Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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The next day we were going through the city part of New York down Broad- way. The large show windows, buildings, and people drew my attention from driv- ing and I didn’t care if I did hold up traf- fic. I wanted to see all there was to see. Something happened! I stalled “Ara- bella” and stared. There in the most congested district stood Harry Merson (two feet taller) directing traffic. I kept on staring. The noise of drivers, ven- ders, horns, and whistles did not rouse me. Finally in exasperation he came over to me and began delivering an ora- tion and hurling uncomplimentary epi- thets at me and “Arabella.” My good natured response was to hold out my paw and saw, “Hullo, Harry. Don’t you remember me? Why you used to sit in the N. B. seat up in the Conversation Corner in Room 4.” “Why, you’re Bill, aren’t you?” He then anologized sweetly but we had to stop talking soon after because the crowd became so large and the commo- tion so great that “Arabella’s” life was endangered: so I drove on. “Arabella” the next day conducted me and my dog to Pennsylvania. Nothing happened in my travels over the state during the next few days until I reached Philadelphia. Here I put “Ara- bella” in a garage and .checked my dog and took a trolley car to the shopping district. Half ' a day I spent wandering around. In one store, a bookshop, I found Elsie Hull seated on a high stool reciting Burke’s Speech while she dusted the set on the shelf She came down off her perc and shook hands with me. She then told me she had never got over the effect of having to learn Burke’s Speech. After “Arabella” had recovered from her rest I again cranked her up and started for Cleveland, Ohio. The next dav found my dog harnessed to “Aba- hella” and me nushing it from behind in- to he state. She had not recovered very well from her nap. At Cleveland I went into a drug store for some medicine for my dog who was ouite ill from the heat and strain. Ber- tha Avory was the pharmacist who filled my prescription. She informed me that this was only o e of the stores in the United States which she owned and that she hpd just completed a new style com- pact for cosmetics. She gave me one as a souvenir and I started for Michigan. The next stop was at Detroit, the automobde city. I drove up one street and down another looking the city over, including factories and show rooms. One thing caught my eye “Shaw Motor Co., Robert Shaw, Pres.” I was curious; so I went in to look over the “Shaw” motors. A salesman showed me around while I questioned him about the owners of the shop. I went into the main office and there was the same “Bob” Shaw, a little grey-haired but vei ' y easily recog- nized. He knew me at once and offered me a “Shaw” with which to finish my trip, but abandon “Arabella” — Nevei ! Having no map nor direct route, we traveled the next two days through cities, stopping now and then to rest and eat, until I reached Chicago. Chicago! I was there before I real- ized the fact. One thing I was bent on seeing — the place where pigs were slaughtered and where leather was made. On the second day therefore of my stay in Chicago I went to visit these places. The leather factory was one owned by a T. Doyle. One room was filled with leather school bags and I saw one labeled “Modelled after one owned by Jack Callahan.” I decided I wanted to get a glance at this T. Doyle. It took a long while to gain an admission to the inner sanctuary of his office but I did at last and found him very ap- proachable considering his lofty position. He even invited me to go to the Opera that night with him. I did so but re- calling his propensity for taking things which did not belong to him I kept tight hold of my pocketbook and valuables. He might have reformed but I wasn’t going to take any chances. I didn’t stop again until I got to San Francisco, — that is I d’dn’t intend to., but the temptation was too much. I stayed a day or two in the large cities toward the west. At St. Louis I ran into a circus, — Barnum and Bailey, Ringling Bros., and as I had not seen a circus for fiKeen years I decided to go. I spent the night on the outskirts of the city on a bed of pines with my watchdog guarding my nronerty. The next afternoon found me in the Big Show of the circus. After the show I was insulted. Yes, insulted! They asked my permission to let them have my dog in the side show for a freak! And for ten dollars! Not for $1000 would I sell my dog in spite of his funny looks. I went into the side show to see the freaks and had a terrible time chasine; “Chasem” my. dog who had the habit 31

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CLASS PROPHECY Fifteen years have passed since the memorable grraduation day, when the Class of 1925, my class, received their “tickets of leave” from hip:h school. The years have passed quickly and to me they have been prosperous ones. Dui ' ing: the fifteen years of Dis- trict Nursing:, I saved for the time when I could travel and take a vaca- tion. At last it came, and I am going: to tell you about the exciting trip around the country from which I have just returned. The first move in preparation was to find some means of locomotion. Do you remember years ago the universal car, the Ford? You see one even now oc- casionally. I read recently in the “Traveler” that a Shirley Hale of Row- ley sold these machines, first, second, and third hand. I decided to investigate and see if he had anything that would ap- peal to me. I took an electric car to Rowley. (By the way with the growth of Ipswich to a city, trolley cars had returned.) Without much trouble I found Mr. Hale but, to my dismay, not one of his machines fitted me or mv pocketbook. He agreeably offered to build one for me, however, while I waited. He disap- peai ' ed behind the garage and returned in an hour with a composite structure reared out of the bottom part of a Ford, a Franklin Engine, Pierce Arrow lights, and four wheels, of which no two were mates. He then proceeded to secure tires to fit the wheels and worked over the mechanism for a while. Again he went out and this time returned with a long tin bathtub which he and his helpers adjusted on the wheels. There were two seats, one in front of the tub and one at the rear. An umbrella, much dilapidated, was fixed over the driver’s seat while the other was exposed to the •wind, sun, and rain. It was completed after a while, and I drove home in it, showered by rocks which flew from the road because there were no mudguards and driving with a wheel which resembled that of a babv carriage. It kept its balance very well cons’dering, except that in going around corners it was very apt to slew a trifle, and going down steep hills it nearly turned end over end. It turned out to be musical in the bargain and em ' tted sounds resembling those ' of a whole iazz orchestra. I reached home safely, however, and somewhat pleased with my purchase, started to paint it with what- ever colors I had available. In the end anyone might have taken “Arabella,” as I christened it, for a rainbow, but then I didn’t worry because it went! After a week of preparation I started upon my journey. At the end of the day, my watch dog, “Chasam” and I found ourselves on the outskirts of Springfield, Mass. I entered the city and after looking around for a boarding house, I found a neat-looking one and ventured in. In the vestibule was a “No dogs allowed” sign; so I left my dog outside to guard “Ar abella” and went into the next room. To my surprise the boarding mistress who was no other than Mildred Pickard, came towaid me. I recognized her at once but it took her some time to remember who I was. (I had grown thin, you know.) We talked about old times until late at night, and the next morning I started on my way again promising to write to her. My mongrel Ford and watchdog be- haved nicely all day. I stopped at noon outside the city of Hartford at a res- taurant with the sign “Callahan’s Fa- mous Ipswich Fried Clams,” emblazoned in large, artistic letters on the win- dows. The sign made me homesick; so I -went in and ordered a meal of my home town product. I was promptly cured of my home-sickness when Jack Callahan advanced to serve me. I en- joyed that meal, for Jack was the same old scout in spite of the added cares which clam frying had developed upon him. “Arabella” refused to move when I got into New York State; so I had to walk to a garage to get gasoline. Philip Ew- ing greeted me with a greasy hand and took me back to “Arabella,” reposing by the roadside. He directed me to a lodging house for the night and two days of my vacation were gone. Starting from Albanv with Phil’s good wishes, I reached New York city about noon. Having a few minutes leisure time I stopped at a newsstand and not getting excitement enough from my experiences with “Arabella,” I pur- chased a current copy of the most hair raising variety of short-stories on sale. I had not read far in the copy when I discovered that Eddie Witham was the editor of the magazine and the writer of most of the stories. On further in- vestigation I learned that he was sup- porting a Ford coupe from the proceeds realized on the sale of his stories. 30

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of chasing people. But he finally became subdued. I think he must have known they had called him a freak. When things became a little quieter, whom do you suppose I saw there? Beatrice Ricker, the woman with the longest hair in the world. It was just to her waist but everybody else’s was bobbed, so that accounted for the freakish nature of hers. I left soon after and went to “Ara- bella.” I couldn’t find her! Had some- one taken her? But no; she had only rolled peacefully down a hill and into an arbor to keep out of the hot sun. I sup- pose the mosquitoes bothered her. I remember the next place I went to was Denver, Colorado. Within the city “Arabella” from want of water started to steam; so I went into a house beside the road to get some water. A man brought some out to me by request and it was George Christopher, a prosperous miner. He invited me in but as I could not spare any more time, I continued on my journey. The next few days found me travelling full speed ahead toward Salt Lake City where I wanted to go in swimming. For that purpose I took “Arabella” and my dog to the lake. About an hour later we came out refreshed, and there it was that I met Mary Munroe trying out an invention to take the salt from the Lake. She was too busy to spend much time talking with me. While traveling through Arizona I stopped at a ranch called “Le Cheval,” to refresh “Arabella,” my dog and my- self with a drink. The housekeeper was very kind and in the course of the con- versation a cowboy came in. He was short of stature but athletically built. He spoke to me at once and called me by name. “Well, Bill, you’re a long way from home; let me show you my horses and ranch.” It was “Hoss” Henley speak- ing. I next turned “Arabella’s” nose to- ward Texas because I had heard of Dallas and I wanted to see the place. So there I went. Again “Arabella” left me in the lurch within the city gates and I had to board a trolley car to reach my hotel. I awoke in the middle of the night with the unpleasant tang of smoke cut- ting my throat. Cries, yells, horns, and the splashing of water brought me to the realization that something was hap- pening. I jumped out of bed, put on a robe, and went to the window. The air was unbearable. 1 broke the glass in the window and leaned out. A ladder was being pushed up the side of the house — my senses were leaving me — I could just visualize a cloaked figure as- cending to me. Then I fainted. The world acted funny and I was traveling around in circles, “She’s coming to now, I think,” said a voice in the distance. I opened my eyes and gazed around the room in which I found myself. A little short man with a goatee. Dr. Mark Hayes, was bending over me. With a jerk I sat up and there too was my old friend Hillsie in the red cloak of a fire- man looking at me. That was enough to bring me to. Mark informed me that it had been Chief Hills who had saved me. In the pleasant reunion that followed I almost forgot that I had nearly burned to death. My next stop over was at San Fran- cisco where I spent a few days. While I was driving through the city trying to find a lodging, a familiar voice was heard. “Hold your pivot! Forward March!” And there coming around the corner dressed in red, white, and blue was a portly figure whom I at once recognized as Isabel Swasey, followed by a parade of women. Here and there through the crowds were banners, “Vote for Natalie Bi:own for president,” “Let the women do it,” etc. Again the girls of our class were out to win against the sterner sex. My visit there ended abruptly because my vacation was fast being spent and I wanted to visit so many other places. I traveled along the coast and through the mountains, up hill and down. “Ara- bella” did nobly but at the end of the journey became tired and I had to hire a horse and team to pull me into Port- land, Oregon. While necessary repairs were being made on “Arabella,” I looked around the city. I visited a large music conservatory where I found Mr, Phelan and his sister teaching music. Mr. Phe- lan told me that he wrote “Comic Operas” between times and offered to take me to one while waiting. I went and it was really good, considering. After “Arabella” had been repaired, I put her on board a ship and sailed for Vancouver Island. My dog was seasick all the way over and I had to have a doctor and two nurses to take car of him. When I reached the Island I took “Ara- bella” ashore and my poor dog to the 32