Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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12 SOMKNI-IIS set up a business of this kind on a larger scale. . So now Jacques Blois, or, as the styled Count Jacques Monvert, traveled to and fro among the industrial centers of France and Germany. He established his headquarters in Nice, where he rented a line apartment in a fashionable section of the city, furnishing it with antique pieces and reserving two rooms for his office. His method was simple and invariable: he bought merchandise on credit, disposed of it at very low prices for cash and in the meantime lived on the grand scale of a real and wealthy count. He was clever enough to know that if he wanted to keep up this business for any length of time, he must establish a real credit and pay his promissory notes when they fell due. In order to do this he had to buy and sell on a much larger scale. . Of course, the gay Count gave parties and had love affairs in Nice and Berlin, the two cities where he spent the greater part of his time. In Nice, he courted a beautiful chorus girl, and in Berlin he was often seen in the company of an equally attractive singer. His entertainments were famous among the young people of Nice, and it was agreed that wnne Count Monvert undoubtedly was a born aris- tocrat, he was the most democratic among the representatives of a. farmer feudal regime. As for Jacques Blois, he soon felt at home amid his new surroundings and laughed at the stupidity of those simpletons who work twelve hours a day to eke out a frugal liveli- hood. CHRISTMAS IN - ., ' THE MOUNTAINS By -Bernice Harrison, '32 ' There were, a few years ago, a middle-aged man' and his wife, who lived in a lonely hut in the mountains. They were situated about twenty miles from the nearest town, and a few days before Christmas I decided to .visit them. It took me practically a wh'o1e day to get there, as the way was rough and there was a. fresh? snow, which had fallen the night before. Drawing near to the little cabin, I could not help but marvel at the beauty and quietness of it alll Thescene wasa picture in itself-a log cabin covered with snow and surrounded by tall trees which seemed to be dressed in ermine. The sun was just going down in the west and the mountains in the distance were a hazy purple. tOh, how differ- ent this was from the crowded city with its dirty buildings and streets!J At the sound of our sleigh, the woman came out from the delightful, little cabin, with a Shawl over her haecl. After shaking the snow from our clothes, we went inside to a cheer- ful hreplace, the only light.ln the room. We were ushered to our rooms by the woman, while her husband carried in our bags. Of course, there was much talking and. laughing, and then we were back again in the little room before the fireplace. 1 We talked of many things, and it finally came to Christmas. How do you observe Christmas? I asked, wondering how this old couple could have a happy holiday in such a deserted place. Why-John always gets a small ilr tree, and then the two of us decorate it on Christ- mas Eve. You know it wouldn't be Christmas without a tree! Then, we always manage to get a large turkey from the valley below for our Christmas dinner. Of course, then there are the presents. There are so many things one can make at home, and many times John will go to town before the winter snow sets in, and he will buy a few useful things that he thinks I might like for Christmas. But, oh, we certainly do have a good time! What a different Christmas this is from what many people have! From most people, all you hear is, Oh, Christmas is a nuisance! I can't imagine what I cangive Aunt Emma, or, I never have enough money to buy what l want! It would be better if Christmas were done away with. But when you come right down to it, Christmas can always be-a jolly celebration if we will only try to make itso. It need not be elaborate! If wefgive presents from the heart rather than from the pocket- book, I'm sure we would all have a much more enjoyable time. Remember: It isn'tthe gift, it's the giver. THE PROBLEM OFQSEVENTEEN . By Ruth M. Tlvnan, '31 - Characters: ' Seventeen . Business World

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SOMA NHIS 11 there were British soldiers and ten pounds for rope-stretching information. She did not hesitate. For flfty years her man had led an honorable life. He had never suffered a moral collapse before, and he would not do it because of her, on Christmas Eve. She pulled down the shot gun from over the nre place, threw a shawl over her shoul- ders, and dragged her pain-wracked frame out through the door in pursuit of the traitor. Because of his tortured conscience, he was walking very slowly-taking two steps for- ward and one backward, as they say. She toil- ed painfully up the hill after him. Her cough- ing was drowned in the whistling wind which kicked up the snow around her. Within twenty-live yards she went down on one knee and took aim. Pat, she sobbed. He must know how it happened. , He turned. Her tlnger tightened on the trig- ger. The Christmas present bit so deep that he never heard the shot. She crawled, to his side. Pat, I made you a present of your soul, an' him a present of his body: an' I'll not be needing a Christmas box now. Two souls were reborn on the Birthday. THE ADVENTURES OF BLOIS CA Count of Some Accountl By L. Caroline Borsalino, '31 It was about a year and a half ago that Jacques Blols decided to utilize his most val- uable asset-namely an intimate knowledge of the habits and manners of swanky army of- dcers. He knew them by heart and could as- sume them with ease. His father was a coachman on the estate of a wealthy family in Lyons, and Jacques him- self, while serving in the Imperial Guard, was for a time, an orderly to a real count. The count's name was Monvert, and Jacques ob- served the impression this name made every- where. The count could order what he liked on credit and shop-keepers felt honored when he came to buy from them. Jacques wondered if he could not make a similar impression if he had the same name. He tried it once or twice, just for fun in Paris where he was a taxicab driver, and it worked quite smoothly. Of course, the name alone was not enough. He had to have good clothes, brilliant uni- forms and military decorations. To these he added a monocle set firmly ln his right eye. With this equipment. he was sure, he could live like a real count, and that would be bet- ter than drlvinga taxi. With this idea set tlrm- ly in his mind he bought a ticket to Nice, and launched upon his spectacular career, as Count Jacques Monvert. He took the most expensive suite in the best hotel, donned his uniform and breezlly enter- ed the dining-room on the evening of his arri- val. He was elegant, handsome, a bit rseerved but genial, and spoke his French in short sen- tences and with a commanding tone affected by the officers of the former Imperial Guard. He ordered champagne, and when the propri- etor of the hotel came to ask if Hls Excel- lency was satisfled with everything, Jacques nodded graciously and asked him to recom- mend a reliable automobile house where he might buy a car. There was an initial pay- ment required which Count Monvert ordered to be paid by the hotel clerk and added to his bill. He couldn't be bothered with trlfles. For the balance payment Monvert gave a note, which was readily accepted by the dealer and discounted by the local bank. ' The next day Jacques hired a chauffeur and made a tour about the city. He took luncheon at an exclusive restaurant where the city's most prominent business men assembled. Count Monvert found it easy to make acquaint- a.nces. He received invitations which, however, he did not accept for the time being. He was duly reserved, as became a real arlstocrat who could be a charming companion at the dining table but was particular about his so- cial connections. On the other hand. he made no secret of the fact that he was interested in business. He was an importer of German chemicals, he explain- ed, and was on a buying tour. There was a chemical factory in the city, and Jacques vis- ited it: in fact, he bought a large quantity of chemical products, and gave promissory notes by way of payment, and had his purchases ent to a Berlin address. - ' Two days later Jacques went to Berlin, re- ceived the goods and sold them at a low cash price. On the strength of this, Jacques decid- ed that he wa eminently ntted for the Count's business and made necessary preparations to

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SOMANHIS 13 Music Teacher Social Service living-roo-m of a comfortable modern house. Seventeen is seated on a low ottoman. Several college catalogues are scattered about her. She is thinking deeply. Seventeen: What to do! The thought drives me crazy. There are .so many thing to choose from. How can I decide? Business World Cwho has mysteriously ap- peared from a Bryant-Stratton ,cata- loguelz Maybe I can help you, Seventeen. Why not take a course in Secretarial Science and ilt yourself for a business career? Thousands of girls .all over the world have flocked to me, and I have gur- en each one her reward according to her worth. 5 Music Qwho has slipped out from between the The scene is laid in the tastefully arranged pages of the Oberlin cataloguelz Why not come with me, Seventeen? You have great musical talent, and your fingers were made to caress a beautiful key- board rather than to tap-tap wearily the unmuslcal keys of a typewriter. , You know that if you worked hard you would be an outstanding musician after several years. Think of the joy of living with -beautiful music such as you love--and then think of a hot odice and the click- cllck of the typewriter. Ugh! A girl of temperament is out of place in an office. Come with me. Teacher Qwho has come out of the Mt. Hol- yoke cataloguelz Seventeen, come to your senses. Teaching is the ideal profes- sion for a woman. It is refined work! Only flve hours a day of actual work, and a teacher has an excellent chance to study character in every phase of life. Further- more, she is doing something great for humanity-molding the future citizens of the world. Why not try lt? Soclal Service imaking its way from the leaves of the Simmons College bulletin: Say, Seventeen, you enjoy people and their problems. Why not tit yourself for an A No. 1 Social Service Worker? Fancy the- thrilling experiences you'd have. Think it over! - - Seventeen: Business, you are a thrilling pro- position, but I fear that I really couldn't adjust myselflto your exacting demands. Music, you are beautiful, bewitcning. 1 shall always play the piano-but as apro- fesslon, it is too uncertain. Social Ser- vice, you are a wonderful thing. Iaappre- -ciate your great works. But, somehow, I think that older women with more expe- rience are better suited to you than I. Well, Teacher, I guess you win. There are so many things to teach and I know I'd love it. Seventeen picks up the Mount Holyoke Bul- letin with a graceful gesture, and with starry eyes turns to courses offered. PARADOXICAL PREVARICATION By James Toman '33 This world is full of prevaricators. There are some famous examples of truth twisters, to wit: Baron Munschaesem, who professed to have hitched his horse to a. church splre ar- ter a heavy snow stormg Albert Einstein, who says a straight line ls curved, a curved line ls the shortest distance between two points, parallel lines can meet, a train is longer on the inside than the outside, a right hand glove can Ht a left hand by use of the fourth dimension, and that the sun moves around the earthg also Professor Perry ln our own school, who has proved that an empty glass and a full one are equalg and finally yours truly, whose theory I will discuss in detail sooner or later. It ls said of a liar that he would swear black was white, but not even Munchaesen would have had the courage to glve that equa- tion. Therefore, lf it can be proved that black is white, I automatically become the wor1d's champion prevarlcator. K This is my theory: First we will assume that blackis the op- posite of white. Grey is a neutral tone half- way between the two. B G W I Q- Q Theoretically white contains all colors and black is a complete absence of color. There- fore, black is minus white. 100 is the opposite of --100 and 0 is a neutral point halfway between. g '100.0.--100