Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

Page 15 text:

TEE MISSILE 11 with a beaming face, came around to the walk, and clasped her in his arms. “Well, well, honey, ye did come back to your old man anyhow, didn’t you?” “Yes, John, I couldn’t stay any longer. But you did break your word and painted the fence. And it looks so nice and really worthy of belonging to a Spencer.” “Well-er-the fact is, Maria,” he faltered, “as I always said I’m a man of my word, and I well, I didn’t paint that old fence, anyhow. I hated to spoil the family traditions, and so I just had a new one put up instead. Ye don’t care, do ye Maria? You ain’t a’ going to have old John by himself again, just because he was a man of his word, are ye?” And she didn’t. Louise Talbott 1S. AUTUMN FAIRIES The leaves are red and yellow And falling to the ground, The little autumn fairies Are dancing all around. When the autumn’s over They all will go away ; But when the moon is brightest. The little fairies play. They often meet and dance Under the harvest moon. They kiss the fruits and grains And make them ripen soon. When the crops are gathered in The fairies, one and all. Meet in nooks secluded And give a moonlight ball. And when the fall is over And winter days are come. The autumn fairies meet again And scamper to their home. Mary Anderson Gilliam, ’ 15

Page 14 text:

10 THE MISSILE the thought didn’t give him mtich consolation, and it was a very forlorn looking figure that trudged wearily up the steps to bed. Lying awake, a sudden plan presented itself. “I’ll do it, ' he said, “I’ll do it now.’’ He stumbled over to the desk, and finding the paper and pen scribbled the following note: Dear Maria : I just can’t get along without ye. Come home by Monday and all will be right. Your failthful husband, John. The inmates of a certain flat in a near by town were not all in a very serene state of mind. Two weeks had passed, and Maria Spencer still clung to her rebellious ideas, although it was certainly telling on her. She had never received John’s hastily scribbled note ; consequently, thinking him perfectly satisfied, she had foolishly refrained from writing to him. Nevertheless, her heart longed for him, and she did want to see the old place so much. Often at night she lay awake, wondering if he missed the usual fire in his room and his cozy slippers ' and dressing gown. As days went on, the thought of his possible loneliness haunted her continually, and she determined to write him and ask his forgiveness and tell him she was coming home. With a fast beating heart she alighted from the rickety spring wagon at the farm house gate. Suddenly she stopped short in the dusty road — There was the front fence painted a brilliant green and it yet lacked three weeks of appointed time ! “Well! Well! she cried in amazement, “if this don’t beat all good saints!” “And it does look nice too, now don’t it?” she said, talking loudly to herself, as she cast admiring glances at the shining fence. At the sound of her familiar voice John started up from his chair on the side porch, and

Page 16 text:

12 THE MI88ILE Bantty of HERE are many, no doubt, who say that in the discussion of a question it is unfair to take only one side of it, criticise that one side, and keep quiet about the other side, which is equally in fault with the first. We grant that this rule is true. But if the reader will stop to recall the many articles he has seen or read on the vanity of women, he must pardon here a few words on a subject, equally as interesting altho’ less universal, the vanity of men. For the sake of convenience we will divide men into three stages of life ; first, the young boy ; secondly, the middle-aged man ; thirdly, the old man. This vanity in the young boy has a slightly different aspect from what we usually mean by the term vanity. The boy is at the bragging age, the age when he blows his own horn. It is simply an overflowing and ex- pression of his inwiard vain feeling, which, at this age, he has not diplomacy enough to hide. Not at all is he vain as to his personal appearance of intellectual attainments, for he gives little, if any, thought to such matter. The dainty fixing-up age comes later. The boy’s vanity takes the turn in making him think that he is the biggest, strongest man in all the country around. He loves to bet his companions that he can jump higher, run faster, or swim better than his chum and rival. The next stage of vanity is seen in the middle-aged man. This term middle-aged does not mean necessarily one settled in life, but it means rather the age of the fully grown man. Now is the time of vanity in personal appearance. Most of the attention of body and soul is given to adorning the person. This is best illustrated by citing an incident that happened some time ago at a dinner-party. There was invited to this dinner- party a company of men and ladies. They duly arrived, and after a time of social intercourse, were invited into dinner. A short while after all were seated, there arose a discussion of