Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

Page 13 text:

The Story “Sayonara, Sui San.” “Sayonara,” and Sui San slowly turned and pushed aside the paper walls which opened into her room. Together, Sui San and Wakasa had watched the beautiful Oriental sunset. To them nothing had ever seemed more beautiful. Wakasa would have been will- ing to sit forever by the wall and watch with Sui San that great golden ball as it sank slowly, slowly, and serenely to meet the sea. There had been a moment when both had held their breath, for it surely seemed as though the disk of gold must rest on the edge of the world for a while. But the moment of waiting was soon over, and the sun had resumed its journey downward, shedding as it went a glow far over the sea. Rose, gold, and blue of the sky so intermingled and blended as to give that touch of beauty so often lost in the clouds and haze which hem in our vision. No steamer leaving its trail of smoke on the horizon, a tell-tale of civilization, only the broad, ribbed, wing-like sail of a Jap- anese junk silhouetted against the western glow, and moving so slowly as to make one wonder whether or not it was moving at all—altogether a picture so fraught with calmness, with the poignancy of beauty, that it was never to be erased from the minds of these two. “Sui San, only tomorrow we shall be sailing toward the very place where the sun is sinking. You will be my wife and we shall be starting on our long, long journey to America. Tomorrow—tomor- row—and then—” “Oh, yes, Wakasa, and shall we sail from Yokohama?” “Yes, dear, the arrangements are com- pleted. We shall take the steamer from Yokohama tomorrow afternoon, cross the of Sui San Japanese Bay, go down to Manila, touch at Singapore, go through the Suez, and at last cross the great Atlantic Ocean and reach America.” “Then, Wakasa, you may study. You may become a great man: you may learn of government, of the wonders of Ameri- can ideals, and then after those few years we will come back again to dear, dear Aoyama. Is it not so, Wakasa?” “Yes, Sui San, it is all true. I shall study. You shall have your own little home and wait for me, until I have learned how I may help my country. Then we shall return to Aoyama, and watch again just such sunsets as this.” The sun had dropped below the water. The rose and gold of the sunset glow were slowly changing, blending with the deep blue to lavender, deeper still to purplish gray, and now the twilight had come and evening’s quiet was settling down on the sea before them, and on the garden in back. The great sail of the junk had be- come almost invisible as its color blended with the soft gray of the evening sky. The first stars were pricking through the cur- tain of the sky and night was coming down, so softly, gently, and peacefully. “I must take you to your door, Sui San, and let you go in and have your rest. You must sleep and dream of the pleasant new country to which you are going. Every- thing is ready?” “Yes, yes, all is ready, and I am only waiting for the morning to come. But sleep, Wakasa, sleep? I shall try to, but no, I shall not sleep. I shall think, think, and wait for tomorrow. They walked through the tiny land- scape garden, across miniature bridges, through huge beds of chrysanthemums, through a path, dark with dwarfed ever-

Page 12 text:

10 THE GOLDEN-ROD are acquiring the habit of not talking in the corridors between classes. All that is necessary is to extend this practice to fire drill. “THE BEST CLASS” Another group of freshmen has come to the shelter of these venerable walls. Per- haps it will be the best class that has ever entered the school. We hope that its members feel that it will be, for only with such a spirit can it succeed. It must be admitted, however, that this class will have to work hard to improve on some of its predecessors. February, ’28, here's wishing you luck! Odds and Ends “Two women were washing dishes.” Anybody got some more work for Amos Leavitt to do: Dingwell at the Wollaston Men's Club supper: “Gosh! I feel like a prize guinea pig with this here tag on.” Sad, but true. Our second Demosthenes—Bill Kiiloh. The ranks of the Bachelors’ Club are thinning. The causes—Sjostrom, Fuller, and now Nickerson. Have you tuned in to the new station: Q. H. S. Lunchroom, I. Richman broad- casting sardine sandwich at 11.25 a. m. Our own little oil scandal—Xobili's coiffure. Gleanings from Freshman English Papers “Enoch was on the ship and he viis- slipted and broke his limb.” Another version gives: “Enoch was at sea. One day he fell from the mast to the ground and broke his limb.” “When the cats are away” is an inde- pendent claws. One Freshman tells us that “Mr. D s wife had died three years before, leaving him a bachelor”; while another, in a burst of imagination, writes: “I am putting this note in a bottle, which I shall throw over- board on a wager.”. Still another de- clares that “the pupils go from room to room for each subject, and they have a program card on which to go” The income from subscriptions covers only in part the cost of publishing the Goldex-Rod. Advertisements are its chief financial support. Remember to “Mention the Golden-Rod when patron- izing our advertisers.” The Golden-Rod is “published bv the pupils of Quincy High School.” The’staff will welcome any constructive criticism from other students. Don’t close this magazine without reading carefully “A Word to the Wise” in the Athletic section. We Wonder What Freshmen think they don’t know. W hat makes Vallee so happy. W hy Fuller can’t keep still. Why our Literary Editor looks so sad before the publication of the Golden- Rod. Why Mr. Jewell always gives home- work. Whv Nickerson is interested in French. Why— Dees Blomquist look down on us: Does Nickerson go around with such a dreamy look in his eyes: (It’s only re- cently.) Did certain girls always come to the basketball games: What Would Happen If— The Alhambra closed? Think how many Q. H. S. students would be left homeless. Ed. Fuller appeared with a hat on: There was a piano in the gym? We were all R-R-ROBOTS? (Ask Copley Theatre fans.) Ran Cook got mad? The new High School were finished? Art Dean grew any longer? A1 Broomsmith forgot to comb his hair? The ice cream or candy counter went out of business? Mr. Upham gave an E in U. S. His- tory ? The Freshmen got any smaller? Nobody talked in the corridors? Miss Armstrong stopped smiling? Vanity cases were abolished?

Page 14 text:

12 THE GOLDEN-ROD green trees, lighted only by small metal lanterns which the garden boy had lighted at dusk. They reached the house, set like a doll's play-house of paper, beside a small pond. Savonaras, goodnights, were said, and Sui San entered her small room. Everything was ready, as she had said. A new American trunk was strapped and waiting by the flower stand. Her best kimono and obi were laid beside the small block of wood which was her pillow. She arranged her flowers, drew back the paper shutter, and lay down upon her matting bed. to think. Sleep she knew would not come to her for a long time. Thoughts, dreams, desires were surging through her brain. She was to leave her country, her home, and her friends to go to the great America. Should she be happy; But yes. why not: She would have Wakasa, her little home and yes. perhaps a tiny child to brighten it. Oh. she was not worthy of such fortune! The honorable ancestors were very good and kind to al- low her such happiness. And then came the thought of her approaching marriage to Wakasa. She loved him with all her heart, and she would be happy. Her girl friends were to come early in the morning to help her dress for the ceremony. She would wear her snow-white wedding ki- mono. which had been her grandmother's. They would arrange her hair and place in it the tiny white bird of paradise. The priest would say a few words, and she would be the wife of Wakasa. Her friends would kiss her hands and give her sweet- meats and flowers. They would all bow very low before her, and then she and Wakasa would ride away in a jinrickisha to the great railroad station, take the train for Yokohama, and—of all that she could not think. Sleep came at last, sweetly carrying away all thoughts and giving her the rest which she needed. “Ohaio, Sui San, it is morning, your wedding day!” Sui San arose happily to a glowing world. Her girl friends greeted her glee- fully and smothered their exclamations as they saw the bright-eyed Sui San. Never had she looked more beautiful. Her eyes shone, her head was held proudly high, as she called the little servant Nayo to help her. The girls assisted Nayo in arranging the clinging folds of Sui San’s heavy silk kimono, tied her obi. and fastened the small bird of paradise in her hair. Dur- ing this process, Sui San stood, while all waited upon her, her eyes full of far- away things, her voice sweetly soft and clear as she gave directions to Nayo. At last she stood ready, calm and lovely in her wedding clothes, and in her dark eyes a love-light was shining. The Shintu priest arrived; the guests assembled, each carrying a pure white chrysanthemum. The room was decor- ated with the same flower arranged simply in very tall vases. Ogomenasai, I beg your pardon, everyone is ready, Sui San, said the little Nayo. “Yoroshin, all right, I will come, Nayo.” Stopping only a moment to kneel be- fore the Shintu shrine and murmur a few words, she walked gracefully into the room where the guests were waiting. She hesitated only a minute, then went for- ward to meet Wakasa. With her head bowed she knelt before the priest, re- splendent in his festive robes, old, and greatly revered. A few words were said softly and slowly by the priest, and a prayer whispered by Sui San and Wakasa. Wakasa took both her hands and, raising her up, told her to lift her head. There was or.e kiss and the sweet ceremony was over. The guests arose, presented Sui San with flowers, sweetmeats, and bowed low, very low, before her. Hastily Sui San and Wakasa said farewell to their friends and rode away in the jinrickisha which was waiting. They rode through the busy streets, lined with open shops and filled with happy children. When they arrived at the Ueno station, which is Tokyo’s largest railroad station, they alighted and went quickly into the waiting-room and further out on the platform. There Wa- kasa left Sui San and went to attend to the baggage. “I will be back in ten minutes, at just twelve o’clock, Sui San.” Neither of the two realized just how long that ten minutes would be. For it was just at the stroke of noon that the platform upon which Sui San was stand- ing began to shake as if a very heavy train were pulling in. Sui San looked