Racine High School - Kipikawi Yearbook (Racine, WI)

Page 160 text:

Y ,,LL: . , f , LLL1,w LVLL - 18.12. i', lA i KATV1? N fg l gl , z 5 . . N 5 , , I .,.. .... Lf ....,. f A --- . -- y the air, faint and elusive, just as the mur- muring wind sweeps through a harp and leaves a wondrous melody. Forgive, it whispered softly, and slowly melted away into nothingness. Ile shook with a vague, unknown fear, sweet in its revela- tions. The church was slowly emptied and he was left alone. Ilis head was bowed low, but his face was illuminated with some strange, mysterious charm. A flood of roseate light from the stained glass win- dows touched him tenderly, as if in bene- diction. Through the open doors he heard the birds sing merrily. VVhat a wonder- ful world it was! Was not this life in- deed? Ile hastily dashed a few bright tears from his eyes, and laughed softly to him- self. A happy, quivering little sigh shook his frame as he murmured, I forgive. Ht the cares that infest the day Shall fold their tents like the Arabs, And as silently steal away. -Dagmar Peterson, 13. ALL HALLOW'S EVE The evening of the twenty-seventh of October I sat in my study reading. CIt might be well to mention that I was the only one at home.D About half-past eight the door-bell rang. I switched on the lights all through the house and went to the door. Then I screamed, and why do you think I did? When I opened the door a tall, thin figure swathed in a white, flow- ing gown, glided in and closed the door. and a thin, grayish hand took an envelope from the folds of its robe and held it out to me. I tremblingly took it and read: Mr. Jack o'Ltantern CJ. C. EJ Requests the pleasure of Miss Blank's company at a weird merrymaking On All Hallow's Eve, Tuesday, the thirty-first of October, At half-past seven o'clock, At the Old Haunted Barn in Hobgoblin Hollow Q2025 Main Std VVhen I read this I invited the silent ap- parition into the study while I wrote my acceptance. I gave him the envelope, he bowed and retired. Then I sat down to think it over. When I arrived at the Old Ilaunted Barn in Hobgoblin Hollow on Hallow- e'en, the same ghost who had appeared at my door several nights previous bade me, in sepulchral voice, to enter, and showed me to the dressing-room, and when the company had arrived led us down to the basement of the house. ml Q T is-,, - We certainly had entered the witches' den. One candle served to light the room, and by its light we saw the walls and ceil- ing had been covered with sheets, and great black lines drawn to represent cracks, while huge cobwebs were made of black thread. Before the kettle, suspend-

Page 159 text:

A PRELUDE Should you ask us, Whence these stories? Whence these legends and traditions, With their spirit of the classroom, And their praise of high school pleas- tires? We would answer, we would tell you: Where the rolling, grassy prairies Stretch away to meet the sunset, Where Lake Mich'gan's shining waters Lap and toss in silvery billows, Racine High School stands in grandeur, And these myths and tales were woven By the youths and maids assembled At that noble seat of learning. Many there do seek for wisdom. But in different ways they seek it. Seniors, with their thoughts prophetic, Turn to days when High School 's glory Shall be in her Annual centered. But within the Racine High School Dwelleth none like to the Juniors. None like them in wond'rous wisdom, None like them so freely gifted, None like them for mighty schemings How to make each fleeting moment Carry mingled fun and study. Then the Soph'mores. Oh, the 'Soph'- mores! Cling fast to the fond delusion That in all the wide creation There existeth no one equal To the Soph'mores. Oh, the Soph'mores! But the Freshmen! Oh, those Freshmen! Unfamiliar with their classrooms, Puzzled by the constant ringing, Ringing, ringing of the signals. But in spite of all misfortunes They smile on with brave endeavor, Hoping, slowly climbing upward To the flowery path of knowledgef, -Vlasta Jandl, '13. -Emily Donaldson, '13. They say it is important To study history, But I find unto my sorrow It wasn't made for me. -Hulda Jacobson, '12, 'A ., ' K . 2 .5 ,aff gf f 2 gi . .,.-. W. l y , , . . ALMOST HUMAN One afternoon in August as my cousin and I walked along the marsh, we saw a muskrat busily digging in a bank at the marsh's edge. We lay down and watched it for about fifteen minutes. Then she went in the hole. When she came out she had a real young baby muskrat in her mouth. She set it down and went in again, brought out a second, and then a third. There was a large tree trunk that stretched across the pond which was in the marsh. She picked up one of the baby rats in her teeth and walked across. This she did to all of them. We wondered why the muskrat had had to dig an entrance hole, so we Went to see. We saw that someone had stepped on the hole and crushed in the doorway. An- other thing that puzzled us was that she didn it swim across instead of walking on the tree. We discussed this and came to the conclusion that the young ones were too young to swim and too heavy to carry in the water. -Byron Gere, '15, FORGIVE He was in a bitter mood that Easter morning as he stepped into the big, quiet church. His head was bent. His face showed a bitter struggle and a rankling hatred. He shook his head defiantly. How he hated the world! Hated, hated it! His hands clenched convulsively till the nails entered the skin. Forgive? 'iNever! Services had begun. A deep, brooding silence filled the house of worship. The beautiful sermon was entirely lost on him as he sat with moodily downcast head. He was weary of the world, sick, tired, and unbelieving. He started quickly from his seat. A voice rang through the church and seemed to echo, Forgive ! A burst of touching melody pealed forth rapturously and then gradually died away. Such music! The soul seemed to soar in exultation and then die away in floating sound. The last notes lingered in

Page 161 text:

fl 5,1 . .sap ,Aw-y Is.. -5-,, ,. . . .A . ,-ri. .1 gk., ,r i - -Q ,,f,M,A,L ' l S e s Ql. S . ilmatiihg - A -M. -'+ emsnm.-muwew.mwses.samsv:'r.se,,., than F J in f- - 'h X- - e 4 We brought them into the house and found a slip of paper fastened to each, on 1' ll.. ll. 33- . ,fl 'X ,L ,Q . ..' , 1'- -fft-' 1,47 ..-. 6 1 I . 'N X a XNW e e .1221 X W X, iw , K 4 fl by W filfhlyflfi sh if all fa, f f ffllf ffggallzf ed at the hearth, three witches danced and chanted: 'tDouble, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. And the cauldron did soon begin to bubble and paper packages were passed around and each one in turn poured the contents of his package into the cauldron. The contents of the packages were flour, salt, pepper, a ring, a button, a ten-cent piece, a crust of bread, and the various constit- uents of a Fate cake. The witches were left to attend to it while we played games, popped corn, bobbed for apples, and roasted chestnuts. With orange and black paper, thread, paste, pins, straws and scissors we trans- formed bottles into witches, and indeed some of the effects were very ludicrous. Then we were asked to go into the gar- den and pull the cabbages in a certain row. which the names of our partners for lunch were written. And the lunch! Do you care to know What it was? Well, I'll tell you about it, but first I must tell you of the decorations of the dining-room and the table. The picture frames and doorways were outlined with cabbage leaves. Cornstalks stood in the corners, jack-o'-lanterns on the window sills, and witches and black cats and bats hung everywhere. At each place at the table was a candle, the shade of which was decorated with a witch, a cat or some other Hallowe'en emblem. The centerpiece was a basket-shaped pumpkin filled with red and greenapples, purple and white grapes, and yellow ba- nanas. The lunch consisted of: Cold Meat Pickles A Mound of Mashed Potatoes Celery-Cabbage Salad Nut Sandwiches Ice Cream in the form of Fruits Walnut Cake Cider Bonbons Then the Fate Cake was cut and passed, and we played the old game of walking backwards down the stairs with a candle and a mirror. Shortly after- wards we left, all of us agreeing that we had had a royally good time at this novel All Hallow's Eve entertainment. A -Virginia Rodigan, '13, i.,,,g.,,, La . aEE1'ff?tw'2-3, gf' 1'cf-vlnig . ewf2w.:3fv- ww X '4-lv 9 5, fi .4 'GJ -Qu A X, We 3 P I 9 1 16' K v-Sffygh. - J-'meflaiigf - . ---