Providence Technical High School - Review Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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1928 THE TECH REVIEW 75 but Egbert’s wooden feet insisted on float- son in the village attended his funeral an’ in’ an’ bis head, being made o' different y’ never herd sich weepin’ in all yer life, material, insisted on sinkin; so poor Eg- Yes, sir. Egbert was some cat. Pass thet bert jest natcherly drounded. Every per- cider.”

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74 THE TECH REVIEW 1928 Egbert Ogden Sawyer, ’28 There was a sound of scurrying feet as two large rats chased each other across the floor of the room in which we were sitting. There were seven of us gathered before the fire to talk things over and have a good time. Suddenly Abe, the oldest inhabitant of the village, broke the silence. “This whole gosh dern place is over- run with them consarn animals now,” said he, “but I kin remember the time when there wasn’t a one o’ th’ good fer nothin’ critters, an’ ’twas all due to Egbert. Eg- bert was a big black Tom cat. and was owned by my old pal. Zcb Grant. I re- member the first time I saw Egbert as if it was yisterday. “Me’n Zeb was huntin’ fer patridge in back o’ his house, when we herd this pit- iful cryin’ off to our left. Wal, we looked to see what it was, an’ found this big black cat in a trap with his left forepaw nearly chawed off. Wal, we got the cat out o’ the trap, and took him to Zeb’s house, where we soon discovered that there was little hope for recovery, but Zeb’s kids pleaded so dog gone hard that Zcb an’ me done the bes’ job we could at cuttin’ off th’ foot an’ givin’ first aid. “Wal. in ’bout a month, thet cat was as well as ever ’ceptin’ lie had a hard time hobblin’ around on three feet; so one dav, Zeb’s boy, Joe, thought up the bright idee of makin’ a wooden foot for the poor cat. Now Zeb wasn’t much of a carpenter but he done his best an’ succeeded purty good. “Now thet Egbert had a wooden foot, you’d think everybody would a bin sat- isfied, but after ’bout a week. Joe found out thet Egbert couldn’t ketch squirrels or rats, ’cause ever’time he’d get ready to spring on ’em, thet wooden foot would hit somethin’ an’ make a noise, so what did Joe do but go over to Mrs. Brown’s, who had a baby, an ask to borrow the rub- ber top to a nursin’ bottle. Wal. after he put this on Egbert’s wooden foot, everything was all hunky dory, ’cause the rubber muffled the sound. “Now whatdvcr suppose thet cat did? Why, he’d ketch squirrels or rats, an in- stead of killin’ ’em the way other cats did. he’d hold ’em with his right paw, an’ brain ’em with the wooden foot. He got so good at it thet he killed more rats than cny ten of the neighlxjrhood cats put to- gether. But still thet cat had a longin t’ kill even more, so what did he do but deliberately put his good paws, otic after the other, in three mink traps thet Zeb had stored in the barn, so he had to have wooden feet for all four legs. “Wal, thet cat sure did kill rats right an left an ’twasn’t an uncommon thing t’ sec him jump plumb in the middle of a bunch of rats and kill one with each foot. He killed so many rats thet there wasn’t cny more to kill, an’ this proved to be his undoin’, fer, as he had t’liave some amusement, lie took t’ sailin.’ “He’d walk out on the lake near the house, stick his tail in the air, an go sailin along on his wooden feet as nice as you please. “Wal. one day, Egbert was enjoyin’ himself in this way, when a storm broke suddenly, and kicked up a bit of a sea. Wal, o’ course Egbert couldn’t sink be- cause o’ his wooden feet, but the waves got so high thet he capsized. Now, any other animal would a been able t’ swim

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76 THE TECH REVIEW 1928 Read Letter Day By Ruth C. Hussey, ’29 While rummaging one dull, rainy day up in the attic, in hoj e that I should find some trinket or book that 1 hadn’t noticed before, I found in among some essays and note books, some letters. They were written in a childish scrawl and addressed to someone who, after a little thought, 1 decided must have been my great uncle George. The paper was yellow and the ink faded. The creases were worn from having been folded again and again. I sat down on the nearest trunk and read them, while the rain pattered cozily on the roof, until it became too dark to dis- cern the letters. They had evidently been written by my father when he was a little boy to his uncle and namesake “Uncle George.” 1 thought as I read them they were too good to keep to myself and so 1 have copied the most interesting ones for you to read. May 15 Monday Dear Uncle George, I am up in bed writin to you an its oncy 6 oclock. It was like this. This after- noon mom called me in an sed I hat to go over to Miss Kenedeys with some durn recepe or sumthin so I did. Well I got over there an lo an behole she was all drest up an looked swell for her her being 40 an kinda skinny. She sed thank you for the recepe andid I wunt eny cookies an a nice glast of lemonade. 1 told her, yes ma’am thank you kindly ma’am, I didint ferget my manners not one whit. She must a been expecting comjxuiy cause she was all dolled up an had stuff to eat and flowers in the vase. She went to get the eats an everything was perfect so far as I was concern sept I didint know what to do with my gum, cause I can’t eat and chew to the same time, so I put it on the arm of the chair ware 1 wooden ferget it. Well 1 bed the cats an then went home. I kinda like Miss Kenedy, her having a cat an two kittens not count in the one she gave me. Its under the close with me now, purrin contented like, me giving it halft my milk for supper. Mom don’t know I got it, I ain’t dast tell her yet, her bein kinda mad any how cause a while ago Miss Kenedy came over red in the face an ast to see thet boy, an she talked an sniffed an blowed a while an finally she sed something about gum an then an there 1 decided to kinda skip over my back fenct into Billys yard, but mom thought differ- ent I guess cause she grabbed me. An Miss Kencdv went on about, He’ll never call again now, she sed, him getting all over gum, she sed, an me trying to get him for 6 solid y—oh I mean—I mean— an mom looked at me severe like an hur- ried Miss Kenedy out an sent me to bed double quick time. Afterwoods she came up an I ast her could I write to you an she said yes an when she went out I herd a little noise at sounded like a snicker to me. Well good by Your lovin nefew George P. S. I’ll l e 10 a week from tomarrer. June fers Dear Uncle George, There’s some new people moved in on our street and mom ses there in pretty good circumstances from all the furniture she saw go in there. Well las nite the guy what belongs there came over to see my sister Marge an Marge was busy up stairs curlin her hair an putting stuff on her face so she sed