Reading Memorial High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Reading, MA)

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The Pioneer Page Twelve “Tears and cold looks for me,” he muttered bitterly, “and smiles and love for another. However, when you are my Lady West, things must be different.” Bertha did not wear the necklace to the ball, but a simple string of pearls, and she explained to me that she had rather have a noose around her neck than those diamonds. Upon reaching the ball I saw the reason for Bertha’s coming. Godfrey •was there. For a few minutes in the evening I saw them together. God¬ frey was whispering something in her ear and talking very earnestly, when through the crowd came Sir Robert West to claim the next dance. He glared at Godfrey, who returned the look with head erect and eyes flash¬ ing. After the dance he noticed that Bertha had not his necklace on, and so he demanded why. “I preferred to wear pearls,” she answered. “Oh, I thought perhaps you had given them to that Godfrey for a re¬ membrance.” “Your diamonds are safe,” Bertha replied, “but I choose what ornaments I like. I am my own mistress yet.” “By my faith, you won’t be long ' he answered, in a passion. The ball was soon over and we got into our carriage for home. It was a long ride to the Towers and long be¬ fore we reached it I fell asleep. When I awoke we were still riding, but were going very fast, and the carriage was swinging from side to side. “Where are we, Bertha?” I demand¬ ed. Then the poor girl broke into tears, and told me that Godfrey was driving. In an instant I understood and demanded that they stop, turn, and go home. “Aunt Hannah, did you ever love anyone?” asked Bertha. “Yes,” I replied. “Then you know why it is impossi¬ ble for me to marry Sir Robert West.” In five hours more we were over the border, and in less than an hour Godfrey and Bertha were married. “She is my daughter no longer,” said Sir Howard Wood. But in less than a year, as we sat around the fire in the Towers, feeling lonesome, we heard the sound of wheels outside, and in came Bertha and Godfrey. Go¬ ing up to her father, Bertha knelt down and asked if he had forgiven her and Godfrey. Gathering her into his arms, Howard answered “Yes.” He then turned and shook hands with Godfrey. MARY A. TURNER, ’12. French IV. 1 ranslating “La Tulipe Noire” “Cornelius baisa passionement le bout des doigts.” M. E. M.-ntg-m-ry, “Cornelius low¬ ered passionately the tips of the fin¬ gers.” —“presque aussitot qu ’il a soupe.” E. F-tts, “almost as soon as he had slippered.” —“un corps etendue pres d’ un banc de bois.” M. E. M., “a body extended near the wood-pile.” “mon unique heritiere.” F. N-ch-ls, “my unique heir.” “ils avaient bu.” R. B. M-nsf-ld, ‘they had dranken.”

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Page Eleven The Pioneer Sir Howard, little as he seemed to know how his daughter spent her days, was very quick to find out that Godfrey loved Bertha. “Hannah,” he said to me one day, looking out of the window to where Bertha and Godfrey were, “I want you to see that Bertha is not with God¬ frey so much. He is getting too fond of her, and besides, Sir Robert West has asked me for Bertha’s hand.” “Sir Robert West,” I exclaimed, trembling at his words. “Howard, he is a bad man. Would you give Bertha to him?” “I choose that my child shall be¬ come mistress of West Hall,” replied Howard in a voice of determination, and T said no more, though from w r hat I had seen and heard of Sir Robert West, I had rather have laid Bertha in her grave than see her be¬ come his wife. One day my brother announced that Sir Robert West was coming over to dinner, and was going to stay a few days at the Towers for shooting Bertha made up a face, and said, “That dreadful man; he gives me the horrors.” “Bertha,” said her father, speaking sternly, “speak with more respect of Sir Robert after this.” The next day Sir Robert West came to the Towers, and I trembled when I saw his dark, cruel eyes rest on Bertha’s fair face. Bertha was soon told by her father that she was to marry Sir Robert West. She begged and pleaded, but his only answer was, “I lay my com¬ mands upon you, and I expect to be obeyed.” Then turning his eyes toward Bertha’s face, he said, “Never will I consent to your marrying God¬ frey. He has had the assurance to ask for your hand, and I have forbid¬ den him to enter the Towers until after your marriage.” Bertha’s whole frame shook with sobs but they were of no avail. Bertha obeyed her father, and within three weeks she accepted Sir Robert West, and with a look of tri¬ umph on his evil face, he placed a diamond ring of great value on her reluctant hand, looking straight into her sad eyes as he did so, while Bertha shivered from head to foot as she returned his gaze. As soon as he had gone she burst into tears, and I wept to think of the life before her. Howard so carefully guarded Box tha that she had not been able to see God¬ frey since the day of the rose inci¬ dent, though he had tried in vain to see her. The time drew near for the wed¬ ding, and Sir Robert’s face grew dark with rage to see Bertha growing paler and paler. At last, returning from a walk one day, Bertha exclaimed that she was going to a ball which Sir Robert had desired her to attend, and which she had declined. Sir Robert seemed pleased at her determination, and bought her a dia¬ mond necklace. “You must wear this to the ball,” he said. Bertha thanked him in an agitated manner and allowed him to clasp the necklace around her slim white throat, but when he stooped and, whispering, “my privilege, fairest Bertha,” kissed her, she turned pale as death.

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The Pioneer Page Thirteen HOW SHE SIZED IT UP “Miss Marie Evelina Van Cleve, of this city, is visiting her cousin, Miss Janet Crosby, at the latter’s home in Colebrook, N. H.” So read the “Que¬ bec Daily Item,” and Miss Van Cleve was indeed at her cousin ' s home. It was the evening after the “great game,” and she sat in her room writ¬ ing a letter to her mother. “Dear Mother,” the letter ran, “I have told you of all the happenings up to the events of this afternoon. I saw what was called a “bawl” game. You know I never saw one before and I never want to see another. Janet was quite excited over it. The score was 15 to 3, whatever that means, but Janet said it was “great.” She uses such slang expressions that I am quite disgusted with her. Well, first we went to a big field where a lot of hoards were ranged about the three sides. The boards were crowd¬ ed with people but Janet and I man¬ aged to find seats. We sat there some time watching a lot of boys, dressed in clown rigs, hitting at balls with sticks. I think the balls must have been rubber because when they hit the sticks they bounded off. Janet said the boys were practising, though it isn’t the way I practise. Just then they all began to run off to different places. One boy stood in a little hole¬ holding one of the sticks in his hand. Another fellow about sixty feet away threw a ball at him but the boy with the stick held the stick in front of him and the ball did not hit him. As the ball went past the stick a boy standing behind the “batter”—that is what Janet called him—who had a skimmer tied over his face, caught the ball in a kind of bag which was tied on his hand. Then after a little while, another boy took the stick, and so on. Whenever the ball hit the stick everyone jumped up and down... screeching and clapping their hands. Then the fellow would drop the stick, duck his head, and run at another fel¬ low. If he got past him, he would run at another. If the first fellow he ran at could get hold of the ball he would throw it after him, but none of the boys got hit. After watching for some time I got so tired of it that I came back to the house and left Janet at the game. She came home later and told her folks that it was a fine game, but I don’t think so. 1 think it is a very rough game. I am coming home tomorrow because I don’t like this place very well. 1 don’t like “bawl” games. I would rather play croquet. Your loving daughter, Marie Evelina. DOROTHY TURNER, ’13. Carpenter—“Didn’t I tell you to no¬ tice when the glue boiled over?” Assistant—“I did. It was quarter past ten.” —EV. RECEIPE FOR FLUNKS Take a string of bluffs, stir in one pound of thin excuses, add a few class parties, sift in a little time for athle¬ tic enthusiasm, flavor well with moon¬ light bottled during evening strolls, boil well, stir before using, and serve hot at the end of each term. —Ex.