Maynard High School - Screech Owl Yearbook (Maynard, MA)

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HIDDEN GOLD Hans Johnson had always found it necessary to work hard in order to earn his living. Having heard the fantastic tales of American wealth, he had left his native Sweden to come to the United States. Here on his little New England farm Hans still worked hard tilling the soil of his small fields, planting and watching his crops grow until it was time for the harvest. Hans was a simple man, uneducated, and of a retiring nature. He spoke poor English and this was a great barrier between him and his neighbors, who actually did not make very much effort to be kind and friendly toward him. This lonely life naturally was very unhappy for poor Hans. He longed to be back in his Sweden where he could at least speak with his fellow countrymen. There Hans had been a great favorite with the children, for he had often told them beautiful and exciting stories. Here he could not even speak the language! For lack of something else to do, Hans spent most of his time working, and his farm grew to be a very good one. Hans made few trips to town to bring in his products and to obtain supplies. These trips were holidays for the other farmers, but Hans returned as soon as possible. As a result of his isolation Hans be- came rough in appearance. His shaggy hair, bronzed face, and stern, cold blue eyes served to confirm the reputation he had gained. The townspeople called him greedy because of the long hours he labored. The children thought him cruel and gruff, and made mean fun of him each time they passed his house on their way to a small pond where they went swimming. They often cut across Hans’ carefully cultivated fields, taking no care of where they stepped. One day Hans requested them not to trample on his plants, but they only made faces at him and cried, “Catch us if you can — miser!” Then, too, they stole fruit from Hans orchard, throwing it at him when he approached. Hans had a dog that he loved more than any human in the vicinity. This dog was his sole companion. One day Hans discovered some boys throwing stones at the animal, wounding him badly. One Tommy Jones, the leader of this group, was especially mean to Hans. ' When he saw that he could do nothing about the acts of the boys, Hans con- soled himself with, “You just wait! I pay you back sometime!” Hans’ only recreation was walking. Lacking human friends he found comfort in nature. He walked silently, studying the trees and flowers, listening to the gay songs of birds, watching frightened squirrels scamper from limb to limb. These were Hans’ happiest moments. One Sunday afternoon as he was walking, Hans came upon a group of boys swimming at their pond. As he stopped to watch them their loud shouts and joyful laughter as they splashed in the water made Hans wish he were among them. Suddenly the air was pierced by a horrible shriek from far out in the pond. There Hans saw a boy helplessly floundering about. Hans’ heart seemed to freeze as he stood, not knowing at first what to do. Then springing into action, he threw off his coat and, kicking away his heavy shoes, ran to the water. The astonishment of the boys at the

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Published by the Pupils of Maynard High School MAYNARD, MASS., JUNE, 1934 SCREECH OWL STAFF Editor. Assistant Editor. Business Manager Assistant Business Manager .Walter Sweeney, ’34 Dorothy Glickman, ’34 Malcolm Trees, ’35 Louis Bachrach, ’36 l Edward Ledgard, ’35 Circulation Managers . ) Louis Bachrach, ’36 ) Robert Seder, ’36 ... Florence Hastings, ’34 Elmer Salenius, ’35 Frances Fearns, 34 Robert Duggan, ’35 Alumni Editor. Exchanges Activities .... Boys’ Athletics. Girls’ Athletics Elvi Nyholm, ’35 Joke Editors .. (Russell Jordan, ’35 {Gilbert Mann, ’35 Literary Editors Irene Lemoine, ’36 Barbara Jordan, ’36 Victor Pozerycki, ’34 Ruth Bishop, ’34 Roy Lent, ’35 Catherine Hoffman, ’37 Art Editor Guido Carbone, ’34 Faculty Adviser Vena Field TABLE OF CONTENTS Literary Page 10 Class of 1934 Write-ups 13 Class Notables 31 Class Night and Graduation Programs 31-32 Activities 33 Student Council 34 High School Orchestra 35 Hockey Team 36 Baseball Team 37 The Wise Old Owl and Jokes 38 PRICE PER COPY, 25 CENTS

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THE SCREECH OWL 11 sight of Hans gave way to pleas of “Save him ! Save him!” Hans was not a good swimmer, but a human life was at stake, and the fear that he would be too late gave him speed. Though in reality it did not take very long, to Hans and the terrified boys it seemed hours before he reached the now sinking form. Then Hans saw the lad’s face — it was Tommy Jones! For a moment the idea of getting his revenge excited Hans. How easy it would be to let the boy drown! He could say he had done his best; he was not a good swimmer anyway. But there arose before Hans’ eyes the picture of a grief-stricken mother, and, almost ex- hausted, he turned to bring in the boy. He had to fight every inch of the way. He became so weary that he would have willingly given up; but the encouraging cries of the boys urged him on. Finally, when it seemed that he could force him- self no further, his feet reached bottom, and many small hands relieved Hans of the burden of the unconscious boy. Hans went home, ate his supper, and was preparing for bed, when he heard the sound of voices growing louder and louder. Going to the door he saw a large crowd of townspeople approach- ing. When they saw Hans they cheered enthusiastically. The men carried Hans on their shoulders, and everyone wanted to shake his hand. Hans was a hero. From this day on the attitude of the people changed toward Hans. There were always friendly greetings for him, for it had been discovered how kind and unselfish he really was. The children grew to love him, and that pleased Hans more than anything else. Now it is nothing unusual for a group of small boys and girls to come to him, pleading, “Tell us a story, Hans.” Hans always sits down, children all around him, and tells in his quaint broken English a story of his own Sweden. Elmer Salenius, ’35. GLASSES AND SWIMMING MIX “My boy, I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your eyes have been seriously strained by the scarlet fever, and you will be forced to wear thick- lensed blasses,” Dr. Johnson solemnly advised. “Glasses! Why that will mean the end of my swimming career! With glasses I won’t be able to see at all in the water,” maoned Bob Rider, the prep school four hundred meter swimming champion. “I know, Bob, but without the glasses you will soon be unable to see at all. I advise you to give up swimming entirely for the next few years.” This was a cruel blow to Bob’s plans, for he had hoped to become a member of the Harver College swimming team, and, with the needed competition thus obtained, to become a national figure in aquatic sports. This love of the water, however, had caused his downfall. In order to keep in practice he had in- advertently swum in polluted water and became ill with that scourge of all swimmers, scarlet fever. After many weeks in bed he was finally told the bad news. No v he would have to wear glasses and so be unable to achieve his greatest desire, to become a member of the Harver swim- ming team. With eyes too weak to see without glasses, and of course, unable to see with water-fogged lenses, he would have to give up his attempt to gain a birth on the swimming team, to which, as a prep school champion, he was expected to give all his efforts and so make the Harver team one of the great- est in many years. “I won’t give up going to college, though,” mused Bob, “and I won’t go around telling my troubles. If the students can’t make friends with me when I don’t try for the team, they needn’t make friends at all.” So Bob went to Harver College, re- fusing to tell of his illness, scorned by many of his classmates for not joining the swimming team and helping it to achieve a successful season. The team was strong and well balanced in all but the two and four hundred meter swims, and with Bob Rider to fill these gaps the team could not help but become the new conference champion. “I don’t care what they say,” mut-