Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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21 WAITING Jean Holcomh, ' 47 WHOO — wlioo — whoo. The six-thirty freight passed by the shun district and seemed to act as some sifinal for the remaining people on the already-darlieiiing streets. Stores were clos- ing, window shades were drawn, and small rag- ged boys and girls faded through dingy door- ways for supper. Over the shrill whistle of the disappearing train a loud call was heard. Tullie. hey Tuffie! You comin ' in or aren ' t you? Come on, hurry up. I ' ve got some news for you! This conversation was directed to a small, ragged seven- ear-old boy who was lingering at the end of the street, talking with the fellas. His name. Tuffie, well suited him because, in ad- dition to the fact that he did resemble a little toughie. with his ragged shirt, drooping knickers, and well-worn shoes, a large tuft of golden hair stood on end on top of the slightly-square head. Comin, ' Dannie, comin ' ! Just a sec. will ya? After a few last words he sped down the street and ' burst into his small tw o-room tenement house. In the front room, which served as living-room, dining-room and bedroom, there were two cots, a large cabinet, and a table where magazines, most- ly Superman and Bat-Man comic books of the most recent date, were treasured. The back room was so small that only a small portable electric stove, a sink and table could be used. But it was home to Tuffie and Dannie — some- thing to cling to. now especially, since their par- ents had been killed in an automobile accident. Dannie and Tuff were all that remained of the De Vine family and as Pop used to say. It ' s a darn good name to live up to. Dannie, eighteen, who had quit high school when sixteen, had the brunt of the responsibility on his shoulders. Tuffie, at the age of seven, could hardly help Dannie support either of them. Dannie had been working in Woody ' s Garage for two years, and although Tuff didn t have everything, he certainly was healthy and happy. After Tuffie had burst into the room, he ex- claimed. Hi, Dannie! Where are ya? What ' s for dinner? What ' s the great news ya got for me? Can the gang come up Saturday? Have ya got tonight ' s comics yet? Whoa, there, one at a time. Tuff! I ' m out in the kitchen, and if you ' ll come out here, you ' ll know vvhal s fm dinner. I ' csidi ' s. I Wiinl lo talk with ( n. Tiillif looked up in ?«Mipiise. Il was very sel- dom that Dannie asked lo talk lu him. Thev al- ways were just fooling or talking about the local baseball teams and Tuffie ' s chances of being first- baseman of the Wild Wolves. And every night they would count his pennies for the cocker spaniel he dreamed of. 0. K. Be right there, Tuff said. As he sat down at the well-worn kitchen table, Dannie said. Well. Tuff, here ' s the tiews. What would you think if I said I was going to join the Army? The Army!! Gee whiz, do you really mean it? I mean, golly, gee, the Army ! ! Maybe you ' ll meet pirates and mow ' em down with your tom- my gun. Then you can pull out your sword like General Lee ' s and swish — off goes a pirate ' s head! Send me home a pirate ' s head, will ya, huh? Tuffie exclaimed. Hey, now, wait a minute! Where did you get such ideas anyway? Besides, don ' t get so excited. I don ' t even know if I ' m going yet. In fact, it ' s really up to you, Tuff. You see, you ' d have to live up at the Home in the country if 1 did. Would you be willing to do that. Tuff? asked Dannie. The orphanage, Dannie? You mean the or- phanage: don ' t you? You want me to live in the orphanage without you, Dannie? Gee, golly, I couldn ' t live without you. You couldn ' t leave me up there all alone! exclaimed Tuff. All right. Tuffie, I ' m going to leave it up to you. But please don ' t call it an orphanage. Tuff, because it isn ' t. All the boys and girls living there are waiting for someone. Don ' t you see? You ' d just be waiting for me. that ' s all. Tell me your answer in the morning, will you? Now, forget about it and come on! Let ' s eat! About six-thirty the following morning. Tuffie slipped out of bed and woke Dannie. Lving awake in the night, he had decided that if Dan- nie wanted to fight, he could live in the Home for just a little while. The decision had been a hard one, as could clearly be seen by the dark circles and red eyes on Tuff ' s strained face. Psst, hey, Dannie, wake up. I ' ve decided. Dannie ' s head rose groggily off the pillow, and seeing Tuff, he sat up quickly. You sure. Tuff? Positively sure? asked Dannie. Sure, I ' m sure! You go ahead and fight the ol i piialcs and llicri come back and jicl nii-. O. K., Dainiit-y ' askrd iuH. Sine, and tluuiks, Tutl. You bel youi l)0(it.» I II be back as .soon as 1 can and gel you, replied Dannie.

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20 IDDieS Think a minute of the many things that have been done for us to make our school life more pleasant. Physical education has become a prominent part of the school system. Various literary and musical clubs and social activities have been organized for our enjoyment. A pro- gram such as that of compulsory education in- evitably has to cater to extremely varied types of people of different aptitudes and interests, ne- cessitating courses adapted to meet their vary- ing needs. These, too, are adequately supplied. If ue take the right perspective on things, we get an entireh different view of life. Why not make a success of our present career, and thus insure our career in the future. THE ALBATROSS Joan MacDonald, ' 48 White specter of the sky. Restless phantom up on high; On swift and fleeting wings you fly To distant lands. Onward rapidly you speed. No man of any land you heed; Forward endlessly ou lead To distant lands. Take me with ) ou, mystic soul. 0 er the earth to wheel and roll : et e er headed toward our goal Of distant lands. TREE TOPS Louise Reddy. ' 48 Gazing from my window in the morning Sunlight, I see the tops Of the trees, bending And bowing in the wind. The laz clouds mo e with Grace, to form a frame For the tree tops, bending And bowing in the wind. At night 1 hear them creak And groan as they move In countless rhythm, bending And bowing in the rain. Dawn ii|)car . and I know Th.il lhi ' ate laridiiii! ni .■ lalcl) grace, bciiding And bowing in the wind. TODAY ' S TOMORROW Jane OWeill, ' 47 Another age. the atomic age, has come to the world. Now that we are on the threshold of a new era, the teen-agers of today become of ital importance. To whom does the problem of the future belong unless to us, the future citizens of the United States. There are many serious problems confronting and threatening our democracy toda . One of the principal problems is that of racial discrim- ination. Are we willing to accept other races into our social life? It is, naturalh, onlv de- mocratic that we do, for we cannot preach de- mocracy unless we practice it. WTiat shall be done with the great and fear- ful atomic bomb? Is it our privilege to preserve its secret; 1 ask you, is it? Are we not causing suspicion and distrust if we do so? It is inevi- table that the secret must be shared. Will there not be attempts, perhaps successful attempts, to create a more devastating, a more terrifying, de- structive weapon? The atomic bomb will and must be allocated to peace-hungry people. How shall we institute democracy in the de- feated nations? Shall we force it down these peoples ' throats, or shall we, through defeated but liberal leaders, strive to set up a true demo- cracy ? Shall we continue to export food to the rav- aged countries? Or shall we devour it selfishly ' to satisfy our own wants? Would that be the ac- tion taken by a peace-loving nation, a democra- tic nation? I think not. These are just a few of the problems that threaten to disunite us in this new and appre- hensive age. Whose duty is it to solve these problems? It is the duty of the young citizens of America. We cannot go on oblivious of that fact. One might call us the most significant generation in the Lnited States. Can these all-important problems be solved? es, thev not only can. but must be solved. Prob- lems that deal with the health and happiness of man can only be solved by people thoroughly ed- ucated in democracy. It is these intelligent people that will be the foundation of a staunch and stable government. And so, as we enter this new age. we must con- template these problems and sohe them wiseh . We must become united in a powerful chain of democratic. truK deinocralic. people — free from sii pirion III an other nalion. Vc aif ihc be- ginning link in llic cliain llial i lo be (lev cloiu il. Let us not break this imperati e chain.

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22 The next two weeks were busy for Dannie, and they went much too fast. After Dannie had left and after his first few weeks of complete lone- liness, Tuff came to like the other boys at the Home, but best of all he liked Pat. Pat was also seven, but unlike Tuff was very dark, quiet and serious. They would often talk about Dannie and Pete. Pat ' s older brother. Pat understood how Tuff worshipped Dannie, and they often talked about how they wanted to join the Army — TufTie, the Tank Corps like Dannie, and Pat the Air Corps, like Pete. Whenever a letter arrived. Miss Davers. the nice lady as Tuff call- ed her, helped Tuff with the hard words and then he would run and read the letter with Pat. One day Tuff received an unusually thick let- ter from Dannie, only it was from France, not New York! He ran quickly and told Pat the news. Pat, where are you? Pat! Come quick! yelled Tuffie. Here I am, over here by the swings. What ' s the matter? replied Pat. Tuffie ran quickly over and said in short breaths. ' Dannie, he ' s in France with his tank. Golly, he ' s where all the Germans are. Wow! I ' ll bet he ' ll be a hero! Don ' t cha bet. Pat? Boy, I wish I was there with him. Maybe he ' d let me drive the tank; don ' t ya think so. Pat? He says he ' s sending me something! ! Gosh, what could it be? Maybe it ' s a shell or something, think so? Or a rifle, or jeepers! — maybe even part of a German uniform! exclaimed Tuff. Gee. I don ' t know. Tuff, but I bet it ' s some- thing nice if Dannie sends it. Here ' s hopin ' it comes soon, said Pat. Boy, I hope so too, but come on ; lunch is re ady! Tuff suggested. Tuffie had been at the Home for three vears when the news about Dannie came. At first Tuff couldn ' t believe that Dannie was gone, but Miss Davers had tried to explain it to him. He couldn ' t understand, however, and went to Pat. Say, Pat, what Miss Davers told me wasn ' t true: was it? It just means that he ' s gone back to where I used to live and wants me to meet him, doesn ' t it? Golly. Pat. maybe I ' d better go now, said Tuff, his mouth trembling. Go ahead. Tuffie. I ' ll tell Miss Davers after you ' ve gone, and then she won ' t find you until you get to Dannie, suggested Pat. Tuffie found a way to run awa) from the Home during the night. He reached the old gloom house and ran (|uickh up the rickety stairs. TliP followint nit ' iil. Miss Davers found Tuff at iiis old tciiemeiU house deep in the shuns. He was asleep in Dannie ' s old chair, and his tear- stained face was strained from exhaustion. In one hand was an envelope that he must have re- ceived just before he had run away. In his other hand he clutched the long-waited-for en- velope labeled SURPRISE. Miss Davers gent- ly took the large envelope from Tuffie ' s clenched fist, and opened it. A large photograph, a pho- tograph of a tank, fell out. and lettered on it clearly was Tuffie I. On the photograph Dan- nie had written, Dear Tuffie, — The fellows and 1 have decided that Tuffie is a well-earned name for our tank as we have found it can be de- pended upon almost as well as I can depend on you. We are all proud of you. Tuff, and don ' t forget to stay where you are. I ' ll come back and get you soon. Love, Dannie AN AMERICAN CEMETERY May Manning, ' 46 The sound of taps comes sweet and clear on the evening breeze. The sentry takes his ap- pointed post. This is not just another routine da in an armv camp, for the men out here will never again heed the sharp, clear notes of reveille or the bark of the sergeant ' s voice. Their job is done for- ever. They are the American dead. They fell in battle on this very spot. And here they will re- main, forever, all united in the one common bond of death. These men who lie here did not die in vain. They died for an ideal, the ideal that all men are created equal, no matter whether they were born to the splendor of riches, the average middle class, or to lowly poverty. In their hearts a fire of freedom burst into flame, and that flame carried them into battles that led to death. There is no racial prejudice to mar the sad- dening beauty of this place. As vou look down into the valle . the rows upon rows of white crosses are etched against the deepening sky. Men from all races and walks of life sleep peace- fully here; Brown, the kid from the rolling farm lands of Iowa, who had never been to a beach in his life except when his assault boat landed that early morning not so long ago; Spinelli, the kid from the west side of Chicago; and ly- ing between them Goldberg, the boy from the ghettos of INew York. His cross is different from the rest, for on top of his rests the star of David. If ye break faith with us who die. we shall not sleep. That ' s how the poem goes. If we break faith, the hosts of gallant dead will rise from llicir liallowi-d ground and poini their a (Usin; ' lingers al n--. a hs ucuk anrl sirive lo hold ((111 newly-vvon pt-ace. Lei us never foj- gel what they died for, or we shall be forevej danuied lo the living hell that is known as war.