Seven Hills High School - Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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IMI I IL Z? fi 1' C7 IV li the foresail reefed, but still the helpless vessel was rocked uncontrollably by wind and rain. The captain shouted incoherent orders to his men, deafened by the roar of the wind and the beat of the rain. flf After neverfending hours of frustrated attempts to keep the ship empty of water interspersed with hopeless prayers for deliverance from the storm, a final thunderous crash brought the foremast violently down upon the end of the bowsprit, severing it with its carved maiden from the doomed ship. Pk Pk ik GIA small boy, accompanied by his aged grandfather, is walking along the rugged shore of the tiny island of Bornholm in the southern end of the Baltic Sea. Suddenly the child stoops down, and, with a pleased cry, points to a piece of wood floating on the rippling waters a few feet out to sea. He quickly wades out and tows in his find, a tiny carved maiden whose sleek black hair, ankleflength dress, loose scarf, and faded kerchief caused the old man to gaze in melancholy surprise. He then speaks to his grandson in a low, farfaway tone: Your little figurine reminds me of another one so very like it I am tempted to believe it is the original. GK I'In my youth I used to watch the ships going in and out of the harbor and my favorite one was the Matilda, a twofmasted schooner. I remember to this day the heartbreak I experienced when the Matilda set sail one day and never returned. It was the day of the great storm when so many ships went under these very waters never to be seen again by human eyes . . . Yes-this little maiden looks very much like the Matilda's figurehead . . . I wonder . . . Ellen Tangeman 9th Grade LIGHT AND SHADOW if The small stuffy room which served doubly as a gymnasium and an audi' torium was in readiness for the evening's auspicious event. Filled with the mingled odors of rubber gym shoes and the red linament which is such comfort to aspiring young athletes who attempt to master the horizontal bars, it seemed very much more like a gym than a fitting hall to receive the great efforts of artistically inclined students. Although it was especially decorated with two rubber plants placed on each side of the narrow stage, the tumbling mats, exercise bars, and wooden horses which had been pushed back in the far corners, still dominated the scene. In the center sections, row upon row of wooden chairs, looking stubbornly and uncompromising upon the meagre wants of the human body, ranged back from the stage. These same chairs would soon hold the mothers and fathers, eager to marvel at their own child' ren's precocious abilities, and the little brothers and sisters, who were as yet too young to appreciate the excelling beauty of Willy's boy soprano voice or the tone artistry in Janet's rendition on the clarinet of Glow, Little Glow Worm, Glimmer, Glimmerf' GC But Elsie and Carl saw it, as they stood at the back of the room, as a miracuf lous enchanted land, Hlled with the Oriental splendor of a page from the Arabian Nights. The mingled odors came as heady perfumes to dull their senses and the stage with its potted rubber plants acquired all of the mystic beauty of an Indian prince's luxurious palace. Even the exercise bars and the page 69

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MIYLESTONE daughter to drive instead of taking her down to the Automobile Club. 'LWhy waste twenty dollars, he said, when l can teach my daughter just as well? ' Cf Sister has gotten her wish for on the next bright Sunday father and sister start off in the grey Packard without a scratch. Once upon the country highway, sister takes the car. CShe had only steered on the way out, while father controlled gas, etc.J The car starts with a lurch, almost goes off the road, and father, poor father, will grey before his time. 'Thank God, mother isn't in the car, was all he said. After the first shock, all was well and the beautiful grey car was returned to the garage, unscratched. Cf The next Sunday sister was sent to the garage for the car. Her only com' ment when the family, after a loud crash, found the bumper stuck in the garage door was that, It looks so easy when father does it. If Many more Sunday drives brought good results and father said that maybe he wouldn't grey before his time. The family also no longer hear loud crashes when sister leaves the house, the beautiful grey Packard is also still without a scratch. Soon fathers worries will begin again as brother is now 15. This time, however, I believe father will say fooey to Mr. Brown and the Auto' mobile Club will receive twenty dollars. P.S.-This theme takes place during prefwar. Betsey Wulsin 9th Grade THE FATE OF THE TINY CARVED MAIDEN ClfOn the tiny granite island of Bornholm in the southern end of the Baltic Sea, the chief occupation a century ago was fishing, and the islands best fishing boat was the venerable twofmasted schooner Matilda, which had weathered many a storm under the fond guidance of her captain, Knute Jansen. CfOn this particular day in early August the weather was ideal for fishing, the sun shining bright and warm and not even so much as a breeze to disturb the deep blue waters of the Baltic. In her berth in the broad harbor, the Matilda was being made ready with great care for an expedition to sea by her crew under the directions of her captain. Shortly all preparations were finished, and the schooner sailed lazily out to the open sea. After reaching an advantageous spot, the captain ordered the great anchor to be lowered, and the crew settled down for an uneventful day of hshing. llfAs she rocked quietly back and forth, her sails sparkling white in the sun, Captain Jansen surveyed his ship with pride from the lattermost tip of the mainmast to the forward tip of the bowsprit with its weatherfbeaten carved figurine. This tiny image portrayed a young girl with sleek black hair, who wore a ruffled ankleflength dress and a scarf loosely knotted around her neck, and held a brightly printed kerchief in her hand. This ancient Hgurehead was the only woman that hard old Captain Jansen had ever entirely given his heart to. Cf The lashing was good and the men, intent upon their lines, failed to notice the darkness quickly shadowing the sun until a flash of lightning followed by an earsplitting peal of thunder brought them to quick attention. The small vessel began to tremble wildly on the crest of the giant waves as her crew furiously began bailing out the flooded boat. The mainsail was lowered, page 68

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111' I I. 1? 55 7' CD IV I? wooden horses became troops of Eastern nobles mounted, on the blackest chargers, to do homage to their new master. Carl stepped forth, leading his princess, to receive the gifts and cheers of the crowd. He seated Elsie on the velvet covered throne and raised a hand to silence the cheering throng. if Most gracious lords, we accept your bounteous presents with a grateful heart. We shall do honor to the realm to the best of our ability and the standard of our country shall rise supreme. GI With this, he turned and bowed to his princess and was about to shower golden coins upon the populace when he heard a door slam in the school. Inf stantly, the spell was shattered in a thousand tiny pieces, and the princely retinues and their master became again the wooden gym horses and the exercise bars. Where, only seconds before a golden palace, framed by bending palm trees, had been standing, an empty stage ornamented by two potted rubf ber plants now existed. The musty smells closed in about them and blotted the lavish beauty of their one time kingdom forever from this scene. Rudely, Carl pulled up his princess , so easily deposed by one slam ofa door. Cf Come on, 'Sis'. Mom said Mr. Rice told her she'd get Bred if he found us messing around here after she'd cleaned. Well, we can play somewheres else. Cf They made their exit just as the first people shuffled into the auditorium and as they reached the safety of the darkened playground, the notes of janet's practice version of her solo, played rather badly off key, came to their ears. But, by now, they were riding a magic carpet deep into the night and the world of dreams and her shrill tones came as a sad lament from the Indian prince, mourning a lost King and Queen. l f f M Lila Gantt N 'pp A0 12th Grade of- 0,f 4 T ffm My +1 X' gg, .rv 'ff uf ,M lk M' Q J J page 70