Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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THE LAUREL 19 of the foremost dealers without doubtj In the cook-room was a collection of bot- tles-horse liniment, axle grease, rat poi- son, benzine and countless other varieties which if they were Whole today would be of value. This was one of Peanut's shrines and one would have laughed to see him so seriously arranging bottles in strange and varied order. But those weren't all days of sunshine. VVe saw sorrow here and there. I remem- ber a small bluislh volume of faintly printed words by Alice Cary. We shed many tears of sadness and sympathy over her touching poems. One I remember dis- tinctly as going something like this: We laid her away for her last long rest, A bunch of violets clasped on her breast, 'A I.ily to Godf the Minister said, As weeping he gazed on her golden head. Parts of this nature 'we would mourn over but what really broke our young hearts was the terrible tragedies of 'tThe Man with the Stone Heart and tihe story of the broken-hearted lady who died all alone on a stormy night in February. Yes, we knew the pangs of deepest sorrow Cnot fatal, howeverj as 'well as the child- ish fun of unreality. Olive Weeks. sENloRs Class Officers Peter Mills President Kathryn Spinney Secretary-Treasurer Class Parts Honor parts have been awarded in tihe graduating class as follows: Valeclicfory Ella Huff Salufaiory Arlyne Clark Class Hislory Marjorie Spinney Oralion Helen Weeks Address fo Una'e1'g1'aduates Olive Weeks Class Will Marvin Stevens Class Praplzecy Lydia McCully and Lewis Webber Essays Kathryn Spinney and Medora Hogan lJ1'USC1'Lfdfl07'Z of Gifts Annette Hutchinson and Dorothy Lane Class Colors Green and Gold Class Motto In limine -7 N

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18 THE LAUREL long into the evening. The funny thing about it was, that the only lessons we had been given were to read the Introduction and look the book over. The introductions surely got some reading. I know every word, and the books got some going over. I had the best lesson the next day, I ever have had, or hope to have. Why, I would be a genius now if I had kept it up. Prob- ably I would be having Valedictory, and all the other class parts too. Clara Bell Russell. Peanut 4' PEANUT stayed with us two summers in all then lhe went to a boarding school. They were the summers the was nine and ten, just Sis's- age, and I was two years older. We had some fun those seasons and some of the awfullest fights too. But lights and all, there 's not a one of us, who, if we could spend a week of those summers within the next month, would throw up the chance. We were little ragmuHins and in the big shed chamber found a paradise. The Hoor was loose and uneven and there were big places in it where the planks were gone and we had to jump but we didn't mind. I've often thought since that those days must have been a trial indeed to my mother, rto see us up there hanging out over an abyss, of ten feet of more to the lower shed Hoof. We had a place fixed on Dad's old tool chest so we could get up there, there weren't any stairs and a lad- der we couldn't lift, but the arrangement we had 'was unique. A series of old boxes in diminishing sizes-one on top of the other made up the stairway to our celestial domain. Up there we held pow-wows, built bridges, and had Arabian Nights' Entertainments. Dad stored the sleds and sleighs up tlhere too, raising them by means of pulleys, and when we played Hide and Seek , that game eternal, we had the most precarious places lying on the rafters and the most invisible was under a sleigh seat. Poor Peanut ! He would run all over the barnyard and through the big barn while we were securely lhid in the shed attic. Sis had brains for devising means of escape and worked out a plan of a concealed exit where we went out through our old window and dropped to the ground about five feet from the goal. But 'K Peanut caught on to that one and we could only work it by intense coopera- tion and cleverness. Gnce I remember quite well Peanut tried to work that gag himself and got caught on a big spike. His clot'hes couldn't have been very good material be- cause they gave way with that funny tear- ing and squeaking sound and he went on his face in the grass. A little thing like clothes couldn't hinder his fall but then it never lhindered any of us. We 'wore any- thing that served the purpose of covering modesty. There 's an old black coat, it 's in my 'K play trunk now I think, that I used to wear. It was of coarse weave and big black and white check and when it be- gan to grow cold at dusk Mother would call to us to come and puft something on if we wanted to play out any more. We 'd all rush for that coat and the victor in the fray wore it as a trophy while the other two mourned in a brown ulster and old grey sweater. The beauty of the coat at- tracted us. We called it beauty then, now it would be K' striking appearance . That coat has been used for everything from carrying hay to makesfhift tents. Tents! Thereby we three wasted precious time draping tree limbs, rake handles and cart tongues. A precious car- pet of doubtful age and color, became in this sport, priceless. It was one day Arabian, the next Boy Scout, then perhaps Indian or Romany. Tent styles intrigued Sis then even more than 'hat styles now. And Peanut reveled in tents, too. An- other weakness of Peanut's was old bottles . fIf antiques are still the vogue ten years from now, Peanut will be one

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20 THE LAUREL CLASS REUNION IN 1940 GOT a letter the other day Asking me to come and stay In Farmington, a little while, When I read it I had to smile, For what could be better than to see My classmates, as they used to be. I was happy all that day And very soon I was on my way To Farmington, that little station Where I received my education. That evening we met in Music Hall And there we held a Reunion Ball. There were my classmates-each and all, All back home for that lovely ball. To me they all seemed just the same Although some had changed their names. When we told of the last ten years There were many laughs, and very few tears. Peter, our president, now had charge Of a business firm, and a family large. Stevens and Stevens, Merry and Hobbs VVere all very busy on very hard jobs, Russell and Meisner were nursing back health, Gagne and Hamlin were piling up wealth. Neal was now an Air Mail Flyer, Voter 'd become Arbo's chief buyer. Sturtevant furnished the town with lights, Hamlin's movies kept people up nights. The town's new baker was Lewis Webber, Sylvia was known as Mrs. Webber. I was surprised to see 'A Clark's Beauty Shoppe, Come right in, donlt stop to knock. Beedy the artist, attended our functiong lVilliams was teaching down at Leeds Junction. Richards and Russell, McCully and Lane, Each of these girls had a new name. Annette and Mae had homes of their own. Buker and Weeks were living alone, Mannock and Durrell, Russell and Huff, NVere teaching school and had money enough. Olive was busy delivering orations, Francis announced for a broadcasting station. VVhat do you think had become of Miss Hogan? She made money thinking up slogans. Kathryn Spinney, the girl called K Was writing books. They're good, they say. This concludes this little rhyme About the Class of 229. Marjorie Spinuey, 129, 15 ,4: X- sage or e xyf x, , ' 11' f ,-' XY!