San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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nWilliam Trenton ! ' ser tamed a voice from the doorway. Every boy stopped dead in his tracks. One had his foot in air and dared not put it down. llWilliam Trenton. report to 'llrofessor Snyder, screamed the voice. and Billy alone moved. Sullenly he began to climb the stairs, and Miss Maxwell climbed after him. llVVilliam, said Miss Maxwell in the ofliee, lttell Professor Snyder the awful word I heard you use in the basement just now? l'Son of a gun. said Hilly. Professor Snyder looked as pro'ierly shocked as he could, being a man and not an old maid: then he turned to Billy. WVilliamf' he said. you have been a nuisance ever since you First came to school, and you have given Miss Maxwell so much trouble that I am going to send you into the uugraded room. If you can't get on better there. you will have to leave schoolf, So it came about that XYillian Trenton was passed along to the uugraded room and to Miss Barnes. CHAPTER IV. Miss Barnes was short and thick, bubbling,r over with strength and good nature. She was neither pretty nor plain, but just common and everyday and freekletl. Her hair was combed back carelessly from a side part. and her face was always flushed like a boys when he has been running. Her eyes were gray and laughed always behind the gold rimmed glasses. Billy looked up at her. when he got into the ungraded room. and decided that he liked her in spite Of the fact that she was a teacher. From the start Billy liked Miss Barnes and Miss Barnes liked Billy. But just as she was beginning to feel that she had got hold of him, Mr. Snyder brought him in to her for stealing an apple from a fruit stand across the street. Sit down, iVill. said Miss Barnes. after Professor Snyder had gone out. lilly liked the way she said ttXVill. instead of ilXVilliam. But her casual manner unnerved him. Hitherto he had always faced punishment defiantly and with a swagger. but Miss Rarues's attitude was new. Plainly she was not shocked and could not be shocked; what use then for bravado and nonchalauce? Obetliently he sat down. and put the big red apple on the table in front of her. It is a beauty,u said Miss Barnes. liaml l know just how you felt when you saw it. I was a little girl once. But we have to think of the other fellow in this world, or it's a sure thing: that he wonit think of us. A long time ago men decided to let other peonle's things alone. You see if they had decided that each man should take what he wanted. why no one eouhl own anything unless he stood guard over it to fight for it. It would have been fair enough. but think what a confusion there would have been all the time. Dotft you see why it is wrong to take things that belong to someone else? l believe that you do, Billy. because you are a sensible boy. and you will think about it, and you won't take things after this. It was a new exoerienee to Billy. Someone believed in him$didnit think he was different from other people. His lip quiveretl. but he looked straight into Miss Rarnesls eyes. liMiss Barnes, if you can it'lrg'Ct about this. I ll never steal llUtllill, aqaina neverlil Truth was in his voice. and Miss Barnes took his hand. lll have already forgotten it. XVill: go down and play. Billy went down the stairs. a different boy. ilGeef, he said to himself. lKtealiii' ainlt like ltlarni and rson of a gun? there,s a reason. I'll never steal nothin'. again. Till never do nothinl Miss Barnes.d0n,t want me to. Fliels a peach. and she's got some sense.'U 29

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room. He turned around to look on Elaiuels book, anal her hand accidentally touched his as she turned a page. After that he eouhl not keep the place; the teacher called on him to sing, but his face grew red. and his voice was husky and would not sing. That night he walked home with Elaine and carried her books; and it was enough for him that her haml touched his as he handed her the books at the gate. It was then that he resolved to quit smoking. Elaine was such a nice girl that she never could like a boy that smoked and swore, he thought. So he quit smoking and swearing that same day. Sometimes he had to shut his teeth on a cuss word half out or a cigarette half in. then men on the cars blew smoke in his fact he was frenzied. hWhen a felleris hungry. he told the boys, he's only hungry in his stomach, but when he's hungry for a smoke he's hungry all over. One Friday evening he met Elaine coming home from an errand just as it was growing dark. Together they walked untxl they came to the familiar sehool-house steps. As if from force of habit he turned up the steps. and she went up almost unthinkingly beside him. On the top step in the great shadowy entrance they sat down. For a while they looked at the sky, and traced patterns in the clouds. Then they listened to the night birds and talked of the things they had learned about birds in the nature study class, until in the darkness his hand touched hers: then they talked no more. Suddenly a step reverberated on the stairway aml Miss Maxwell's piercing voice cut through the moonlight. Puppy lovel', she ejaculated. For shame! To be eaught lllltltllCtl upon a dark door step like a pair of monkeys at the Chutes! Puppy love! Monkeys in the Chutes! Something sacred went to smash inside of him. as God had gone to smash when his mother had married Tim O'Hara, the infidel. Elaine sat all the while crying, with her face in her hands, but William was sullen and defiant, and all the bitterness of Miss Maxwellls words sank into his heart. At last Miss Maim e11 shook Elaine. hCome with me,n she said. I am going to my room to get some reports which I forgot; then I am going to take you to your mother. Elaine dutifully rose to her feet and followed Miss Maxwell t0 the door of the school-house. Miss Maxwell took out her pass key and they went in. It seemed a long time to XVilliam before they came out. then they did. he sat as they had left him. and Elaine was still crying. As she passed him he wanted to say goodbye, but something choked his voice. and he sat there and watched them disappear. The next day he was in school and Miss Maxwell was in school, but Elaine was not. One of the girls told him at noon that she had been sent to the convent. His face went red before the eyes of the girl, as itghad done when Miss Maxwellls icy stare fell upon him in class One of the newsboys with whom he sold papers after school came up to him on the corner and saw that something was wrong with him. llXVhat's your groueh. kid? ' he said. slapping him on the shoulder. than a cigarette and brace up. Billy had almost lost his taste for tobacco, but he took the cigarette and it helped him to forget. lle plunged into abandoned excess after his long period of abstinence. Along about the middle of the term a diamond aplrareti on Miss Max- wellls finger. The whole eighth grade was in excitement. The girls giggled and whispered about it. and the boys talked it over in the basement. llGosht tellers, he must be a rich guy to give her a swell diamond like that. I bet it cost moreln a inotoreycle, said Rey. ltlle must be brave to tackle a jay-faeetl school teacher like herfl said Frank. Hl donlt care if he's a rich man or a brave one. or both-Tlni sorry for the poor son of a gun when he gets her, said Hilly. 28

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He went down to the basement to get a drink. As he stooped over the fountain, somethingr 1111 the second wash basin caught his eye. Ile gave a start and turned the water on with such force that it's ie1' jet went straiUht into his ear. His head rang as he jerked back but his eyes 11e1' er left the spot on which they were glued. Still 1laze1l with the pain in his ear. and shaking the water out as he went. he made his way toward the second basin. Instinct- i11el1' his hand went out and clasped over something,r hanging on the liquid soap jar. Ilis heart was pounding: 211111 he was gasping with excitement; there in his haml 1211' Miss Maxwell's diamondsthe ring that was worth more than a 111otore1'e1e. i'thy it'll bu1' 11111 a bie1'ele a111l'l can get a paper route. lt'll 1111 me lots more good than sliinin 1111 Miss Max11 ell s l1o111' finger. he thought to himself. then he thought of Miss Barnes. and s11i11ethi11g' stopped inside of him. 11'111' was that tantalizing thing left there just when he was going to start all over? A blackness and dizziness went 1,11'erl1im. He held the ring out toward the liquid soap jar, but he couldn't make it leave his fiingers. lt stuck and clung to them. Ile tried to put it back where he found it, but it wouldnlt let go. A step clattered on the stair. Ilollow emotiness shi1'ere1l down to the pit of his stomach as if he were 1lr11'111i11g'. Suddenly he knew that he did not want to take the ring: but it was in his hand. and he must do something with it. Frantically his eyes searched the room. They fell on an 11111 boxing; glove lyingr in the corner. A tiny place was ripped. Into this he thrust the gleaming stone. and pushed it far in between the folds of cotton stufhng. Then he bent again over the fountain to drink. The door opened. It was only one of the younger boys 'lill1' felt relieved. lliat afternoon consternation reigned in the lelle1iew School. Miss Maxw ell was in hysteries: she had been on duty in the boys play-g'rouml that 11111111. and remembered taking 11tif her ring; to wash her hands in the boys' basement. She thought that she had put it on again. but was not certain. The only thing she was certain about was that the ring was lost. either in the basement or 1111 the play- n'1'1111111l. Every boy was questioned and searched but nothing,r eame of it. llilly was heartily sick of the whole matter but he had to keep up his blutT. lle 11ishe1l he could get the ring out and lose it where it would be found. lie wished a thousand things to get rid of it. but could plan 1111 way of producing it without being caught. Late in the after- noon Miss Maxwell held a consultation with Miss Barnes. lVilliam knows something about this said Miss Maxwell. he knows something1 about e1'e1'1'tl1ingt that goes wrong. liven if he has not had any- thing' to do with it.heea11al111a1's timl thing's. XYill 1'1111 sneak to him about it? uI will ,i said Miss llarnes. and that e1'e11i11.1r sl1esai1l to Billy. You are famous all o1' er the s1h11ol for fin1li11fr tl1in1rs 11ill. 211111 T belie1e you can fiml this ringr for 11s XX e are going to engage you as 11111' 1leteet11e. Miss Max- well will give 11111 $20 reward. You are going to be a great detective when you grow 1111. and thinfrs like this 1ri1'e you a chance to make a renutation for 1'11111'self.F11r the sake of your reputation as 11 ell as the re11ar1l try to find Miss Maxwell s ring. ul 11ill tr1'., a11s11ere1l Billy. with alaeritv. and the tumultuous 1la1' was over. - ' That night he was restless: over and 111er he turned in his sleen al1'a1's with herds of bicycles 11111's11i111r him down roek1' 11'1th11'11'a111l avalanches of diamonds sweeninq down 11111111 him from abm' 0 lie was lead when morn- i1151' came though he 1121s still undecided 11 hat to 1111 It had rained and the soft black mud stuck to his shoes. He st111111e1l over and sera11e1l up a handful and made it into :1 111111111 ball and thrust it into his pocket. He got to school early; a few boys were in the field. but the basement was empty. He went over to the boxingr glow and thrust his forefinger in 30