Milford High School - Oak Lily and Ivy Yearbook (Milford, MA)

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OAK, LILY AND IVY. 7 the face. Nearer and nearer he approaches; now his clothes smoke in the scorch¬ ing heat; beads of perspiration stand out on his forehead. A live coal drops to the floor; soon a tiny flame springs up; it spreads. The smoke thickens, yet the figure, spellbound by the face in the coals, cannot stir. In a little time nearby hills are wakened by the crackle and by the ruddy glow of a pile of blazing timbers which shine like a beacon; but soon the light fades and dies out and once more over all settles the cold clammy darkness of doom. Geo. Caldicott, ’14. Twice Traveled Trails. To Doc and me, hunting is a vocation. From our childhood we have been accustomed to handle guns. As a very little fellow, I can remember what a cer¬ emony father made of teaching me to clean his guns; what reverence and care for weapons he instilled. Later when I went along with him into the woods, how diligently he interested me in the catechism of hunting! And now, when¬ ever we can, when the office is not full of doleful patients, or when I am not hindered by that pest of the school boy, afternoon session, Doc and I shoulder our guns and tramp away. Thanksgiving day we set apart as a day of great devotion to game and early we started out. We crossed the road and proceeded to hunt over a wet and exceedingly thickly wooded swamp. It was cold and damp and every bush seemed determined to catch and hold on to some part of our clothing or skin. We travelled in silence though once in a while an occa¬ sional “Ouch!” would come from either Doc or me, as we stooped to crawl under some tightly woven branches or vineswhere some very friendly and pain¬ fully affectionate horse-briars would grab our legs and command our immediate attention. At last we reached the end of the swamp and we climbed over a wall into a field that had once been post of the woods, but was now filled with scrub oaks and underbrush. Scattered here and there were closely intertangled piles of dry brush and briars which afforded excellent hiding for small game. We stamped over all these piles but the “Jinks” the god of all luck was certainly with us for no sign of a living animal did we see. Beyond this field was a similar one which, however, was able to boast of one or two small pine trees in the further corner, but, of no very promising places for game. We had chosen unwisely and were about to turn back when Doc saw an old milk can on a rock beneath one of the pines. You who do not know Doc cannot appreciate the fact that even if he is my uncle, he is more of a “kid” for liking fun than am I; and that combination of milk-can and gun was too much for him. It was the first time that morning that he was really animated and I grinned in sympathy as I heard him give that clearly-cut “up-in-the-air” laugh of his and saw him raise his gun and let drive. I hoped against hope that he wouldn’t hit that can. I wanted to hear his apologies which are always most elaborate when he fails to hit. But the shot struck the can squarely and as the sharp report rang out a rabbit scurried from beside him toward the back of the field. His sudden appearance so startled us that for a moment neither of us fired at him. The sur¬ prise, however, was only momentary and before he had gone many yards, a well directed shot stopped his swift flight. I don’t remember now just whose it was but I claimed it and was allowed to keep it. When we had recovered our confused senses, we continued our way through the next field. This area was covered with a buck grove and, to our great amazement, before we left the place another rabbit was added to the collection.

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6 OAK, LILY AND IVY. all? “No.” “Well! That’s funny, he came down into the bar-room last night and wanted to shave us. Scared everybody so we couldn’t induce them to return again.” “Guess I’ve laid your ghost then, if you have any more trouble with him send for me—I’ll settle him.” With that the salesman paid his bill and went away, leaving the man doubtfully shaking his head. Two or three months later the young man again came to the hotel and in¬ quired if they had seen anymore of the barber ghost. “As an appreciation of the service rendered, I’ll let you have one of the best rooms in the house for nothing.” And the man who had had courage enough to face a ghost went to a good night’s rest chuckling to himself. Miriam E. Ball, 15. A Marnerian Fantasy. Gray, lingering twilight merges away into night, black, thick and still, save lrom the moan of the cold winter wind sighing throughout the trees; now the faint howl of a wolf, now the demoniacal laugh of the owl wails away into dead silence. Far away among the lonely hills a rough shack nestles in the shelter of the woods. Within, the walls are of rough boards; nothing adorns the interior save a rude bunk of dried leaves. A little to the right is a fire-place made of sticks plastered with mud, in which a fire dances, merrily casting gro¬ tesque shadows on the opposite walls. In the farthest corner, at a rickety, home¬ made table, his face lighted momentarily by the fire, sits a man counting a large bag of coins. In the dim light of the flickering candle the beams play on a face not good to look upon. His parchment-hued cheeks are deep and sunken; from either side of a thin, hawk-like nose bulge two piercing, wild and restless eyes. Now as he opens his mouth, a set of yellow fangs come into view. Surmount¬ ing all is a long, unkempt mop of gray hair which ill conceals a ragged scar on his wrinkled brow. The clinking of coins continues in a monotonous jingling stream. At last it is all counted and with crazy laughs, he kisses and throws his arms about the bags burying his face in the beloved pile. There he rests until,—what is that he sees in the fire before him? A clearly defined face, the visage of one whom he had robbed bit by bit, steadily, persistently. The miser starts, shivers, begins to pick nervously at the table with his long talon-tipped nails. Now it is gone, but stop! another pair of eyes gleam beseechingly from out that glowing mass. Each in turn they come, those he had wronged. Oh God! Now the face of the man he murdered! See ! there is the same wound on the temple from which even now drops of blood seem to ooze. With a shriek he rises, and sweeping the gold to the floor, he leaps to the shelter of the bunk and there, face down, he lies, shivering and clutching at the dead leaves beneath him. From the shelter of his arms he peers again toward the fire. “The Fire !” It is still there ! It fascinates, hypnotizes, calls, and like one in a dream, he arises, and crouches unwillingly, moves toward the fire and

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8 OAK, LILY AND IVY. About half the field had been hunted over when a whio of tiny feet through the dry leaves attracted my attention, and excitement was again in the air. As I could not see the maker of the startled rush through the bushes, I called to Doc to look out. I had hardlv uttered a word when the sharp report of Doc’s gun rang out. On going over I found him chasing a badly wounded rabbit. Doc would make a grab for the rabbit, and just as he almost had him, the rabbit would jump away. To see a full grown man chasing a rabbit like that was funny and it reminded me of a clown at a circus chasing his hat around the ring and just as he would grab for it, a slight kick would put it beyond his reach. With one final effort Doc was successful and the rabbit was his. It was now nearing dinner time and as the snow was beginning to fall thickly, we decided to turn homeward. While climbing a bar gateway, I rested my weight a little too much on the top rail, which gave way with a loud snap and dumped me unceremoniously on the ground. Doc had reached the other side safely but the loud snap attracted his attention and he returned just in time to see a mixed up mass of legs, arms, and gun dropping toward the ground in a confused mass. Doc actually had the nerve to stand there and laugh as hard as he could. His mirth got the better of him when I told him that the poor, unfortunate rabbit had broken my fall by swinging under me and when I landed, it was on the rabbit instead of directly on the frozen ground. If the people within a square mile had never heard a good hearty laughing solo, they certainly had one grand chance then. We both laughed until our empty stomachs ached. When the effects had decreased, we continued our way home without any other accidents. The next day two hungry fellows ate, rabbit pie and somehow it seemed to me that my rabbit pie was more tender than usual. W. ’14. Fair Play. Jackson, quarter back of the Rockland Academy football team, alter being dismissed by the coach at the end of the afternoon’s practice, took a shower, changed his clothes and went down to the ferry and across to Greenwood where he had a few errands to do before supper. It was fairly dark and as he walked along he heard voices mentioning the name Rockland and immediately became interested. He stopped, and hid be¬ hind a tree, where he heard the whole conversation which happened to take place between Greenwood’s coach and captain about the plays which Greenwood was to use in the game tomorrow. Jackson listened until the coach and captain had finished their conversation about the trick plays of the game then hurriedly completed his errands and recrossed the river to his own academy. His first thought when he arrived in his room was to tell his coach at once what he had overheard but on second thought he changed his mind. That night as he went to the training table for his supper, his friends saw that something troubled him and on asking him what the trouble was, he evaded the question by pleading a headache. He returned to his room and re¬ tired early. On the following day, which was Thanksgiving Rockland Academy wound up her foot-ball season with the annual game with Greenwood High School. When- It w r as the fourth period in the game and neither side had scored. Rockland had the ball on her own ten yard line. It was the fourth down and there was five yards to make. Jackson thought it best to punt. Greenwood’s quarter received the ball on his own forty yard line and succeeded in carrying it back to