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

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Vox Fluminis 19 blossoms fade, and fall, but in their place, there grows an even greater flower, more delicately moulded, and more perfect, with a more exquisite scent, to give into the cool summer air. And so in Martin's place will grow another flower next year, and so the world goes on and on and the garden change-s, yielding new fruits in spring to take the place of autumns fallen blossoms. Peggy Auld, Grade XI, Garry Hall. .1u LIZA JANE Now Liza Jane am a leetle girl, She leeve by de reever bank, An' dan fo' hour she watch seem swirl, Weeth her dog whose name am Hank. Her mama tell her she gonna fall In de reever one dese day, But Liza Jane she naver care, An' dese ees wha' she say: Mama I weel be a'right, I ain't a chil' no mo'. Y An' after dat she ron away Down to de reever shore. An sure enough she start to fall An' lan' right on de breenk, Oh, den she start to wail an' call, De breenk begun to sink. But Hank he drag her to de shore, Her beatin' she had earned, She promised to go dere no mo', Her lesson she had learned. June Baker, Grade VII, Nelson Hall. .,..,. , A COMPARISON THE MORNING was calm and beauti- ful. Joy was everywhere from the new green plants to the caroling sky- lark. The sun rose higher in the clear blue, and the glistening dew-drops dried, watering the flesh green buds. Although everything was joyous this morning, clouds had gathered in the west. They lashed each other, deepen- ing in color until they became ominous shades of black, green, and yellow. They blotted out the sun, and so the world became dark. It waited for an instant, and then a terrifying rod of blue lightning ripped the clouds asunder, joined quickly with a bullet- like clap of thunder. The rain came down in blinding sheets, blurring out all view of the drenched earth. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the storm slid grumblingly off to the east, with only an occasional rumble of thunder. The sun pushed its way out, just as if nothing had happened, and a beautiful rainbow arched its delicate way across the receding clouds. Life is like this. Childhood is joyous, it prepares us for the oncoming test. or the storm. When the storm is past, we are left clean and unafraid. No matter how black the surging clouds may have looked, no matter how diliicult our trials may have seemed, we have sur- mounted them all. And now at the end we look peacefully back on the soft grey behind us, made beautiful and glowing with the rainbow of success. Barbara McLean, Grade VII, York Hall. l1. . HOAR FROST HOAR FROST is Mother Nature's lace. She uses it to trim the trees in wintertime. It is white and crisp and looks like myriads of little white ruffled ballet skirts. When the sun shines on it, it glistens like tiny diamonds do. It seems to be holding its breath for fear some small puff of wind would knock it off its twig and cause it to lose its small part in life's great ballet. If, on a sunny day, one looks up through frosted trees into the bluest of skies, one can see a faint tipping of rose and gold on the edge of each hoary flake. Each separate flake looks like a pair of angel's wings, folded as though the angels were in prayer. Perhaps each is thanking the Maker for fashioning all such small things so perfectly. Ellen Kinneard, Grade X, York Hall.

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18 Vox Fluminis had ever done before. The flowers gave off a sweeter scent and the bluebells rang so very clearly in. the fresh, still air, while the ocean's roll was even more wonderful as it beat upon the shore. Martin went alone to the station be- cause he wanted to keep the memory of his mother and father standing in the gateway covered with climbing roses, until he came home and could stand beside them looking back on the tur- moil and unhappiness of war. For the first few days away from home Martin felt his loneliness very keenly, but gradually the changes of his new life gave him other things to think of and he found new friends and new interests. When The Courageous put to sea Martin wrote each week to his mother and father telling them all that hap- pened to him. He liked the navy im- mensely and became interested in navigation, which he studied whenever he got the opportunityf The other sub- lieutenants were all young boys about Martin's age and in the evenings they would sit and talk together or play games in the officers' cabin. For the first few weeks they saw no action and were all very disappointed. Dr. and Mrs. Ashmen continued to re- ceive cheery letters from their son, and sent him large parcels of food and clothing every week. Then one day a ,submarine was sighted off the port bow of H.M.S. Courageous The action alarm was sounded and Martin took his position on the bridge, relaying messages from the captain to the engine room. The machine guns spluttered relent- lessly and several depth charges were released. The submarine opened fire and one shot struck the port engine room, throwing the engines out of con- trol. A fire started in the cabins below deck next to the engine rooms and a few of the men were trapped in the burning blaze. Another shot found its mark in the stern of the ship and the order was given to lower the lifeboats. Martin, disobeying the order, dashed below decks in an endeavor to save some of the engine crew. Grasping an axe beside one of the doors he slashed through the wooden door and dragged one of the nearest men outside. Two others, still able to walk, although they were blinded with smoke, stumbled out, while Martin went back for the last man. Unable to find him, Martin called after his shipmates, but they were al- ready on deck. The fire was spreading rapidly and by the time Martin re-ached the companionway he was trapped. Gasping for breath, half-smothered by the smoke, he staggered along and lay in a crumpled heap on the bottom step. Gradually the bright flames cast by the burning ship were seen no more on the dim horizon, and the Courage- ous, sank far below the surface, never again to sail the seas. A few days later, in a beautiful garden by the seashore, a woman sat watching the birds flying above the ocean and listening to the drowsy hum of the bees. A maid, in clear white uniform brought out a tray with a pot of tea and carried under her arm the afternoon mail. The tray she set down on a table bene-ath the apple trees, and the mail she politely handed to the woman. A smile spread over the woman's face as she took up the first letter and recognized her son's writing. Eagerly she opened it, and read and re-read it, happily smiling all the while. It was not until afterwards that she noticed a telegram at the bottom of the pile of letters. Cold fear clutched at her heart and her face was no longer smiling. With trembling hands she tore open the envelope, and only then did she learn the truth. All these months she had known that this would happen sometime and now at last it had come. Through misty tears she saw the leaves on the trees were changing color, and were falling softly to the ground. How strange, she thought, I had not realized until now that autumn is coming and old blossoms are fading. Blossoms were fading and gone, and her son., Martin, was gone too. Gone forever. But is not the world a garden, full of the choices-t fiowers of earth, and Martin then, is he not too a blossom? In time all the

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20 Vox Fluminis THE PIPERS' CALL From over the wooded highland hills Into the sunlit glen, The notes brought thrilled and quicken- ing beats To the hearts of the listening men. So tall and straight in the swinging kilt, He soothed her quick alarms, Young and eager to answer the call, The pipers' call to arms. And with the thought of other battles Well fought, but dearly won, She watched him climb the mountain path, The last, and best-loved son. In the purple haze of a heather field, Against the evening sky, The distant figure looked back once more, Then went to win or die. A wooden cross on a lonely hill In the bleak, grey down, And a woman, with tearless, anguished eyes, And none to lean upon. Marilyn Smith, Grade X, Garry Hall. i..11.T....i-..l. NIGHTMARES I WIGGLED and squirmed in my bed until everything stuck to me, and my flannel nighty felt like a layer of seal- skin around me. Why wasn't I born a Betty Grable or a Joan Bennet? I'd simply love to have green eyes and black hair instead of the most common in America. Even if I did brush it a hundred times each night it would still look the same. Straight as a poker and brown. I wriggled some more but only felt worse. I must ask mother again if I can dye my hair black. I am sure it would look so much better. Mothers are so difficult these days. I expect I must have worried myself to sleep for the next thing I remember was entering a large beautiful green plastic building which made me feel like Alice in Wonderland. Over the doorway was written Through these doors lies beauty for all. At the door were two footmen dressed from head to toe in lollipop-red suits. They opened the door and I pranced in, in my dirty gingham pinafore, feeling like a queen. The first room I entered was filled with bottles of perfume with most exquisite scents. Small bottles, large bottles, green bottles, pink bottles, all in different shapes. I picked one up in the shape of a flower. It was called Happiness, and underneath it said, Price-Contentment. How silly, I thought, I guess I can pay for that. At the end of the room was a door labeled Lip Charmsf' so I hurried on to it. Tubes and tubes of bright lipsticks in beautiful cases, red ones, orchid ones, every kind. I pulled out a mirror from my pinafore pocket and commenced to delicately dab some Stop Red on. I walked to the end of the room where there was a door labeled For brown hair. Hurry, I said to myself, and boldly stepped in. I found myself in a room filled with dainty pink basins all filled with dyes of different colors for drab brown hair. I quickly chose a blue black. My hair emerged for the most part black and, even thought it was straight, I imagined myself quite attractive. The next room was for the nails and face. I applied some dark red polish to my nails and flourished some eye- shadow on. I fancied the marshmellowy creams a little old. The door at the end of this room led me into one for powder. I delicately powdered my nose with a grand feather puff but found all the powder hard on the lungs, and moved on to a door labeled You. This was going to be fun. Excitedly I opened the door into a mirrored room. Oh! my goodness, is that me, my hair, my lips? Mercy, it couldn't be. There was eye shadow all over me and I looked as if I had two black eyes. There was lipstick on my teeth and nose. My hair was dripping with blue black dye and my eyes looked browner