Richmond Hill High School - Archway / Dome Yearbook (Richmond Hill, NY)

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THE DOME Page 5 Turtles I Have Owned LLOW me to say that I con- sider myself quite a connois- seur of turtles. The general belief is that they are all stolid, slow-moving creatures 'I IA vi f ---. tm Q -da as N ,- M V Igil ' W-.-4 ,Q ,ge sszmwawgaa teristics. I was deeply pained to hear my best friend say once that she could not tell one from with no distinguishing charac- another, and did not see how anyone else could. This is an unfortunate state of mind. I do not see how anyone could mistake my precocious Giggles for old battle-scarred Caesar, nor the stunning Cleopatra for the ordinary but none the less dear Jake, nor any or all of these for that distinct personage Lorelei. I found Lorelei on the sunny bank of a placid cove. She had had her eyes closed and her mouth open, and was no doubt singing. My matter-of-fact friend observed, in that irritating manner such people have, that she was doing nothing of the sort, but was Very obviously sleeping. I spurned such an unkind thought, and in defiance named her Lorelei. She was a lovely animal, with beautiful geometric mark- ings on her back and with dark dreamy eyes. She seemed happy in her tub of water, and be- haved altogether as a well-bred 'turtle should. Giggles I found browsing in the woods. This gave me the suspicion, later confirmed, that he was a scholar. His intelligence was remarkable. However, because of or in spite of this, he had a naturally sad face, which moved me to call him Giggles in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Vlfhen I 'transplanted him to my yard he did not seem to care particularly, but pursued his placid philosophizing. Cleopatra was my difhcult one. She seemed to be such a woman of the world. She was al- ways so Well groomed, and took great pride in the chic diamond markings on her back. Cleo- patra was extremely fastidious as to her appear- ance. One day I put a small tub of water in her box to see if she could swim. She was very angry at Hrst when I suddenly plunged her into the cold water, but when she became used to it she paddled around quite contentedly. After that she never felt quite right in the morning until she had had her bath. It is altogether meet and fitting that I mention Caesar in the paragraph following Cleopatra. He was old and battered looking, and his shell carried many scars. The two red stripes on the sides of his eyes proved him the hot-tempered Qld warhorse he was. I-Ie was the not-so-ardent lover of Cleopatra, but could be very chivalrous when the occasion arose. ,Iake was a tramp, and made no bones about it. He had wandered into my yard as uncon- cernedly as he eventually wandered out. Never- theless he had his place in my heart, for he un- doubtedly meant well in his uncouth Way. When a temperamental creature like Cleopa- tra was forced to live intimately with the allur- ing Lorelei, complications were bound to ensue. And ensue they did. Every time I allowed Caesar to take a stroll with Lorelei, my prima donna would fly into a rage, upset her water-dish, and refuse to eat. Lorelei took a malicious delight in teasing Cleopatra, and Caesar seemed to have no qualms. Luckily for Cleopatra's nerves, Jake began to make eyes at her, and Caesar immedi- ately reformed. With Cwsar to heel, Cleopatra ignored Jake. So, as Caesar obviously loathed and despised him, and Lorelei would have noth- ing to do with him, Jake, feeling out of place in the rarified atmosphere of refinement, mi- grated. In the meantime, Giggles was oblivious of everything save the pleasure and profit de- rived from his daily rambles under my super- vision. He would walk for hours, following the

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Page 411 THE DOME Mary smiled. Willie, not to be outdone, smiled back. Mary smiled again, and therels no telling how long these pleasant courtesies might have continued if, after Willieis seventh return of the smile, a Maryis brow. uWillie, she said simplicity, H you must Easton. You know how my heart is set on that. We are graduating this term, and you must do frown had not crossed with characteristics of win the debate against it. Until then you must prepare. You must not see me. You must gargle and oil your tonsils. Oh, Willie, you must win for my sake, for mef, There was probably, Willie reflected, not an- other girl in the world who so inspired him 'to such great deeds,- not one who could say all that with such great characteristic simplicity. His smile was disarming as he replied, 'Ll must, for you, will win,- have to! 7, In silence they rose and, after Willie had de- posited a tip that confirmed the waiteris dubi- ousness, left in a subdued mood, which had just pulled up to the curb. In the two weeks before the eventful night of nights, Willie trained. He prepared a rebuttal that would confound the stoutest opposition. He gargled, he oiled his tonsils, and prepared to rebutt as never before. And the school smiled with shy modesty, and said 'C it was in the bag. But the day before this important event a dreadful thing happened. Willie disappeared ! His mother knew only that he had left the house to buy some throat discs and had not come back. The school was dismayed. Laughter deserted its halls, and only the sound of amo, amas, amat, could be heard through the open transoms. Searching parties scoured the town. People talked in hushed whispers. The blood-hounds were loosed. The Police Department expected an early arrest. Only the Marines were lacking. The night passed, and the day dawned crisp and clear. So crisp was it that Mary, simply dressed in a purple dress and orange and green checked golf-socks, regretted having changed her heavies. She brooded: her Willie was gone, and the day apparently would not be saved. She had borne the news well, and after serious cogitation had decided that Willie had been kidnapped by gam- blers from Easton. When she reached this de- cision, she said with tearful modesty, 'L Oh, the dirty louses! 5' And at that moment Willie lay bound and gagged in a dry well at the outskirts of the town. His throat and hands were raw. So was the deal he had been given. By glancing at the sun he knew it to be five oiclock. Two hours till the starting of the Easton debate. He writhed. He strained at his bonds. He pitched and pitched and pitched. Vlfhen he had held the opposition for four innings he quit pitching, because of- oh, mir- acle! -the last gleams of the sun disclosed- guess what? - a razor blade in a far corner of the well. The rest is history. Alumni will corner you and tell you and tell you, while sitting on your chest, how Willie, by grasping the blade in his teeth, ffinding incidentally a new use for old razor blades,j had sawed through his bonds and lightly leaped forty feet out of the well, how he had run fifteen miles to the auditorium, stop- ping only for his throat discs, and entered shyly to the plaudits of the multitude and been borne to the platform on strong shoulders to give his rebuttal on Resolved: That the Horseless Car- riage is Here to Stay,'i in a husky whisper that saved the day to cheers heard a mile away. Picture yourself his meeting with Mary. His face was covered with dirt. Shyly he said, 'K Mary! 7' 'L Willie, you were marvellousf' she mur- mured. Willie hesitatedg cleared his throat. H Mary, l want to ask you a question. L' What is it, Willie dear? '7 c'Mary, he stammered, will you-go to the Prom with - er - wi-with - N 'C With whom, Willie? she queried coyly. At this point the entire audience ran to the stage, formed a pair of entwined hearts, and chanted blushingly, N With becoming modesty! 'i George Fischer.

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Page 6 THE DOME fence, never becoming exasperated when he found that it apparently had no end. The burden of feeding this colony fell on me, and every morning found me stalking grass- hoppers, capturing crickets, or mutilating the fly-swatter collecting flies. Cleopatra, as usual, was the hardest to please. She preferred the tender green grasshoppers to the brown ones, while she was fond of young crickets but would sooner starve than eat flies. The others did not discriminate. One red-letter day Giggles came upon some bread left on the grass for the birds. He examined it thoroughly, as became a scholar, and then cautiously tasted it. Finding it pal- atable, he ate it all. I was overjoyed. No longer would I have to sacrifice innocent grasshoppers, for which I had always had a secret fondness, to my proteges. However, I reckoned without Cleopatra. The others ate bread and thrived, she demanded her customary diet, and got it. Soon after this Lorelei sprang into prom- inence. She laid an egg. I had ecstatic visions of baby turtles, and placing the egg in a box of sand I put it in the sun. For a few days nothing happened. On the fourth day it had dried up, and during the morn it blew away. Lorelei was greatly upset by this unhappy incident, so, hop- ing a change of environment would do her good, I took her back to the cove and set her free. Whether by coincidence or otherwise, Caesar soon expired, and I buried him with all the pomp and circumstance due an old warrior. Cleopatra did not seem to be overwhelmed with grief, although she moped somewhat. I took to calling her Pat by virtue of our long acquaint- ance, and I think it broke her heart, accustomed as she was to a great deal of respect and admi- ration. Furthermore, I was becoming less in- clined to pamper her, and she missed my loving care. She pined away, and with her good at heart I decided that I would let her go. When I had set her free and she hurried away without even a backward glance, I could not restrain a few sniifles, for I had become much attached to her. Giggles did not appear to be aware of these drastic changes, and he followed the fence day after day with the same unHagging interest. Vlfhen the time came to return to the city for the winter, I brought him with me, but I was obliged to neglect him shamefully. Therefore, in return for two lizards, I gave him to a friend who had more time. Giggles missed me 'tremen- dously, I was told, and eventually ran away. As for the lizards,- well, lizards are so inane to a lover of intelligent beings like turtles. So, when they disappeared I was not too unhappy. But, ah, my sorely missed turtles! Mildred Mesurac. THE world is such a magic place, It changes with the weather: This afternoon 'twas grey chiffon, Tonight it's patent leather. NIGHT WHEN the beauty of day has faded away, And gone are the shafts of lightg WIICII the sun has fled from skies so blue, There steals o'er us the cloak of night. It comes with its web of mystic charm, And an awe that hushes allg Its spell it weaves o'er every heart That hearkens to its call. The twinkling stars are shining bright, And all things quiet lieg And so in raptured awe we view The lanterns in the sky. Helen Manthey. Robert C. McDermott. A LADY IRONING I LIKE to see a lady ironing,- To smell the clean smell Of freshly-starched goods. l like to watch her move the iron Over the starchy shirts, Smoothing out the creases And the furrows. Sometimes I think that death must he Cornforting and soothingf- Like a lady ironing,- Smoothing out the creases and the furrows ln our tired hearts,- leaving Placidity, smoothness, and-peace. Marguerite Crunachan.