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

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84 THE TECH REVIEW 1928 one corner two telephone operators who occationally find time to look up from their magazines long enough to give a number. Through the revolving doors streams of people move in and out. Bell hops are numerous and in various stages of activity. In other words, everything at the Cosmopolitan on this day was rim- ing smoothly. The grill work door which stood in front of the elevator shaft slid open and out stepped a very attractive young lady, attractive does not do he: justice, striking is much better. A little above average height with her smooth fair skin, serious little mouth and rebel- lious brown hair she attracted no little at- tention as she walked across the lobby and dropped the letter that she held in her hand into a mail box. She turned to walk back to the elevator just as Wilbur hove into view through one of the doors. He looked about bewilderdly and spied the object of his quest just as she was about to reenter the elevator. Wilbur did a Charlie Paddock across the lobby and suc- ceeded in getting in just before the fair occupant shut the door. Wilbur spoke first more or less puffingly. “Why 1 thought you’d be resting up today after yesterdays mishap.” She replied carelessly. “Oh I was only shaken up a bit I feel as well as ever now.” She had meanwhile started the elevator, an automatic one by pressing a button on the side. “Where are you bound for. if I may ask,” she inquired of Wilbur. “Well,” he replied coloring slightly “I came to see if you had recovered. I went to your home first but the landlady told me that you could be found here,” he added noticing her questioning glance.” She also told me that your work was over about this time so I thought you might consent to let me take you home. “You came just in time I’ve finished posting my last letter I’ll get my coat and hat and we can go.” Just then the elevator slowed up and then stopped right between two lloors. “I didn’t do that,” she exclaimed as she pressed the buttons again and again. Wilbur felt that he ought to say some- thing so he murmured, “We’ve stopped.” His reply was concise and to the point “Yes”. Then a voice from below hailed them. “Say.” it said “the motor down here is busted, you’ll have to stay where you are till I get it fixed. With that the unknown speaker con- cluded and then from below came sounds of an energetically wielded hammer. “My goodness,” exclaimed Wilbur’s companion “this is terrible.” “Yes.” agreed Wilbur sympathetically “and the parking limit for my car is half an hour.” “Well,” exclaimed his companion, with emphasis on the coulds “if that’s the way you feel about it. I suppose we could open the door and you could manage to squeeze by. The drop is only about a hundred and fifty feet, hut you could get to your car and move it,” dryly. “Oh! no no no. Don’t bother. “Well I suppose we’ll just have to make the best of it,” she said. “Yes,” responded broadminded Wilbur. Then ensued a silence. Wilbur’s eyes seemed attracted to his companion while she seemed lost in her own reflections. Finally she broke the silence exclaiming. “I know what we can do, to pass the time away, we’ll tell each other about ourselves I’ll go first.” “Fine,” responded Wilbur “let’s go.” “Well,” she began “my name you already know, but my friends call me Billy. My parents are both dead and I live with my brother Irving at our rooms at Mrs. Standish’s.”

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1928 THE TECH REVIEW 83 say from casual observation simply that he looked like a “good scout.” His fea- tures conveyed no great impression of superior intelligence, but his face radi- ated enough good will and honesty to re- deem any deficiency. Finally Wilbur’s companion broke the silence. “Well, Will, you’re twenty-one today.” Wilbur partly breaking from his re- verie murmered affirmatively. “According to your father’s will.” re- sumed his companion “the huge fortune which was left in my care, when lie died, is now in your name. Here are the bank books. I feel that I have carried out your fathers intentions completely. Especially that peculiar clause which forbids your association with girls.” Wilbur interjected emphatically.“Yes.” Futile attempts to escape his uncle’s watchful eye were still vivid in his memory. “But these are all things of the past. Now, you are free to come and go as you please. You are to live your life. You and only you are to determine whether you will he a success or a failure.” This bust of eloquence was evidently too much for Uncle Charley, as he bound- ed from his chair sized his golf hag in one hand and a half a dozen cigars in the other, and stormed out of the room leav- ing the door, wide open. During this hit of action and its preceeding oration, Wil- bur had been frantically searching his pockets for his address hook. Who was the person who wrote the poem that begins, “Backward oh back- ward time in your flight?” It really dosen’t matter hut simply apply the prin- ciple and hack time up to the previous day when Wilbur in driving his car through the city, quite by accident knocked down a girl who carelessly stepped from be- hind a car parked at the curb. She was up in a minute and firmly declined Wil- bur’s ofTer to take her to a doctor and merely asked to he taken home. 1 lowever inexperienced Wilbur was, lie had learned his lesson early and knew it was useless to try to argue with a woman. During the ride home, neither felt much like talking, hut Wilbur did learn his fair companion’s name to he Beverly Mason and that she lived an Wheeler St., 291 to he exact. Af- ter delivering his charge, Wilbur returned home and reported the incident to his uncle who wrote a substantial check— which by the way he received hack in the next mail—gave it to Eustace for delivery and considered the matter closed. Not so Wilbur however, the twinkle in Miss Mason’s eyes, her spirited manner and the charm, the fresh bloom of youth in her checks kept her in his memory and aside from the fact that lie desired to see her and find out how she was the visit prom- ised to he an interesting one. The dust had hardly settled from Uncle Charlies retreat before Wilbur was off narrowly averting a collision with Eustace who was returning from Wilburs room with a tray of used dishes, and nearly upsetting the housekeeper, who had a weak heart, in his burst of speed down the stairs. Out of the door he went and into his roadster. Surely we say this is not the Wilbur Merry weather of our acquaintance slow, lazy and carefree hut a new Wilbur Merry weather resolute, wide awake and full of pep. He was doomed to disappointment however for at 291 which proved to he a hoarding house he learned from the landlady that Miss Mason was not in hut could he found at the Cosmopolitan Hotel where she worked. Whereupon Wilbur turned his car toward the metropolis and the Cos- mopolitan. We shall now shift the scene of action to the lobby of the hotel. There are in

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1928 THE TECH Here Wilbur interrupted. “Say is Irv. Mason your brother, why we went to high school together.” “Indeed,” she responded, “and I hope you didn’t flunk out with him too.” “O no I contrived to graduate. That is in time.” “Where was 1. Oh yes, I was going to tell you that I work here as a companion to Mrs. Wilson the millionaire widow. It’s not a bad job, that is when she is feeling good. There that’s all,” she exclaimed brightly. “I’m not such a very mysterious person, am 1 ? It's your turn now,” she added. “Oh no.” responded Wilbur “it wouldn’t be interesting.” “Yes it would, come on now.” “No.” “Yes!—Say is this a duet.” “Yes-er I mean no.” “All right then go ahead.” “Well” hesitated Wilbur “er I was l orn—.” “Really,” with a twinkle. Starting on a new tack. “In School they used to call me “Squash”.” “That’s interesting, don’t stop.” Warming up. “My parents are both dead too and before I moved here 1 used to live in Pittsburg, and that’s all I can think of he concluded lamely. “Why! I was just really interested when you stopped. There must be more. Where do you live and what do you do?” “I live with my uncle.” “All right, and what do you do.” “Why I just live with him.” “No, no, what do you do, where do you work.” “Oh I sec what you mean. I don’t work.” “What! Do you a perfectly strong healthy man, mean to say that you don’t work ? That you live on your uncle ? That you reap the harvest of the money that REVIEW 85 he earns by the sweat of his brow?” “He doesn’t sweat getting it,” was the best Wilbur could do. He couldn’t im- agine Uncle Charlie sweating over any- thing but a golf game. “Just the same,” returned his com- panion heatedly “for any man who is so lazy, who has so little ambition that he prefers to sponge on a relative rather that support himself I have no respect. Who do you think you are anyway, John I). Rockerfellcr? I suppose your Uncle bought that car of yours too.” “Well, if I knew where to get a job,” responded Wilbur weakly. “If I really thought you meant that,” she responded dubiously. “I think I know where you could get one.” “Honest I do mean it, that is if I could come and see you once in a while,” eag- erly. “Oh I suppose that would be necessary. You would need someone to keep you straight, I suppose. “Done then,” said Wilbur. “Where do I go to get the job.” She wrote rapidly on a page of Wil- bur’s address book and had hardly handed it back to him when the voice hailed them again from below. “Hi, there,” it said, “the motor’s OK now try it.” Wilbur did, the elevator moved. Sud- denly coming abreast of an exit Wilbur’s companion pressed the button and the elevator stopped. “This is my floor,” she exclaimed as she swung oj en the door and stepped out. “You needn’t wait to take me home,” she added. “Oh yes,” he remonstrated “I can wait.” “Such a man,” she replied “I said no, now go see about that job.” “You are a better man than I am Gunga Din,” murmured Wilbur as he re- luctantly shut the door and started the