and many other substances. From the four corners of the universe there came swiftly on the four winds, the four gods of creation, Time, Space, Dis- tance and Light. A soul is born, quoth they. Its fate must be decreed. The God of Space spoke, saying, A' I will give it all the space between Heaven and Hades for its wanderingsf' The distance of its wanderings shall be governed by the elements, quoth the God of Distance. The third God spoke and speaking said, Whenever it ascends above the smokes of Hades its path shall be lighted, whenever this smoke gets in its path it shall be as dark as the blackest midnight. Its time, said the God of Time, shall be until it is wrecked by its inner liresf' There was a pause, the Gods turned their eyes to the planet Hoating quietly in the quiet stream. Its fate is decreed, said the God of Time, arising, We must de- part. He waved his wand and the planet was plunged into the chaos of life. The planet was thrown hither and thither by the perverse winds of life. The fierce winds tore the trees from the planet's sur- face. Vegetation was uprooted and the surface soil cast into space. In its down- ward flight it was blackened by the smoke from below. Everything living on its sur- face was killed, leaving it a bleak and bar- ren planet. Its path was sometimes rough and sometimes smooth. Sometimes the sun shone on it, but it was often obscured by the smoke from below. The various veins of precious metals near its surface were unearthed by the fierce action of the ele- ments. First was timidity, but this was dissolved by the acid smoke leaving below it the deep red hue of valor. On another part of its surface was uncovered truth, and although the surface of truth was much defaced it remained. Once there was a slight collision with another planet and a vein of metal known as pity was uncov- ered. On one of its perilous descents this metal came into contact with a flame from below and was changed into self pity. After this long journey the planet was cast into a strong current that carried it above the darkness and into the sunlight. Here for a time it was carried along in peace with another planet which was in the same current. The peaceful journey was broken when it was seized by a savage current carrying a third planet. The three planets were cast swiftly downward into the blackest depths. In this mad rush a collision occurred and the planet was cast into the densest smoke. It was so close to the flames that a rising spark caught on its surface. Alighting where a deep vein of hitherto covered min- eral has been transferred to the mineral in which it rested and finally caused it to burst into a Hame of hate. As the fire, fanned by the driving smoke, increased, it ate deeper and deeper into the heart of the planet. Finally it reached the very heart and the planet was shaken. This eruption was so violent that it nearly burst it in twain. It hurled it, a withered mass, into the River of Blacknessg the only place it could be quenched. It was borne by the black current under a white arch and dis- appeared from sight. Holmes Wagner, '25.