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

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LITERARY 19 llIllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIIlIlllIIIIIIlllIllllllIIIIIIIlllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlllllllllIIIHIIIIVIIIIIIIAIIIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIlIIIIIIIllIIIllIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIllIIIIIIIIIIIllIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll through the mental process of Eeny-Meeny-liliny-Mo and finally picked a two hundred pound graceful beauty. While she pounded his feet into pulp Stephen consoled himself by thinking that it couldn't last forever. But to his intense dismay the orchestra obligingly rendered three encores. Stephen wondered gloomily if the girl knew how much she was hurting him. However, hc endured with Spartan courage. Finally the hideous nightmare was over and he wearily limped across the floor to where the real girl was standing. As he came up she smiled encouragingly at him, so Stephen resolutely asked her for the dance. Horrors! All her dances were filled. Well, could he take her home? No, thanks, she was going home with some of her girl friends. At least won't you tell me your name? Stephen pleaded. Oh yes. I'1l do that much. My name i.s J eannef' Before Stephen could reply she turned and walked off to tl1e next dance. I Stephen thought for a moment and then decided that the dance held no more charm for him. As he started for the door Willy Bar- ker, very accidentally, of course, happened to meet him. '4Well, I see you like the new girl awfully much, the torment- ing VVil1y announced. Huh! None of your business. 4'Oh, it isn't though. Well, old thing, I know something about her that you donitfi What about it?,' answered Stephen. Well, since this is the v'ery first girl you were ever bugs over I'm not going to try to beat you. Go ahead and try to go with her. She may surprise youf' 'Tm not bugs over her, defended Stephen. Oh, since you are in such a hurry to go we won't argue. So long! Now what could Willy mean by that? She would surprise him? How? Stephen backed the automobile away ffillll the curb.

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13 CAERI JLEA '22 IIIIIIlllIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIlIIIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllIIllIIHIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIlIlllIIIIIHllIlIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIlIIIllIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIIIIIIIlIIIllIIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllll Stephen looked stunned. A girl who didn't want to dance? That was one point in her favor anyway. Did he want to talik to her? He did. So he convoyed her out to the front porch, got a chair for her, then sat down. The girl started the conversation, so Ste- phen leaned back and tried to analyze his reasons for liking her. She had dark, fluffy, bobbed hair. His was dark also, so what was the difference? She had blue eyes. His were black, but hers weren't a vamping, staring, baby blue. She certainly had a companionable grin. She wasn't quite as tall as he was. Oh rats! What was he thinking of ? He was getting almost as bad as Willy. Well, anyway, she was the nicest girl he had met in a long time. He felt kind of foolish though. She wasn't talking about new dresses or feljlows. She was very much at ease and was chatting most intelligently about automobiles. Well, she seemed to know something about them, but even then any one could pick up a few technical terms and get away with it. Huh! Just imagine any girl knowing anything about radio. He'd like to see any girl who could really operate a set. Take that radiophone operator for instance. Even though Stephen didn't know who he was or the least thing about him he was sure that he was a perfect girl hater. But even then some girls were all right. This girl was prob- ably nice and she certainly was good looking. Not powdered and painted but very welll dressed. She seemed to be awfully nice and seemed to get along with him pretty well, too. What? The music stopped already?,' Stephen stood up. He thought for a moment and then decided he wanted to dance. Yes, for the first time in his life he really wanted to dance. He walked into the house with her. He turned and was just going to ask her when VVilly Barker slid in front of him and asked her for a dance. She assented and they glided out to the floor. Stephen looked chagrinned and walked over to the row of girls against the wall. They were all poor dancers, so Stephen went

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KS-4.-,, . 20 CAERULEA '22 IIIIIIIllllllllIllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIHIHIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIII!III4IIIlIllllllllllllllllllllllllHIlHHlllllIIIllllllllVlilVIIIVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllIIllIllllIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Why did Willy think he was bugs over her. Of course he liked her awfully much but he would never admit it. VVilly had tdld Stephen to go with her. It wasn't Willy's way to drop a girl for .somebody else. What was it anyway? Time would tell if VVilly wouldn't. He resolved to put the question out of his mind as he drove home. When he was in bed, however, the thought again entered his mind. Gee, she was easy to look at. And the way she .smiled at him-Oh boy! He saw her again with her bobbed hair framing her facefl flt was a quotation that Stephen liked.j And her name was Jeanne. It was just like her. Didn't he wish he knew her awfully well. Rats! l One would think he was girlst1'uck from the way he talked. What :else was the1'e to think about? There was always radio. Oh yes. He would have to call the operator of that myster- ious radiophone, ask him for his address, and go over and see the set. Yes, he would do it tomorrow. The next thing Stephen knew was when he was awakened by some children next door who were playing in the yard. He grudgingly rolled over and looked at the clock on the Wall. Wow! It was half past eleven. My, he had slept late. Stephen yawned prodigiously and then slipped into his clothes. He hurried downstairs, ate his luncheon, then raced out to the barn. Hge had just put on his phones when some one said Hello,' in his ear. Stephen jumped, then stopped to listen. He was the only amateur named Stephen, so they must hav-e been calling him. Hello, Stephen. VVhy donlt you answer 111e on your spark set, Stephen? Hello, Steve. Hello, Step-hen. Stephen hated his nicknames so he sullenly pulled the power switch and soon was shooting crackling blue .sparks. The ope1'ator of the phone answered hi111 quickly. Oh hello, Steve. Is that you!--VVhat? Don't call you Step- hen?-All right, Steve-you want my address?-No, I can't give it to you by radio or every amateur in town would be pestering around here. I'll tell you what I'll do. So1neti111e this afternoon my address