Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

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LITERARY 23 4VIIIlIIIIlIllllIIIIIIIVIIIHIIIVIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllillllllIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllIIHIlll!IIIlllllllllllllllllllllHIIDIIIHIII4lllllIIIlllllllllIIIIlllllIIIHIIHIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIHHIIIIIlIIIlllllllllllllllllllllll VVhen he could speak conveniently he Said, HVVhere did you get these 1nild little onions, mother?', VVhy, are they goodf' asked lNIrs. lNIarion. Pass them, please, I think I'll try one. You'll never want any other kind if you do, mother, said Joe, and his voice broke pitifully at the last. lNIy goodnessf, his mother said as she caught his tone and looked up startled, 'L I knew there was something wrong, Jean, when you got such a bargainf' They all laughed, and two of them laughed 'through tears. VVhile doing tl1e dishes Jean said, lNIother, I simply can't ask father now. I know he wouldn't let me when he learns thatls where I got those onions. ltlaynit I answer anyway?H Thus it happened that on lllonday morning a certain rusty- hai1'ed boy, recently enrolled at school, took from a tin box in the berry tree her note, which reads as follows: Dear B. Strong, You surely must be, if you make a practice of feeding on those onions. I suppose I should be sorry I made the folks cry, but you would have thought it was worth it just the same as I did. ' f'It is hard to write to a person you know nothing about, but don't think references are required. The onions were a first- class introduction. I might as well tell you that I am a senior five feet eleven and one-eighth inches tall, have a complexion bronzed by Cal- ifornia sun, and own a five-toed angora kitten. I have a liking for good dispositions and Fords able to furnish references. I can imagine how you look-a tall, strong fellow with very broad shoulders and steely eyes. Sincerely your friend, Mabie So The next day Jean took this answer from the box:

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22 CAERI ILEA '21 lllllllllllllllllllllVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVIIIIllllVlI!IllIllHIlKIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllIIllIllllIlllllllllllllllllllllIllllllllllllllllllllIIllIIIIHIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllll between paroxysms of mirth, A man of seventeen! And it sounds like Lizzie is to furnish the references. What a good name he in- vented, too. Mother, can't I answer? It will be such fun. I won- der who he isf' - Well,-I'll speak to father. This is so unusual--very uncon- ventional-but-i' Jean enthusiastically hugged her mother and exclaimed, I just know dad will let me. I'll coax him, anywayg but I'll wait until after supper when he is in good humorf, At six-thirty the family seated themselves at the table and supper was served. Before the rest had barely started, Joe had gob- bled down a piece of bread and the biggest onion. Joe, do chew your foodf' reproved his mother, while his father shook his head gravely and sadly as if to say: That boy will never grow up and amount to anything. With twinkling eyes Jean flashed a smile at Joe and then stopped suddenly, for slowly a large tear had squeezed itself from the corner of his eye and wound its way down his cheek, passed his mouth, which was chewing uncommonly fast, and fallen with a plash into his plate. She stared in astonishment, for she had not yet sampled the onions! Mother and father followed her glance, and her dad said kindly, What's the matter, Joe, boy?,' Joe winked rapidly and said with difficulty, '41 got a bone in my throat? Why, Joe, how could you? said his mother. This is a fine piece of liverf, The boy was engaged in chokingly swallowing huge mouth- fuls of bread, washed down with water, and J ean, who saw through it all, was taking dainty bites of onion and saying nothing. Dad was rather preoccupied, and, his mind still pondering a vexing oflice problem, he absently bit off a good-sized portion of onion, Jean lirst observed the startled look, then a wild light in his eyes, and he began to gobble bread about as fast as Joe could.

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24 CAERULEA '21 Dear lllabel, I guess your name is that. You have a funny last name. It sounds real Chinesy. Iam glad you're tall. Yes, so am I-just six feet-with curly brown hair and dark skin. I know you are the slim, ath- letic type with raven tresses. I seem to have heard this last somewhere. Anyway, Ilm new to the school and haven't got acquainted yet, and your letter sounds mighty friendly. Please keep writing, and believe you have the thanks and appreciation of B. Strong Oh, oh, Jean laughed after school as she let her mother read the letter, I never dreamed he'd think my name was lllable, but I'm going to keep writing. Isn't this a mixup though, mother? He writes a good, boyish letter and isn't a bit foolish, replied llIrs. lllarion practically. On Wednesday Jean left this reply in the box: Dear B. Strong, That is certainly a queer last name, but welre not Chinese. In fact my eyes are more cocoanut than almond. You're Such a big fellow, I know you are fond of sports. I have an idea you've lived in the East. Then, naturally, you can ice skate. I wish you would write about the East as I've never lived there at all. Hope you're getting along in your classes and not seeing too much of the pink uns and blue uns. - Your friend, . Mabel CMabie Sol g'Pl1ew! whistled B. Strong, 'Tll have to be a sure 'nuff movie hero to live up to all she thinks of mef, He felt a pang of remorse as he thought of the-ah--untruths he had told and the rest he was doomed to tell, but then he straight- ened up and said to himself, She surely is interested just as a real