Potter School - Shield Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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THE POTTER SHIELD bad as Alston had struck out three times, 0 ' l li Cl. thfil' J , , first ball pitched. It oo e ra I u d became Very mdlgnant. But ,y A 1 -' W1 't l ' tarted to make obJect10I1S 311 ind t ie in i D1 Q iel he practically blew up after that. hir iudioiiation cost him the frame, as 5 C' D f h ext two were out on two easy ' gt , 0' t to first on an error, and t e n i i . The mx mm DO d waiting for the third pitched ball, which fl' s. Tl 1 Plodding Pete got up 311 , nfs just lijhere he wanted it, he struck it a terrific smash. The ball went over the L M d and third, then striking the ground it rolled pitcher's head and out between secon . H way out to deep center. Before it was recovered old Plodd1ng Pete was sitting gracefully on third base, and the two winning runs had gone in. Q ' ' run he was grabbed up by the As Alston crossed home plate for the winning . , I 1 P S cheering mob and paraded around the field. Such is popularity! Poor o d ete, za I, who had won the game, received very little attention. g b of celebrating' the victory, a big bonfire was lit, and That night, y way speeches were made by the head of the school, the president of the student body, h reated quite a sensation by his fiery words. The head then and by Alston, w o c announced that a week from that night a cup was to be presented, as usual, to the h d d ne the most for the school The selection of that fellow was to fellow who a o - I I Q be decided by a ballot cast by the entire school, and everyone had an inward feeling that the person would be Live Wire Alston. About midnight the crowd broke up and each one sought his room for much needed rest. Until somewhere around four o'clock everything was quiet and still, but then a wild shouting of Fuel fire! could be heard. Alston woke up and jumping out of bed rushed to the window, where he could see that the building in which the lower school boys lived was one mass of seething A flame. Jumping into some of his clothes he dashed out of the house and ran over to the scene of the fire. Everyone was up, everyone was excited, and everyone was shouting orders and offering suggestions to the sleepy firemen, and yet nobody seemed to be accom- plishing anything. The fire had made such terrific headway that it looked as though it would be impossible to save the building. 4 The headmaster was there checking up on the boys, and as he shouted the names out, each boy answered promptly until he came to Stanton. He repeated the name and still there was no answer. My God, boys! he yelled frantically, where's Stanton? Where is Stanton? D 10 kTliere no doubt about it, Stanton was still in the blazing building that 0 ,ec as 1 lt would COHZLPSG any second. The crowd stood round, horror Cleplfffefl 011 GVGTY MCG, yet no one moved, no one seemed to be master of the Sltuauon' Then One b0Y broke from the crowd, and with his head practically Covered by IHS wat, ruShed through the door and disappeared in the clouds of smoke. V A shout leaped from ever throat ' in prime, and than a hush feuyover the scnirgivefdof horror at the daring act,some draggtnggeZrlpceglelikgghlpsrazlboefiiettllgeciijgligcj Oigerililpefared again, half -carrying, half y, black smoke. Then .a cheer Went UP that might have awak d th eager to See Who it was and to E353 e dead, and the crowd surged forward, all Thirty 44 al Way tray M ,idk MQ NF' ,mg wi N 'NS 'wt' iiiiiin,N ndmbl iawvf gk in il' UM,-. 'il 1' -. . V: I X YJ, f,

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' it - . M rugs her 3 Tr- -. - n l ldilgyn for il, . ' lnrw, l HUM' . iii! Xl: i H! 5'011. A 15N i all Yuki w:Ntl1G I W i .1 Fi !h:!!!'0l1 ' xi . !e'!' li- wp might , , r P 4 Ihr! H-av-ju X! XXX' , THE POTTER SHIELD 1 Plodding Pete Ats a ole pepper, kid, knock it a mile. You can do it. What? Strike one? Say, Mr. Umpie, take my glasses, you need 'em. Aw, what do you want to hit at tha for? Way above your head! Ball one? That sounds better. Lay low on the high one's, kid. Ball two? Yea bo! Come on, now, pepper, pepper, pepper! More pepper on first there. Strike three. Ye gods and little horn toads! didn't I tell you not to strike at the high one's? That's two down. Oh! baby, look who's up-'lil ole Ploddin' Pete. Look at him hit it! Run, kid, run 5 slide, slide, atta boy. Safe on third? Hooray! you hit in two men. Take a lead. This lively line of chatter was coming from Live Wire Alston, who was coaching on third base, and who was recognized as being the liveliest and peppiest fellow in the school. ' The second man referred to was Plodding Pete Sharks, an exact opposite to Alston. He played right field and had gone through the previous season without an error, and hitting .346 5 yet somehow no one took any notice of him. Perhaps it was because he wasn't always fighting and getting into trouble, like Alston. Every- body knew Alston. He was a good student, but was nearly always in trouble of a minor character. He had played quarterback on the football team for the past three years, and was a good third baseman. He was full of speed, pep, fight and fun. On the other hand, was Pete Sharks. He was a fine student and was scarcely ever' in trouble. He had played right guard ever since he had come to Whittier Academy, five years before, and guarded right field without criticism, and yet somehow he wasn't considered a star. And yet somehow or other Alston came to the front, not for his playing, which was sometimes faulty, but because he was always a real red-hot twisting, peppy, live wire. He threw his bait of bull, to speak crudely, and the boys swallowed the bait, sinker, leader and yards of line. A The baseball team had gone through a very successful season, winning ten games and losing only two, and on the day before the final game with Bayville High the averages of the players were posted up. On examination it could be noticed that Shark's fielding had remained at the 1.000 mark through the entire season, while his hitting stood at .364 Alston's fielding was listed as .748 and his hitting at 284. Although his mark of 1.000 had been noticed, it had created very little stir, because after all it was only Plodding Pete. The next day was the great game with Bayville High and early in the after- noon the crowd of eager spectators began arriving. At three o'clock the game commenced, and from the very start it was a well- matched contest, neither team scoring during the first three innings. Then the pitcher seemed to lose control of himself and Bayville got in three runs. Until the seventh inning the score was unchanged, but by one good hit and an error Whittier managed to get in two runs, making the fever of excitement rise to an alarming temperature. Both grandstands were fairly creaking under the wild demonstrations of an excited crowd that had their whole hearts and souls in the game. At the beginning of the last half of the ninth the score was the same. Then something happened. Live Wire Alston got up to the bat, and got hit by the Twenty-mlne

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a 'll Ilie k . lhml' Olil Pete, -,. lu- shouted ill? X urn I u M g A lllmr tunes, . rrr.l1.,u,l s .Int . ,M But ss ' r ' P: fir' slllt Hn xolhli. .9 A' md ' ll Q .llit V . ' 1... il lllllfll l H lwlll OX' ' lfurmll' lie-IQ- .I It lolled xi .rs sitting uislllllllpqll , r Wlrrlrr .rrrirv was lit.:rr1d fra, eriulent lwodv. .r 'rid me fren --l. :rs usual. to the rirzrr fr-llow was to l an imvarrrl feeling r the it-mwrl broke :mil still. hut their -iv. wlrf-re lie could if- mass of seething .-wise :rrrrl mu over ir slr' luring orders ..m.f.l to he accom- rlmr ir looked as rim. He repeated X'f'lle'1l ffilllflfdlllr zing building that ...rl round. lwffof lu- rrmster Ol the lly - lwzifl Pmctlca l in the clouds0l - . 'OID9 .herring .uit U half 'milf r:aI'!'YlBg', 1. Then 2 Cleef '4'. C1 all rrrzf-fl fflfwar ' THE POTTER SHIELD The Hgure staggered on until it was beyond the clouds of smoke, still dragging its burden, and then in front of his headmaster poor old Plodding Pete sank tc the ground exhausted, burned, but victorious. - Pk Pk Pk Pls Pk A week later the school assembled to cast the ballot for the boy who had done the most for Whittier. Alston, as president of the student body, addressed the boys. Fellows, he said quietly, I do not think that it is at all necessary for us to take a Vote on this question. A week ago, I suppose the cup would have gone somewhere else but now things are different, and I want all tho-se in favor of giving the cup to dear old tPlodding Pete,' to signify, not by saying 'Aye,' but by shouting. Then the shouting and yelling that went on was such as was never heard at Whittier, not even at their most exciting games or rallies. Plodding Pete was a hero, and the din of shouting floated over into the little room in which he was lying in bed and made him glad. ROBERT GUMP, '21. The Bacteriologisfs Serenade Awake, my antiseptic love, And greet thy prophylactic squire, Beneath thy casement window I Strum on my hygienic lyre. Awake, awake, my septic love! Put on thy orthapedic shoes, Put on thy Ferris Good Sense waist And hasten to our rendezvous. While incense-bearing breezes blow From disinfected meadows, where Contented cows drink germicide, A And breathe the medicated air, We two will meet, my germless one And then in allopathic bliss Upon thy mouth Cfirst sterilizedl I'll drop a fumigated kiss. BY CAROL ANDREW in Works and Days. Thirty-one