North Quincy High School - Manet Yearbook (North Quincy, MA)

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16 MANET Miss Gabrielle smiled again and contentedly studied the blue blazer, piped with white, with a white monogram on the breast pocket. Some sort of school uniform, sl1e thought, then sug- gested, Perhaps you'd like to explore. He jumped up eagerly. t'May I really? Of course, said Miss Gabrielle. 'tI'll let you go alone-I think it 's much more inter- esting to discover things by oneself. He plunged his hands in his pockets. I say, you are a jolly sport l He turned away and sauntered across the grass, whistling a tune- less fragment of song. VVhen he had disap- peared Miss Gabrielle said to herself, 'tPer- haps he a burglar-but if the way to a l112l11,S heart is through his stomach a good tea might be of some use. She smiled up at Janet, who, unconscious of the guest, had brought out tea for one, laid attractively on a wheeled tray. Tea for two, Janet, with some of the little plum cakes you made, and please put some jam in the little ming bowl-the yellow one. For two, Miss Gabrielle? Janet's plain face was astonished. She lifted severe eye- brows, half-opened her straight dour mouth.. A young gentleman is calling, Janet. Please hurry. Janet, burning with curiosity, switched off with an indignant whirl of starched skirts, Miss Gabrielle quivered with excitement as she made sure that there was plenty of sugar- boys liked sugar-and put a spray of apple- blossoms in her hair, like a maiden going to meet her lover. IVhen the visitor returned, Janet had already made the necessary additions, had returned to the house, and had stationed herself at a con- venient window. She caught her breath sharply when he came into view, for there was some- thing in his easy lounging poise that reminded her very much of someone who had stood, in that same spot, leaning against the twisted trunk of an apple tree. Miss Gabrielle, meanwhile, was extremely happy. He had come back with shining eyes, and flushed. HA dovecote tool Now I know it can't be real! And does the tiger cat bother the dovesfll MNot at all. Please sit down and have some tea with me. Talking continuously he sat down and opened his snowy napkin with calloused, capable, brown hands. I never was in a place like this before. Are YOU real? You look like a Dresden china figure, he added boldly. Miss Gabrielle's cheeks became as pink as the fragile old teapot from which she filled his cup. HPlease, please, she murmured, passing it to him. Over the cakes he became confidential. Amus- ing and entertaining details flowed in a con- tinuous stream-his family, his school life, his childhood, his friends. Miss Gabrielle was entranced. 'fThey still think I'm the baby at home, he stated heatedly. I'm nineteen. Sometimes I think I'm rather old for my age, but maybe I'm wrong. Alaric-the one that's in India- is no end hipped on himself. VVith outmost gravity he licked a crumb from his finger. I hope I'll never be like that. My dear, you will never be tl1at,M thought Miss Gabrielle. Not as long as you are so confident and delightful and friendly. They talked. Long gold lines came across the wall. It grew cool and a faint breeze scattered the creamy-rose petals on a silvery head and a black one. Suddenly the boy was up. t'It must be late! he exclaimed, drawing his black brows together. Suddenly Miss Gabrielle knew. She didn 't have to be told his name . . . she knew, as surely as she knew her name. VVith a contagious, surprised laugh, he cried out, f'We don 't even known each other's names? HMy frends call me tMiss Gabrielle', she said gently. HAnd you're- Michael Storm. My father used to live near here. Perhaps you knew himf' Miss Gabrielle sat very still. He approached her and she held out her small, fragile, hand. He took it in his big brown one, saying, I've had a jolly time! His eyes were eloquent. 4 ' I 'm coming again-sometime. Miss Gabrielle would have spoken, but he bent swiftly and kissed her cheek. Suddenly she was smelling heather . . . soap . . . vigorous young hair , . . he stood up, she saw his bright, dear blue eyes smiling down at her, through a mist-he was gone. Janet saw him vault the gate and wondered. Miss Gabrielle stayed dreaming in her chair, staring at the napkin he had dropped on the grass. All at once she was filled with an all- consuming ecstasy . . . Michael Storm had left her without a word years before . . . but he had come back . . . to kiss her good-bye. ELFSSA WAS A BLONDE By Hazel Borne Pull over that big chair there and I'll tell you all about the whole thing. In started with Daddy 's getting that new man, David Harrison, in his office. You'd think Dad'd know better, getting in a man with blonde wavy hair, and inviting him out the house evenings with two girls already in the house, and Margaret asking a third one to visit for a couple of weeks. I must tell you about that girl, Margaret's vis-

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MANET 15 WINTER'S MOON By Elizabeth Balcom, 12-1 On high. fine nights A white lady walks up the sky, Piping on a silver pipe Brittle strains that fall And splash Hlld scatter, A shining cascade Powdering the blackness XVith a thin, white light. Sometimes she is a nun. A white nun telling brilliant beads Through icy fingers, Washing them with bitter, glittering tears, Silently murmuring aves, Filling the night with a clean, cold holiness. THE DELIGHTFUL GUEST By Elisabeth M. Ogilvie, 12-2 This story, although sentimental and improbable, has a cliarming atmosphere of fragile and beautiful old age. The descriptions are remarkably lucid, and the general tone of the story is warm and pleasing. It was spring in Miss Gabrielle 's garden. Not that it wasn't spring outside, too, .but it seemed to make a specialty of decorating Miss Ga- brielle's little walled place. -Though a good many people would sniff at calling this secluded spot a garden, it was one undoubtedly.. u There were four apple trees, growing in- formally instead of geometrically, they were in blossom and the air was full of creamy-rose petals. And old-fashioned flowers-fred and white striped tulips, michaelmas daisies, and iris in lavender and blue, and tawny yellow, grew in great unrestrained clumps. The ali' was heavy with lilies-of-the-valley and lad's love. There were no prim paths, but single flag- stones dotted the grass which was Miss Ga- brielle's pride-it was so thick and green. And all around this lovely spot there was a wall of faded rose-red bricks. Miss Gabrielle sat in a green wicker chair under the chiefest of the apple trees. Through its snowy branches she regarded the uncertain blue and white of the April sky. There was a thrush somewhere 5 at his sudden rapture Miss Gabrielle felt a sort of sweet wistful sadness. Gabie, you're not getting sentimental, she accused herself. '4You're not thinking of dear dead days beyond recallln But she was, unconsciously. She sighed, then abruptly sat up with a quickening of the pulses. She had the same feeling she used to have as a child- a conviction that at any moment something strange and delightful was going to happen. It had been company or a humming bird or jam for tea, but now company, besides the butch- er's boy and the postman, was unheard of, and there were always humming birds in her undis- turbed garden, and she had long since out- grown her love for jam. Nevertheless her heart beat faster and she looked around ex- citedly at the quaint gate in the wall. No one appeared at the gate but there was a scraping noise somewhere, and precisely at the moment that Gabrielle turned to look in its direction, which seemed to be in front of her chair, she saw a dark head, a pair of shoulders and finally a whole body appear on the wall. And there sat a young man, swinging his legs and regarding her with somewhat frightened amazement. Miss Gabrielle was also astonished and startled. Then, with a flush in her cheeks, and without rising, she said, 'iGo0d afternoon. Good afternoon, he answered back, nerv- ously. By his voice he was a very young man indeed. He leaned forward and added an- xiously, 'tl say, I'm awfully sorry I barged in this way-I had no idea there was anyone here? VVhich sounded strange but he was so visibly embarrassed and sincere that Miss Gabrielle Said reassuringly, Do come down before you fall! And I like company. He smiled suddenly. 'tThanks-thank you! He slid off the wall and landed with a thud on the grass. He crossed to her quickly, put his hands behind his back and looked down at her from his great height, speaking breath- lessly. This is awfully decent of you-you see, I was coming down the road from town and I saw your wall and-well, I've always had an insatiable curiosity for the wrong side of a wall-and I saw the tops of the trees-and- here I am! t'Wliat a dear boy he is. thought Miss Gabrielle. She said graciously, motioning to- wards a chair, VVon,t you sit down? He accepted promptly, but sat 011 the grass instead of on the chair, crossing his legs and leaning his elbows on his knees. A mist arose in Miss Gabrielle's eyes. All her life she had longed for boys in her garden. At first, sturdy rosy youngsters in tight blue jerseys that showed the curves of their hard, independent, yet lovable little bodies. Then boys growing tall and fair, in worn tweeds, and bare brown, scarred knees, a superfiuity of arms and legs, and a ridiculous, uncertain, lilt in their voices. And now-the stranger hugged his knees and beamed at her from blue, bright eyes under dark brows-the left one quirked in absurdly fam- iliar fashion. He was by no means a handsome boy-his nose had a bump in the middle and his mouth was wide-but his teeth gleamed and his skin was darkly glowing against his white scarf. She found herself speaking. This is a de- lightful surprise to me. I have so few visitors. He was looking around with enchanted eyes. ls it real or isn't it? I thought gardens like this existed only in books !

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MAN ET 17 itor, I 1nean. She's just between Meg's age and mine, but she'd never 'own being any younger than Meg. Her first name is really Ruth, but she calls herself Elissa, her second name. She 's a gorgeous blonde, if I must say so. Great big swimming blue eyes and well, everything, but she makes me sick. From the time she comes in, to the time she goes out it's Jeanie, run get this, will you? and Jeanie, bring me in that, like a good girl. Have a chocolate? The ones with nuts on top are good. Let's see, where was I? Oh, yes. Well, she came to visit just three days after David Harrison entered the scene of con- flict. Dad came home the second night Elissa was here and brought Mr. Harrison with him. I took a good look at him from the top of the stairs before I came down and decided he wasn't much older than Meg, just a kid in fact. So I went back a11d put on my new lacy collar and came down again. I walked nonchalantly into the front room if I didn 't know there was anybody there, and stopped politely at the door. Dad came over and put his arm around me and said, 4'Hello, Jeanieli' and pulled my ear as if I were a three-year old. I sort of drew away from him, said, Hello, Dad, and wondered palpitatingly how he was going to introduce me. My worst fears were realized. He said, Oh David, this is my younger daughter. Getting to be quite a young lady, isn't she? Jeanie, this is Mr. Harrison. I was on the point of giving Dad a viscious dig in the ribs but I didn 't, so I made myself mad- der still by blushing and not being able to find anything to say except, How do you do? Then supper was announced, and we herded into the dining-room. Jimmie was late of course. He stamped in, slamming the front door behind him, walked right in and sat down and was already eating before Dad could get him introduced. After supper Dad and Mr. Harrison went into Dad 's study, and Meg said she had to go down to the library. That left Elissa and me to entertain each other. Believe me I didn it enjoy tl1e project, and when the doorbell rang I ran to the door thinking it was Ted or someone. But I got rather a shock to discover it was Rick Nielson. I hadn't seen that rat, if I may say so, for months, and didn't like his looks any better this time than before. So I didn't even open the door wide at first but just said Margaret wasn't home. Then I got the dumb idea that started everything. Have some more chocolates? Help your- self. As I said, I got my bright idea. I looked in the front room and saw Elissa sitting tuck- ing in her curls and looking inquiringly towards the door. 'tBut she 'll be right back, said I, smiling suddenly and affably. t'Won't you come in and wait? You know, Rick looks, and dresses like a gentleman, and it 's not his family's fault he 's got a shady character around here. So when I led him into the front room Elissa leaned back, tossed one arm over the back of her chair and smiled winningly. Ten minutes after the introduction Rick had forgotten all about Margaret. I went out quietly and nobody noticed me go. I discov- ered Mom and Dad in the hall looking in the other front room door, and I heard Mom! whis- pering, HI know, dear, but he 'S probably Elissa's friend, iand we canlt say anything against him. You can imagine how relieved I was, because I'd had fears of Dad's throw- ing Rick out. When Meg came home later she must have accepted Rick as Elissa's friend, too, ,cause she just put up her eyebrows and didn 't say anything. Things were going along swimmingly for about two weeks and a half. VVhen I think how swimmingly it nearly makes me weep. Dad brought Mr. Harrison home two and three times a week, and sometimes I'd meet him down the library and he ,cl walk home with me. I knew I didn 't have anything to fear from Meg's quarter because anyone can see by the way that Williams boy hangs around here that Meg is right now out of the running. But it was Elissa 's blonde wig that bothered me most. Of course my hair is naturally curly and hers isnit but I guess blonde hair with a permanent is better than reddish-brown with real curls. Let's see, where was I? Have some more chocolates. Oh yes, I was trying to tell you how well things were going. Well, Elissa was bothering me less and less. She 'd been seeing more and more of Rick, and whenever Dave comes over, that is Mr. Harrison, she was gen- erally either out or going out. Since the Wil- liams boy always claimed Meg, there wasn't much left for Dave to do but tuck little Jeanie under his arm and take her out. I bought my- self a stunning green dress that Mom said was far too sophisticated, but if I do say so myself, it looks good on me and makes me look as old as Elissa tries to look. I knew I had to work fast because if Elissa went away with things looking as they might have-if you follow me- Dave would follow her back home, 'cause she doesn't live so very far away, and desert us entirely. Then came the climax of tl1e whole affair. It was Tuesday night, and Elissa was leaving Fri- day. At eight o'clock' Dave came over looking all spruced up in a pair of new grey trousers and Haunting a new tie. Hello, Jeanie, says he, with a smile that Clark Gable could take lessons from. Hello, Dave, says I, giving my interpre- tation of a Pepsodent ad. It was then that I caught sight of the new trousers and the tie. I started to say, Gee, you look swell, but changed it into something nicer because I don 't treat Dave as I do Ted or the rest of the crowd.