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

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iPage8 TlzeLoWELL son of his parents, earnest and quietg he would live a peaceful, uneventful life, and, it is not amiss to say, they expected him to die a peaceful death and be buried in a quiet, peaceful grave, even as they themselves expected to be. Moreover, his parents decided that, when he should have attained maturity, he should be a professor Cfor Mrs. Long thought professors were the very acme of dignity and so distinguisheduj and at thirty-five or thereabouts he was to marry a nice, sensible, congenial girl, who would aid him in his career. Thus they planned, little knowing that the Fates, autocratic rulers, will brook no interference from mere mortals. When the remarkable Quintus was twelve years old, he was everything that the Longs desired him to be. He was gentle, manly, courteous, and had never been boisterous. Moreover, he was the best student in his class and the joy and delight of his teachers. He did not waste his time playing, but spent it reading and improving his mind. Whenever one of the boys would ask him to engage in sport, Quin would adjust his owlish glasses, and say, No, thank you. Darwin is too engrossing. At thirteen, Quin was graduated from grammar school, the undisputed scholar of his class. Even the teachers 'were proud of him. Quin entered high school with but one ambition. He intended to be the best student in the entire school. He studied diligently and frequently. As a reward for his labors, he received the best possible grade in every subject. At the same time, he confided to his parents that he had decided to become a professor of Latin and Greek. Their joy on hearing this was boundless. Toward the beginning of the second semester fjust after he had won the prizej Quin remained after school one afternoon to finish a Greek exercise. When he was deeply engrossed in his work, he heard someone address him. He looked up and saw fwhat he termed to his parentsj one of those foolish girls before him. She was little and golden-haired and blue-eyed, and he re- membered that his teachers called her Miss Bless. She asked in a sweet, baby voice if he would explain a math problem to her.' He endeavored to explain it to her, but his explanation did not seem ade- quate, for she puckered up her pretty brows in perplexity. 'He questioned her as to which points she did not understand. As he watched her, he discovered that she was very attractive. He had never really noticed her before. He went deeper into the explanation. Finally, she said she understood, and, thanking him sweetly, walked away. The following day as Quin strode through one of the corridors of the large, gray building he met the had taken the trouble to find out her namej June Bliss. She smiled at him. He stuttered out a faint Hello! while a warm feeling, which he could not label, enveloped him. He had never felt that way before. ' That day he received? his first low mark in geometry. He had discovered that June sat where he 'could easily view her many charms. He gazed at her all period, and when theiteacher called upon him, he hadn't the faintest idea

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-Xq-i, 3 1 . LITEI2 T The Fall of Quintus Fabius Long T VVAS the last day of the semester. The entire body of students of the Washington High School was assembled in the spacious :lg-'j auditorium for the scholastic event of the term. In this contest any student in the school might submit a poem, essay, short story, or a play. The winner was awarded a gold medal. The program was about half-way through and the juvenile section of the audience was frankly bored. At the close of each paper they had clapped rather per- functorily. The next number on the program was announced by the student- body president. 'Necessity for the More General Study of Greek' QUINTUS LONG!! The speaker, a husky, dark-haired boy of about fourteen years, a line specimen of boyhood, was unusually pale and his bright, gray eyes were con- cealed by a huge pair of tortoise-shell glasses. He spoke well, in clear, concise sentences. When he had completed his essay, the older portion of his audi- ence applauded vigorously, the younger element mechanically. ' Two more readings terminated the program. The five judges rose im- portantly and conferred together in the principal's ofiice and then solemnly communicated their decision to the president. Quintus Long had won the medal. Amidst general applause he received the prize. I knew he'd win, said dark-haired Maybelle Summers, he always does. He never fails in anything. That's quite a record, responded her companion, and he's only a fresh- man, too. I'd like to see him miss once, anyway. Oh, he will, concluded Maybelle sagely, after all, he's only mortal. Quintus Fabius Long, for such was this remarkable b0y's name, was his parents' only child. NVhen he was born, the Longs brazenly dared the Fates and decided that he should not be as other small boys of their acquaintance- noisy, mischievous, nerve-racking tomboys. No, indeed! He would be the true

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for June 1922 T099 where the place was in the book. Moreover, he didn't care. The class was so surprised that no one spoke for fully two minutes. For two days Quin merely existed. He was happy when he was in the same class as she and miserable when he was not. On the third day june asked him about another problem. His knowledge of 'fmathu took on a greater glory in his eyes. In the middle of his explanation he observed how her eyelashes curled and how red her mouth was. He became muddled and was compelled to start over again. He went slowly this time, so as to keep her longer. When she said that she must be an awful bore and that he must think her terribly stupid, he replied that he could explain things to a pretty girl like her all year and was quite abashed at his own audacity. During the noon hour he accosted one of his boy friends. Daniel, he asked hesitantly, his face Bushing a dull red, how,-how would you make a- a girl-1-like you? Well, what has struck you F 'queried his friend. Then, rising to the oc- casion, for this was one subject on which any boy likes to air his knowledge, he said: Well, you must be an athlete. You must try for the football team, espe- cially. Then learn to dance and say nice things to 'em, and lo! how they fall! -Say, Quin this curiosity overwhelming himj, is she pretty? Who is she P No amount of cajoling could make Quin, however, divulge her identity. Quin took his friend's advice seriously. He did nothing by halves. That afternoon, and thereafter for many afternoons, he reported to the gymnasium regularly. His fond mother was almost prostrated when he came home with a broken wrist, received while playing basket-ball. These were days of many sur- prises for Mr. and Mrs. Long. Their home was quiet no longer. In the evenings Quin was learning to dance, and he required the presence of some of his friends nightly. The stately old grand piano lost its dignity through jazz. With athletics engaging his attention, Quin's record in scholarship fell scandalously. He no longer wished to be a professor. His ambition now was to be a civil engineer. He ceased his study of Greek, so that he might take ukulele lessons. His parents thought his mind had been affected. Perhaps they were right. , A His strenuous endeavor in athletics bore fruit. He made the baseball team, and June Bliss' smile after he had made a home run more than compensated for his failure in Latin. He aspired to a place on the football team later on. June Bliss, with her sunny smile and forget-me-not eyes, was his first girl She was replaced by a petite brunette, and she by still another. The Fates had been triumphant. The downfall of the model son had been accomplished. With the wisdom of the ages, they knew that one little blonde with a baby stare could wreck a kingdom, and still more easily a potential professor. But such is life and such it will be, ad iniinitum. -Florine Olivieri.