Scarborough High School - Four Corners Yearbook (Scarborough, ME)

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IS THE FOUR CORNERS starts oft with Silas air another crazy young un, named Hank. Them two ter- gether reminded me o ' wild colts, full o’ mettle an ' mischief. “Well, Silas had one o ' those new fancied roadsters, an ' he starts off with a jerk, an’ then how wc did go! I wuz so plumb sceercd out o’ me senses that 1 be¬ gan ter holler ‘whoa, ' an ' starts a-pulliid at th‘ steerin ' wheel or somethin ' . I wuz mighty nigh dead with fright when we reached Coney. “Tld first thing those young jaek-a-napes did. wuz ter buy some peanuts. ‘Eleplimit food. ' 1 calls ' em. Arter they stuffed some o ' them in me mouth so I most-a choked ter death, they wanted me ter try aid evo¬ lution thing, I guess they calls ’em. They ovolute roim ' air roun ' , air lias a hull zoo on top o’ ' em. I got astride o ' a horse but, say, tld blamed thing never budged a inch. It wuz hitched outer a pole, an ' ter find a way ter unhitch tld critter, I couldn’t ter save me soul. I wuz a-ponder in’ on this, when I saw that none o ' th’ others wuz movin’. Then all o’ a sudden, that danged ole mule gives a leap in tlr air, music starts playin’, an’ tlr hull zoo begins a-movin’ aroun ' ! That horse, he kept a-goin’ up an’ clown, up an’ down, till I wuz nigh out o’ me senses! Bless me bonnet, but I wuz! Tlr’ l oys thought it wuz gran’ an’ I sez to ’em, sez I—•Well, I’d a-rather ride ole Dynamite, tld mule ter home, twelve times a week then one o’ these things five min¬ utes’ ! sez I to ’em. “Tld nex’ thing those young scapegraces did wuz ter git me on what they calls a jack-o-tld rabbit or somethin’. But blamed if I could see a rabbit about ’em! We gets inter a little car that goes on tracks. I objected strongly, but they sez they’d let me rifle in tld back seat as it wuz safer, so 1 gets in. Well, tld thing started a-moviid. Bust we went down a little hill air 1 thought sure I wuz a-left behind,— that ' s tld way it felt, anyway. Then we crawled up a big, long hill an 1 gets kirnla nerv¬ ous for fear somethin ' would break aid we ' d go shoutin ' down backwards. We just got up on that hill aid 1 draws a full breath o’ relief, when all at once, we started a-shoot in ' down a bill,—me best bat went a-sailiid off inter tld ocean, aid I thought sure we ' d jump right off the rails inter tld ocean on tld side! I hung on tight an’ all at once we starts a-shootiid up ter heaven, aid I closed me eyes ' spoofin ' ter see St. Peter aid angels, when down we whizzed aid up we flew again so quick I thought sure me neck wuz a-comiid off me shoulders. “I wuz kimla weak when we reached tld gromd agin, aid I vowed I’d never go on one o’ them contraptions agin! Tld boys laffed an ' wanted me ter’try ‘Xoalds Ark,’ but I told ’em I wuz as near tld Promised hand as I wanted ter be an’ you kin bet 1 gived them fellers a down right good scoldin’ on how ter treat their elders an’ sieh! I made them meek as Hoses, so that they took me home without no back talk! Yes—sirce, bless me bonnet, but I did! 1 told ’em I ' d a-rather stay ter home an’ pitch hay or chop wood as hot as it wuz, than ter be a-riskin’ me life an’ losin’ me good hat in tld ocean, that Handy, me wife, had ju6t bought fer me from th 1 city.” E. L. 0., ’30.

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THE FOUR CORNERS 17 “■lust what did In 1 sav ( asked Hilly. “Hr say. Sefmr- - (Ardell listened, and Rosa tohI lii 111 that Deliuoiitc had planned to surround the vachl with men and then a Mark it. So Rosa was on their side 1 , (on! Well, (hey had someone to help, any way.) ] lit suddenly dark lip ires caught (linn all and hound them. They were carried In a dark hut. They were uni there very long when a shadow passed hy the window and stealthily came in and unhound each one. They never found out who it was, hut they knew it was one of the natives. They remained hidden that nil ' ll! and the next morning tiny stole out so they eon Id get a glimpse of the ( ' oral. Ilow dear she looked to them! How Ardell wished sin was there sailing happily about on it ! They decided to swim to the ( i ornl. so diviiii in, they soon ri ached her safely. That night Hilly pi (lie red his men and went ashore where all the rest were eating supper. The. men surrounded (In place and then attacked hy climbing the palm trees and hiding themselves so they couldn ' t he seen. At tin lirst shot, the na¬ tives and other men rushed out. Hilly’s lirst victim was Delmonte, and the second, Cortez. They were careful though about Rosa, Sefiora Teresa, and Drummond. Finally, after a long time of shooting, it became ijnict. When the men were sure they would he safe, they climbed down from tin trees. Entering the house, they fnun 1 a few natives about and Sefiora Teresa calmly bathing her brother ' s wound which was not very serious. Drummond was talking with Cortez. Hilly heard Drummond say, “Cortez, tell me all the circumstances of tills plan of Dchnontc’s. Was he swindling me for the plantation or trying to get. mv daugh¬ ter ?” Then C ' orlez. in his Latin tongue, re¬ plied, “Nenor. la wish very lunch to have belli. .Maybe if he had bees peek of the two, it would l»o ttefiorita. Drummond laughed, “So you think if he tried getting oulv Ardell he would suc¬ ceed r The Spaniard smirked. “Yes ’ “No, Cortez, not while Hilly was around. Neither plantation nor daughter would la get. Hilly interrupted linn and wanted to know when they could bring Ardell hack to shore. “Any time is all right now. Hilly, said Mr. Drummond. “Hut before you go, let me congratulate you on your good schem¬ ing. If it had not been for you, Martin Drummond and his daughter would be very sad now ' With bis beaming smite, llillv went alone for Ardell. lie found her very nervous, but alter the good news, she brightened like a sum¬ mer day after a thunder storm, and again tin still, balmy breezes of the tropic island spread their spell over hco that night in¬ stead of one. G. M. D., ’;vi. UNCLE DODD’S VISIT TO CONEY ISLAND “It wuz gittiu’ on ter the middle of duly, when that fool nephew o ' mine took a notion of a-wantiu’ me ter go ter Coney Island with him. ‘Come on, Uncle he sez, soz he, ‘an ' we ' ll take a little joy ride ter Coney Island “Now it wuz hot as blazes on tlf ole farm, an’ with his talk o’ th’ ocean an’ ’freshmen t stands an’ what not, T took a notion ter go. So I puts on ino Snnday- go-mcctm’ suit an’ me high collar, an’

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THE FOUR CORNERS 19 COMMON BIRDS OF FIELDS AND WOODLANDS Spring! “I know the song the bluebird is singing Out in the apple tree where he is swinging; Dear little blossoms, down under the snow. You must be weary of winter, I know. Hark! While I sing you a message of cheer. Summer is coming and springtime is here ” With this song the spring migration of birds starts. After March twenty-first, one begins to see in the fields red-winged black¬ birds and juncos. Also in the woodlands you see brown creepers, catbirds, and flickers. Many of these birds, which have spent I he winter in the south, migrate here in large numbers, some to stay with us in the summer, others to fly on farther north. A flock of slate-colored jnneos on the new-fallen snow is a very interesting sight on a cold winter ' s day. These birds come north with the first hard frost, and about May they leave for their northern breed¬ ing ground. In the pasture, where the trickling brook lazily finds its way, is an ideal place to find the red-winged blackbird. Usually about the first of March, the male birds arrive in flocks and may be heard singing gaily while the ground is still deeply cov¬ ered with snow. Early in April the black and white creepers appear running up and down the tree trunks looking for insects, upon which all warblers subsist. These birds build their nests in old stumps or mossy banks where bark, leaves, and hair make a downy nest for the four or five little birds. Another bird of the April migration is the bam swallow, tropical bird of the air. Up in tlie rafters of a bam or in the arch of an old bridge is an ideal place for this swallow to build his bracket-like nest of clay, mud, and straw. “Merrily swinging on brier and weed Near to the nest oE his little dame; Over the mountain-side or mead, Robert of Lincoln is telling his name: Bob-o-link, hob-o-link, Spink, spank, spink.” Thus William Cullen Bryant described (lie bobolink, which migrates to us in early May. These birds build their nests on the ground, and after midsummer the cares of I he family have so worn upon our dashing friend that his song is seldom heard. In August the bobolinks begin their journey southward, living mainly by night. Arriv¬ ing in the southern states, they become the sad-colored, low-voiced rice birds. Could there be a more tragic ending to the glori¬ ous note of the gay songster of the north? A Hasli of fire through the air; the Bal¬ timore oriole cannot be mistaken with its rich, high, whistled song. When the or¬ chards are in blossom, the male birds ar¬ rive in full plumage and song, and await the coining of the female birds that travel northward, more leisurely, in flocks. Of all the weavers that I know, The oriole is best; High upon the branches of the tree She hangs her cozy nest.” Among the thick foliage of the tallest tree, the mellow and pleasing song of the scarlet fanager may he occasionally heard after early May. These scarlet, tanagers, tlu male of which is probably the most conspicuous bird of North America, arrive in their summer coats of vivid scarlet and jet black. In addition to exhibiting fas¬ cinating qualities of color and song, the scarlet tanager is of great economic im¬ portance to us, as it is a diligent hunter of noxious insects, especially those found among tree tops.