Mountain View Union High School - Blue and Gray Yearbook (Mountain View, CA)

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19 Jt Wasn ' t thr Maon T ' WAS noon in l;ii-tinville. Across her tlusty, uninviting main thoi ' ouglifai-f torrid lieat waves wavered lazily. Tlie iiot, mid- suniraer snn heat unmercifully ilown on the glaring, hot side- walks. Save for a horse stamping nervously, switching her tail and flinching her flanks at the hordes of buzzing, insistent flies, the street was desolated. In the office of the Martinville News, assist- ant editor Samuel Slai-tin scowled ii ' ritahly over the work before him. lie was hot, tired, hungry, and worst of all, nervous. The building offered little protection against the blazing sun. The air was stifling. liy the front window a blow fly buzzed. That increased his nervousness. The impatient horse stamped her foot and jerked at her halter, causing the ring of the iron hitching post to jingle noisily. The assistant lost his temper. Why the devil don ' t the boss come back? He ' s been gone long enough for two dinners. He threw down his pen and rose for a drink. The water was tepid, nauseating. He drew a cigar from his waistcoat and seated himself at his desk to resume his work. Again the fly buzzed; again the horse stamped. The assistant chewed furiouslj- at his cigar with a muffled curse, then again scowled at his work with a counterfeited intenseuess. The boss entered. Samuel, smoking is strictly forbidden during office hours, especially during my absence. People will think that you are wil- fully disobedient. If ,vou expect to succeed as an editor, you must learn to abide strictly by the I ' ules of a superior. Samuel Martin tossed the otfending weed into a cuspidor, the scowl deepening. He hated sermons such as his uncle was con- tinually giving. And furthermore, Samuel, a successful editor never is im- patient or irritable. He must hold his temper no matter how humili- ating or obnoxious his work or dealings with others may be. Just for fun, suggestetl the assistant, listen to some of this from one of these manuscripts. This, by the way, is the sixth story from the same person since you started the monthly supplement. Here ' s the ending of the rotteuest, mushiest ' ' romance I ' ve seen : He looked deeply into Jasmine ' s soft, melting, blue eyes. ' Jasmine! Oh Jasmine! sobbed Oliver, my very soul will oxidize if you answer me wrongly. Jasmine, tell me. Jasmine, my own, tell me that you love me. Just say ' Yes. ' ' And then upon the lovers rose the moonful and shining-sil- very through the upper mists. And that self-same moon, which, for countless generations has faithfully governed the waters of earth, l)eamed kindly down upon them, and the same mysterious power which so bewitches earthly waters, bewitched the lovely maiden, for her soft answer was given in such tones as are known only by lovers. T ' was a kindlier smile; a softer silver radiance that twinkled from the bewitcher ' s beaming face as he watcheil the two embrace. ' The editor was furious. Of all the rot I ' ve ever heard that ' s

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18 BM ' E AND CRAY ciiKci-s oil the Washington and the tliree nccupaiits of the raft yelling sonietliing iiiun1elligil)lc at hiia. Of a siuldeii. an unforeseen thing liajipeiietl. A man leapt from tile Inirniiig ship, into the water, neai ' where the woman was now afloat and spluttering for help. Lord Archibald saw the man as he hit the water and, not to be outdone for the honors at this stage of the scene, made an extra spurt ; a fraction of a moment ahead of his rival he grasped the hair of the fast drowning woman. He started to swim with his burden toward the raft which was then the closest object to him, when of a sudden his head received the impact of a sudden jar. Looking back, he gazed into the maddened eyes of his rival, who had just delivered a straight from the shoulder ' . His apparently exhausted burden suddenly came to , and simultaneously both the rival and the res- cued proceeded to maul the rescuer, treading water during the melee. This was certainly a funny turn in affairs for De Ray, who was sadly receiving the worst of affairs. At last, well nigh exhausted, he turned and swam. His assailants then jiursued him, but his fear lent him wings and outdistance them he did. The raft was his goal, it being nearest him. On it now danced three crazy men, bawling something or other at him. At last he grasped the edge of the raft and pulled himself half upon it, more dead than alive. Immediately Lord Archibald De Ray was seized by the three maniacs and without any ceremony whatsoever, was spontaneously kicked back into the water, while one gave him this parting shot: C!an t you read English, you blithering idiot, referring tc the sign erected overhead. You ve spoiled one of Pathe Freres two reel features. —Jack G. North, ' 16. unriBF on ttjf ioutitain |f PEW red streaks across the eastern sky And spreads o er the east like some rich dye Dispel the dim gray light of eai-ly dawn, . As if to bid the gods of night be gone. The canyons dim in purple shadows sleep. As though unmindful of the coming day ; While from the pine ' s dim shadows dark and deep A tiny warbler sings his morning la,y. A silver haze o ' er all the earth is spread. And echoes wake that through the night were dead. The dew-drops sparkle on the long green ferns; The hillside seems a lake of glist ' ning gems; The golden poppy to the sun her chalice turns, While hai r-bells nod upon their slender stems. The wild-rose sheds its dainty perfume ' round; A gentle breeze steals through the scented grass ; The brook glides o ' er the rocks with mur ' mr ' ing sound; The busy bees hum softly as they pass. Nature in all her beauty greets tlie sun. The night is past and a new day ' s begun. — Leona Armstrong, ' 14.

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20 BLUE AND ( ,RAV tlie I ' ottciu ' St and the inusliicst. Who in tlniiidi ' i- liad tlic Miidacity to shi|) us that ' ! Tlif assistant grinni ' d triumphantly at his uncde. A suceuss- ful oilitor is never irritable. lie must hohl his temper no matter how humil — Wlio ' s that from? demanded the editor, fairly choking- with rag ' e. Of all the — ' ' From a Miss Jane Iloopei-. Poi-tland, Oregon. What! ' From a Miss Jane Hooper, Port — Well, I ' ll be switched. Why? No. I won ' t be switched. I ' ll be worse than switched. Jane Hooper is my first cousin. Oh, then, said the assistant with sarcasm, I suppose then we ' ll ha e to print it because of the endearing ties of relationship. The endearing ties of relationship be hanged. We can ' t accept such I ' ot. It would be idiotic. Send ' em back? And yet — and Samuel — oh hang it all, 1 suppose we ' ll have to print ' em. Her dad is backing — well — you understand — the new presses — we are a trifle in debt. But dog gone it. we ' i-e in debt to him, Old Silas Hooper. Then — then we ' ll have to accept this and pay her for it! Huh! We ' re up against it, growled the editor, jabbing his hands in liis trouser pockets. Sam, think. For the first time in your life think. To print that rot is ruination and yet — shipping ' em hack is worse. Couldn ' t we kidanp hei- ? Couldn ' t we kill the insjiiration of her ingeniousness ? We could encourag-e hei ' ingeniousness. What! Encourage her. Tell her she lacks training — experience — any- thing. Tell her she needs to learn of other spheres than her own — that she must travel. We could send her on a trip an ' while she ' s goiu ' we could think. We could at least posti)one the misei-y ' till the next monthly supplement. l!y George, Sam, I ' ve got it. We ' ll seiul lu ' r on that ocean trip your friend, the artist, is making. ' Is Jane — er — Miss Hopper unmarried? Yes, and likely to })e for some time. She ' s past twenty-five. The assistant grinned. Art ' U fall for her. He ' s a genius, (ienei are boobs. And you know all that rot about ' fowl of a feather ' or something of the sort. By Jove, Sam, you are thinking. We ' ll send Jane an ' her sis- ter Genevieve for company, on the same trip with your friend, and we ' ll tag along to promote affairs an ' — well, incidentally, we ' ll make ' em learn. The editor grinned. We ' ll make ' em learn that the ' silver radiance ' don ' t figure in love — that it ain ' t the moon. The editor ' wrote: Dear Cousin Jane: We have received yours of the 14th and are delighted to note a remarka})le improvement over your first writings. Speaking frankly, cousin, we are pleased to state that your work shows signs