Freedom Academy - Echo Yearbook (Freedom, ME)

Page 24 text:

left, he stumbled upon Martha, crouched on the deck, her arm still keeping the water from rushing in. He knelt and turned her body, but all too late! Martha was dead! I think, though, that she died happily for she had saved someone's life. And, today, on the shores of Lilly Lake, there is a grave with this epitaph engraved on the stone above it: Here lies our beloved Martha and each year the Vandergoulds replenish her grave with tears and beautiful flowers. You see, it took the life of a lovely woman to open the eyes of foolish people. I glanced at Judy to see if the story had left her sad, but she sat there amusing herself with a book. Well, didn't you like the story? I asked her. I didn't listen! she answered. You didn't tell me what 'superior' meant. THE FROG POND Up in the pasture and a little way beyond, There is a large rock by a small frog pond. I used to look forward every spring- A little pail I would bring- Walking up slowly beside the rock, So I could see the iiock, Of big frogs. But the big ones always seemed to disappearg But if everything was quiet, they would reappear. It wasn't them I really was looking for, It was the little polywogs, Sunning themselves beside the logs. I would scoop them up into my bucket, Homeward slowly I would lug it. Up everyday with the pail I would go, Swinging it high and swinging it low! Now comes summer's long hot weather. Then water in the clouds seems to gather. Then the sound of the croaking of the frogs That jumped in and out and over the logs, Would go away! They never came back to play Until the next year came around. Then again I would hear the sound Of the croaking of the little frogs, Jumping in and out and over the logs.

Page 23 text:

really didn't need it. Whenever she came, she had to come through the back door and go out the same way. Of course, Mrs. Vandergould wouldn't want any of her friends to see this poor old fisherman's wife leaving or entering her fine house! Her name was Martha. In re- ality she was a very dear person! The Vandergould children loved her, but could only see her when mama was gone. If their mother ever caught them being friendly, they would get a sound spanking for it. Working for the Vandergoulds was Martha's only way of earning extra money, so she took these unwarranted insults and snide treat- ment, and kept on working. Some- times, when she came, she would bring a few home-made donuts because all of their food was store bought. They enjoyed these very much but, unfortunately, took them and ate them in secret. One morning the Vandergoulds decided to go on a little vacation trip to the village across the big lake. It would be a three days journey in their small, slow-going boat. Martha was to go along to keep everything clean and in order, but was to remain on the boat while they went about having fun. They felt they could not take her with them into the village. It might spoil their reputation as Mrs. Vandergould said. So they started on their journey. The second day a sudden sharp wind arose, the sky darkened hur- ridly. As the wind rose and blew harder, the small boat tossed upon the rough, choppy, foam-crested waves. The heavens seemed to open and great blinding sheets of solid silver rain covered them. Mrs. Vandergould grew suddenly white, some subtle sense suddenly made her realize they could not last long under these conditions. For once, I believe she really prayed, but she didn't get upon her knees. After all those were costly nylons!! All of a sudden there was a crash! The boat was flung forward by a huge Wave, and when it fell sharply into the trough of the waves, one of the heavy irons of the boat broke loose, was hurled about, until it suddenly made an ugly hole about the size of a per- son's arm in the side of the boat. No one saw this but Martha. She hurredly fought toward the spot, bent over gasping, battling wind and the incoming water, thrust her arm into the hole. The water came in no more. After she had stayed in this posi- tion for seeming hours, her body grew weaker, she lost consciousness but still crouched there. The Vandergoulds, who were in the cabin below, did not even seem to miss her. As the storm grew calmer, finally, Mr. Vandergould went up on deck. There in the cold- ness and dark which the storm had

Page 25 text:

23 THE JUMP I took a little trip down by the brook, Just to see how everything looked! Looking towards the distance this way and that, It was as if winter was putting on a new spring hat Bare hills of brown and a sky so blue, It is about time winter was having a rendezvous! This brook, once covered with ice, Is singing merrilee. A robin this morning was singing in our Maple Tree, Up there, by the place I call the Bee Hive Hill, CCause the bees live there.J I hear the bees a-buzzing in the country air! The foot prints and sled tracks are fading and are gone Soon Spring will be singing a different song. In the far distance is the cawing of the crow. They're telling the world that spring is here, Cause they know. Yes, brown patches sticking out of the ground, And melting white snow glittering all around, With my dog beside me sitting on a stump, Winter will be sliding down, And Spring taking the jump. June Larrabee F. A. JUKE BOX Older and Bolder Clayton Giggey Don t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes Robert Hotham Busy Little Busybody Bernard Wentworth I Want To Go Home With You Delta Fowler There ll Be Some Changes Made Sophomore Class For He's A Jolly Good Fellow Mr. Merry One of the Roving Kind Grace Black Almost Girls' Basketball Squad Take Me Out To The Ball Game Senior Boys lll Walk Alone Robert Gray 1