Ricker Classical Institute - Aquilo Yearbook (Houlton, ME)

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The Aquilo Page Twenty-nine Crash! Crash! Crash! What in the world could that be? Surely the house must be falling down. Crash! Crash! Right over my head! By this time I had' decided that there 'was something in the room above me that was bent on coming downstairs, and what was more, was going to take a through the ceiling. At short cut about the same time, I decided that I'd better move if I didn't want it to land on my head. I jumped out of bed and ran upstairs. What do you suppose I saw? The house was not falling down, but three freshmen were holding a yo-yo contest,-that is they were trying to see which one could make her yo-yo go the longest without unwind'ing. I explained to them, not too gently, that I 'was try- ing to spend a quiet afternoon, and then I promised them each a cold shower bath, and a good paddling if they disturbed my peace again during the afternoon. When I got back to my room, I decided to go to sleep. I do not know how long I slept but it was not for very long when all at once I felt something pounce upon me. Then I felt myself being dragged from the bed. Imagine my surprise when WI saw one of those very freshmen to whom I had been talking all the after- noon. She started to ask me if she could borrow something, 'but I stopped her before she finished her request. When I first saw her, my temper jumped to the boiling point, but now, I jufmped, too. I grabbed my tennis racket and brought it down on her head with a terrible thud. The girl staggered out of the room uttering howls like those of a dying coyote. I think she must have died, and I have been waiting ever since to be taken to jail. But can you blame me? No, I do not think any reader of this piti- ful tale could. As least no one who enjoys quiet afternoons could. Helen Wood '32 CURIOSITY A .small fawn about one month old lay hidden under a clump of small fir trees. He understood that he was supposed to stay hidden, not even to move until his mother had returned. This 'was the first time that Spot's mother had left him alone for any amount of time. Spot, having heard a slight noise and being full of curiosity, slid for- ward on his small haunches to peek out from under a low hanging branch. He saw thirty feet away a tawny- colored animal with a short, stubby tail. Spot had never seen an animal like that before but instinct told him to lay very quiet, The bobcat who had not a very keen sense of smell sensed that there was a dinner somewhere near him. He turned blazing eyes upon the small clump of fir under which the fawn was concealed. Spot, who was trembling in every limb of his small body, did not dare to move under the searching gaze of the bobcat. The cat decided there was something under the thicket and he slowly made his way up to within ten feet of it. Spot's heart 'was thudding against his ribs in such a way that he felt that the bobcat had heard it. The cat switched its tail and made ready to spring upon the small fawn whose form he could dimly see. As the bobcat crouched to make his leap, he did not see Spot's mother who had arrived on the scene. Spot made ready to jump and run, although he knew this would be a futile attempt. The fawn's mother taking one look at the crouching bobcat, knew perfectly what to do. Not thinking of herself, she gave two great bounds and struck the bobcat with her sharp front hoofs, as he was starting to leap. The im- pact sent the bobcat sprawling against an upturned root. He took one look at the infuri-ated doe and he slunk off into a thicket where he nursed the wound inflicted by the hoofs. He

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Page T-wenty-eight The Aquilo consultation, he went to the ward for special charity patients, and played to them. His beautiful music stirred their souls and made them hopeful again. Over in the corner sat a man of some fifty years. His face was strangely familiar in spite of its blank look. His face never changed its ex- pres-sion. He seemed to be seeing something far away which he wist- fully 'vcished to attain. Song after song brok-e the stillness of the room and at last as a fitting climax, the notes of Mountain Breezes floated clear and sweet. The still figure in the rocking chair moved slightly. Then rising to 'his feet, the man cried in a loud voice, Rosy, my little Rosy, I'm coming, dear. I'm coming. At the sound of his beloved mother's name, Peter stopped playing abruptly and sprang forward' to help the swooning man to his chair. As he did so a lock of hair fell back from the man's forehead and revealed a little heart-shaped scar so familiar to the heart of the boy, Peter, His father! The nurse in attendance readily told the story of the case. The man had been brought to them several years before, and as the result of his auto accident had lost his memory. He had been kept in the hospital under observation. The strains of the song, which had' meant so much to him, had proven a shock to his be- fogged -brain and brought memory and reason once more into being. Now father and son are happily re- united. Every summer they return for a few days to the little space under the old pine tree. With eyes dimmed with tears and their hearts filled with many a sad memory, they kneel in reverence by a tiny grave on the hillsidfeg and ,oftenltimes above the moaning of the pine they seem to hear the clear, sweet voice of Rose Douglas singing Mountain Breezes. And they return to their work with full hearts and a new hope in their lives, ever looking toward the day when Daddy and son may return to the waiting mother in a better world than this. Myra Stetson '32 GUILTY I am now on my bed in my room at the dormitory waiting for the officers to come and take me to prison. If they are coming I 'wish they would hurry up. It's perfectly awful to be kept .in suspense, especially when your nerves are worn to a frazzle and your brain is about ready to refuse to function any more. I suppose you are wondering what crime I have com- mitted that would send me to prison. Mine is a sad story. Although I ex- pect I am guilty of a most horrible murder, I feel no Hcompunctious visit- ings of nature. You think I am cruel and hard-hearted? Let me tell you the terrible experiences through which I have passed and you will sympathize with me. This afternoon I lay down on my bed to enjoy a de-lightful story of China called, See China With Me. I was enjoying my trip immensely and was just viewing the temple of Con- fucius at Peking when suddenly I was brought back to the dormitory with a dreadful jolt, by a blood-curdling scream on the stairs just outside my room. My first thought was that someone wasbeing killed by one of those cruel, starved-looking Chinamen of 'whom I had just been reading, so I jumped out of bed and hurried out to see if I could capture the murderer. Imagine my feelings when I saw two freshmen wrestling on the stairs, one of whom was screaming with all her might. After doing what I called a rather thorough job at settling their hash, I went back to bed and re- sumed my book, thinking that now I'd have a fine quiet afternoon. I did for the next ten minutes, during which time I passed through a shipwreck on the Yangtze River.

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Page Thirty The Aquilo knew better than try to get the fawn, but he knew where there were plenty of rabbits in a swamp a short distance away, The doe always kept a sharp watch on Spot until he had grown to the size where he could take care of him- self. He profited by this experience and never again Let curiosity get the best of him. Linton Hartt '32 A TRAVELOGUE When I was about nine years old, my highest ambition was to travel. I had coaxed my parents numerous times to let me go to Houlton alone on the train, but to no avail. One day, however, this permission was granted to me. I immediately started to get ready. My father gave me a dollar to spend. Of course, I felt pretty rich. A dollar at that age was as good as a million dollars to me now. I was to leave at eight o'clock. Dad took me over to the station which was about three quarters of a mile away. He bought my ticket and watched until I was seated on the train all right. I felt about twenty- five when I got in one of those big cars. It seemed hours before I arrived at Houlton station, I was so anxious to spend my dollar. I was the first to get off the train. I hurried over town just as iast as I could. The first place I went to was the five and ten cent store. There I stayed until I had spent all my dol- lar. I did all my shopping and then returned immediately to the station. The first train that pulled in was the one going to New Limerick. I got on just as soon as it stopped. The conductor came along shortly after, asking for tickets. I gave mine to him immediately. Where are you going? the con- ductor asked me. I could hardly wait to tell him I was going home. Where is your home, little girl? he asked, I told him it was in Monti- cello. You're going the wrong way, he said. I'll give you a pass which you must give to the conductor on the next train. He was very nice to me. When the train stopped at the next station, I got off and waited for the right locomotive. The folks were amazed when I got home and told them my experience. They informed me that would be my last trip to Houlton until I got older. Now I often think it's nice to be young and innocent. Ethelyn Cowperthwaite '32 AN EXCITING INCIDENT! Bang! Bang! Bang! I thought I was going to blow up. What was it? I thought it was a motorcycle but how could it be? A noise like a machine gun was sending the thrills up and down my spine, and for all I know back and' forth from my side to every part of my back. With a noise like a farewell salu-te at a firecracker dis- play this instrument of destruction started off. We started for Amity, a town a few miles from here, to go to hear Lewie Boy and his orchestra. With our motorcycle battling with it- sef-sef-self, flistening to this noisy motor makes me stutterj it sounded like the late Knute Rockne and his fighting Irish' team at a noise making affair. I forgot to tell you about the trip up here or down here, not quite remembering after turning around so much. Nothing particular happened only going off the road three times. After the dance, we started back at a speed which could not be reckoned, having nothing to tell our speed by. We did much better going home, only leaving the road once. We passed everything in sight at our speed un- less' something we didn't see 'was going faster. The sidecar took to