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

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FOR TH' SAP WAS RUNNING 23 brain was in chaos-the first time in nine years. The Presiclefnt, Miss Rose, and some of the minor employees at the First National had been watching him. He knew it-he'd felt their eyes upon him. He won- dered if any of them had seen IT, the bald spot, before he put his hat on. What if President Arthur hacl seen I T. What if he-of all men- knew that he, H. Cornelius Tinker was balcl. The very thought made Bing shudder. Henri took more cloves. Bing Tinker had left without touching his dessert. It was bad for the hair-at least Mammies had said it was. Bing could feel Henri's eyes upon him. He put on his hat. He fervently hoped that Henri would not tell. Still more fervently he wished that Henri 's piercing stare had not seen IT. .43 7 K1 59 3? Little Artie wants to see you. It was the office boy addressing him. W-What? asked Bing, fearfully. Little Artie. He 's waitin' in the officef, Heavens. He, President Arthur-of all men-had seen IT. What would he, Bing, do? What did old bald headed men do for a living when they were unfit to be cashiers in banks. Some old men sold shoe strings. Yes-that was it-he could at least survive. I-Ie'd face Hlittle Artie. The President was waiting for him. Bing entered the office and backed away from the President toward a chair. If Little Artie lzaclizft seen IT Bing resolved that he should not see it now. Tinker, have you laid aside a monthly sum to use in case of sick- ness? There! It was coming. Little Artie wanted to know if he had saved for a rainy day. He was positive his rainy day had come. But oh, how suddenly! Not even preceded by clouds. t'Yes, Mr. Arthur. A little each month. You'd go, I suppose-to a hospital in case of illness? ' Hospita1? Why Yes- ' 'Hospitals are expensive. That is true, Mr. Arthur. Tinker, why don't you marry? M-Marry? W-Why-I-I suppose because I'd never thought of it, Mr. Arthur. Little Artie was a man of few words. Think it over, Tinker. Yes-yes, to be sure. He 'd give it his immediate attention. That is all, Tinkerf, Bing backed from the office. He' could leap for joy-Little Artie had not mentioned IT. I Perhaps he hadn't even seein IT. .All the President wanted was for him to think about marrying. Certainly he'd do it if it was Presi- dent Arthur 's wish. Certainly he'd think of marrying. He 'd ask for the hand of Mrs. Swartz, his landlady. Certainly he ld marry Mrs. Siva-. No. No-he wouldiiit. Mrs. Swartz always did Spring house cleaning in April. NO-a thousand times no-he 'd not marry Mrs. Swartz. He 'd be d-d if he would. And that, coming from the mouth of H. Cornelius Tinker, meant that he wouldn't. t It was nearing three. Bing started to look at the clock. His wan- dering eye rested for a moment on a tiny strand of unruly hair which

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7 BLUE AND GRAY Y-You really mean to say-that I am getting bald? Right ye are, Mister Tinker. Yer hair is fallin' faster than the Belguim forts in Europe! Y-You may give me the shampoo-if you think it will prevent further development of the troublef' Y-Yes Sir. And for the first time since he had been hit by a street car, Casey, for a moment, lost his wits. Bing Tinker had ventured a hasty, half guilty glance into the niir- ror! ! ! Ye'll be of hangin, out at a fashionable hotel will yez, Mister Tinker? Why-I'd hardly decided. No-I think not. Anywhere where the proprietors chose to let the rooms go dirtyf' Then ye'll be tickled to death with our extra room, Mister Tinker. And 'tis right handy to yer bank too.'l Your wife has not begun her house cleaning? f'Sure, and I'm thinkin' ye don't know me old woman. Shefll wait till me day of rest before she begins, so that her Casey kin beat the rugs. Ye 'll be safe until Sunday, Mister Tinker. Thank you. l'll take the room tonight. Bing slid from the chair. He looked at the clock. And for the first time in nine years he left, without having consulted his watch. To some men,', said Casey to the bootblack, Precident is worse than sooicide. That man will be loik a prizetighter. A fighter kapes in thrainin' jist so long, an' thin he goes on a toot that 'll make up for the toime he's lost twice over. 'Tis the tootin' that Mister Tinker will do, now that he's broken the precedent, that'll bring him harm. Ye watch the man an' see. Bing rode two blocks past his rooming house-the farthest West he had been since he had slept in Golden Gate Park during the tire in '06. The awful burden of truth rested as a monstrous weight upon his soul. H e, Horatio Cornelius Tinker, was getting bald! it 8? PX: Aren't you ever going to take time for luncheon, Mr. Tinker? It was the cheery voice of the First National 's stenographer. f'Eh, What? Oh, yes-that is, if it is time. H. Cornelius Tinker hastily left the bank leaving the two tellers, Miss Rose and Bank President Arthur staring after him in open- mouthed amazement. For the first time in nine years he had left his gloves and his stick behind. In the Peacock Cafe, Henri, the establishment 's oldest employee, swore he'd never touch another drop. H. Cornelius Tinker had not started his daily meal with oonsomme. No soup today, Sir? No, Henri-not today or any day. Please remember that, Henri. The oldest employee in the Peacock Cafe began chewing cloves. He didn't remember taking a drink but he was determined to be on the safe side. Bing wondered if omitting his soup really would help toward restoring his hair. He didn 't really see why it should, but Mammies Aid to Beauty Seekers said that it wouldland Bing's faith in Mam- mie was boundless. Bing's whole being was a portrait of W01'l'y. His

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24 BLUE AND GRAY wavered above Miss Rose's forehead. She had piles of hair. In that fleeting moment he noticed that it contrasted most favorably with the pink of her dress. He wondered if his would look like that if he Wore a pink tie. He'd try it. It was three. Miss Rose began putting on her things. Bing reached for his watch. Miss Rose spoke. He forgot his Watch. HI'd never go home to my rooming house tonight if it Wasn't be- cause I hate to change beds. My landlady is cleaning house. I despise spring house cleaning. That settled it. Bing would marry Miss Rose. :Ks 5? S6 S? In the home where, in theory, Casey 's word was law, Bing Tinker and Bill Flyn, the cat, had become staunch friends. At exactly 7:15 Caseyls spouse left the room wherein were sitting Casey, Bing Tinker and Bill Flyn. At exactly 7 :15W Bill Flyn crawled lazily up onto Bing's knee, purring his affection and arching his back under the friendly strokes of Bing. At exactly 7 :16 Bill Flyn leapt madly thru the window into the yard, his wild eyes bulging, his tail feather- dustered so that its bone was showing thru the hair. Do yez mean it? asked Casey excitedly. ' Bing blushingly nodded. Then ye've get it,H pronounced Casey. I'll bet a dollar to yer face that ye've been eatin' candy with soap in th' cinterf' I-I've got what? Why, the Fzwer. So ye're thinkin' of marryiw, Mister Tinker? Er-Er-Yes. That is-Mr. Arthur advised such a course. And have yez popped the question to th' darlint?,' I-I don 't believe I quite understand. Have yez dhropped to yer knees and whrung yer hands and told her all thim lies such as sayin ye 'll take pizen, ye 'll die and the loikes 0' that if she refuses to be yours? In other whords, have yez asked to be her swimmin' teacher across the sea of Life? Why-n-no-I-I havenit. C-Could you oifer any advice as to how I should go about such a thing? 'Twould be grand if yez could go about sech a thing-but yez can't-when ye've got the fever. That's what the faver is fer-to edge yez to the pint o' proposin'. In the iirst place, Mister Tinker, Zwhat sort of a female is she? d Wht-er what sort? Why-er-. Oh yes-she wears a pink ress. Yez doift say, Mister Tinker. Sure an' it can 't be Mrs. Swartz? No. No. She-er- O yes CBing reads the description in Mam- mies' Advice to Beauty Seekers'j Yes, I have it. She is kittenish. Yes -kittenish. ' ' H'm. You 0loii't say, Mister Tinker? Casey slowly went to the book shelf and slowly and deliberately selected a dust-covered volume. Still more slowly he turned the leaves, laboriously squinting at their contents. It sezs, announced he at length, in the Dictionary, that 'Kit- ten' means a young cat. Now kittens all grow to be cats, don't they, Mister Tinker, unless they be dhrowned in the wash tub? Yes -to be sure. Let me see, Casey found an encyclopedia.