Lowell High School - Red and White Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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Matty was M ' Mffr Uhr Milan with the Wrath LCJOD-SXVEATING HIPPOPOTAMUS, huh l said Matty Rourke, derisively, Rollo, the three-legged boy! Oh, Lord! Prince Carpathus and his Roaring Band of Genuine Cossacksl Ever see such a collection of fakes in your life P You and your fakes make me tired, snorted Roy Cashel. 1' . ,Q 'lYl9i? A 1 J g' Let's see you grow an extra leg, if yon're so smart. not, like every other boy in the group in front of the alluring and multi-colored posters that announced the advent in Coburn of The Great- est Show on Earth, a worshiper at the feet of the circus deities. Every Coburn boy, between the ages of six and sixteen, except Billie Shillock, who was home with the mumps, was on that particular block on Main street, on that particular Saturday morning. And each and every one of them stood there in gasping amazement and open-mouthed wonder. Even dignified Roy Cashel, captain of the Coburn Grammar School Nine, counted his pennies and calculated his capacity for pop-corn. Ilut Matty laughed. l-lis was a matter-of-fact, observing sort of mind. For some reason or other the blare of the brass band was not sweet music in his ears nor had the romance of the ring any appeal for him. He always saw the wires in the Punch and Judy show and the stilts under Jerry the Giant. Not that Matty had never found joy under the big tents. Once when he was quite a little boy, he had been fascinated by Zip, the Monkey-Man, who could not speak a word of any language. So after the crowd in the side- show had drifted away from Zip's platform, and the spieler had directed attention to other marvels, Matty lingered in the vicinity of the Missing Link. To his dismay and astonishment Zip, whose parents had probably immigrated from Africa to Alabama, opened his mouth and spake. Lord. this town is dry! he said. Since then Matty's faith in the gods of the arena had steadily waned. This scoffing at the circus and all that it stood for was the only bone of contention between hfatty and his chum, Roy Cashel. Roy resented M'atty's assumption of superior knowledge and besides, he thought it absurd that Matty should so vehemently attack what was so unquestionably accepted as the idols of boyhood. Their friendship had been strengthened by the enthusi- astic love of both for the national game. Roy had reached the proud position of captain of the grammar school nine, and was the only boy in town who had spoken to Christy Mathewson when the great pitcher had visited Coburn the preceding winter. Tn fact, he had actually caddied for Mathewson on the local golf links, and had procured a promise from the famous hurler to show the Coburn Cubs a few of the Hner points of the game if ever he visited that part of the state again. lt was mainly on account of this friendship with the great and the prestige that it immediately brought him that Roy had been elected captain of the team. Tllirfy-nm'

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he pressed on in his errand. Qne mile, two miles, three miles were soon passed. Almost the four miles of distance had been made, when he came to an obstacle which defied him to go further, and seemed in a fair way to stop him. It was a ford, rendered by the spring freshets quite impassable. He sought up and down stream without any success. Hut obstacles could not daunt him, they only stimulated his determination to cross, 'There shall be no A1ps,' he thought. f'Then he reached a place where the river narrowed, so that it was not more than forty-five feet wide, and where the opposite bank was lower than the one he was on. The thought Hashed, 'Could he leap that gap? He had often jumped further than this in tournaments at home. At any rate he would try. Thoughtfully he ascended the hill, and carefully surveyed the path for his descent. Slowly he started down, then faster and faster he sped on, until at the brink he was racing with the speed of a comet. He made the descent erect, but he crouched as he neared the river. Then just at the edge, he sprang to his full height. For an instant he seemed poised in mid-air. His eyes must have caught a glimpse of the rushing river beneath him, death must have seemed perilously near. l'Sut death to him didn't mean the passing of one soul, but the passing of one hun- dred and oneg for the hundred miners who, unconscious of their danger, were working in the little valley below, must go out if he did. So he couldn't lose his head, but 111-usf hold himself steady and land safely. He did. Losing no time over 'lamenting his misfortune in landing on a sharp piece of ice and severing one of his Fingers, he went on. Soon he reached the camp and gave the alarm. Quickly the miners abandoned everything for the safety of' higher ground. They had no time to lose. Up the canyon could be heard the roar of rushing waters, and the seething, angry mass soon foamed over the little valley. f'The miners looked down on the destruction of all their possessions. on a scene of desolation. But they were grateful to be alive. and they thought of their rescuer. They would give him all they had to give now. their heartfelt appreciation, but some day- Put where was he? Nowhere to be found. Silently he had gone away and none of them ever saw him afterwards to recognize him. I wish you could have heard the old man tell the tale. it was so simple and convincing. I was divided between regret that the hero had so effaced himself, and satisfaction that he had been really big enough to do it. I ventured to remark that there hadn't been others like him, but the old man answered indignantly: Oni the contrary, young man, there were many in 'Forty-nine'. Then, the fire burning low, he sug- gested that we turn in. The next morinng I took my leave, not without a curious pang. As he waved farewell to me I noticed, for the first time. that there was a finger missing on his right hand. I often wonder. l T.-XRRY S. .-XmN.xN'ri. Dec. 'l6. Thirty

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Matty too had passed the cowboy and prme nghter stage 'md all lns dreams centered about the baseball d13.l'l1011Cl II1s htes ambltlon xxas to don the unxform ot a New York Glant lns unmedlate ann was to pltch a game for the Coburn Cubs Qpraxx led under the trees of Rourkes orcha1d the tvxo boxs contmued the d1scuss1on ot the mornmo Ixov, propped on one elboxx, st1ll xx rathtullyf pursued lus areument md punctuated lns remarks by throwmg peach plts at a peaceful tomcat who was sunnme lnmselt nearby Xou thmk xou re awfullx smart dont you he sa1d Nlattx bhssfully munclnng at a Qxeen apple and through halt closed eves xxatclnng an nnpertment yav destroy the cherrtes that xx ere rxghtfullx lns rhd not deign to rcplx It xou would only prove what you keep on telhng me It xx ouldnt be so bad Qhucks xou know 1ts all a bluff 'xnyxxax Sax l1StSIl NI'1ttx 1t xou could show one ot those fakers up Id let xou pltch that game 3Q'l.l11Ht Den ton s Qtars Matty stt up NX1tl'1 a perk Do you really mean that he demanded I do sa1d Rox somexxhat taken aback hx 'XIattx s ewdent anxxetx to take hun at hrs xx ord Its 'L U0 cr1ed the eager Uattv and the txxo clasped hands to clmch the bargaln Breathmg the dust laden a1r ot the cxrcus the txxo bovs pushed then' xx ay through the croxx ds 1n the s1de show Matty scannxng etch CXl11l31t for pos slble weaknesses IIe was haldly successtul tor the tat mans 311115 seemed all too real and he assured hnnself of D1ablos genumeness by personal con tact w1th the molten lead wlnch the Tlame Ifater spat Iorth Lven Nhnme the Mxdget three feet one meh ln he1ght had no v1s1ble defects Rov s fate was a happ1er one Not a xx ord of the bally hoo men esxaped hun not a sxxord svxallower or an Ind1an prmce xxho xxas not to hun an Dghth XVonder of the VVorld The tll1lTlpCt1l'lQN ot the elephants the crle-. ot the sp1elers the xxlnstle of the peanut xx 'tgon all xx e1e nungled m '1 peaen ot ov It xx 'ls near the Realded Mans booth that Rox' and hIatty saxx ohnnx VV1nters He xx as engaged m earnest conx ersatmn xxrth the man on the plat torm Alltson Wfzlkre possessor of the longest beard m the xxorld four xalds and txvo mches IU length to quote the posters Ilushy and tlnck 'xt the roots and draped ove1 lns shoulder t1ll thev fell toxxard the ground m a Qlacefut curve the Qcotchmans whlskers presented a chsplax ot heur that xxould haxe aroused the envx of Methusaleh and the Patrlarchs Ol of a Ladx tzodxxa Tvrclentlxf XV1ntcrs was Oettmfl the xxorst ot the argument Xs thc boxs approached Iohnnx xxas adchessmo the lmlted Scot I'ut hoxx mn xou tap ture the gnls xxxth those vxlnskers he asked xxlth 1 slx blNllE' Do xou know what the Q'1flS to me xxhen I xxas a lad came txe 'tnsxx er 'Go home to xour mother sald thex and dont uk for '1 kwa t1ll xou haxe '1 mm s face XX hx mon lt xou d1d na xx ear men s clothes I xx ould take 1111115 hc 0 ' , , . . c , L ' . ' I 7 ' ' . . Y T ' . l .t . . . . Y .s .V . ... c ' ' . . . ' y' . Q. . . I 3 Y . Y . ., ., 6. -I . ' m . C , 1 - , - - , .. r ' , , 1 ca . N , '. . H 7 - V 5., - . . . . r ., ',, ' . , , .. - '-. 1 . . J - . ' Q. -I ts C ' . ' l 1 , f c ' ' ' ' -I. V e, . . - ,' J y . a ' H . . . Q Y ' 1 1- ' ' .J -.V 7 ' x V v . . r V Y - V . X Y . . I ' ' 'r ' 1 - ' ' . ' '- .1 r r - f . ' . ' 1 .l L x ' - J, sy . . K, -., ,f ,z f . ' . f 2 I . 41 xv v. ' , . 7 , . , it .- , 1 . 9 '. . ' . if s va ' , , 1 , , ' , r 6 , cu 1 -,, 1 ' . .. . - . , . - - F - A . 5 ' rw .1 ' 7 ' .. '. ', -' I - 2 ,' - ' . ' . .. ' ' ' . ' . . ,. , . .. , 4 , . . . . V C 7- - . . 1 -A . : ' Y . . . . . , , .. Q , , . ,,. 7. ' . . -N .1 ' . ' r - 7 r r 1 4' . y ' . ., - . . y if .. c, - f ' , c 'I 7 ' ' 1 ' . s e J ,- 1 v ,v ' x - f e r f f - . I , ' .. ' A 'Q ' ., I ' I ' ' t - W .1 . . . A . Y I - , , . . L - V ,.. A ' - , ., , A, ' . Q - r K- , . , . 1 c, . - ' ' ,r ' r' A ' r ' V ,N I ' , ., .. -' L Y c I ., , ' - . , 4 ' ' I V . ., ' I, ' , - ' - . ' ,A 1 , - J. - '- A . - C m m L - ' e - f . ' . -' U , . , . .. ' ' ., x , . x 4 ' ' .f D L' - , .'. .'. - . '. al . , .' . -. -. ' I 3 . ' .- f ., . C. ' L . I . l .1 is , , ' - A v. - 3 w I Q x - . 4 . .1 e 1 ' . . ' , '.. .' . , , , . . . 4 , . Y it , ., ' , c. e -. U , . V i .. ' . . . .A 5 Y . 7 1 c . , Q - - s ' - 'H fv - - ., ,-