Lincoln Middle School - Lincolnian Yearbook (Portland, ME)

Page 13 text:

TI-IE LINCOLNIAN Eleven SAILOR BEN'S YARNS I was sitting on the edge of the wharf and he, Sailor Ben, was sitting on a coil of tarred rope. I had a Hshing pole, and although I did not expect to catch anything with it, I could manage to maneuver the hook down to the fishing smack below which was still loaded. The last time I had seen Ben, he had told me about his exploits in the Civil War with Admiral Farragut. He said he was a coxswain then and that he was the sailor who held Admiral Farragut to the foretops when the Union fleet passed the forts of Mobile. Now Ben was not over sixty-five so I doubted his story and later I read that it was a quartermaster named Knowles who was in the tops with Farragut. Today I started to expose him but he immediately began on another story about when he was chief gunner on the Olympia, Com- modore Dewey's Hagship at the battle of Manila Bay. He said he was gunner at casemate three under the starboard barbette. Ben claimed he fired the very shell that swept away the bridge of the Spanish cruiser Maria Ininira and exploded her magazine. I pointed out that the bridge was the highest solid structure and that the magazine was nowhere near it. That didn't ground him. He carefully explained that the shell passed through the bridge and into the forward stack where it fell down to the boilers and exploded. Sparks from the boilers llew to a small amount of ammunition being carried to nearby casemate. This explosion knocked a shell from its rack in the maga- zine which in turn exploded, blowing the whole magazine. That ended the life of the Maria lnlinita. During this time my lishpole had dropped nearer and nearer to the fishing smack, until now the hook had caught onto a pile of Esh on the deck. I hastily pulled it up, but the captain of the boat had seen me. He started for me. Exit-one boy and one old sailor full of yarns! EARLE TRICKEY, DIV. C-8 BUYING A NEW HAT - A WOMAN'S IDEA A new Easter bonnet! Shall it be red. green, blue or gray? She will decide that after she sees the hats. On entering the hat shop she saw a darling pillbox with a veil attached, After inquiring about this creation she tried it on. Then there was much time taken to decide whether or not it was the correct shape and a becoming color. After long consideration no decision was reached so the hat was laid aside and others brought out and tried on. After an hour of trying on hats of all shapes and colors, she decided to purchase the one she had tried on Hrst, but she was in- formed by the clerk that that particular hat had been sold while she was looking at the others. She was rather aggravated until the clerk brought a jaunty

Page 12 text:

TPR THE LINCOLNIAN Well, William, you certainly don't want to take them to with you. - I know it, but what shall I do with them? Wrap them up and put them in the cellar. Okay, Here's my hshing rod, but where are the hooks? Oh! remember. I lost them at camp last summer. Hey, Ma. can I camp Now I have some money to get some hooks? Yes, and now will you let me alone to do my housework? Okay, Ma. you're a gentleman of the old school! Our friend Billy has gotten his hooks and after about two hours has returned. I-Ii, Ma, how are you? I got my hooks okay, and say, can I go to the Cameo this afternoon? There's a swell show there. William, you have a lot of work to do this afternoon and I think you should be satisfied with going to camp for the summer. I know, Ma, but this is the last chance I will have to see a show for the whole summer and Tom Mix is there in his latest picture. But, William, when will you do your packing? I'll do it for sure tonight, honest, I will. Oh, all right. William, but be sure you do, because your father will HOC want to wait for you tomorrow. So long. Ma, you're a peach! What a boy! sighs Mother as she turns to hnish the packing. GEORGE I-IAsKELL, Div. C-8 TALK ABOUT NIGHTMARES Last night I had a queer dream. It all started right after I relieved the pantry of two pieces of pie, three pieces of cake, two glasses of ginger ale and some marshmallows. The scene took place at a movie house right after I had done some shopping. After dropping and spilling a box of bird seed and two boxes of BB shot. I got to my seat and started to sit on a woman's hat. But I felt the pin and decided to sit elsewhere. Everything was going fine until some people behind me started to move out. After getting hit on the head with a basket. smothered by an overcoat, and jabbed in the neck by a few elbows, I decided to move. Istood up, walked on a few corns, fell into a lady's lap, and finally reached the aisle. When I thought I had found another seat I sat on a small boy holding a dozen eggs in his lap. His yelling and screaming beat all I had ever heard. While his mother yelled blue murder at me and I tried to apologize, down came a six-foot usher who guided me to the door. With a heave-ho, out I went and landed on the floor where I was met by a couple of laps by my faithful dog. Dad. who had heard the noise, came with the castor oil! DONALD MOORE. DIV. C-8

Page 14 text:

Twelve THE LINCOLNIAN green Alpine cap with a grey feather tipped with red. She purchased it and felt elated until she saw Joan Dixon of THE Dixons wearing an exact duplicate of hcr hat. This disturbed her a bit but it was the last straw when Martha Brown and Kathryn Ross wore duplicates of her very hat to school the next day. She was so exasperated that her new hat didn't appear out on Easter. BARBARA GOLDTHWAIT. Div. D-8 BUYING A NEW HAT - A MAN'S IDEA Mrs. Jones was all of a flutter. She was going to get a new hat. Not one of these extravagant affairs but just a plain. ordinary hat. After a half hour of critically surveying hats in the Hat Shop she finally decided on one. Outside the wind began to transform the calm day into a minia- ture hurricane. When Mrs. Jones emerged from the shop and started to walk along the street, her hat was gently lifted ol? her head by Mr. West Wind. It flew through the air like a glider but, alas. it landed under the wheels of an oncoming automobile and the poor hat was Battened like a pancake. Of course, Mrs. Jones tixed the hat as well as she could, but it still looked like a last year's crow's nest. She put it on for protection because it looked like rain. Then she went into the five-and-ten-cent store to resume her shopping. She went into the store a perfect specimen of a sad human but she came out very happy and cheerful. Why? Because she had heard remarks in the store about what a beautiful hat she was wearing. Now I think that if any woman wants a hat that is stylish. she should just take an old hat, make some dents in it, punch a few holes in it and stick a feather on it somewhere. Then she will be sure to have one of the most stylish hats in town. JOHN RICKER. Div. F-8 HELEN KELLER My mother was present at the meeting of the School Adminis- trators in Atlantic City last February when Helen Keller spoke. She took full notes and these are well worth passing on to the readers of this magazine. Of course we were all eager to see Helen Keller in person. and as the dignitaries came onto the platform we strained our eyes to see which one could be Helen Keller. We could not seemingly find her and whisperings about the auditorium told us that everyone else was searching for her. After the first part of the program, a tall, dis- tinguished person entered on the arm of a very kindly looking person. but which of the two could be the blind one? As they approached. the audience stood in a moment of respect for one who through mis- fortune had conquered.