Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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20 THE GOLDEN-ROD History of Quincy (With apologies to Donald Ogden Stewart) As the time for our tercentenary rap- idly approaches we consider it high time to mug up on our town history. Hear! ’Twas in the year 1492 B. P. (Before Prohibition) that the illustrious Captain Wollaston sailed up Black’s Creek and discovered Quincy. Why did he discover Quincy, you ask.? Well, he might have been drunk. Upon landing he immedi- ately opened the formal ceremonies of discovery in the conventional manner of all discoverers, but in the midst of these was chased back to his row boat by a tribe of wild and half-baked savages from Hough’s Xeck. One of these Neckers almost scalped the Captain but he fooled ’em, he was bald-headed. “If this is Wollaston,” said the Cap- tain, “I should certainly hate to see West Quincy.” Part II. The Indians were peeved at being dis- covered but finally allowed the Captain to land. What a party they had that night, (music furnished by No-bellic’s Kings of Syncopation) the young braves and papooses (high school flappers) strutted their stuff to the synthetic strains of the sizzling saxophone, while the squaws sat around smoking their wam- pums. Suddenly in the distance was heard the rumbling of a red-hot Ford matricu- lating over the somewhat uneven sur- face of Hancock Street. Miles Standish and his deputies were rapidly approach- ing! Standish arrived, dressed in his cast- iron tuxedo with his pockets full of an- vils. As he stepped into the hall drag- ging a howitzer on a string, he saw a group of savages who had draped them- selves in innocent attitudes around the melodion singing “Home Sweet Home” in close harmony. Others were poring over “The Youths Companion” and various alumnaes, dictionaries, etc., in a most in- terested manner. The rest had appar- ently gone to sleep, and in fact they slept so well and snored so naturally that Miles Standish found himself yawning. “In the name o’ the law I arrest yez all!” shouted he. “Shoot the lights and don’t give your right names,” yelled Captain Wollaston as he prepared to follow a chair through a nearby window. When the Indians were finally appre- hended it was found that two-thirds of them were John Smiths and the rest Joneses, due to the timely advice of the noble Captain Wollaston. •Poetic license. Part III. Captain Wollaston himself would have escaped had not Miles Standish nudged him with a cannon ball from the howitzer at just the physological moment. This, as you may well imagine, made the cap- tain very indignant and he reported the actions of Miles Standish to the authori- ties. The histories have it that Standish was dismissed. He took up his abode on a rhubarb ranch in a certain part of the country known as Weymouth. It is said that he died there from solitary confine- ment. The noble Captain Wollaston bought himself an underslung pipe and went in for politics. As the Indians were not allowed to vote and as he was the only white man present, he elected himself (by a great majority) to the mayorship of Quincy. He, it is said, was the first to take action on the New Quincy High School recently completed after 300 years of revising, readjusting and red tape. For several years things ran fairly well; the captain having a good time and vetoing everything in sight. Then trouble broke out. You see, the Indians suspect- ed him for a cock-eyed radical. So the poor Captain Wollaston; discoverer, founder and first mayor of Quincy, had to impeach himself. •September, 1924. Francis Dahl.

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THE GOLDEN-ROD 19 saw her land safely, on both feet, over a hundred and fifty feet below. This morning they were putting on their caps and mufflers as she came down the broad snowy driveway toward them. They rushed toward her and reached up for their morning kiss. All three went laughing and skipping toward the lowest of the hills, dragging a great sled behind them. They coasted and slid and snow-balled each other until they heard, during one of their rests, the chimes of the village church ring out twelve o’clock. Rose Marie seated them securely on the sled and started off toward home. As she swung along through the crisp air, she decided to take the children home to lunch with her. They all had hearty appetites after their morning in the open and thoroughly enjoyed their excellent luncheon; after which the children were taken upstairs and put to nap in Rose Marie’s sanctum. When she saw them sound asleep, she quietly left the room and prepared to meet her guests. Later—Having left word with Fan- chettc to take care of the children when they should awaken from their nap, Rose Marie departed in high spirits, with her many guests, some on skiis, some on snowshoes. They were passed by many sleighs laden with parties from the neighboring towns and villages. On the hill all was excitement and bustle. Rose Marie was greeted on all sides by friends and fellow participants. A gong sounded and all eyes were fo- cused on the toboggan race which was to open the carnival. The gaily-colored caps and scarfs gave a festive air to the scene. The rising laughter of the boys and the excited screams of the girls as they jogged over the bumps on the course gave a happy thrill to all. The height of the excitement was reached when the time came for the great ski race. Rose Marie’s turn came last and she took great interest in watching the start- ing and landing of the many other con- testants. To be sure, she had the ad- vantage of knowing the course thorough- ly but, after all, she was yet but a slight girl in comparison with the many husky woodsmen who were competing with her. All went well during the first two trials. Xo one had as yet reached her farthest jump. In the third trial, however, one of the Canadian experts soared up and out over the course and landed far be- yond her last mark. This meant, to win the event, she must beat her own record. She had never felt in better condition to do it than she did at present. She men- tally gathered together all her forces as she coolly calculated just what distance she must cover to exceed the farthest dis- tance. As she stood looking like a great scarlet-and-white bird, poised ready for flight, her eye was suddenly caught by the movement of a very tiny object ad- vancing swiftly toward that portion of the course where the last jumper had made his landing. As she leaped out from the run, she noticed that the small body had reached the course and was sliding quickly toward the mark which she had set for her final landing. As she came nearer to it she recognized the bright woolly suit which had been one of her Christmas gifts to little Eloise. What should she do? If she continued on her course she feared she should strike the baby, who had almost reached her goal. Her only alternative was to grow limp at once and fall, but this meant losing the event and no one knew what else! Without a moment’s hesitation, with all the strength of her will, she made herself relax, and as she suddenly fell to the icy ground she noticed with great relief that dear little Eloise had safely reached the level space at the end of the course. When she regained consciousness she was lying on the huge divan in front of a roaring fire in the great living room. A pair of soft, little hands were gently patting her check. As she opened her eyes, the baby girl threw her arms around Rose Marie’s neck and whispered: “I wuv ’oo, Wose Mawie.” And she felt fully repaid for her sac- rifice. Alice C. Waite, June, ’25.

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THE GOLDEN-ROD 21 Neither Bacon Nor Shakespeare (Great though he was, Shakespeare was only human, and so it is to be ex- pected that he made some mistakes. An omission on his part accounts for the following scene, written by a modern Shakespeare. Its purpose is to show the domestic strife of Macbeth’s life and il- lustrate some of the finer causes of his downfall. Read it, and become acquaint- ed with family strife in the days of A Iacbcth.—Merritt Libbey) ACT IV—Scene 4 Room in the Castle at Dunsinane Enter Macbeth Macbeth: My love is greater than my lust. Failing, She would be punished, too, as much as I. And she has been to me a worthy wife; Yea, more than wife, a most wise coun- sellor. It is true her plans, her advices were good;— But the water’s too deep for her, I fear. Enter Lady Macbeth Lady M.: You did call for me, my lord: Macbeth: 0 beloved, I do fear for you; I would That you were not concerned in this at all. I have decided to face the storm alone. Lady M.: Have a care; the lion dies when his strength Is waned, my lord. Macbeth: I have thought of that, but I have learned My lesson well, and will better the instruction. Lady M.: You say you fear for me, my thane, Yet you leave me here to brood myself Unto distraction. O, better far to die fighting, Than to sit at home a prey to con- science. Macbeth : Fie, my lady, you’ve but done your duty. Why, wife, should you suffer for my misdeeds? All else I grant, all Scotland, if you will, But this to thee I must refuse, my sweet. Lady M.: Your courage failed at Inver- ness, my thane; Take care lest it should slack at Dun- sinane. Macbeth: The weird sisters three to me did promise That I need not fear till Birnam Wood To high Dunsinane Hill shall come, and that My death shall be by none of woman born. Lady M.: I fear these witches have thee fast; Follow them not too close lest thou get snared. Macbeth: They served me well before; I will not doubt Them now, for I am all they pro- phesied. Lady M.: You forget I made you King, not they. Did they bolster your waning courage, sir? Who made the plan for Duncan’s fall? Who freed vou from places tight, my lord? Yet you cast me off as a worthless thing! Macbeth: All true, beloved wife, yet I do fear For thy woman’s strength and heart and mind.— Let that end the matter. Fare you well! Exeunt Macbeth Lady M.: Discarded, cast off, scorned! Believing he has no use for me, He leaves me nothing but musings vile. The hardest blow upon him is yet to fall, Yet he casts aside his rudder now. O, thou fool to believe thou’rt safe at last From Malcolm and Macduff who storm you. Thou art more like the Roman fool than thou