Lincoln High School - Lincolnian Yearbook (Tacoma, WA)

Page 33 text:

'lHE'LINCOLNIAN , 29 He made The Class Plan r Meeting of the Dramatic Club to- night at 7:30 in the Auditorium. All those interested in dramatios are urged to attend. Bill stood before the notice in the main hall, hands in pockets-slouched forward, in his usual attitude. Any of the fellows would have said, with a glance at him: Wonder if old Bill is thinking of Dramatics! -and would have laughed as they said- it. Bwt had they been- blessed with eyes that saw past the rather lifeless, to- tally inscrutable face 'into the real Bill beyond, they would have -stared with all the 'frankness of youth- older, more understanding eyes would have glanced away-at the struggle of a nature which 'had a great appre- ciation for self-expressionr, and was so utterly -shy and sensitive behind the seemingly coarse and uninspired ex- terior, that a decision to enfter the club amounted to an actual crisis. Bill's appearance would certainly never have hinted at any -depth of feeling-would never -have promised but the ver-iest commonplaces. His hair was brown-its sleek. expense coaxed into the conventional pompa- dourg his -mou-th was large, yet- sen- sitiveg 'his ears were also large. and often burned when catching stray snatches concerning his awkwardnessg his nose was dangerously near pug- gishnessg 'his chin just plain chin, and his eyes-what a pity I oan't tell you his were wonderful -eyes, redeeming features in an otherwise unattractive face, but they really weren't. They were just good blue eyes, guaranteed not to fade, and their habit of looking singularly -wistful now and then, while 'the mouth took on its -most sensitive lines, had never been observed. Bill turn-ed toward the auditorium, hesitated, started for the stairs, wheeled suddenly, plunged his -hands into his pockets, and sighed profound- ly. He was S0 poor in Oral, and yet- all those interested in dramatics are urged to attend. Was -he inter- ested in dramatics? WAS he! Then he surely qualified. He was off for the auditorium and such was his de- termination -to get the deed- over with that he burst most precipitately through the swinging doors, and sent scattering wildly a group of Senior girls, his classmates. They accorded him the same annoyed but negligent glances one woul-d -to a. noisy puppy, while -the boys looked up in- surprise, to see old Bill in such a rusih. Well, Bill paid his quarter, was given a part in a. cornfing farce Cto a whispered, mirtihful chorus of- Bill Edmond-s, our comedian-can you feature lt? l and became forthwith a. full-fledged member of the Dramatic Club. He was imrneasurably proud and thrilled at the daring he had dis- played. To be in the same club with Spike Bowen! Spike, football hero an-d drama star, who 'had just received th-e title role in the class play an-d surely looked the part-being a. concentrated continuation ot the god Apollo and the immortal Arrow-collar man. Spike this name, now most incon- gru-ous, was a .relic of primitive grade school days was at that moment far from being his free and easy self. As

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THE LINCOLNIAN e Splut of Lmco n PEARL BURGESS IN the Czty of Tacoma Buzlt on Commencement Bay Where the trams from over our natzon And the shzps of commerce play Stands a hzgh school on a hzll top For the traznmg of the mznd Where the youth of our fazr ctty Wisdom s hzdden treasures ,nnd As the czty for the Mountaxn A name of Strength has borne So the name of Lmcoln stands alone A Mountain tn the storm Oh tower of Strength rn cruel Stnfe' Our Country torn to save Brave Lincoln pazd even with hrs Life That man might not be slave Then does our school of Lmcoln Reflect the lzfe he gave That the mea one mtght stronger As he once stood for Freedom Of slaverys tortured human Kmd So Lmcoln stands for freedom Of Body .Soul and Mmd And as the years roll onward Our Motto stzll shall be That Lmcoln be as Lmcoln A bullvarlf of the free That ln her halls of shelter Thzs standard ne er shall fall Tall the last man of Lmcoln Has gzven hrs last has all cr c o o lf ' he. That the fearful might be brave.

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30 TI-IE LINCOLNIAN free and easy Spike was always known to 'his classmates-always mas- ter in whatever situation he found -himself, .such was his personality- many-sided, quick to understand and sympathize with the -thoughts and feel- ings of others, and hence quick to en- dear him to his friends. And yet the problem he was now confronting had to do with understanding the charac- ter of others. It was his role in the class play. The story, old in theme, yet hand-led in a m-ost clever and ca- pable manner Cas the billboards always sayy. was of a country boy who rises to the top. In the first act Spike was to appear as the unpolisihed lad, handicapped by awkwardness and ti- midity, who is humiliated upon his first appearance in a wealthy city home. It was here that Spike would make his first -impression upon hvis au- dience, would learn whether or not he might count upon -their approval and co-operation during the remainder of the play. And fhere, too, lay the puzzle. Spike was a great mimic, and also uu- ders-tood many phases of character- but to represent an awkward, easily humiliated boy-Spike knew nothing of it-never had paid any attention LJ it. When people came around Spike they became im-mediately at their ease, no matt-er how retiring they naturally were, because Spike, so they all agreed, had a way with him. Ac- cordingly, he had scarcely ever come in contact with such a personality, and although he had read of such thin-gs, it was most difficult for hifm to under- stand. The rest of the role was- easily within 'iSpike's range-but that first act! Two weeks passed and again the Dramatic Club met. The curtain rose upon the farce for its first presenta- tion. Poor Bill! He had rehearsed more faithfully than all the rest-'had actual-ly FELT the part he was to play, yet now, as he stumbled through his lines he felt them slipping from him- he was losing character-he was mere- ly Hill-quiet, awkward Bill-his voice trembled. ceased as a group of Jundors gave way audibly to fthe covert mirth which had long since seized the au- dience. Spike, leaning lazily back in a front seat, -startled to laugh, too, but something changed his mirth to a gasp, as he saw for an finfstant the nearly quivering lips and hurt eyes of the boy wihose dreams were being so rudely dashed to pieces-and then Spike knew and understood. He caught his breath before the momentary reveal- ing of the ot-her's hopes-before the splendid side of commonplace Bill-as they w-ere laughed at by the crowd. This was the sort of thing of which he had read, the flexible changing back and forth in a variety of moods, but the utter inability to express this quick response to all 'that he -heard an-d saw and felt. Wlhat a shame it was-mused Spike, Why, what a peut-up feel- ing he must have had at times. Gen- erally, he would have laugh-ed at that last thought, but now it held something more than a -laugh for him. And there were lots of folks :like that considered regular dummies, but sensitive-gee, how sensitive to ridicule-and respons- ive underneath to all the fine things in life. He was mighty lucky, he was, to have been blessed with a tongue that could be, just as he wished. fiery, persuasive, encouraging, challenging, sympathetic-bl'es-sed witfh an utter freedom of pers-on-so 'that if words faiiled him, one wave of his hand ex- plained it all. And so Spike under- stood and blazed wli-th the desire to make others understand, through the medium of the first act of the play of his class. Bill had failed-he crept home heart- sore-and little realized that 'he had contributed another im-portant factor to Spike's already attractive person-