Rye Neck High School - Scraps Yearbook (Mamaroneck, NY)

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THE WATERS UNDER THE EARTH MARTHA OSTENSO I'd like to get all of the Welland children together in front of me and say to them, Come on, and assert yourself !'l But I know what they'd do. They'd shrug their shoulf ders in a resigned way and answer, There's father, you know, we can't hurt him. Yes, there always was Matt, their father, blind to their desires, keeping their bodies tight within his house, and always patiently reclaiming their fluttering souls. Matt Welland did not beat his children. Ah! no, that would be ungodly and un' christian. Instead he restrained them by his prayers, his constant beseeching of God's aid and forgiveness, and his tentacles which twined and then clung so tightly that they could not be shaken off. In vain did Ruth marry Clinton Proles, a farmer to gain freedom from her father. At the end she returned home sick in body and mind after having burned her house with her husband lying drunk inside. David, Tom and Pager, with the boys, tried their best but they all returned to be under Matt's watchful eye. The fact that I urged and hoped for Jennie didn't help, for IvIatt's words and the memories of him were stronger than jennie's love and my urgings. She tco returned home a cripple with a bitter and resentful mind. Then there was Sophie still longing over her frustrated love. Frustrated, of course, by Matt. And above it all Matt smiling, How content I am with my happy family. Only Carla, the youngest, declares over and over again her impatience with tradition and restraint. But Martha Ostenso has impressed too strongly upon my mind the power and evil of their devoted father. So, no matter how long and how loudly she cries of her freedom, Matt's sonorous voice, gently reading the Bible will call her back to the unhappif ness of the family circle. She too will sucf cumb to The mystical waters under the earth-the pulling, deadly tides of suspicion, of fear, of bigotry . Evelyn Rozofsky A WINTER NIGHT Soft snowfshrouds drape the earthg While from distant slope of towering hill Comes a long drawn wail of the owl's evil Will, Chill North winds rattle icefcased trees, And while the moon gleams o'er the silver expanse, Weird shadows flicker in a wavering dance, Anna Kuhn PROPHECY Far places have I wished to see, And always longed to roam, So I shall go, now I am free, And leave the things of home. But 'though japan or Normandy, Or Zanzibar or Spaing Or Trinidad may cozen me, I shall come home again! Martha Estep ADMIRATION Before the 'fingers of the artist Find the palate or the brush, Before the dart of Cupid Finds a heart in which to thrustg Before a poem or picture Finds its way into the world, Admirationffof some beauty, Perhaps of soul or mind or heart, Sets the ire of Ambition, Bends the bow which springs the dart. Virginia Skelling Page Twenty-eighf

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HIRING HELP An advertisement in a daily newspaper reads, Wanted, a girl for general house work. Sleep in. Recommendations ref quired, In 1831, a girl answering this advertise' ment, would come to the rear door of the house. She would probably be a foreignor who spoke English with great difficulty. In one hand she would be carrying her recom' mendations, a sheaf of papers. The Lady of the House would look over the recommendations, bully and crossfexamine the girl until she blushed and stammered, and then stormed around until the girl accepted the position at a starvation wage. She would say, Hulda's your name, you say? Well, Hulda, your recommendations are not as good as they should be but we'll over look that, if you take the position for five dollars a week and board and also do the washing and ironing every week. You want six dollars! I should say not. It's out' rageous! The last girl I had only received four and onefhalf and she worked for Mrs. Van Something before she came here. I suppose since I am having the Sewing Club over this afternoon, I have to hire you. It certainly is terrible, the independence of hired girls nowadays. Your room is on the third floor. It is rather small but it's clean. In 1931, the Girl walks up to the front door, rings the bell, then poses on the top step like a model. The Lady of the House opens the door and the Girl walks into the living room. She makes herself comfortable in a chair near the fireplace. Before the Lady of the House has a chance, the Girl begins, I read your adverf tisement in the paper and I'll accept the posif tion with these provisions. My room must be on this floor but far enough from the kitchen so it does not smell of the cooking. There must be at least two windows in thi room. If you have a large dinnerfparty a week, you'll have to eat out two nights. Cook ing regular meals along with the extra largc ones, is entirely too tiring. You will have to have my laundry done for me, otherwise I won't be able to do the upstairs work. Now, if you will accept my conditions and I find your recommendations all right, I'll go to my room and unpack. Mary Fredricks A SENIOR SKETCI-I Four years! Short years! They're almost o'er, Let those who want to-V-weep, Within me there is only gleeH, Time fer swimming-time for sleep! We know they tried to teach us A pile of stuff we'd rather not-, Heck! In a century it won't matter Whether they tried or whether we got! Say, you know, there's a game tonight Tough team, an we gotta win it! These Schrafft's bars hit the spot just right! Oh, say, will you buy a ticket? Cakes are all ready for the sale Where are those girls to sell 'em? Better hurry or they'll all be stale Gosh, don't they look good? jes smell 'em' We've had a heap of a pile o' trouble- And a heck of a lot o' fun, Rackin that dough together Fer the run to Washington! As Freshmen we'd never believe it- But these four years jes Flew! And great as it is to be Seniors It's sort of tough to be thru! Virginia Skelling Page Twenty-seven

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0911 Glheatrv 132515 Since the old adage All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy is equally true in the case of Jill, I went to the Mamaroneck Play' house the other evening. I noticed with def light that there was a clear path before me to the screen. Sighing, I took off my coat, relaxed and prepared myself for an enjoyable evening. The lights went off, the music started play' ingg the picture started and-in walked a newcomer dragging his wet umbrella, hat, and overcoat over my dress. That dress never did look the same afterward. Well, thought I, that's only to be expected. I controlled myself by counting slowly to ten and again looked toward the screen. But where the screen had been before there now loomed a huge, black figure. I twisted to the right, I twisted to the left and so with one eye partly closed I could see a corner of the picture. Oh well, thought I, that doesn't matter, 1'll be able to understand the picture by the sound effects. But here I was sadly mistaken for on my left two girls had seated themselves and to my disgust one of them decided this was just the time and place to describe her new dress to her friend. Her voice droned on and on, only interrupted by her friend's highfpitched laughter every few moments. To add to the pleasures of this extremely enjoyable evening, a little girl seated behind me thought my neck the place on which to wipe her sticky hands. That wasn't so bad, but one of her sticky chocolates filled with some abominable concoction fell down my back and impressed itself there firmly between my dress and skin. The little girl began to cry on the back of my neck because she had lost her candy. By now I had lost the proper angle at which to see the picture. Because of the two girls having their delightful conversation. I could not hear and I could not even be com' fortable because of that child's crying and because the chocolate had started to melt and run down my back. I was a little deranged by now. Queer thoughts were passing through my mind. Suddenly I began to laugh loudly. Instantly the two girls, the large man in front of me and the mother of the baby in back of me decided that I spoiled their enjoyment of the picture. They called an usher and still laughing wildly I was es' corted to the outside door. My shattered mind still remembered the way home, and about midnight, still laughing madly, I entered my own home. Time and care have built up my mind and nerves but I shall never forget my terrible encounter with theatre pests. Evelyn Rozofsky Page Twenty-nine