Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

Page 27 text:

THE PILGRIM A 25 SICK LEAVE SERGEANT O'lVIalley of the Military Police was on sick leave. Jostling through the slowly-moving crowd onthe Rue de Montin in the French holiday re- s-ort, he reached his destination, a com- fortably-shaded seat overlooking the bay, from which he could view the promenade and the beach. Civilian clothes, merrymakeris, and brilliant sunshine combined to create an enjoyable atmosphere for the sergeant, whose proximity to the front lines had caused an intense dislike of jarring clamor. So, establislfied contentedly, he contemplated the antics of crazy for- eigne-rs. A slight disturbance in a cafe not far distant from his seat attracted his at- tention for a few seconds, but he dis- missed it witlh a shrug, the Frog police could look after these affairs. He was suddenly aroused by a stream of Gallic invectives, evidently hurled at an Irish- man. Before he could rise to his feet, he heard the fight begin. He rolled his ponderous bulk to the entrance of the cafe. From this vantage point he observed with extreme pleasure the sight of a corpulent Irishman pum- meling an irate French poilu. In an- other part of the cafe, tables were over- turned as half a dozen Irishmen and Frenchm-en were disputing possession of a roll of bills. The battle raged noisily, each side giving and receiving sever-e punishment. Gendarmes, unabl-e to quell the dis- turbance, were waiting for it to finish before making arrests. With dismay O'lVIalley saw his fellow- Hibernian being overwhelmed. Unable to restrain himself further, he uttered a Celtic yell and plunged into the fray. With his aid, the Irish rallied and routed their opponents. The hostilities over, the gend-armes proceeded to perform their duties. See- ing this, the Irishmen became glum. Ten days in the jug had no attractions for them. Once again O'Malley saved the situation. Presenting his credentials as sergeant of th-e military police, he in- sisted on taking as his prisone-rs the Irishmen who had figured in the brawl. Since this was satisfactory to the gen- darmes, he led his band of bruised brawlers in the direction of army head- quarters, but once safely out of sight of the gendarmes, he set free his prisoners, then proceeded on his way. He whistled blithely as he went along. O'Malley was happy. O'Ma1ley was on sick leave. J. LOUDEN '35 PERUSING THE ADS If you'd like to have muscles like San- dow owned, If you must learn to play on a saxa- phone, If you'd like to reduce that double chin, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. If you'd like to sing like a nightingale, If you'd like to be able to rag the scale, If you'd like a pad for scouring tin, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. If you've B. O. and a hair brush white, If you've athletes' foot and your breafth's not right, If your ha.ir's falling out and you're ugly as sin, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. If you want to bake as his mother can, If he wants to become a co-llege man, If you want to develop those charms that win, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. If gums recede and your toothbrush is pink, If cockroaches live 'neath your kitchen sink, If you've a nose just like a fin, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. From cradles to coflins without a flaw, From cure-alls to poisons for mother-in- l-aw, To put in what's out and to take out what's in, Just clip out this coupon and mail it in. MADELINE BERNARDO '35 EXULTATION Exultation in the wind, Exultation in the sea, Youth and freedom, love and glory, Mingle interchangeably. Pure delight in life and living, Simple joy in nature's thingsg Stars and sun and moon together Love I more than gold and kings. M. E. MCGINNIS ,35

Page 26 text:

f Mgm--A-iw, gg ,THE PILGRIM -- L--V ' W it ig L,,S,LLulm- WHERE PATIENCE IS PARAMOUN T FOR three generations our old general store, about a mile from the town and one of New England's passing in- stitutions, has dispensed its general merchandise and Yankee notions to many and widely different types of cus- tomers. In its shabby, dlisordierly in- terior, amid a confusing array of all kinds of provisions and articles, can be found every-thing from baked beans to caviar, and from needles to mowing ma- chinesg while through its ancient door have passed inhabitants of the back woods and those of Park Avenue. It was one of this latter type whose impressive limousine glided silently to a stop before our door late one October afternoon. Assisted gently by her chauffeur, a ponderous dowager labori- ously extricated herself from the luxur- ious interior, and proceeded slowly into the store, her fat, bejewelled fingers fumbling in her bag for a list. Have you the sugar I te-lephoned for? she demanded in a high, authori- tative voice. Yes, my father smiled, we had to send to Boston for it, but- All right, broke in Mrs. Frederick Long Hamilton, Sr., sharply, how much is it . The pound box is seven cents, he replied. Seven cents! shrilled the outraged one raising an indignant lorgnette. Mercy! I can purchase perfectly good sugar at the Super Sanitary Service System for five and one half cents. Yes, but Pierce's is better quality, and has to be- Very well, I shall take it since my sister will use nothing else, she said resignedly, as though performing some noble service. I shall now look at your tea biscuits. We have these kinds in bulk, said my father, indicating a rack of large, glass-covered boxes, which Mrs. Hamil- ton surveyed through the lorgnette as if they were garbage. And the assorted ones in packages, he contin- ued, taking one from the she-lf. The lady seemed slightly more inter- ested, turning the package over and eyeing the label suspiciously. He tore of the cellophane wrapper, andi, open- ing the box, extended it to her. Gingerly she tasted one, but placed it on the count-er shaking her head, Too sweet . Four other kinds were opened which were either too salty, too rich, too chocolate, and always too expensive. Perhaps Mr. Bailey across the street- began my father. Never mind, coldly. The Super- Sanitary Service System will have what I want. Sevente-en of the thirty-one brands of coffee were scrutinized and discussd. This one would not keep you awake at night, this one was dated, that one was advertised on the radio, this one va- cuum-packedi. The final decision was the standard brand sold by the chain store. At the end of thirty minutes, the counter was heaped high with various provisions. Mrs. Hamilton brought the lorgnette into play once more and scanned her list. I believe that will be all, she said. Now let me see. What have I bought? The sugar, said my father. Seven centsf' Well, she said regretfully, drawing out a leather check book, I had in- tended to buy all my goods here so I brought no money with me. And she proceeded to make out a check to herself for ten dollars. Will you cash this, please? she demanded, handing it to him. Puzzled, he opened the cash register and pawed about for small bills. Oh,-and you may deliver the sugar, she added. We're still at the summer place in Manomet, you know. Yes, he knew.-It was five miles down there. Profit on sugar one and one half cents: cost of gasoline-oh, well-. He handed her the money. Thank you. They accept only cash at the Super-Sanitary Service System, you know. CHARLES Coornn '35

Page 28 text:

26 THE PILGRIM MMIUNIOR OPINIONS I On A Variety of Subjects WINDOWS HOW significant are the things seen at windows by passers-by! Signs of life are emitted from every window from early morning to late at night. Bedding and curtains flap wildly from the open Windows. Flower boxes filled with colorful blossoms make ornate the sills, and now and then a child's tousled head can be seen peering curiously over a window-sill. Two women leaning from their windows gossip merrily in the morning sunshine with, perhaps, a rug or a mop in hand. From other win- dows come shrieks from radios or the sound of quarreling children or their gay laughter and chatter. A cat basks in the sunlight, while an ice card is perched at an angle above his head. Oc- casionally a trilling and chirping is heard from a pert canary. As one goes on into the shopping dis- trict, various displays in windows im- mediately catch the eye. Perhaps there is beautiful finery or delicious edibles, both attractive to the eye. Passing a factory, one sees people in- dustriously engaged at machinery, working steadily and unceasingly. As one glances upward, he catches a glimpse of a dentist's uniform and thanks his lucky stars that he is on the outside looking in. ' As twilight gathers, the last pink rays of sun are reflected in the thous- ands of windows, and, as darkness arrives, twinkling lights gleam from every window signifying at least life- be it sad or pleasant. DOROTHY PERKINS '36 SHOES WE don't think of them often, unless they happen to be too small, but they offer an interesting train of thought to the one who does stop to think about them. When the first cave man wrapped a skin about his foot, he started the de- velopment of one of our most necessary articles of apparel. What costume would be complete without footgear to complete it? Likewise, much can be told about a person from the shoes he wears. In the thirteenth c-entury, shoes were soft and pointedg the longer the points, the higher the social position of the wearer. In fact, the points of th-e ultra-fashion- able soon grew so long that they had to be tied to the knees to prevent the per- son from tripping over them. Though these extremes are no longer seen, shoes are still an index to social position. For instance, in a subway car, facing the opposite seat which extends the length of the car, I can tell something of the people across th-e aisle even though most of them are hidden by newspapers. This tired pair of dust- caked broughans indicates a day of hard work well done, while the quiet, low- he-eled, black pumps beside them suggest a shop-girl who has been on her feet for hours. Th-ey keep crossing and uncros- sing,trying to find the least tiring position. Next in line is a tiny, frivo- lous pair of patent-leather pumps with extremely high heels. We know without further thought the type of girl to whom thes-e belong. A sturdy pair of moccasins is next. The woman who wears these has no patience with the French heels and paper-thin soles of her neighbor. She has sacriiiced style for comfort and is the better for it. This meticulously-shined pair of Oxfords looks much like many other pairs be- longing to business men, but what dif- ferent stories they could tell! Last is a pair of broken-toed, scarred shoes that are sprawled wearily in a cor- ner of the car. These shoes havetramped the streets daily and propped thems-elves on park benches nightly for a long time. Shoes must hav-e pleasure, too. One can almost envy the old pair that sinks into the fragrant, j ust-thawed earth of the garden in springtime, and dodges the inevitable puddles that come in the loveliest time of year. There are the sandals that bury themselves in the fine sand of the beach, and the moccasins that sink into the forest's aged carpet of pin-e needles, not to mention the slippers that are toasted before the fire in the -evening when the day is dying. Yes, shoes must have pleasure, too. PRISCILLA ROBERTS ,36 ON HAVING THE GRIPPE THE gripp-e, as you probably have dis- covered, is one of the pointless afliic- tions of a human being. Even the joys of being lazy in bed are dispelled by its headaches and weariness. It comes on suddenly to most people, although the