Ruperts Land Girls School - Eagle Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 27 text:

RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE 25 CHARACTER SKETCH OF A BOARDING-HOUSE-KEEPER Miss Sarah Biggs is an imaginary lady, the owner of a respectable boarding-house in Winnipeg. She is fairly tall and rather thing she has long bony hands with which she is usually fumbling nervously. Generally she wears a grey house-dress with a high collar that she keeps in place by a large sombre pin. Over this she wears a spotless apron, which has the appearance of engulfing her. Her face is long, and she has high cheek-bones, her nose is slightly aquiline, but her eyes, her one redeeming feature, are clear and bright. They are grey, half- hidden by queer little rimless glasses perched on the arch of her nose. Her hair is fair and stringy, done into a knob on the top of her head. Little wisps of hair seem perpetually to escape the captivity of the magnificent hairpins. Her boarding-house is situated near the Canadian National Railway Station, so she gets many applicants for rooms from out of town. She is very kind to strange young men and women who are unfamiliar with the city. She would turn out half a household of good-for-nothing men to let one struggling, out-of-town girl have a chance of a room. She is very kind to all, if they keep the few strict rules of the household. At nine o'clock every evening she locks the front door, and the boarders who are left outside must go around to the back door and ring violently, if it is a first offence she scolds profusely but lets them in, but, alas! if it is a second or third offence, she fines them for unpunctuality. At ten all lights must go out-fMiss Biggs keeps an alarm clock in the hall for all boarders to hearl- for at ten-fifteen she turns them out from the main switch, so the house is engulfed in darkness. In the morning, breakfast is at seven-thirty, those who want it earlier or later must go elsewhere. She allows no smoking or drinking orgies on the premises, and only five visitors are allowed each person per month. One of her tiresome faults is her sharp temper. Some- times, no matter what anyone does, he gets nothing but reproof from Miss Biggs. The tradesmen are in perpetual awe of her, in case they are late, or have the wrong parcel for her establishment. At these times her tenants usually go early in the day, stay away for meal-times and come in at nine sharp! One of her good points is her fondness of animals. She is usually feeding half the neighbourhood's animals, for she puts scraps and milk outside the back door. She keeps all the stray cats and dogs in her house, in an unused barn

Page 26 text:

24 RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE to a miniature placed beside an oil painting, the former, complete in its small way and possessing a certain charm, yet lacking the rich warmth of colour and the perfect detail of the canvas. I do not think that Eliza for Common is a book which would appeal to everyone, and decidedly not to those who desire stirring action or brilliant conversation among the characters. The book cannot be described as outstanding except for a certain quiet charm. It is a book with which to spend a quiet evening, to laugh a little at the wholesome fun of the characters, and finally, to close the book, feeling that you have been a temporary member of a very jolly family. JEAN MACNAB '! X !' Tl-IE CHASE , Around the corner towards the left, hurry, hurry, hurry! Men and women in scarlet and black came racing by on horses steaming with sweat. Over fences and through meadows of frightened fowl and scuttling rabbits came the sound of the hunting horns, the deep baying of the hounds, the shoutings of men and women, the slash of deep grass under the horses' hoofs and the scattering of rocks. A cloud of smoke was left behind the sweating hunters and foaming horses. Fat men and women ran to open farm gates, farm dogs joined with the hounds, and lads on plough horses galloped along a little way with them. ' The poor vixen, who had just been out to get food for her cubs, was suddenly aware that the hounds were at her heels. Off she flew, never looking back to see the handsome hounds slowly creeping up to her. The sweat was pouring down her body, her tongue was hanging out, her eyes were look- ing in front of her, her only thought was, I must get away from the hounds, back to my beautiful cubs. The fox had gone--where? Down her cleverly concealed SHEILA FLORANCE -1- -1- -1- POEM OF SPRING Grey buds, snowy buds, Coming in the spring. Glad to see the sunshine, Golden dust they bring. GRADE I and KINDERGARTEN . hole-to her cubs.

Page 28 text:

26 RUPERT'S LAND COLLEGE MAGAZINE she keeps any dogs that arrive, and the basement provides for stray cats. It is strange that such a queer-looking spinster should be an attraction for children, but she is. In the evening she sits out on her verandah in a rocking-chair, with her endless knitting. Presently half-a-dozen youngsters creep up the steps and range themselves around this old lady, and plead for a story. She is never angry or impatient, but tells the story of her childhood to her spell-bound listeners, until the clock ticks round to nine, and then she locks the front door and awaits the arrival of the unlucky tardy boarder. ELEANOR RILEY -1- -1- -1- AN EXPERIENCE The incident that I am about to record occurred in the summer of 1931, the first summer we spent at Kenora. The first half of our family had come down on the first Tuesday of July, the other half arrived on the following Wednes- day morning. After two very hard days of work, in which we had tidied the camp and taken all the shoe-polish from the walls and lights Cwe had rented the house for the summer, and apparently the people before us had been very untidyl, we retired to bed on the Wednesday night, feeling as though we could sleep for ever. About one o'clock on Thursday morning I awoke with a start. It was very dark outside and everything was still and quiet. Even the lake seemed to be perfectly still and the trees had stopped their rustling of the evening before. But something must have awakened me. Usually one wakens and it takes some time for him to realize his surroundings. I knew the instant I awoke that something had just happened, but, try as I could, I was not able to think of anything that might have occurred. While I was trying to solve this mystery I heard a faint but a very distinct sound, as of someone trying to call but not being able to do so very well. I kept perfectly still and listened. I heard nothing and thought I had been imagining it all, and so was just preparing to go back to sleep when-hark! there it was again! I sat up in bed, but again everything was still. Before long there was another call, this time louder and stronger. Could I be dreaming? Who would be out at this time? Suddenly, I remembered I was at the lake and not in the city, as I had been thinking was the case. It was a perfect night to be out in a boat and anybody could upset, especially in a canoe. With this realization, I started out of bed. Again came the cry, this time distinctly, Help! help ! Now the person sounded tired and almost gone. All this had happened in