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

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PAGE TWENTY THE PIONEER Star of the North — Virginia, Minn. Your last edition was well deserving of recognition. Dcivertones — Dover, Mass. Considering your size, a very neat and attractive paper, containing very interesting material. Lawrence High School Bulletin — Lawrence. Always a good paper. Your editorial section seems to be decreasing in value. The Western Star — West Somerville. Yours is sort of a clumsy magazine to handle. “Sparkles” improves in every issue. AS WE ARE JUDGED The Pioneer An excellent athletic department, also a good exchange. Your cartoons were great. How about some stories and class notes ? — The Authentic — Stoneham High. The Pioneer Your Senior number was very in¬ teresting. The drawings were excep¬ tionally clever. Haven’t you a few more poets? — School Life — Melrose. L. C. ' 30. BOOK REVIEWS “The Happy Pirate” is a breath¬ taking tale of piracy and slave traf¬ ficking upon the high seas during the time of Jefferson’s and Madison’s presidencies. The background is his¬ toric, but this does not for a minute lower the rapid and exciting pace of the story. The reader moves hurriedly from one vivid scene to the next, thril¬ ling over the encounters with the pi¬ rates, enjoying a trip on a slaver to the Gold Coast, or relieved by the hero’s escape from a British squad¬ ron. The book is vivid, alive ; anyone who likes adventure will enjoy this recent release by Robt. W. Chambers. Sabatini’s “The Romantic Prince” is a story of long past ages. The core of the novel is the struggle for suprem¬ acy between sly, crafty Louis of France, and blunt, quick-tempered Charles of Burgundy. After the meet¬ ing of the hero, Count Anthony of Egmont, the cousin of Charles, and the heroine, Johanna Claessens, the daughter of a wealthy Zealand bur¬ gher, the story traces the course of their turbulent love. The tale is charming, the characters, vivid per¬ sonalities, and the scenes delightful. Everywhere an historical background presents itself, but never in a dull manner. If you like Sabatini, you will enjoy “The Romantic Prince.” “Mr. Billingham, the Marquis, and Madelon” is a series of connected short stories, all relating to the es¬ capades of this trio at Monte Carlo. These three keen-witted personages undertake to fleece several over- wealthy visitors of surplus money, as well as to rescue several others from difficult predicaments in a series of stories, which to me proved only mild¬ ly interesting. While many would probably enjoy this story merely be¬ cause it is one of E. Phillips Oppen- heim’s, I could never term it a book of gripping interest. V. W. ’30.

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THE PIONEER II O M E PAGE NINETEEN The shimmery sheen of a mountain green, And a lake of crystal blue; An azure sky ; A birdling’s cry; Such was the scene I knew. The watery cool of a limped pool; A sea of tossing pine; A shady nook; A twinkling brook; A land of honeyed wine. Small wonder I want back my sky, My woods, my lakes, my hills. For the city’s haste Is not to my taste Like a speckled wood bird’s trills. Vincent H. Whitney, ’30. M A N Laughter, sadness, sorrow, and song Riches, poverty, right or wrong, Capitalist, laborite, scholar, fool, With each other beside life’s pool. Master workman, creature of tool, Welded together in one great jewel —Love and humanity, —Creature of vanity, -man ! Passion, jealousy, greed and lust, Inborn in him from birth to dust! Soul of a Judas, a traitor at heart, Passed is he by, as he plays his part, Any man, friend, when his vision is lost— Like a rudderless ship on the ocean is tossed; Drifting, dreaming, on and on, Whirling, twirling, a worthless pawn, Dying at last, in the glow of the sun. Nothing accomplished, nothing done. P. G. P., ’30. EXCHANGES The Authentic — Stoneham. We like your appropriate cover. Your ever present variety of original jokes is even better than previously. Your class notes are also very inter¬ esting. The Chevron — Albion, New York. A very rich looking magazine well-edited, well-arranged, and very neat. Your material is well-assorted nad very interesting. It is a pleasure to find such a magazine among our collection of exchanges. Wakefield High School Booster — Wakefield Your paper shows “pep” and plenty of school spirit. We wish you success in your next issues ! The Partridge — Duxbury, Mass. A commendable little paper, but lacking in jokes. Why not include some in your next issue? The Blue Owl — Attleboro, Mass. Very good editorials. You have a well-balanced literary section, and your School Notes are excellent! The Jabberwock — Girl’s Latin, Bos¬ ton. Although your stories, athletic write¬ ups, editorials, and other departments are very good, you lack poems and exchanges. The Exponent — Greenfield, Mass. No exchanges? “School Notes” and “Personals” are two very deserving columns. Your jokes are both humor¬ ous and new.

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THE PIONEER PAGE TWENTY-ONE The Mid -night Rescue A tickling sensation in his nostrils awoke Matt Grey. Half asleep he lay staring into the darkness. Presently his eyes began to smart and he got up in terror. He sniffed the air; there was smoke in the house. The moon sent a shaft of light across the foot of his bed. He could see wisps of smoke. Kicking off the bedclothes, Matt rushed for the door and a volume of black smoke rushed in. He shut the door hastily. In a room on the floor below him slept Matt’s Uncle Jed. He was not an uncle most boys would boast about, but Matt could not let him perish in the fire. Uncle Jed had taken Matt when he was a small boy. He had given him a home and clothes although the latter were hardly worthy of that name. Uncle Jed owned the only hardware store in Ridgefield. Over this store Jed had his quarters, while Matt was obliged to sleep in the attic. As the smoke was rapidly filling the small attic room, Matt left the door and hurried to the window. Here the boy hesitated. Then suddenly climb¬ ing out upon the sill, he reached for the drainpipe, gripped it, descended to the lean-to below, and jumped to the ground. Scantily clad, his feet bare, Matt hurriedly tried every window of the store. Ea ch one was securely fastened from within. He called for help. No answer. The town slept soundly. There was no time for delay. Pick¬ ing up a brick, Matt broke a pane of glass and reaching up through the opening, unlocked the window. Lift¬ ing it he crawled through. The room was thick with smoke but there was scarcely any heat. It was plain that the fire had started in a heap of rubbish in the back of the store. Matt tried in vain to reach the stair¬ case leading to his Uncle’s bed room. The smoke overwhelmed him. As he staggered back to the window to breathe the fresh air, a new thought came to his dazed mind. Sam Davis, Uncle Jed’s clerk, had served in France and had come home with all his war outfit. Only yesterday he had brought his mask to the store to show it to Uncle Jed. Matt remem¬ bered that Sam had left the mask under the cash desk. Once more Matt filled his lungs with fresh air, and holding his breath, felt his way across the floor to the desk. Groping about until his hands found the mask, he picked it up and rushed to the window. He was nearly over¬ come, and his burning eyes filled with tears. Somewhat revived by the cool air, he adjusted the rubber contrivance over his face. He found it hard to breathe through his mouth; the mouth¬ piece itself felt immense. He could hardly get his lips around it, but he kept at it until he had stuck his teeth into the bit of rubber. Then he hastened back into the house. On the stairway the smoke was al¬ most too much for him, but he did not falter. He stumbled up the stairs, the heat now .scorching his meagre clothing. After a hard climb, he reach¬ ed the top and broke into Uncle Jed’s room. He found his uncle overcome from the smoke. Soaking a towel in a wash-basin, Matt bound the wet cloth over his Uncle’s mouth and nose and shook him vigorously. Jed roused himself enough to come to his feet with the boy’s as¬ sistance. There was no exit but the smoke- filled stairway through which Matt had to take his Uncle, who was tottering on his feet and leaning heavily against Matt. Before they could reach the bottom, a clatter of glass and the sound of flying wood announced the arrival of the fire-apparatus. The firemen had broken in the front door of the store and were ready to ply the hose on the flames, when to their great surprise, they saw a small boy come staggering out of the smoke- fi lled store, dragging a man. Uncle Jed had fainted at the front of the stairs. A big crowd, gathered be¬ fore the store, greeted the brave boy with lusty cheers and several men rushed forward to take Uncle Jed. Matt, as soon as he had been relieved of his burden, fell exhausted into the arms of a neighbor. The firemen worked hard and soon had the fire put out. No great damage was done to the store and Uncle Jed was himself again after a very narrow escape; thanks to Matt’s timely rescue. M. M. ’30.