Fryeburg Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Fryeburg, ME)

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LZl?7 6ll'Zl7 6 OUT, OUT, BRIEF CANDLE As the first rays of the early morning sun peered in at the Windows, the ancient house seemed to take on new life. Where, the night before, had stood a barren hulk against the sky, now reared the form of a shabby, yet picturesque building standing with pride upon the hillside. Two or three old elms on the lawn stood majestic guard over the old place that the people of the little town had come to look upon as a historic memorial to the famous family it had once sheltered. On the other hand the youngsters of the village regarded the Bancroft House with awe and not a little fright. The grounds were in excellent condition, it is true, and the house itself had undergone a few minor repairs at the hands of the local ladies' club, which sponsored its being open to the public, but it struck a weird note in the imaginations of the younger generation, nevertheless. Toward noon the seclusion of Bancroft House was broken by the approach of an automobile, from which emerged three middle-aged women of the town, the hostess committee of the afternoon to greet visitors to the historic landmark. From twelve oiclock on through the afternoon, groups of sightseers drove up to the house, and a few parties on foot straggled up over the hill for a tour of the in- terior. The inside of Bancroft House was in keeping with the outside in that, with the exception of a few sundry repairs, it was entirely commemorative of the colonial period. So completely had the structure maintained its original atmosphere, one scarcely would have been surprised to see Grover Bancroft coming in at the side door and his wife, Susan, running to meet him. In the dining room, the table was set as though, any minute, the wealthy colonial family might gather around to eatg and, in the kitchen, pots and pans adorned the walls, while an ancient tea kettle steamed on the old wood stove. Visitors marveled at the skill with which the rooms had been brought to life. It seemed hardly possible that this weather- beaten, yet stately, mansion had not been inhabited for nearly a century. The house appeared fully capable of carrying on the Bancroft name so it should not be forgotten now that the last of that renowned family lived no more. All afternoon visitors arrived, some with picnic lunches and others with sketch books and pencils in hand, but as dusk approached fewer came, until finally, as the sun began to lose a bit of its brightness, the three women came out, turned the key in the door and drove away. Once more the house was alone. Apparently nothing remained to break its soli- rude, yet it had no appearance of loneliness which most abandoned houses bear. Rather it seemed relieved to be unburdened of all those mortals who had invaded its rooms that day. if if 'X' W fl

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I . MARION LACASCE, Casey Pos'r-GRADUATE Counsrs Born February 24, 1927 Residence, Fryeburg, Maine Basketball fx, 2, 3, 55, Co-Captain 145, Hockey fl, 3, 55, Co-Captain Q45g Skiing CI, 2, 3, 4, 55, Ski Club Vice President Q55g Softball fl, 2, 3, 55, Captain C459 Volleyball QI, 25, Archery f15g Tennis fl, 2, 3, 4, 55, Athletic Association CI, 55, Secretary C25, Vice President Q35, President f45g Play Day C15g Girl Reserves Cr, 2, 3, 55, Secretary K45 g Orchestra C 3, 45, One-Act Plays f45g Senior Drama 145, Property Manager, Senior Drama f55g Student Council Q15g Prize Speaking Q35. Merry, Likable RAYMOND ALBERT SMITH, Ricky MECHANIC AR'rs COURSE Born April 22, 1927 Residence, Stow, Maine Retiring, Alusive, Stern L. IUANITA WILKINSON POST-GRADUATE Counss Born September 13, 1926 Residence, Lovell, Maine Basketball fr, 2, 3, 55, Co-Captain f45g Hockey fr, 2, 3, 4, 55, Softball CI, 2. 3, 4, 555 Volleyball fl, 25 3 Archery f25g Athletic Association C1, 2, 3, 4, 55, BELL Board Learned, Iovial, Willing

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The Academy Bell 21 Grover Bancroft sat before the fireplace reading a yellow and faded newspaper. Susan sat across from him knitting busily. Neither spoke, but both seemed happy and content. Yes, they had died some hundred years ago, but the life they had loved had never really gone. They had lost nothing but the troubles of their mortal years and had retained the peace and contentment in the hereafter. Pos- sibly the children of the town were unknowingly aware of the old Bancroft House in its true sense. Perhaps that accounted for the awe they held for it. Fantastic? J Perhaps, but who can tell. IANE BROWN, ,AB BASKETBALL BLUES WHERE is the team? Where is the coach? Where is the gym key? Where are the basketballs? These and a million other questions were running through the minds of the two lone representatives of the F ryeburg Academy Girls' Basketball Team one afternoon. A-ah, here comes Miss Moore with a few othersf' There was a great rush for the gym door, and Midge, in haste to get a basket- ball, was the first one on the Hoot. She spied a ball under the bleachers and ran or started to run to get it. The dance of the night before had been forgotten and she had the entire sideline in stitches from watching her antics on the waxed Hoor. First she rolled back on her heels, then a leg went up in the air, the other lower limb deciding to go to the side, and poor Midge was just a tangled heap. No scrimmage today, girls, declared Miss Moore after seeing Midge's fate. We settled down to a routine practice, but later decided that the Hoof wasn't too slippery to try a scrimmage. Teams were chosen and Miss Moore had an over- viciousn guard as her opponent. During one of the rougher moments of the game the guard made a grab for the ball Capparently with both eyes shutj, got Miss Moore's head instead and tried to bounce it. This may be somewhat enlarged upon, but as a result we found our coach spread out on the Hoof with a somewhat sickly expression. A ball rolled under the seats and Ianie went to get it, but of course she couldn't stop at the edge of the court. Oh, no, she had to see if she could dive through the space between the seats of the bleachers. Her elbow hit the lower seat, her head made a dent in the upper, and approximately half of lane was under the bleachers and the other half out. Everyone was really going places in that scrimmage. Someone would run for the ball, catch it, and slide five yards from the momentum. An involved discus- sion followed on the question: Is she traveling? There have been many other picturesque tumbles, accidents, and mistakes during practices. Once Miss Moore, in an attempt to get the forwards to shoot more, cried out, Shoot yourself, Mary! at which words Mary quickly passed the ball to someone else because she wanted to play in Friday's game, and how could she with her brains blown out? NANCY DINSMOREI ,46