Sandwich High School - Reflector Yearbook (Sandwich, IL)

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GETTING BACK TO NATURE Mr. Brown seemed unusually excited when he returned from the office that particular March evening. Mrs. Brown understanding her husband slightly better than everyone else, did, let matters take their own course. It had the desired effect and when seated at the breakfast table, Mr. Brown drew a letter from his pocket exclaiming “Now see here Mary, I propose that we take a genuine old fashioned vacation this summer. According to my mind a summer in the country will be just the thing. All the milk and cream you can use, and eggs so plentiful you can have angel-food cake every day! A nice shady place with no noise of street cars and everything else all day and night too. Why just think of the work you’d be saved, no smoke, or dirt of the city to clean up and not be wakened by whistles and trains at five o’clock in the morning. I tell you what, I am tired of this hum-drum city life—I want to get back to nature!” Mrs. Brown sipped her coffee in silence when he had finished, as tho’ used to such outbursts. Mr. Brown broke the silence by saying rather sharply— “Well, why don’t you say something? I suppose you’d rather your poor husband would die of the heat in the heart of the city so you could chase around to every afternoon tea within a radius of ten miles. Now I’ve just got a letter from Jim Perkins, who says he can get us a place for the summer about seven miles from Fairport. It's a furnished house and there’s a cow and lots of chickens and a big garden. The family is going away for the summer and it will be just the thing for us. I’ll write to him and tell him we will take it, before any one else gets a chance at it!” Mrs. Brown knew it was useless to do anything but agree for she saw that her husband was determined to have his own way, so about the middle of May saw Mr. and Mrs. Brown departing for the country. If Mrs. Brown didn't appear to be greatly interested in the project, her husband made up for her lack of enthusiasm. From the little town of Fairport they rode the seven miles in a high lumber wagon with their nearest new neighbor. When they clambered down from their lofty seat tired and stiff, the pretty house that was to be their home for the next three months, did look attractive. For about an hour Mr. Brown raved about the joys of simple living and getting close to nature. He pitied his less fortunate fellows who were stifling in the heart of the city or suffering untold agony at a fashionable summer resort. For the first few days all was what it could be expected to be. Mrs. Brown said little about it, but seemed to be enjoying it as much as her husband. They had the luxury of fresh eggs three times a day, while milk, cream, and early fruits and vegetables were in abundance. The mail man and their neighbors were kind enough to bring their groceries from town and altogether the remainder of May passed very pleasantly. One pleasant morning in June, Mr. Brown decided that the grass needed cutting and he set about to accomplish the task. At dinner time he didn’t look quite so jubilant, for the result of his morning’s work was about a third of

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“BILLY” CREATES A NEIGHBORHOOD DISTURBANCE ,. “funt Sorilla, Aunt Sorilla. Tommy Jones has a new goat!” shouted little Lawrence Smith as he rushed into his aunt s kitchen. ... “Sakes alive, what won’t that pesky child get next, he keeps this neighborhood in such a state that one’s life and property are in danger.” And well might the poor lady complain because the same Tommy Jones had made life miserable for the long suffering neighbors with his numerous pets and she. poor soul, lived next door to him. h irst it was a mongrel pup. This specimen hen entered her summer kitchen one morning, stolen the chops for dinner and upset her kettle of soft soap. Also every egg her hens laid was broken and the inside removed The poor pup got the blame for this as well. ext it was a great striped cat that ate all her young chickens. Then Tommy had added a garter-snake to his collection. Stripes as he was called got loose and Tommy was disconsolate until Aunt Sorilla nearly stepped on the reptile on her back porch, thereby receiving such a shock that she was compelled to stay in bed the rest of the day and that night her dreams were hideous with crawly things. As soon as she was able she complained to 1 ommy s mother who looked upon her only son as an angel. On this occasion poor Tommy acted the soul of injured innocence, so Aunt Sorilla vowed she would stand it without another word or move. And now a goat! For two days she saw nothing of the beast and she began to have hopes that this one was not so bad. w— 1 ... . .... cases and you in my yard !” She left the rest to Billy’s imagination. The next morning she heard a commotion among her chickens. Hurrying to the door she saw the goat knock over the last chicken coop and with a “Baa” race for home and safety. When order was nearly restored she straightened up only to see the goat coming toward her with lowered head. Being so frightened the thot of the house never entered her mind. Instead she clutched her skirts and hobbled around the barn as fast as her rheumatism permitted. Lpon rounding a corner she looked back. Billy was still on the trail. Rheumatism forgotten she flew around the next corner and ran for the house. Billy followed. Just as the door slammed shut she heard other feet and then I ommy Jones voice “Aw, that old maid thot you were going to serve her like the chicken coops and you only wanted to play with her, didn t you Bill.” “Old maid,! huh! play with me! Well I never.” That evening when Mr. Jones came home he found an irate old woman awaiting him. She poured forth her story and he thinking she had been annoyed enough promised to build a yard for Billy. When she stepped out upon the porch a childish voice piped, “Oh pop, if you had only seen her sprint around that barn.” G. H. T2.

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the lawn cut and a tired and anything but agreeable man. He decided to finish it the next morning but upon rising he found a heavy rain drenching everything out of doors. Inwardly pleased at the prospect, he started for the barn to do his morning’s chores. Imagine his consternation on beholding the cow peacefully reclining under a tree at the farther side of the pasture, and the bam door wide open. Then he remembered (hat he had forgotten to lock the door on the previous evening. Xo amount of calling would bring Bossy back and so Mr. Brown was compelled to trudge across the pasture which seemed miles in length. When the weather became fair the grass in the front had grown to such a height that it was almost impossible to cut it. To add to their trouble the cow became sick and Brown was compelled to walk about a mile twice a day for milk which cost almost as much as it did in the city. A long dry spell dried up the grass so Mr. Brown was spared the trouble of cutting it, but it also dried up the vegetables in the garden and they were obliged to resort to canned goods of a much inferior quality than those obtained in the city. Eggs were no longer a luxury and grew extremely distasteful to both. The dust and dirt of the city that Mrs. Brown was to be spared, in the ideal country home was discounted many times by the dust which stood inches deep on the road, lawn and trees. They were unable to get sleep at night on account of the crickets and other insects that seemed to buzz louder than anything else they had ever heard unless it was the chickens that awakened them about four o’clock in the morning. When they returned to the city early in September, tired after their long and strenuous vacation, Mr. Brown turned to his wife and said in a voice that expressed finality— Don’t ever let me hear you talk about going to the country again, if you can’t lx? contented to go where other civilized people go you’ll have to go alone! I’m through chasing about, living like Indians! If it hadn’t been for you, I might have had a pleasant vacation!” But Mrs. Brown only smiled. E. O. ’12. a SENIOR-JUNIOR DEBATE HELD IN SANDWICH OPERA HOUSE. FRIDAY EVENING. MAY 10. 1912 Question—Resolved: That the Initiative and Referendum should be adopted in the United States. Affirmed by Juniors: Stella Dennis, Mae Peterson, Hazel Soever. Denied by Seniors: Mildred Anderson. Grace Ogilvie, Iayard Thorp. Decision for the affirmative. Judges: Mr. Julian Steward, Plano; Locke. Plano; Atchison. Sandwich. The debate showed careful preparation and coaching. The speakers gave their points in a clear, forceful style, which reflected credit not only upon themselves, but also upon the school. Public Speaking is gaining a prominent and well-deserved place in the work of our High School. In this respect we are following the advice of educational leaders, who are placing the work in debate and oratory upon the same basis of importance, as that of formal Rhetoric and the study of the classics. Here’s to our debate teams! We're proud of them!