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

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OAK, LILY AND IVY. II “Well, I guess you won’t,” crisply replied Sarah- “I won’t have you so ex¬ travagant. If it wasn’t for me, you’d been bankrupt long ago.” “Huh! I wouldn’t gone to John’s if it hadn’t been fer you. You was the one who wanted to go. Talk about extravagance! I had to buy two of them boudoir caps fer you. There is your umbrella, anyway, right in the corner where you left it.” After that a cold silence reigned, and while the old couple stared gloomily out the window, I became absorbed in my book, which I had forgotten in my in¬ terest in my neighbors. In a few minutes I again heard Sarah’s voice. “Joshua, there’s our chimney. I can just see it over the hill.” “Good gracious, so ’tis. Guess we’d better be gettin’ our things together.” By the time the train arrived at the little station they were both standing waiting for the train to come to a stop. It stopped with a jolt and Sarah was thrown back into the seat. “The ship’s sinking!” screamed the parrot, and amidst the laughter of the other passengers Joshua and Sarah left the train. —Kathrine Lester, T8. KING ALCOHOL. The western sun was just setting in its glorious splendor and the distant plain was being slowly wrapped in the dusk of evening, when over the trail leading to the corral of a Texas ranch a figure could be seen approaching, evi¬ dently very much under the influence of fire water”, which was sold extensive¬ ly at Sleepy Gulch Tavern, two miles distant. He was muttering to himself, and between the words of indignation could be heard threats against some one, apparently the ranch owner to whom the corral nearby belonged. This indi¬ vidual had been discharged on account of being under the influence of drink while at work, and now in his drunken stupor was turning over a plan to avenge himself upon his late employer. He stumbled on past the corral and on out into the twilight. Fmally he fell down in the lee of a slight rise in the prairie out¬ side the ranch. He awoke to find himself the center of hundreds of eyes. It was morning, and as usual the cowpunchers had taken the cattle out to feed, away from the proximity of the corral, and the prize Texas animals had wan¬ dered on till one of the herd had spied a queer object in his path. Western cattle can be disturbed very easily and they have an extraordinary sense of inquisitiveness;so when this unfamiliar obstacle blocked their path,they advanced slowly and timidly. They were gazing upon him with wonderment when the prostrate figure awoke. He did not move, but after his drink-befud¬ dled brain took in the situation, an idea slowly took form within his dull head. If I jump up,” he thought, I will throw them into a stampede, and then old ‘Beehive’,” for that was the name the workmen had given the ranchman, will have something to thank me for.” Acting accordingly, he struggled to jump to his feet and shout; but his limbs were too stiff from his night’s expos-

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10 OAK. LILY AND IVY. the parrot’s cage hung from a hook near the window, and the umbrella stood up in a corner. Then Joshua sank back with a sigh of relief in the cushioned seat, but his wife straightened her prim little bonnet, unfastened her cloak, fold¬ ed her hands, and gazed about. “There, Sarah, I reckon we’ve got everything fixed now and I must say I’m right glad to be startin’ fer home.” “Yes, that’s right. Not but what I’ve had a good time visitin’ John and his wife but I jest can’t get used to those city folks.” Nor me, neither,” Joshua answered. Why, Grace has even changed John so’s I’d hardly know him for the young-un I used to spank when I caught him playing hookey.” “You’re right he has changed. And say, will you believe Grace makes him sleep in pajamas ! Just you think of that! Poor John. If he’d only stayed at home with us we wouldn’t a made him sleep in them pink things.” “Wa’al, Sarah, I don’t mind them pink pajamas so much as I miss a soap¬ stone to warm my bed. When I asked Grace fer a soapstone she brought me a rubber bag filled with hot water,—a hot water bottle she called it. Good heav¬ ens to Betsy! Did she think I was going to put that thing in my bed? Wa’al, I guess not. The old thing might a busted and then I’d got my death-er-cold. No, siree, no rubber bags filled with hot water in my bed.” At that moment, the brass-buttoned news boy came through the train shout¬ ing his wares. Joshua purchased a paper while Sarah watched him closely to see that there was no cheating in making change. She had been well instruct¬ ed in city ways, and in her estimation Joshua still needed her care. “Anything in the paper ’bout Hiram Young’s funeral?” asked Sarah. You know ’Lizabeth wrote ’twas the largest in years.” “No, there ain’t nothing ’bout that, but here’s all about Nellie Grimes’ wed- din ' .” “Who’d she marry? It’s about time she stopped flirtin’ and settled down.” “That young city feller who’s been spendin’ his vacations there fer the last year. They’ll be trottin’ to the city pretty soon, I suppose, and then she’ll be wearin’ a night cap to breakfast same as Grace does.” “Why Joshua Allen!” exclaimed Sarah nudging him to be quiet. “’Tain’t a night cap it’s a boudoir cap.” After this rebuke Joshua laid aside his paper and looked out the window, twirling his thumbs. “Guess we’ll have a storm ' fore night. It’s cloudin’ up over there in the East.” 1 Just then Sarah began looking about, in great excitement, first on the hat- rack, on either side, then on the floor. “Joshua, it’s gone!—Joshua, I tell you it’s gone!” “What’s gone?” he drawled. My umbrella. Someone’s took it! It’s just as good as it was twenty year ago ’cept for a little hole near the top.” Well, mebbe you left it at John’s. Anyhow, I will buy you a new one when we get home.”

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12 OAK LILY AND IVY. ure and from the poison of alcohol in his veins. His body refused to obey the commands of his liquor-steeped brain, and the only response was a feeble move¬ ment of his hands, and a gutteral exclamation of astonishment. However, it was enough to serve the purpose he wanted. A big, white steer snorted, shook his head in the air, dug his feet into the ground, and was off. The herd, a few seconds before quietly and curiously gazing in wonder¬ ment at the figure on the ground, were now completely hidden in a cloud of dust hundred yards distant, and travelling at a furious pace. About a mile further on, from different directions cowpunchers could be seen racing to cut them off. Small chance they had, however, to head them off, for once a herd has started on its mad rush, no human effort can check its flight until exhaustion ends the wild stampede. And the human factor in the scene? As the dust rose,gradually a dirty and blood-besmeared piece of cloth could be seen on the ground all cut and mangled.. It did not move, and upon looking closer it could with difficulty be made out that the object was once a human be¬ ing. Completely unrecognizable lay this creature, upon which four thousand hoofs had stamped and beat, crushing and hacking till life was extinct. Henry J. Ripley T7.