Riverbend School for Girls - Vox Fluminis Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 29 text:

Page Twenty-seven VO X F L U M I N I S stars in silent prayer. Ogomoquay kneels before the fire and with arms outstretched and face uplifted thanks his God for this great gift. When his prayer is ended the tribes are called by name. Each brave passes before and salutes the Big Chief 3 then each bends and places a faggot on the fire, a token of his allegiance. Four braves attend the fire while council ring is held. and the great flames stretch into the black night sky. The quietvfaces of the circle are now illuminated and then again cast back in shadow. As the braves file out before their chief , the fire dies. But the memory of its glory lives forever. -Peggy Carlisle, Grade XI. GLOVE-S Of course he didn't need any Indian gloves but Mr. Percy Meredith was a man of iron will, and having once been intrigued by the gay colors and the look of the strong man which this particular pair of Indian gloves seemed to radiate. he knew at once that he must buy them, that of course, they were made just for him, and besides,-ah-rather nice to show off to the boys. As he walked home with his parcel firmly tucked under his arm he said over and over to himself : Jolly glad I saw these-they'll just do for my study-what fun when the boys see them-I can jolly them along- And ever again, though he strove mightily to think of more pleasant topics, the question came popping up in his mind in the most uncomfortable fashion, Uh-wonder what Jennie will have to say ? Jennie was the wife of Mr. Percy Meredith, the man of the iron will. She, too, had an iron will, and many times Percy sensed uncomfortably that her iron might be a little stronger than his. But, no! How absurd! How could anyone have a will stronger than Mr. Percy Meredith, who had twenty men under him at the office, ready to obey his every command. At such times he never ventured to think of his stern old superior who very often took him to task about things that Percy thought very trivial. As he mounted the steps of his little home and opened the door, Percy's mind was fully occupied with the unpleasant question. He groped around for his iron will, found it, and beaming on the world in general, he called to Jennie: I say, dear, are you up there ? In answer Jennie came running down the stairs and while he kissed her he managed to place his parcel on a rather obscure table in a rather dark corner. Jennie was in a good mood, and Percy was glad. Maybe she would like his gloves. I-Ie found out after dinner. I-Ie had been reading his paper very contentedly when he suddenly be- came aware of what he termed sub-consciously a puzzled silence. The next moment Jennie came into the room.

Page 28 text:

VOX F L U ll! I N I S Page Twenty-six Qf flowers so gay, And elves at play. I simply don't know anything Cf rousing songs that pirates sing, Cf Spanish gold, 01' stories told Of maiden's appeals for aid, And villains at the masquerade. I'm quite sure if I wrote about Our happy schooldays you would shout VVith laughter, and you'd tell me that This would be enough of that. But someday I shall write a book And when on the inside you look I know that person, you will say, VVhen but a high-school girl so gay. . She tried her best to write a poem But couldn't get her brain to roam On subjects sweet, As what you meet VVhile strolling through the leafy woods. -janet Turnbull, .-...l Grade X. COUNCIL FIRE Une fire that will live forever in my memory is the Council Fire at Glen Bernard. Now, Glen Bernard Camp is away in the far north country, in the land of lakes and forests, that really belongs to the red-skinned Indians. For scores of years the Indians have held their council Hres in places just like this-Glen Bernard. So now, the campers too, follow the same custom. Un the last night of each week, the beat of a tom tom calls the braves to council ring. They assemble, each wearing his blanketandhistribalcolors, and carrying his hatchet. Slowly, they file down the long path to the glen. Gn three sides it is surrounded by almost perpendicular walls of rock, and on the fourth-the moon-lit lake may be seen through the pines. All is dark, there is no light save the pale white glow of the moon. In the glen the high council is seated, with a natural rock altar in front of them. Then the old braves file in and take their accustomed places in a circle, in tribal order. When all are assembled, the great High Chief, Cgamoquay, enters alone and stands at the altar before the unlit fire. I-Ie salutes the council and the braves, bringing his greetings to them. Then he calls for the new braves. The tribal chiefs call them by name and they enter and take their places. g Then amid the solemn stillness of the great northland, the Big Chief lights the council fire. As the flames leap up, all faces turn towards the

Page 30 text:

0 H , VOX FL UMINIS Page Twenty-eight Perce, darling, what are these? I do believe someone has left them by mistake. Aren't they awful ? and she started to laugh. Percy was very disappointed in Jennie. She simply has no sense of the unique, he said to himself sadly and then with careful detail he ex- plained to her, what they were, whose they were, what they were for, and where they had been bought. And when he had finished, instead of the awed silence he had expected, he was received with: VVell, I declare! Now look here, Mr. Percy Meredith, you are not going to show these awful gloves to your poor unsuspecting friends! I shudder to think what would happen to them. And they would completely ruin the color scheme in the study-and another thing, you never told me what the price was ! Jennie, my dear, please don't show your ignorance. These gloves are extraordinary! Look at the intricate detail on the cuffs! They're unique! unique! I tell you. and you don't see things like these every day. No, thank goodness, said Jennie. Now look here, Percy, don't go wasting your money on such useless things. If you must spend money, you could get me a hat. or if it must be gloves, a new pair of evening gloves would help me tremendously-and besides you don't need them ! Well, I want my Indian gloves and I'm going to have them ! .Jennie saw that Percy was beginning to get stubborn and sulky. He always did when he was baulked of any desire. So, as she was feeling in a good mood and didn't want Percy to be in a bad temper, she decided to make a concession. She dropped down beside him on the floor. Percy, if I let you keep your gloves, will you buy me a hat ? Of course I will,,' said Percy. You know I always give you what you want. W l She smiled knowingly, then said: All right, I'll buy my hat to-morrow and you can keep your glovesf' Cf course Percy doesnit often boast of his iron will, but he does think this is one example of it. And he always shows me the gloves, proudly telling me they are old relics of an ancient race. He doesn't know that Jennie told me the story. . TO BE OR NOT TO BE Should I do my homework ? said the student to herself, Gr let temptation win and leave my books upon the shelf? To-morrow starts exam-week, I know no history Nor any simple formula thatis found in chemistry. That literature-it gets my goat! Look at those plays that Shakespeare wrote! And the works of poets too, I'm sure we could without them do. ' What is the good of learning at all? I'll probably forget it all. -Grade X.