Roundup High School - Rodeo Yearbook (Roundup, MT)

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RODEO — 1929 31 Rocking, Ckair Philosophy1 By LETTIE ALT The essay given below was ranked fifth in the preliminary state ex- temporaneous essay contest held March 7. This essay gave the writer the privilege of going to Bozeman to compete in the final contest in which she was ranked sixth. The contests are held every year under the aus- pices of Montana State College at Bozeman. “CQUEAK, Its song squeak, squeak, squeak,” has echoed in my memory for many years. The squeak must have developed before I was born, for as far back as I can remember, it has always been the same squeaky, creaky, rocking chair that it is today. It is an old chair, now. My mother loves to tell about the time that she and my father received it. They were leav- ing their old home to come to Montana and she says the neighbors were so glad to see them go that they gave them a farewell surprise party and threw in the chair for good measure. The surprise party, like most surprise parties, turned out not to be a surprise. My folks knew about it almost as soon as the rest. The self-invited guests were to meet at a school house not far from my parents’ home and they heard them arriving there. My father went outside and yelled to them to come over. Well, even if the party wasn’t a surprise, at least the chair was. The old rocking chair seems like one of the family to me. It has been a play- thing for my sister and me ever since we started to play. Sometimes we put pillows and blankets in it and then it was a handsome baby cradle. At other times it has been the front seat of a beautiful automobile. Sometimes it has played a more humble role, and turned over so that it rested its arms on the floor, it made an ideal dog house. to jeer, “See, see, see, see, your moth- er is rocking someone else. Tee hee, maybe she likes that baby better than she does you, tee hee.” At least, I thought it was the chair that said it. Maybe it was just the little demon, “Jeal- ousy,” putting its ugly words to the sweet music of the chair. He likes to tease one. Jealousy is easily encouraged, and hard to snubb. He causes people a great deal of misery. When I grew older, I liked to rock myself in the chair. It was most pleas- ant, when night was coming on, to sit in the chair in the enclosing shadows, shut my eyes, and rock back and forth, back and forth, while my thoughts wan- dered where they would. Most of the time my mind was occupied with dreams, but occasionally I got down to really serious thinking. I used to wonder a good deal above the world. This was before I studied geography. I was cer- tain it was flat. Why shouldn’t it be? It looked that way. I hadn’t yet learned that most things look like what they aren’t, and aren’t what they appear to be. I was afraid, too, that if I took too long a walk, some day I would come to the edge of the world and fall off. The thought of leaving the world, even by falling, wasn’t so bad, but where would I go? If all around the earth were merely air, would I keep on falling for- ever? It was a very terrifying thought. I can’t seem to remember the time that my mother rocked me to sleep in that chair, but I can remember when she rocked my sister to sleep. I was so easy to drop off to sleep, listening to that soothing “creak, creak, creak.” Later, when we were too big to be rocked, my mother would rock the neighbor’s child- ren. Somehow or other, the squeak didn’t sound as pleasant then. It took on more of a mocking tone and seemed What would happen to me if a lion should eat me up, was another terrible worry. I was afraid of that. I wanted to go to heaven so bad and I didn’t see how I could go to heaven if I were all eaten up. To me, the soul was some- thing inside the body. Therefore, it would disappear along with the rest of me if I were eaten up. My soul worried me a great deal. It was something that just was, but no one could tell me any-

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30 RODEO — 1929 Dramatics JHE first high school entertainment of this year was a very clever comedy, “The Hoodoo,” given by the public speaking classes in the high school and - torium on October 30. The plot center- ed around a wedding party and all the calamaties that befell the guests. There was a blackmailer vTho threatened to spoil the wedding, a robber who carried off considerable property. One young man found himself engaged to three girls, lost his money in a bank, and was accused of being a thief. Everything turned out satisfactorily, as plays always do. An excellent Christmas play was pre- sented by the public speaking classes on December 19, in the high school auditor- ium. The play, “The Christmas Carol,” was based on the story, “The Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, and was on the order of a fantasy. Christmas car- ols were sung by the Glee Club. The second program to be presented by the Freshmen was given February 15 by a number of Freshmen girls. The first feature was “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.” A t,vo-act play, “Two Little Rebels,” was next presented. It was a Civil War play and displayed a terrible misunderstanding between two life-long friends over the sides taken in the war. The Senior Play, the wow of the sea- son, was presented in the American theatre on April 9. The play was an ex- cellent comedy and the parts were very well taken. The cast: Harvey P. Marshall, a permanent hus- band, Joe Pluth. Dr. Gerald Niles, a husband pro-tem, Roy Beadle. Limpy Lannigan, an ex-convict, Rudy Polich. Officer Shea, an affable cop, Dick Brennan. Mary Marshall, an incurable roman- ticist, Margaret Benjamin. Silvia Allen, Mary’s friend, Lettie Alt. Aunt Emmy, Mary’s aunt, Josie Mad- den. Florence Ainslee, Mary’s cousin, Anna Vesel. Stella, a maid, Agnes Woodson. Mary Marshall, w h o has married against her wealthy aunt’s wishes, is surpr'sed by a telegram stating that Miss Paisley will arrive that evening for a short visit. Mary, whose habit of exag- gerat:on has plunged her into many dif- ficulties, has misrepresented her home and financial state and now finds it necessary to borrow most of her home furnishings from her next door neigh- bors. She hires a maid and butler from an employment agency and as the butler proves to be a doubtful character she thrusts this position upon her husband, then due to pressing circumstances, has to borrow' a husband. The complications which arise from these events are climaxed when Willie, the baby, is thought to be stolen. The play ends happily, however, with Aunt- ie’s property transferred to Willie, “who looks for all the world like Grandpa Paisley.” Frisky Freddie and his Frivolous Fol- lies made quite a hit. The lovely chorus ladies, senior boys, tall and thin, with round and dimpled legs, did a dashing bit of foot-work while Roy Beadle sang. Anita Oliver caused a good deal of neck cran ng between the second and third acts, when, in the costume of an old lady, she walked up the aisle and on the stage and danced and sang. The Harmonica Boys gave several numbers and furnished music for Anita’s stunt. Two preliminary declamatory contests were held February 14 and 15. The read- ings were well given and there was much keen competition. The five highest were chosen each night and these ten competed in the finals on March 8. Agnes Woodson, being the holder of first place, wall enter the state contest at Missoula during the track meet there in May. Several short plays are being worked up now by the public speaking classes to be presented late in the semester. The May Day festival is also under way and will be presented Patron’s Day.

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32 RODEO — 1929 thing about it. They say that children are more likely to believe things that seem impossible than adults, but some- how or other I never could believe in anything I could not see. That is un- fortunate for me for the most important things in life—Faith, Love, Happiness, and Friendship, are all of the unseen. Many times I have wished that chair could talk. It was new when we got it, but it must have had some history before it was made into a chair. Where did the tree grow from which it was made? Probably in some great forest. Maybe not, though. Maybe it was an old, old oak that grew on a beautiful farm. It was beloved by the whole fam- ily. Then things began to go wrong. Money was need and they had to cut down the tree and sell it. Some day, I suppose the rocking chair will fall to pieces and have to be thrown out. The rockers have been broken and mended. In fact, one of the rockers is from another chair. It doesn’t match the other very well, the chair rather resembles a man with a wooden leg, but still it does its duty. Never the less, it can’t last forever. Some day its end will come. It is showing its age. The varnish is all off and it’s getting silvery. Its disposition is getting rather touchy. If I sit with my legs curled up under me, I’ll surely find three or four runners in my stockings. Probably some day one of us will be sitting in the chair rocking, rocking, rocking, when smash, the thing will break down and its career will be ended. I shall surely miss that old rocking chair. The Lonely Road A little road Ran up a hill. It bent and turned And then stopped still. And so it left Them all behind, And up this little Hill had climbed. There was no house Or dwelling near, Nor sound of people Did I hear. Alone there it Could rest in bliss But, Little Road, Great joys you miss. I wonder why It had stopped there, Did not go on And lead somewhere. The joy of leading To a place Where loving hands And cheerful face I guess it tired Of other roads, Of wagons carrying Heavy loads. Give beauty to A spot called “Home.” You lead not back Tired feet that roam. You only know, Here near the sky, The steps of wanderers Such as I. —Letty Alt