Harcum College - Purple Patches Yearbook (Bryn Mawr, PA)

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Turple Tazfclzes 6Daily Themed' i Land Ahead! EOPLE in various conditions staggered to the railing and gazed at the landscape. An island was just visible. It was a drab uninteresting green with no signs of habitation anywhere. Oh, hecklv a little child in front of me muttered. Itoo, shared his disillusion- ment. Where, oh where, was the bright sun which had been painted in such glowing colors to me? Where was the tropical scenery? I fully expected to see monkeys chattering away at each other in the date palms, or cocoanuts dropping on warm pink sands. I returned to my deck chair meditating upon several ways to torture the person who had inveigled Mother into purchasing the tickets-I dozed off-Somebody was shak- ing me. Hamilton, Missf' I arose leisurely, collected my various personal belongings and then deigned to look at Hamilton. ' I received a pleasant shock. All the buildings were white. Some communicative person at my elbow' told me that rain water is the only kind of water the Bermudians have to drink, therefore the law requires all the owners to white-wash their roofs. However, I was downhearted, even the white buildings seemed squalid to me. No sun, no monkeys, no cocoanuts, no anything I had anticipated. I did ind some amusement in watching the negroes tie the boat fast when we docked. They called to each other in a sing-song and I gathered that they were recently imported Africans. The loquacious gentleman also informed me that thc population was three-fourths colored. As I descended the gang-plank, I was dazed, and overwhelmed at the number of cycles and carriages I saw. Not an auto on the whole island. I was intrigued by the customs and felt rather important when I had to open my suitcase to show that I wasnit smuggling anything in. After an especially good lunch I went wheeling. The sun came out and some of the charm of Bermuda began to insinuate itself into me. I wheeled by numerous cabbies, and other cyclists, I noticed the queer English names, Trimingham, Shaklefoot,', and Butterball , I admired the almost turquoise sea, I forgot to keep to the left, I snickered at the uniforms of the English bobbies,', I tried to memorize the rate of exchange, I wheeled down the numerous by-paths and discovered quaint spots, I ate some lichee nuts, I nearly ate an unripe banana for curiosity's sake, and I wondered at the fact that both pines and palms rubbed elbows. That evening I returned to the hotel bubbling over with news, and much excited by the unusualness of Bermuda. ELENOR LUST. 7

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Turple Tazfches HE question of roommates is a most vital one in boarding school life, and will continue to be, I suppose, until girls are made perfect. This mingling of personalities is like the blending of colors. To pro- duce a lovely effect, they must not be too alike, nor must they be too strikingly different. f However, when we come to school, we have no time to hunt out a personality that becomes us, so we must take what we are given, and eagerly await the outcome, which may be successful or may not. Time alone can tell! But after all, a roommate -is a kind of semi-annual sister, and so if you like her, number yourself among the few lucky girls who are blessed with such a rare gift. Enjoy her during school, for with spring this 'ggemn will be taken from you! On the other hand if you dislike her, do not spend your time telling her so, but with a virtuous understanding, think with pity of the poor souls who must endure a sister always and silently thank the gods that you are spared such a life-time burden! Now I ask you-isnit that sound logic? BECKY TARWATER. ARE or negligence in our speech as well as in any other matter may become a habit. Those about us play a large part in the formation of this habit. For instance, a small child, if he plays with no children of his age but is constantly with his parents and older people, becomes advanced for his age and speaks like an older person. He hears English spoken correctly and imitates what he hears. School can be a place to influence us into a careless sort of slang. In a group made up of so many girls from all parts of the country it is natural that each should exhibit a pet,' expression that she has brought with her to school. Such expressions if approved quickly circulate about a school, until everyone will be joined in the cult,'. These slang express- ions are not seriously harmful, that is, as long as we practice them only at school. But the great difficulty lies in breaking ourselves of the habit after leaving school, and who would really, truly enjoy saying to her mother on meeting her, O, mother, Ilm so glad to see you, and how? JANE PENDLETON. 6

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Turple Tcztches On Teing Famous HAVE no desire to be famous. If I were a celebrity I should feel obliged to fill my mind with thoughts so magnanimous that there would be no room left for the little lovely ones which are my own, my eyes would be searching so far ahead for grander views that they would not notice the pretty ones close by, my ears' would be so strained to catch diviner melodies that they could not hear the low chirping of the cricket, and my feet would be hurrying so fast toward my goal that they could not stay to feel the softness of the grass on which they tread. REBEKAH SH oPE. E LAY on the beach and lazily watched the lashes of brilliant flame rip the dusk on the top of the hill. We knew that the flame meant a camp-fire and that the fire meant tiny, golden- crisp perch and baked beans steaming and bubbling in a crock of earthen- ware. But still we lay there, stretched out like young animals, digging our toes and fingers into the warm sand and feeling the moist coolness underneath. In a few minutes Mother would call us and we would not be reluctant to run up the hill, but until she did, we lay there in indolent happiness and watched the twilight spread over us and dim the shining water. Finally the shrill halloo came floating down to' usg we stumbled to our feet and felt the sand trickle down our backs and our legs. How cool and soft the ocean looked, how different from the sparkling sea we had scrambled out of an hour before! VVe ran into it and with squeals of delight and childish abandon gave ourselves to the swells and let them roll us to the shore and cast us up on the beach like limp masses of kelp. There we slipped on our sandals and ran across the beach, night close upon our heels. Our dripping bodies were-whipped dry and tingling by the wind as we raced up the hill shouting with the hoarse lustiness of youth. In sheer exhaustion we dropped within the fireis pro- tecting circle of warmth. All outside this magic ring was dark and alien world and we could no longer see the ocean but could hear its deep breath- ing below. VVe smelled the fire and the perch sizzling over it, we realized that we were famished, and we ate with a gusto unusual even for us. Afterwards, snug and weary, we sat and watched the glowing, tumbling coals of the fire and the shreds of smoke that grew and were swallowed by the blackness that pressed down on us. We listened to the crack of the burning wood, to the whispering sea, and to a night bird's wailing cry out in the dark. And then, we must have dozed-. BETTY DAVIS. s