Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

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c 7 T.H£ DJAjMOjND M£C!( J C -m: , -V. ' As one dre small hill, in a grove of . . driveway, he saw what used to he a beautiful mansion; now, blinds were falling off, the underpinnings were giving way, the porch was broken through in several places. a weary traveler went along a dark, overgrown roady: ar ; , rainy night in autumn, he saw, at the top of a a very old and dilapidated house. It was situated pine trees; and, as he walked up the Y;eed-“Clogged the and Seeking refuge from the tempest, he walked up to the rickety porch, and, seeing a gleam of light streaming through the windov; shutter, he crept to the window and peered inside. He saw a group of people gathered around a small table in the center of the room. They were examining some object in an open box which lay on the table. There were throe in the group; an elderly lady, obviously the mother; an old man, the crippled father; and a young man, apparently the son. Just then the woman moved, and the stranger saw by the dim cundlelight an exquisite diamond necklace. As he was very cold and wet, the man decided to go in. Ho knocked loudly, and the young man opened the door. It creaked on its hinges as it sv ung open; a sudden gust of wind blew out the candle which v;as immediately lighted again. Suddenly the woman screamed, The necklace It’s gone! Not another word vies spoken as they looked from ono to another with questioning glances. The room and the occupants v crc searched, especially the stranger; but no trace of the missing necklace was found. After several days of questioning by the local police, the group was called into the small dining room and asked to sit down. Everyone was tense with silence and suspense, then the officer wont over to the old man who was sitting in his wheelchair and said to him, Come across nov; and tell what you did with tho necklace. V hat do you mean? exclaimed the aged man, I haven’t done anything with it. If you would know whore the necklace is, examine the stranger, not me. Never mind the stranger , replied the officer, as he ripped open a patch in the leather arm of the ' chair, exclaiming, I knew you were poor, but I also knov you had a valuable necklace, and that you and your wife didn’t want to sell it in order to got some badly needed money. Prom the questioning, I gathered that you had at last decided to sell it, but, v;hon tho light went out, one of you seized the opportunity to save it, Wncre did you put it? As you couldn’t have taken it yourself, your wife must have. She had no place to hide it, so sho slipped it to you and you hid it in the hole in your chair, thinking no one would be looking there for it. I just happened to notice tho newly patched arm of your chair yester- day, so I became suspicious. However, it is your business what you do v»rith tho necklace, but in the future ' , don’t attempt to lay a crime

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ipon a mrn v;ho you know is innoconL - New, in noj;nrd to tho nock- .oce, I realize it is r. prucioos hoj.rlcom r.s it has been in rour family for gonorntions. You mr.y keep it, raid in tlio meantime, [ will see that your son is given work so that you and your wife nay be properly provided for. The traveler continued on his v ay, glad that he had been exon- erated from the accusation of tho old man, but firmly resolved that pc v;ould stop at the horses of no more strangers. E. Parkins. ’41 MEDIAEVAL MANNERS AND CUSTOMS LEARNED PROM IVANHOE The seniors have completed reading and anaylzing Ivarihoe . Not only v ere the several plots intensely interesting, but much was learned about the mediaeval manners and customs of the twelfth cen- tury, as v;ell as the gradual amalgam-.tlng of the Norman and Saxon races . yvhen the Normans conquered the Saxons, they brought with them to England their Norman language. The Saxons were iiorcely resent- ful toward their conquei ' ors and would not accept the new language; so for many years it was difficult for these tv o races to under- stand each other. It took nearly three centuries of gradual fusing of these two races before our present English language was fully developed . Means of cooking foods and of heating houses v erc very crude. Huge fireplaces v ere constructed for these purposes, but they were not built into chimneys. The only means of c-scc.pe for the smoke was through holes in the roof provided for that purpose; this, of course, was most unsatisfactory, for the greater part of the smoke circulated around the room depositing soot on the walls and beams, making the air heavy and obnoxious. Foods consisted of moats, wines, baked cakes, and pasties. The v;ino for the bettor class v as usually of , the best, the serfs be- ing given the inferior. Tho raeats consisted of beef, pork, and wild game. Venison was a dish fit only for tho Normans as the Saxon yeomen v cro forbidden to hunt in the king ' s forests. Tho foods V( orc placed upon tho center of tho tables and each person helped himself. If moat was desired, the partaker cut off a huge chunk v ith his hunting knife. Table knives, forks, and spoons wore unknown. Hunks of meat and bone wore hold in the hand while tho meat was gnawed off tho bone. As towels and napkins also wore not known, largo pieces of bread v cro placed on the table, and they were used to wipe the dripping grcaco from face and hands. The crumbled bread and the bones were then throvm to dogs lying about waiting for these morsels. VJhcn it became necessary to wash tho hands, they v;ere dried by waving them tlirough tho air, this was con- sidered m.oro genteel than wigin,--: them on tho clothes I The dress of the Saxon and Normav.ns was quite different. Tho Normans dressed for pomp and stylo, usually wearing long tunics