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

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VOX FLUMINIS 31 We were both staring at each other in blank amazement when we spied Mrs. James hastening to us, waving her arms and crying, Have you seen him, my darling Fuzzy. Does you Fuzzy leave queer marks in the sand and eat lettuce out of sand- wiches? I inquired. Once more the shrill cry was re- peated, followed by a lot of mutterings. We glanced up into the old tree near- by and there, from the topmost branches of the old tree, hung Fuzzy, Mrs. J ames' pet monkey! BARBARA SOUTH, '40, Douglas Hall. .ii- DREAMLAND Mother comes in every night, And tucks us in real snug and tight, Then to dreamland fast we go, We have such fun there as you know. Then, when the dawn of another day Brings us home, when 'we want to stay, We do not mind, but dance and hum, For to-night dreamland again will come. MARGARET WINSTANLEY, Grade VIII, York Hall. CFor no apparent reason, the language of the ancients seems to appeal greatly to our present Grade XII. As child specialists have assured us that re- pression of any kind is harmful to this modern generation, we are presenting two attemptsbz ICY STREETS OME, let us arise, we have tarried long and the shades of eventide fall fast. The roads are slippery. Be ye therefore careful lest thou crashest into another vehicle. Then Mother spake unto us saying, Cursed be the man who driveth not with care for surely evil shall befall him. We answered unto her, So be it, oh little Mother. And it came to pass when we had de- parted from thence, it grew dark and the lights shone upon the icy streets and verily we were blinded. Then the words of our Mother came unto us and we were no longer filled with fear of the ice for we drove with great care. BETH WILLSON, Grade XII, Nelson Hall. WALKING - As John Bunyan Might Say It ALKING is a good thing. It doth serve for the betterment of man's physical being and his moral disposi- tion. Therefore is .it delightful and should be practised. For God smiles on what doth give a cheerful pleasure and a happy time, nor doth He frown on it. Some are there who have wished for evil things and wicked, but God doth not smile on these. It is best that ye go out into the world of Nature and see the lilies of the field, the fowls of the air, and the Lord's wonders. There- fore, ye God-fearing ones, walk. PEGGY CAMPBELL, Grade VII, Douglas Hall. . SHIIAN VALLEY T WAS the spring of eighteen hun- dred and seventy. The trails were again open for the adventurous pioneers who founded this new Dominion. The heavy snows of winter had melted, fill- ing many swamps, ditches, and low- lands with an overflow of water, making many places very difficult to pass through. However, this difficulty did not seem to worry settlers as the trails were filled with creaking, swaying, top- heavy covered wagons. Their white canvas billowing in the wind looked as if they were white Sentinels acting as a truce to any oncoming enemy. In some of the happier moments of the train a great chorus could be heard ac- companied by banjos strumming out the old favorite, Oh Susanna, and many other western favorites. How- ever, their life was not all a life of pleasure as you will notice as the story continues. The wagon train of which I'm about to relate the story consisted of

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30 VOX FLUMINIS seems to be able to make up her mind. What's it like? . . . Page Boy? Well, that's nothing new . . . Oh, another doo-dad on top, eh? That makes three, now . . . Hey, get oi the phone! . . . No, I wasn't speaking to you, Molly, somebody was on the downstairs phone. Oh, by the way, what French did we have? Oh, no, don't bother telling me, I forgot I had been away today so I couldn't possibly know my homework, could I? . . . Say, have you seen the Green's new Cadillac . . . Isn't it a honey? Radio and everything! . . . O.K., Mom, I'll be off the phone in a jiff! . . . Mother says my bath's run- ning over .... What? . . . A History exam, tomorrow! Jiminy Crickets, I forgot all about it! . . . Gee, will I ever have to cram! . . . Bye, Molly, see you tomorrow! SIDNEY FLANDERS, '39, York Hall. -l- SING A SONG OF GRADE X Sing a song of Riverbend In the room they call Grade Ten, Four and twenty giggly girls, Each one looking for her pen. When the classroom door is closed And the girls are left to chatter, Is it 'not an easy thing To soon produce a clatter? Girls at once begin to argue, Let's have heat! No, we shall not! Coming down the hall, Miss Carter, Easily hears them almost shout. Then she opens wide the door, To her surprise she finds again, Four and twenty giggly girls Each one looking for her pen. MARGARET BENNETT, 39, York Hall. .l THE STORY OF BILLY NCE upon a time there was a little boy named Billy, and he could hardly wait for the next morning to come. It would be Easter Sunday and Billy wanted to stay awake to see the Easter rabbit. His mother said to him, Billy, you cannot stay awake, be- cause the Easter rabbit will not come and give you any eggs. So Billy went to sleep, and while he was asleep the Easter rabbit came in and brought a big basket with colored eggs in it. When Billy woke up he got a big surprise. He was so happy to see all the colored eggs that the Easter rabbit had brought him. GAIL GRAHAM, Grade IV, I Garry Hall. FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND HE old stone tower stood apart from the cottage on a small hill over- looking the lake. Its stones were cov- ered with moss, the windows were broken and the sagging door creaked on its hinges, disturbing the peace of its surroundings. We loved to walk down to this line old tower and spend many happy hours there. After frequent visits to the tower we felt it belonged to us. One fine day we decided to have our lunch at this spot. We took a hamper of sandwiches, Coco-Cola, and fruit. As we approached the sandy path to the door, Mary stopped still with a puzzled expression and looked at a queer mark in the sand. It almost looked like a human footprint but it was too small and there were no toe prints. We walked around the tower but could find no other clue. Then we went inside and looked around but we saw nothing. Timidly we tip- toed up the stairway, hand in hand, and peeked into the tower attic, but we saw nothing. After having a second glance around the attic we walked bravely down the staircase. We were both feeling strange by this time and decided it would be more pleasant to eat outside than in. We found the hamper where we had placed it. Mary picked up a sandwich and exclaimed that there was no lettuce in it. I had made it myself and had put a leaf in each one. We were both puzzled over this sece ond mystery when we heard a shrill cry. We couldn't tell where it came from. We looked up at the tower in consternation, but could see nothing.

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32 VOX FLUMINIS g twenty-four wagons, each wagon being accompanied by two guards. Eight men on horseback brought up the rear while twelve went in the lead. Two scouts went further ahead to look for Indian signs or any other danger that might threaten the train. At night the wagons were stationed in a circle so as to make a barricade to nightly invaders. Night watches went on and off in shifts. This particular night as the train was in In- dian country no fires were allowed and the settlers had to be satisfied with a cold, stale supper. The train had been on the trail for two weeks and was nearing exhaustion. Fort St. Charles, their destination, was still twenty miles away and that par- ticular territory was one of the wild- est. The atmosphere of the whole camp was very tense as they knew that dan- ger lurked in every thicket. A great deal of care had to be taken in defence as Indians signs had been reported by the scouts during the day. Night senti- nels were doubled. Orders were Sil- ence, Ammunition Readyf' Everyone was ready for a fight, although some thought a few shots would scare away the red devils. The unearthly silence continued until four o'clock in the morning when the red men launched a fierce attack. Every brave was armed to the teeth with Indian weapons and fiercely painted with hideous colors. This tribe, the Shiian, really intended to wipe out the white men who were so boldly crossing their territory. In one of McPherson's wagons, Jane was dressing her father's wound and was thinking very seriously of the whole situation. Many men were wounded and ammunition was running low-they would be able to hold out only a few days more. Something had to be done at once or the whole train would be massacred. There was one chance. She had to take it over if it meant her life. Jane clothed herself in leather breeches and riding boots, armed herself with two guns and pre- pared her father's other wagon. Just at daybreak, when the firing and volleys of poisoned arrows had ceased for an instant, Jane took this opportunity of frightening her horses so that they bolted right into a passing herd of buffalo crossing the plain. Many ar- rows ripped through the canvas but failed to reach her crouched person in the front of the wagon. The buffalo divided and left a considerable space between themselves and the wagon, saving the horses from being trampled down. The Indians were forced to give up the chase as they would have been gored to death the instant they had entered the herd. When Jane finally came to, the horses were idly walking along a road andit was the clip-clap of their feet on the hard beaten road that had finally brought Jane to her senses. The race across the plain had been too much for her and when the wagon had given a sudden jolt she had collapsed into a great blackness. As her senses finally returned she knew that this road must be near the fort, as hard beaten roads were scarce in those days. As Jane's wagon topped the next hill, Fort St. Charles could be seen in the distance. The horses seemed to understand as they quickened their steps before she gave the command. When Jane reached the fort she was so fatigued that it was all she could do to explain to the General that the cavalry was needed in Shiian Valley. Not depending on anyone else to find the train, Jane her- self led them by the shortest route to the besieged train. With the sight of the long procession of cavalry the In- dians seemed to know they would be defeated and slunk off into the sur- rounding woods. With the cavalry as a guard, the train continued the last part of their journey in safety. At the forte the wounded were taken care of and the families made comfortable. Jane was highly praised and honored by the Gen- eral and given a magnificent black horse in return for her great service. After this adventure Jane was given the name of Calamity Jane and in later years was known as one of the great pioneer women of the west. BETTY LAIDLAW, '38, Garry Hall.