Petaluma High School - Trojans Yearbook (Petaluma, CA)

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HIGH SCHOOL ENTERPRISE ’0 7. Sammy Usuries Awa eQiQg “Der ought ter be a mate to dis. Sho’ly no man wid only one laig is gwine aroun’ skatin ' —sho’ly not! An’ den when roller skates is won out an’ dey is frown away dey is bofe frown away.” It was probably by chance that Sammy Usum found it that morning as he was walking down the street stirring the sand with his bare toes. But search ever so faithfully, the little darkey could not find the mate to his newly discovered treasure. “I des have to fiin’ dat odder skate,” he said, his eyes sparkling like two black beads and his teeth glistening from behind his red lips. After searching for some time the little bundle of rags sat down on the side walk and proceeded to fasten the solitary skate to his left foot. When the straps were fastened around his ragged shoe he attempted to stand on his feet. Then his head spun round and round and the earth and sky seemed a jumble of blue and green. His legs clashed together and Sammy landed in the midst of a pile of rubbish. Old Black Sarah who sold oranges at a stand across the street saw the little colored lad and urged him on, “Jes’ keep agwine. A fall don’t ’mount to nuffin.” So Sammy “kept agwine” but could make no headway. Presently he heard a lady’s voice behind him say, “That boy will make a man of himself some day.” Nobody had ever praised Sammy Usum before except his mother and her praises ran like this, “Poor Sammy’s a good li’l boy. He always tells de trufe an‘ I don’t has to worry ’bout him ,’cept gettin ' him somethin ' to eat and to wear.” Sammy Usum thought of the words the voice behind him had said and wondered how he could make a man of himself. Hanging his skate over his arm he walked toward the hotel and placed himself by the stairway, ready to aid travelers by carrying their satchels for them. When he was not occupied by this work he ran errands for the hotel keeper, swept off the side walk, and did other small tasks. When evening came, Sammy Usum’s little palm was full of shining five cent pieces. On his way home he stepped into a hardware store and when he came out the end of a rope was hanging from his blouse and striking against his leg as he walked. Sammy’s home was on a road leading into the country, called “Park Lane.” When the little darkey reached the curve in the road a small cabin made of whitewashed boards could be seen. On one side was a porch covered with Honeysukles and Tea Roses. On this porch stood Mammy Usum’s washtub and over it Mammy Usum was bending, singing as she worked. The old board fence by the house was very dilapidated and many of the boards were missing. —23—

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HIGH SCHOOL ENTERPRISE ’0 7. When the Teachers Learn to Sl ;ate At Institute in April. From many miles around, The county teachers journeyed To Petaluma town. To make their visit pleasant, And sweet memories recall. To Dreamland rink one evening ’Twas planned to take them all. Some of the local teachers Had never learned to skate. And strangers must not find them So very out of date. They thought they would have a trial, And bravely tempted wheels; With greatest pluck, as some would think. They fixed them on their heels. First out came Mr. Newell, And as he gazed around, His feet went out from under him And near the roof were found. But as for Mr. Singer, He sang a different tune; ’Tis said that he and Mr. Way Saw neither stars nor moon. And all the country people Who happened by the door. Could see sedate Miss Watkins Make angles with the floor. Miss Daniel and Miss Perkins Both whirled around so fast That there was some one heard to say, “What was that just flew past?” At school the teachers laugh at us For all we do and say. But at the rink, as you may think, It’s quite the other way. So if toward them you have a spite, And if you feel quite sore, Just watch them at the Dreamland rink And you’ll be sure to roar. —CHARLES GREEN, ’09 -22—

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HIGH SCHOOL ENTERPRISE ' 0 7. But just now sheets and pillowslips were hanging beside pink and blue shirt waists, for this was where Mammy hung her washing. She had long wished for a new clothes line and hoped she would get one when her husband, old Rufus, got a “job.” However, Rufus was one of the “born-tired” kind and so was not look¬ ing for a “job.” As Sammy approached the cabin Mammy Usum smiled and, as she espied the rope hanging from his blouse, she said, “For de lan‘ sakes chile, what have yo‘ got?” “I’ve brought you some clo’s-pins an‘ a clo’s line, Mammy,” he said. “I got ’em by “wuking,” he added, as he took them from his blouse. “God bress yo‘, you poor chile,” said Mammy. “We can hang the clo’s line from the tree in the gyarden to the apple tree over yonder. You’ll be a mon someday, won ' yo‘, Sammy?” Sammy Usum smiled and wondered why the lady and his Mammy had said the same thing. MAMIE BURLEIGH, 1 0. A Sewing Gircle A sewing circle is composed of ladies—usually. The ladies begin to come about a half hour before they are wanted, and keep coming until after it begins. They get off in little bunches and talk about each other. When it is time to begin, the ladies gather around in a circle. This is the sewing circle. At the word of command they all begin to talk. The one who talks most has the pleasure of the least work. When they are all out of breath, which takes several hours, cake is brought on. It is brought on at the last because then the ladies are exhausted and can not eat so much. Ater this they go home. I do not know whether they sew at a sewing circle or not. CHARLES GREEN, ’09 A tooter who tooted a flute Tried to tutor two tooters to toot These two asked the tooter If ‘twas harder to toot Or tutor two tooters to toot.—Ex. i —24—