North Bay Collegiate Institute and Vocational School - Northland Echo Yearbook (North Bay, Ontario Canada)

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THE NORTHLAND ECHO 31 STIIBIES AT A DANCE Frank Cherico, Form V Many stories have been written about dances from the viewpoint of the dancers, but seldom do you hear the viewpoint of the members of the orchestra. To the dancers the life of the musicians seems gay and effortless, but if they were to listen to the conversation that goes on, on the orchestra stand during the inter- mission and after the dances, they would soon change their minds. True, the orchestras that play at the dances in this city are small, but they have their troubles. Playing for dances is not all fun. When you think that all the musicians in this city have other jobs to work at during the day, you will agree that play- ing all night can be very tiresome. The average dances start at nine and finish at about two or three o'clock the next morning, Five or six hours of steady playing is hard, especially with an eight- hour day behind you and another ahead But let's sit in with the orchestra for one dance. This dance is a formal affair. The orchestra has been ordered to wear tuxedos. Tuxedos? Hmm. At the last rehearsal the leader men- tioned this clause in the contract tyes, it's only a verbal contracti and is imme- diately besieged with excuses for not wearing them. After a check-up it was found that only four of the members had tuxes. Finally, it was arranged that those that did not have them were to wear blue suits, white shirts and black bow-ties. It is the night of the dance. One by one the musicians walk in. Finally the drummer appears. He wears a brown suit, green shirt and blue polka-dot tie. The tie is a borrowed one, and is the only thing that resembles any part of a tuxedo. Oh well, the dance has to go on, even though the club dance committee glares at the orchestra with narrowed eyes. After tuning up the instruments, the orchestra is ready to start. There are only a few couples present. These are a few of the younger set. This is the crowd that is easy to play for. Give them fast jitter-bug music and they are satisfied. There is no need for read- ing music when playing for them. Some old standard numbers are revived and dressed up according to each indivi- dual member's taste. In this city an effort of this kind usually ends in a hideous jumble, but as long as there is a steady rhythm on the part of the drums and piano everyone is satisfied. The music that takes the most out of an orchestra is that of the slow waltzes, Per- haps this is only my viewpoint, but after playing for a whole dance and then being called on to play with already tired lips. a long drawn-out waltz is torture. In this day of swing, the requests for waltzes are few and far between. Of requests by the dancers, it is only right to say that they are a helpful practice to the orchestra. They give the orchestra an idea of what kinds of music to play for different crowds. There are two types of people who request num- bers. The first type is the person who really likes a certain number and who actually wants to hear it. The second type is the person who makes a request and doesn't even recognize the piece after it is played. This type is usually under the influence of the rather strong punch in the corner, or perhaps some special brand kept in the cloak-room. The most enjoyable part of the dance is the lunch served to the orchestra in a back room. Here anything goes, and the orchestra really shines in this depart- ment. After lunch there is another hour of dancing which seems to be the dullest part of the dance. The crowd begins to thin out until finally only the couples that were there at first are left. THE ARRIVAL OF THE TRAIN ON CHRJSTMAS EVE tJunior Prize Essay? E. Firth, Form IB It was Christmas Eve. The snow fell in large, exquisitely shaped flakes. In the window of every home was a holly- wreath, candle or some other symbol of the happy time. Few people were on the streetg they were all at home enjoy- ing the blessings of peace. At the newly established railway sta- tion the ticket agent's mournful face was certainly no advertisement for the joys of travel. He thought of the brilliantly light- ed trees, a platter on which reposed a mam- moth turkey, sprigs of mistletoe adorn- ing convenient doorways, but mostly of a certain pink-cheeked maiden who would even now be leading the Grand Waltz. Through the snow dimly could be seen a gay poster setting forth the merits of Florida. Spend this winter in F'lorida! it said. Enjoy a southern Christmas! A policeman paced iback and forth

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30 THEY NORTHLAND ECHO t .a .lane . - Ruth Haggart This year we have tried to make our- selves more British-conscious, and so we have attempted a Canada-wide exchange as well as an Empire Exchange. Our British Empire feature has been extraordinarily fascinating. From it we have learned many little tidbits about our peoples. XVQ hope they will continue to exchange with us and that they enjoy our Northland Echo as well as we do their books. Calgary. AlbertaeCrescent Heights High School-f 'The Bugle. More litera- ture would improve your publication. Cobourg Collegiate Institute- The Collegiate Review. The candid camera would add to your fine book. Fenwick----The Pelham Continuation School--- The Pelham Pnyxf' The famous paintings greatly enhance your maga- zine. Fredericton. N.B.--Fredericton High School- The High School Gazette. Small issues like yours in newspaper form are really interesting, but why not add a few pictures? Paris High School - 'Year Book --A fine little book with good photography and well-arrangrd material. Brantford Collegiate Institute and Vocational School- Ht-llc. Chatham Collegiate Institute-- Acta Collegiif' Charlottetown, P.E.I.- Prince of Wales College-- College Times. Hamilton Central Collvgiate Institute- Vox Lycei. Central High School of Commr-rcee- The Argosyf' Kingston Collegiate Institute and Vocational Schoolv Times. Kirkland Lake High School Conglo- mr-ratf-. Montreal Lower Canada College- Magazine-. North Bay- Scollard Hall Green and Gold. Ottawa The G14-be Coll'-Lgi:ile Insti- tute Lux Glebenaf' l'1-tc-:lion-oiixzh Collegiate- and Voca- tional School -f Thc Echoes. Quebec--Commissioners' High School- Year Book. Scarboro Collegiate Institute- The Scarboro Bluff. Sudbury High School- Wolf Howl. Toronto-Humberside Collegiate Insti- tute- Hermes. Northern Vocationalw Noi-voc. The Central Technical School - The Vulcan. Western Technical Commercial School- Westward Ho. VVest0n Collegiate and Vocational School- The Conning Tower. EMPIRE EXCHANGE The Academy Herald, Larnace, Cyiprus. The Anglo-Chinese School Magazine, Singapore, Federated Malay States. Crawley. Sussex, England-Milton Mount College- The Miltonianf' Your editorial was very interesting. Romance was amusing. The Ellerslie Magazine, Sea Point, Capetown, South Africa. Georgetown, Brit is h Guiana4The Queen's College School Magazine-A little magazine that is different and interesting to read. , Greymouth, New Zealand-The Grey- mouth Technical High School- The Mawhera Gazette. Your poetry is good. Hong Kong-The Kings College Maga- zine was very different. Port-of-Spain, Trinidad-St. Mary's College Annual-A very distinctive maga- zine, but may we suggest more candid pictures and humour? Your literature was very good. St. Josephs Conventf Centenary Record- It tells much about Trinidad. The Queen's Royal College Chronicle, Trinidad, B.W.I. The Rafflesian of Raffles Institute, Singapore. Stewarttown, Jamaica -- Westwood High School Magazine A very good book, but lacks snaps. Wellington, New Zealand---Technical Colle-ge Rvvirw The only large maga- zine with no advertisements! This fine hook would be much improved by a humour section.

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32 THE NORTHLAND ECHO on the platform and ehaffed his cold hands. Perhaps he was thinking of the warm fireside at home, and an adoring wife to help him off with his coat. The 8.10 is about due. he said. I hope it's on time! A stray person here and there awaited the train. Several shadowy cabs lurked in the rear of the building. The raucous cry of a newsboy disturbed the soft tran- quillity of the scene. A shrill whistle in the distance arrested the interest of a small group. A glaring light pierced the inky blackness of the upper tracks. The clattering bang of metal that needed oiling, mingled with the noisy clank of an unmelodious bell could be heard. Then, emerging from the gloom was the engine, black smoke belehing out of its funnel-shaped chimney. With a great shriek of brakes the obsolete old thing stopped with a jerk. The old-fashioned cars were filled to their capacity with those unable to spend the few days before Christmas at home. VVhen the grimy doors opened, they seethed out. some to their waiting rela- tives. other to the cabs, but most of them sped into the dark alone, thinking of the surprise and delight their arrival would bring to their friends and king while others, on their way to lonely hotel rooms, gazed with envy through windows at the gay festivity of the home. The platform was soon deserted. The ticket agent snored noisily at his wicket. An occasional engine thundered by. And, far down the street was a group of carol- sinfgers. Their sweet strains echoed and re-echoed through the peaceful scene. Noel Noel! Born is the King of Israel! A TALL TALE Betty McIntyre, IVB ' I was curled up in Dad's hig arm- chair, deeply engrossed in a ghastly mur- der mystery, when someone knocked at the door. At first I was too frightened to move, and visions of horrible mon- sters carrying machine guns and sharp bolas raced through my terrified mind like mad. Oh, this is nonsense! I scoffed. Things like that only happen in penny novels, and I walked boldly to the door. It took all the courage I could muster to grasp the handle and fling the door wide open, and, I thou-jght I did so what my poor mother would think when she found my body in the hall and my head . . . Hi, Joan! was the chr-cry gn-ctiiig from the person at the door. M-Mary, I stanimcred, relieved. Oh! Oh! More murder mysteries, I bet, she said nodding her head in that annoying way. Mary, this one is terrible. Come on in and I'll tell you about it. Was he knifed, shot or poisoned? she queried. 1 It's a girl, a beautiful girl who was kidnapped by some horrible gangsters and her mother and father were nearly frantic. Please go on, she pleaded. Well, t-he police searched -for months witfhout success and then one day some- one found her body floating down the river. She had 'been shot and her neck was all tied up with wire. Hmm, they did that one up in style. Mary Watson, you exasperate me, I exploded. That reminds me of something that happened to two girls in this town about three years ago, Mary went on, not heeding my show of temper. Did you hear about it? Oh, no! Please tell me, I lbegged, feeling chills running up and down my spine at the thought of a real mystery in our own town. These two girls, Mary began, were at the library one night and became very friendly with a couple of strange boys at one of the reading tables. The follow- ing night the girls received a telephone call, and the voice on the other end of the wire said, We're the fellows you met at the library last night, and We wondered if you would like to go for a ride with us? Mary drew a deep breath and went on. So the time and place were arranged and when the girls got to the meeting- place they found a 'big limousine waiting for them at the curb. I'll bet it belonged to a big gang- ster, I interrupted. The girls climbed in, Mary went on, not heeding my interruption, and to their horror they found themselves beside a couple of squat little Chinamen instead of their library acquaintances. I-Iow awful! They were terribly frightened. One girl was wearing a very expensive ring which she offered to their captors if they would release them. Then what? I gasped, edging for- ward in the chair. Well, one of the Chinamen grabbed the ring and commanded the chauffeur to drive into the country. When they came to it lonely spot on the road, they pushed the girls out and drove off in the car leaving them there. They didn't murder them? I asked, disappointodly. No, but the girls had to make their