Petersham High School - Hilltop Yearbook (Petersham, MA)

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10 ALL IS NOT DULI. AT THE LOST AND FOUND DEPT. Union Station was busy and crowded as always. Streams of people, bags and boxes clutched in their hands, rushed hither and thither, going as if they were bent on a life or death mission. In fact, it seemed that all the typesof humanity in the world flowed in and out of the many doors. It was about eleven o'clock on s spring day, and.theclerks at the baggage-checking counter were working at top speed to care for the neverending flow of people. A middle-aged man, carrying a large alligator-grained traveling bag, worked his way through the people surround- ing the counter and presented the bag to be checked until a day later. Seeing nothing unusual, one of theclerkslmr- riedly wrote a baggage check for him and stowed the expenshe looking bag away under number twenty-three. Several days passed, and the man did not return to claim his bag. The time for bags to be held having elapsed, the bag was transferred to the lost and found de- partment. - One day soon after, the clerks decided to qynxit. They put the bag on the counter and examined it. Seeing nothing suspicious on the outside, a clerk inserted a skeleton key in the lock and opened it. Then things began to happen! Out of the bag scooted snakes--snakes of all kinds and varieties: rattlers, water snakes, ribbon snakes, and even three turtles. Then what feminine squealing, gasps of amazement and shouts broke forth. Clerks afterwards declared they never saw thepaxde move as fast as they did when the contents of the bag came to light. Finally, the snakes were captured and returned to the bag by the clerks with the help of several of the braver gentlemen in the crowd. The bag was donated to thc St.Luns Zoo with all twenty-one reptiles intact. The clerks later stated that they hoped it was the last snake round-up for a long time. Ruth Newbury 145 IVIR.sndI IRS. LEWIS BABBITT LECTURES Gnd BIOLOGY SUPPLIES

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'X MY DEBUT AS A SINGQNG COWGIRL I hope the story I shall now relate will interest you all. It concerns the first time I ever sang with my brothers' cowboy outfit, and, as you will see, it wasn't as simple as one might think. I had always wanted very much to sing with them, but my brother always informed me that I was too young, even though he always made me sing with him at home. However, I waited patiently until one night when we had sung to- gether very well. Then, to my suprise, he said, nWell, I guess we'll have to sing that on our next show.H To say the least, I glad, and I said to myself, Boy, just what I've been uniting for.n Friday, August seventh, dawned bright and clear.fHns was my big day, so I had my hair fixed and yet some elodrs that would resemble those of a cowgirl. The show was in the Y.H.C.A. in Athol, and the crowd was very good. The Hboys2 that is,uThe Red River Rangersn and uLorraine, The Yodeling Sweetheartn, were the pedbrm- ers. I sat down in the front row, having about as bad a case of sta,efri3ht as anyone could have. My teeth were chattering as badly asifit were January instead of Aqnwt. Ty friends were trying to console me and Ubuekn me up,but I guess I didn't appreciate them very much. I was positive I would do something to disgrace myself, like starting on the wrong key, forgetting the words, or having my voice breab Finally, however, I was on the stage and all set to sing the song, which was called HJust Beeauseng but after a couple of glances at the audience, I was ready to pass out. You'd be surprised to know what a feeling itis to be upon s stage with about two hundred geople looking at you as if you were a curiosity from the zoo. I decided the audience was no place to look if I wanted to get through the song, so I concentrated on the nmiken instead because that didn't make faces at me as ble people did. . At last I finished, and I dashed off the stage with my face looking like s sunset on a rod brick house. To my surprise the audience actually seemed to like it, and they elapsed for an encore. Afterwards, several people congratulated me, and I was so embarrassed I could hardly say nthanksvn Thus ended my debut. Ruth Hcwbury '45

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ll THE F31 OWU -LGQDXI N-G PONY The horses at the Spencer Fair were divided into two classes: full-grown horses and ponies. One boy rode a pony that was so small and frowzy-look ing that it wasn't entered in the shows, and when it stood at the starting line for the pony rece, it did not look as though it belonged there either. They all got off to a aood start, that is, all except J. 'V C 1 the lietif frowzy pony, which was tne smallest of them all, for he was left way behind. He gained steadily, however, and on the home stretch he suddenly burst into terrific speed, passed the others, and crossed the finishing linein win the race ty a large margin. The crowd was surprised and amused by the unexpected victory, and they cheered enthusiastically. The Qun went off which started thc horse race, and to everyonc's surprise the frowsy pony was running also. From the very beyinning he kept up the terrific speed which he had shown during the latter part of the pony race and managed to keep in second and third place until, aeain on the home stretch, he put on still more speed and won tho race by helf a head. The crowd went wild this time, but there was a dis- pute among the jud5es as to whether or not the pony was entitled to the prize, because it was not e pony race. The crowd voiced their opinion in fsvor of the pony, and it was finally decided that the pony had more than earned its prize. Alice Harper '45 COMPLIMENTS OF NSS, WITHING TON PETERSHAM, MASSACHUSETTS