Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

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THE PILGRIM 19 the world like the whale might have looked had he attempted to ride Jonah instead of swallowing him. h Finally, however, the law of gravity went into eiect and Tubby from one his heavenward flights rapidly descended to terra firma and the donkey disappeared to an- other part of the field with remark- able rapidity. Three minutes- Tubby had lost. i The picnickers were rapidly making their Way to Tubby, sitting calmly in the middle of the field where the donkey had so rudely deposited him, with a piece of the animal's hair clutched tightly in his hand -and still gasping.- Hurt, Tubby ? asked one of the fellows, trying hard not to laugh. My feelings, groaned the in- dividual so addressed. You poor boy, will you have some lemonade? offered Betty's flapper cousin. Why-er-yes, thank you, re- plied Tubby gulping it down. Have another? she suggested generously. Well, it is awfully good, he re- plied. Say, Tubby, called one ofthe boys, if you drink much more of that stuff when you eat cake you'll hear it splash. Aw pipe down, will ya? Hey, Davis, where ya going? To ride the donkey, of course. That was the agreement, replied Davis. What for? asked Tubby. Why to see who'll take Betty home, you idot, answered Davis shortly, none too pleased at the prospect of the t 'ng. Well, you are dumb-bell, hal- looed Tubby, if you aren't a crip- ple. . But - Speaking of butts is a tender subject, groaned Tubby as lie tried 'to get up and then gave it up as a bad job. You poor boy, said the cousin reappearing with more lemonade and two glasses. Have some lem- onade? Well, do you know I believe I will, Tubby replied. Say, I never knew you were such a nice girl before? Banana oil. Let's go for a walk, some one suggested. Let 'em go and get all hot and sweaty if they want to, Tubby re- plied, we'll stay here and - Have some lemonade, chor- used the rest of the party laugh- ing. A. F. K. '26 GOLFI N' Golfin' has always been consid- ered a gentleman's game, but, since young Adams from Chiltonville took it up, it has fallen to a dan- gerously low level. I never play the game, but one of my bad hab- its takes the form of killing time at the Country Club, where I come in contact with Adams. One day last fall I was sitting there when he came up swinging his clubs and dropped down be- side me. Say, Doc, he inquired, what do you think of my game? I just played eighteen holes in thirty- six. I hesitated for a moment, for Adams has always been pretty truthful for a fellow who is in the habit of loafing at Les Swift's store. ' John, said I, 'Tm ashamed of you. You've played golf all your life and can't score any more than thirty-six. Why, there was a be- ginner up here yesterday and he went around. His score was over two hundred, too. Then he commenced to laugh, and I looked around to see what he was laughing at, but he was the funniest thing in sight, barring Sid Akeley, who had just arrived,

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18 THE PILGRIM Here comes a woodpecker, re- torted that much-ruflled young lady, as she retired to a corner to commune with Tubby, who was gazing mournfully at a little bunch of flowers he had brought for Betty. Go give them to her, Tubby. Gee! that'll show that new guy up. I wouldn't let him get ahead of me. So in answer to Virginia's urging Tubby started for the ham- mock. I er- brought these for you Betty, he said holding forward the little bunch of flowers. Oh er- yes, Tubby, thank you, she said taking them. And after mad gestulations from Virginia on the opposite side of the piazza, Tubby sat down be- tween Betty and Davis. He made several stabs at conversation which were quite in vain, for both Betty and Davis remained silent. Silence, however, did not daunt Tubby for he stuck to his seat manfully-feeling not any too welcome, but contented, neverthe- less, just to be there. At different intervals - Tubby looked at Davis -and Davis looked at Tubby- while Betty looked at both of them -and still they sat. Tubby urged on by Virgina played the man between for some time much to the amusement of the younger element of the town. Davis laughingly termed Tubby his shadow-and made the best of an obviously annoying situation. The climax finally came. how- ever, at the Senior Class Picnic. Betty's young and vivacious flap- per cousin was to come from a neighboring town for the event. The two musketeers, as might have been expected, both placed bids to act as escorts for the oc- casion. Betty,'however, had decided to go with her cousin and no amount of persuasion could induce her to change her mind. At last the long-heralded day ar- rived-an ideal day, as it hap- pened for a picnic. The picnic progressed much as the average one does, with the us- ual lazy period after lunch when everyone sits around and just waits for something to happen. It was at this unlucky time that Tubby asked to escort Betty home. But Davis has already asked me, Tubby, Betty replied. Aw but gee, Betty - Well, I'll tell you what we'll do, Tubby, interrupted Betty. You see that donkey in the field over there ? Yes, Tubby replied somewhat puzzled. Well, whoever rides that ani- mal for five minutes may go home with me. Tubby swallowed his last bit of chocolate cake hard. Do you mean it ? he gasped. I do, replied Betty solemnly with the air of a judge delivering a sentence. Well, who goes first? asked Tubby anxious to get it over with. Flip up, called several voices anxious for the fun to begin. They flipped, and the result was that Tubby went first. After a period of fifteen minutes in which he Houndered around the field -- much like a fish on dry land - two if the boys caught the donkey for im. Getting the donkey unawares and by the dint of much engineer- ing, Tubby somehow or other, landed on his back. The specta- tors afterwards avowed that Tub- by's surprise was equal to the donkey's. Tubby, puffing like a steam en- gine going up an incline, managed to maintain a clutch and a hold on the animal's neck. Then they battled, and such a battle. The outraged animal tore around the field with Tubby bouncing up and down on his back, looking for all

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20 - THE PILGRIM ' so I didn't waste my breath. He calmed down soon and sat still for an unusualy long time, perhaps five minutes. Say, Doc, do you remember that crow that we saw at the eighteenth hole the other day ? J'Yes, I answered, what about it.' Well, Doc, said he, I was out there playing a little while ago, and noticed that crow sitting on the green about four hundred yards away, so I says to myself, I'll see if I can hit that crow. So I picked up my driver and gave that ball an awful hit. It flew like an arrow and struck the crow right in the eye and knocked it over into Jim Finney's hen-yard. Now I don't mean to be skepti- cal, but that was pretty hard to believe, so I thought I'd tell him about the time that I went hunting and didn't get anything, except lost. John, said I, I want you to understand that I'd believe every Word you've said, if someone else had said it, so I'm going to tell you the absolute truth. Last fall I went down to North Windham hunting. The day I got there I took my rifle and tramped through the woods till it was nearly dark. Then I returned to the cabin. I sat on the doorstep cleaning my rifle when I happened to glance across the clearing. I saw a squir- rel run up a wild apple tree and pick off an apple. He sat on the top branch holding it in his mouth. Well, I picked up my rifle. I didn't want to hurt the little animal, but thought I'd see if I could knock the apple out of his mouth so I fired and the bullet struck that apple fair in the middle. But the sad fact is, the juice drowned the poor little fellow. Nobody called me a liar, but I guess they would have if I hadn't been there, so we all kept quiet for a while. Suddenly Sid Akeley's voice aroused us all. Say, felle-rs, ihe exclaimed, that reminds me of the night I was playing basketball at the Cord- age, and made a basket from- Adams interrupted Sid and turned to me. Doc, he asked, why is it that a basketball player always stretch- es the stories about his good shots ? F. L. CHURCHILL '26 THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CHERRY TREE Contrary to what is now accepted as the truth, there are many young iconoclasts who be- lieve that George Washington was a real boy and no unexceptional one at that. Since the early grades when George Washington's truthfulness was instilled into me by teachers, and since the time when my parents constantly held him up to me as an example, there has been lurking in my brain, for I have one, a suspicion that George Washington must have been a hu- man being when he was a boy, and he must have acted like the rest of us. As I grew older the suspicion grew with me, and quietly I have read Washington's life in biogra- phies, encyclopedias, and personal letters. After years of diligent study, I submit what I believe to be the truth about George Wash- ington and the memorable cherry tree. This is my life work, the precious hours of my youth have been spent on it, so judge me not too. harshly. George, said the elder Wash- ington one morning, I think the cherry tree needs trimming. See that it is done by the time I re- turn.