Grant Union High School - Prospector Yearbook (John Day, OR)

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I took a nickel I’d Veorfkeard .ng for a cup of coffee and headed out of the building calcic rrar: stiic.ck :htc a scrawny little man whom I knocked down. I. picked him up 'vnd was about to say hew sorry I was when I saw tha c it 7c.r raa. ly HAROLD STEELE behind those sunkei’ cheeks. It is you, Isn’t it, Steele I asked him. Yes, I suppose so, ho said listlessly, and then remembering his manners, Hello, Billie, how arc you? Fine, I said bravely, considering pay day had been a week ago. your muscle though, 3coc:io; It’s gone 2 Ho looked dreamily at how the coat hung in folds from his shoulders. I paint, ho said simoly, a3 if that explained everything, Houses? Iasked doubtfully. Ho regarded me with undisguised disdain and drew himself to his full five foot and si;; inches, No, ho said with cold dignity, pictures, and swept away with his clothes flapping about him awkwardly. ’Walking on down the street, I v as suddenly confronted by a tall, slim man wearing dark glasses. In his hand was cup which had few coins In It. Help the blind, he said, please help the blind. I clutched my nickel fiercely, but my conscience won at last. I was about to drop it in the cup when the man grabbed mo and pulled me around a corner. He took off his glasse.% and then I almost doubled up laughing when I saw it was RICHARD PORTER with an good eyesite as he’d ever had. I couldn't let you do It after I saw who you were, he said laughing. I swallowed gratefully and asked him If this was his regular business. Ho told me it was and it made a very good livingibr his family, too. Well, who finally hooked you. Porter? I wanted to know. He grinned bashfully and showed me a picture of a dignified looking blonde woman surrounded by about five little boys viho were staring fascinatedly at tho camera, Why, that looks like-------not GRACE LOHFi I gasped. The same, he said proudly, then putting his dark glasses, back on and the picture away, he said goodbye and moved haltingly off to cry out, Blind--help a poor blind man. I stifled a giggle and continued on my way. As I crossed the street, I failed to notice the light was red until I heard a voice ago 7

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APTER Vf. 1 I was reasonably proud of '•.■yf. After twenty long years in the entertaining world, I had ? ?c”-r a ;A-b o? the heartbreaking sob on a revival of the old £oap Opera ''John’s Otner Wife. The job was all right, but it was making: a oour-nuss of me, because I never had enough to eat except cn p -y day. So when the show headed west on tour, I came too, with nothing more on my mind than a squar Grant County meal and maybe a different job. We never got close to my old home, though, so when we arrived in Los Angeles, I was terribly lonesome and hungrier than ever. After I’d finished sobbing on John’s other Wife. One day,I went to my square foot of apace which they affectionately called a dressing room. As I entered and sat down to keep from bumping my head on the ceiling, I had a funny feeling that this day was some- thing different. Little did I know I Soon there was a light knock on my door and who should bounce into the room but RALPH BRUCE whom I hadrft seen since my Grant Hi days, twenty years ago. V ouch he said as his head struck the ceiling, and sat down quickly in the chair that I indicated, Bruce I I cried, This is wonderful 1 But whatever are you doing here? I was out there, boomed Ralph, thought I’d drop back a tit and see you Recognized you right away. I noticed he was very nattily dressed, and his fingers were well-spattered with diamond rings. When I ask him whose bank he’d robbed, he just looked embarrassed and said, No one’s bank but I married an heiress who insisted I dress well. He looked unhappy until he saw some chorus girls standing on the outside of my door; then his face lighted up, and he happily smiled and left without even saying goodbye. I sishod and started to leave too, when I heard a voice that I couldn’t mistake even after twenty years. Shut up and don’t sav another word, Ralph Bruce, or I’ll cut down your allowance I I looked out to se® JEAN FINLAYSON in flowing robes, simply dripping In diamonds, dragging a struggling Ralph away from the chorus girls. I was amazed until I remembered I had read she’d Inherited a cool million from a long lost rdativo about a year ago. She steamed by my door so fast she didn’t even see me, with Bruce’s ear caught securely between her thumb and forefinger. Page 6

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bellowing, Got the cuss-cuss off that street, ya ignorant fomalo before I get mad and start losing my temperi I whirled and faced LYLE HIBBARD in the blue uniform cf a City Cop. Why Hibbard, I exclaimed, you, of all peoploi He cut mo off with-- Hi Fate, good to soe ya, derned if it ain't. Woll, you're holding up traffic, you know, better get the cuss on across unless you y ant to get run over. I hurried on in frewfc of honking horns and looked back °nly long enough to see tho blue uniform bobbing around and heard a harassed voice bcllov ing, Will you get the cuss-cussout of the v ay before I lose my temper I sav a likely-looking cafe and decided to have my coffee here. As I seated myself at the counter, I glanced over and sav a well-dressed man coming toward mo. This is almost too good to be true, I thought, and all in one day too, for it was nono other than GLENN EDDY hiding behind a simply darling mustache. WeHUM, he said and sat down, What arc you doing here? I told him about my job which I wasn't so proud of anymore, and he thought there was a place for me on his oaper. I agreed to See about it in the morning, and then we fell into talking about the good old days and all the old gang who had made up the '45 Graduating Class twenty years ago. I told him about seeing some of them that very day, and he said, Well, here's anothersuprisc. for you, then. I looked where Eddy pointed, and my mouth fell open; I saw a tidy LEOLA WELLS behind the counter briskly polishing a coffeeurn. At the sound of our voices, she turned around and smiled a vride, toothless smile. I , she said, oufre oo? She deftly set in place a sot of false teeth and told me to close my mouth. Does it hurt? I whispered. Oh no, she sMd. I divorced Henry for it, though. He's working in a leather factory back East now, tanning hides. Henry, I gasped. Yes, buff I haven't been Mrs. Hankins for throe years now-- ever since he put me tnrough a ringer when we worked in a laundry together to collect accident insurance so he could pay hisinabtlne debts. I choked on some coffctf -nd she continued. I had my mouth open yelling and-- suddenly her jaw started-moving vigorously! Page 8