Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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THE GOLDEN-ROD 15 The Maniac The Pierce family were sitting by the fireside in their old farm house on a very rainy night in April. This family con- sisted of the father and the mother and two sons. Looking at them one would get the impression that, although they were poor, they were happy. Addie, the oldest and biggest boy, was a very pitiful creature, as he had been feeble minded ever since early boyhood. Now he was sitting near the fire mutter- ing to himself. No one noticed him; the mother and father continued their reading and discussion of the daily news. Mrs. Pierce read aloud for her husband about the escape of a crazed man from a nearby asylum who had been at large two weeks. All attempts at finding him were futile; what was most peculiar, he always wore a large red cloth on his head representing a turban. He never discarded this, so it would aid in identifying him. The sheriff was so eager to capture him he had of- fered $2,000 for him, dead or alive. As the evening wore away Addie rose from his seat and went out into the dark night. This was his usual custom, and no one would dare to interfere with his plans. There was no cause to worry about him, as he was a harmless crea- ture and would not wander far. After walking for five minutes Addie ap- proached a large pond and sat down by its edge. Soon he began to dig furiously, for in his imagination he believed a great treasure hidden there. As he was thus engaged he heard footsteps approaching him, but he did not look up, as he thought it was his brother coming to take him in from the rain. Suddenly he was seized by the shoulders and instantly there came to his feeble mind the thought that some one was going to rob him of his treasure. The man whom he confronted was dressed most peculiarly with a large red turban on his head. As he struck, Addie jumped up and grabbed him by the throat. Then they fell to the ground and struggled for a long time. Addie, using all his strength, seized the maniac by the throat and hurled him into the pond. Then, cover- ing up the hole where his supposed treas- ure was hidden, he ran for home. That night he was restless and talked inces- santly of killing a man. After that eventful night Addie seemed to remember everything that happened, and at times his mother believed him to be cured of his brain trouble. Whenever he mentioned to the village folk the kill- ing of the maniac, they only shook their heads and said, “Poor Addie is getting worse.” Laura Daggett, F. ’28. MY FRIEND THE CALL OF THE NORTH WIND In all my life I’ve never met, Just such a friend as yoi£p j Who could be very true anakind, And understand me, too. I wonder if you realize IIow much it means to me. Although our lives may drift apart, My Friend—you’ll always be. When you arc blue or very sad— Docs anyone care for you? When you laugh and when you cry? I do, pal! I’ll say I do! Myrtle Richards. The north wind calls and her children reply, And down to the ground they everyone fly— Leaves of red, of orange, and gold. Whispering news that the wind has told. O’er the ground they dance, Back and forth they prance, Forming a rainbow of delight, Making a glad and brilliant sight. They bid farewell to the dear old tree. Then off they prance with mirth and glee; Murmuring news of the snowy bed Soon prepared for each brilliant head. Evanceling Zixck, F. '29

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14 THE GOLDEN-ROD His Duty to the School The track meet between Fair Haven and Manchester as predicted by the sport writers, was a tie until the final event, the mile run. Stetson, the best miler Fair Haven had produced in years, was de- pended upon by hundreds to “bring home the victory” which would give Fair Haven the International Championship. Bates, Manchester’s mile runner, was also a good miler, but the daily papers gave Stetson a slight edge over Bates. Among the thousands of spectators who witnessed the meet were three wealthy members of the Manchester Alumni. In discussing the meet, they realized how important it was for Manchester to win the championship. Something must be done to prevent Fair Haven from win- ning. They immediately resolved to make Stetson an offer to “bag the race.” “Stetson! Stetson! message for Stet- son!” cried the messenger as he paraded through the contestants in search of the famous miler. Finally Stetson was found leaning against the door of the dressing room entrance. He took the message and thanked the boy. After opening the en- velope he read the following: “We must see you before the race takes place, at the rear of the dressing room.” With only a few minutes before the race, Stetson hurriedly went around to the rear of the building and there found the three Manchester supporters. The point of the hurried meeting was made clear to Stetson, which was fol- lowed by an offer to “throw the race.” Just then the milers were called to- gether at the starting point. As Stetson was leaving the men he heard a final statement: “And don’t forget, you won’t have to worry about college expenses for the next two years.” While Stetson was walking from the dressing room to the starting point, he considered the offer. Throughout his high school years a great desire of his was to be able to attend college. His father, who was a poor hard-work- ing man, could not afford to send him to college. Should he accept his college education to lose the race or not, was the question that lingered in Stetson’s mind as he started the race at the pistol shot. The race was a thriller. Bates of Man- chester quickly jumped into the lead and had a margin of ten yards over Stetson at the end of the first lap. Stetson’s heart and mind were not on the race at this great minute, so import- ant to the school he represented. He was thinking of the future. He arrived upon a conclusion. His duty to the school and the school’s honor in winning the Inter- national Championship was worth more than a college education for himself. He quickly realized the situation and took up his usual winning pace. The third lap was over and Stetson had ten yards to gain on his opponent. He quickened his stride, which resulted in a gain of eight yards at the beginning of the fifth and last lap. Both Bates and Stetson were now running for all they were worth, side by side at the half-way mark. For fifty-five yards the runners kept up this heart-breaking pace. Fifty yards away from the tape, and then Stetson shot ahead, passing the tape a yard ahead of Bates. The crowd of Fair Haven supporters went wild. Fair Haven had won the In- ternational Championship and Stetson was proclaimed the hero of the day.

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16 THE GOLDEN-ROD The Dancer The curtain rose, slowly, majestically, and in a blaze of light the audience saw Narice, the dancer. She stood in the center of the stage, swaying to the gentle rhythm of the music. Her slender body was robed in shimmering gold; trailing wisps of golden gossamer hung from her beautiful arms; her little feet were en- cased in golden slippers, and on her hair was a coronet of pearls. She was like a sunbean—almost too dazzling for the eye to follow; like a fairy—so slim, so dainty, so gracefully lovely. Her face was so exquisite as to be almost ethereal. A pale, oval face it was, with dark luminous eyes, and red lips parted in a bewitching smile. The audience broke into tumultu- ous applause. Suddenly she bent forward, poised on her toes, and flitted across the stage, whirling in a mad ecstasy of dance. The spectators watched her with bated breath. She was like the flashing of morning sun- light upon the water. Now she darted swiftly; she twirled round and round on her toes; and the spotlight, playing upon her, made her gown seem now lavender, now pale green, now blue, like a summer sea. When she had swirled and swirled, finally falling gracefully to the floor, the audience' clapped enthusiastically in trib- ute to Xarice, the dancer. Betty Wells, F. ’28. Inmates of a Dictionary “Hello, Mr. The. How are you faring in your old age?” “Well, now, Miss Gossip, for an old man who is used to the world, I’m not so bad, because, you see, those who use me, use me well. Here comes Mr. Like.” “Poor Mr. Like! So many people abuse him,” sympathized Miss Gossip. “Have you met Miss Camouflage, Mr. Like?” “Why, yes, I have heard something about her, Miss Gossip. She is one of our new tenants, isn’t she?” “Yes, she is, she began to live here dur- ing the war,” answered Miss Gossip knowingly. “I wonder how Miss Their and Mr. There are today? They are for- ever quarreling with one another. But come, we must congratulate Mrs. and Mr. Should-Would on the birth of their twins, Shall and Will. They are so much alike that many people get them confused. They put Shall in Will’s place, and Will in Shall’s place. Oh, and have you heard that Mr. Wary and Miss Shy have an- nounced their engagement? They are really a good match, because they are so much alike. They have so many things in common. They don’t seem a bit like Miss Irritate and Mr. Annoy, do they? Oh, yes! I almost forgot to tell you that Mr. Roisterer has been sentenced to the House of Correction again. I wonder if he will ever learn to behave. His brother, Mr. Polite, is so different from him, too. It does seem such a shame. But, of course, there must be one black sheep in the family. As I have begun to tell you some news, Mr. Like, I may as well tell you all I have heard. Do you remember Miss Better, who used to live with us? Well, that hussy is now an actress. She calls herself Miss Best now. She thinks that she has reached the highest summit in film fame that any person has ever attained. She always was conceited, any- way. I abhor talking about anyone, but don’t you think that Mr. Quite is getting rather weak? His relatives, Mr. Wholly and Mrs. Entirely, treat him so badly. He gets so confused that he doesn’t know where he belongs at times. But we mustn’t