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

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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.

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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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FOR TH' SAP VVAS RUNNING 25 UC-A-yis, here we are, c-a-t. It sez 'CAT-a name applied to a certain species of carnivorous quadrupeds of the genius Felus.' Do yez get the force o' that, Mister Tinker? It goes further to say-'It is a decatful animal, and when enraged, it is extremely spitefulf Did Bill Flyn scratch yez, Mister Tinker, whin he took his lave? Why-yes, just a bit. 'Tis not a consequence to what a Kitten could do, Mister Tinker. A kitten 's claws are sharper thin the tongue of a telyphone girl. The quistion thin is this-' What is the best way to ask a Cat fer the honor o' bein' its comrade till death do yez impart.' To win th' eternal respect of a cat ye must do what? Pet it? Look what yez got fer pettin' Bill Flyn, Mister Tinker. Yez must be ov the opposite nature to win the heart of th' 'kittenish' darlint. I'll be ov a lookin' at th' pictures and see what's the opposite to a cat. Let 's see-ah- yis-we'd want somethin' noble. Now thin, what is noble, Mister Tinker? Bing thought cows were noble. 'Tis true. But 'tis nobleness in th opposite sex we Want, Mister Tinker. Here it is-a lion-'a typical member of the carnivorous order of mammels, the chafe representative ov the family Felidaef Now, isn 't that a perfect description of a lion, Mister Tinker? It sezs, 'he's very strong, fierce and rapacious. His head is thick, his gait stately, his aspect, noble.' There we are, Mister Tinker-'aspect noble.' And it sez that his voice is tremendous' To pop th' question to wan ov th' kittenish kiond-be a Lion, Mister Tinker. Be like the typical member ov the carnivorous order ov mammals, and a representative ov the family Felidae, and th' swate darlint will dhrink milk from yer shaving mug. Ye 'll be going to bed, Mister Tinker? Shure, an' it is toim. H. Cornebius Tinker bade all good night and retired-without having wound his watch. And Bill Flyn, self satisfied, and with arched back and stretched legs, purred his assent under the affectionate strokes of Casey. Pl? is QF Sk 4? fl? Little Arte wants yer. It Was the office boy. Bing shuddered. What could it be now. Perhaps the President wanted to know if he 'd married yet. Bing's conscience was clear-he 'd intended to ask Miss Rose, but some way Casey's advice didn't seem exactly encouraging. Any way, he'd see little Arte. Next week is your Vacation, Tinker, but you can go for both this week and next on full pay. You may draw it tonight-that is all. A vacation! Horrors! He 'd rather marry Mrs. Swartz. jiEr-Er-But Mr. Arthur er-I 'd rather not-er-take it, thank you. ' The President seemed to expect the answer which Bing gave. h. i'Very well, Tinker, on your way out tell the boy I want to see im. ' Yes sir. 1 X Bid he bounce yer? asked the boy as Bing came from the oflice. Bing never could understand the boy. He seemed so eccentric. He wants to see you. ,','Gosh! What did I do? Holy Jupiter! I bettcha I get the can.