Shields High School - Patriot Yearbook (Seymour, IN)

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By this time, not at all repulsed by this dignity, he had climbed down, and was standing beside me. Really you know, he said, that was an awful dejected attitude I found you in just now. What ' s the trouble? Can ' t I help you? I opened my lips to utter an indignant refusal, when his frank smile in- spired my confidence and I found myself detailing mj predicament to him; It ' s all because of my miserable pride, I ended, Now he ' ll openly de- clare that he never saw me before, and I ' ll be disgraced for life. Oh, come now, it ' s not so bad as all that, he tried to reassure me. It mil come out all right. He laughed lightl} ' as if he enjoyed it as a huge joke. Astonished at the levity with which he had treated my confidence, I scrambled to my feet and started off paying no attention to his, Oh, I say, don ' t hurry off like that. Country clod, I muttered to myself. I was more determined than ever not to fail. Then an idea struck me. I ' d hurry back and find Dick Gordon, whatever he looked like, and tell him all about it before the others came down. But what if he should have no more un derstanding than the boy in the woods ? Glancing at my watch, I saw that it was now too late for this plan. The others would be downstairs, and here I was not even dressed. Somehow I reached my room and quickly put on Katherine ' s pink taffeta dress. I went to the door, opened it and stepped out, then closed it softly. At the top of the stairs, I paused, trembling. What should I do when I got downstairs? Suddenly I heard Laura ' s laugh. How the sound grated on my ears! Throwing back my head, I descended the stairs with the same feeling the French nobility must have felt when walking to the giiillotine. Mrs. Jameson met me at the foot of the stairs and led me to the group of guests, murmuring introductions: Miss Marlowe, Miss Linden, Mr. Calvin, Mr. Harrison and of course, dear, you know Dick. At that both of my h ands were seized and I heard a masculine voice utter- ing a most cordial I should say she does know Dick. Dazed, I glanced up and saw standing before me, my acquaintance of the wood. A sudden rush of understanding came to me. You , I burst forth. At your service, he said, smiling down at me. Page Twenty-one]

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All went on calmly until just after Thanksgiving, when the blow fell. I was curled up on the window - t reading a book, when Laura came run- ning into the room. I glanced up, wishing to convey to her intelligence that she had intruded, when her words struck a chill to my very marrow, banish- ing all peace and calm. Oh Betty, she cried, Mrs. Jameson has just called me up and invited me to a week-end house party at her country home. Jack and Dick Gordon are going to be there, and she told me to bring you along, by all means, as you and Dick were such good friends. I told her about your delightful sum- mer with Dick. She is waiting to speak to you. Speechless, I got to my feet, and started down to the telephone. What should I do ? If I declined, Laura would of course talk to Dick, and find out that he had never even heard of me. That would be too much of an advantage to give my rival, for I knew that no time would be lost in spreading the news abroad at school. But on the other hand — if I accepted, it would be under false pretenses and I should be doubly embarassed if exposed before my hostess No, the only thing to do, was to go and bluff it out. All the time I was murmuring pleased words of acceptance — I was pray- ing for relief. I might just as well lie down and die, I thought. I will omit the following two days except to say that they were most painful. I lost at least five poirnds and an additional worry was added to my already crushing load. My clothes were now too large. I told Katherine Turner about my clothes and she offered me her entire wardrobe. On Friday evening we arrived at the junction and were met by Mrs. Jameson. Lucidly for me, the boys had not yet returned from a trip to the village. My hour of exposure was at least postponed and my heart grew a little lighter. On the drive home Laura chattered so incessantly that my silence was not bothered. On our arrival at the house we were shown our rooms to rest before dimier when we were to meet the other guests. In desperation, I began to pace up and down the room. Going to the window, I saw a treUis upon which was a vine, now bare of leaves. I quickly climbed down to the ground, and hurried in the direction of the wood, which I had noticed on our way to the house. There I sat down in a protected little hollow ; shut my eyes and tried to think. But my mind worked in a circle. A pebble fell into my lap and looking up, I saw a pleasant-faced boy, with the friendliest brown eyes filled with astonishment, probably, at seeing at the bottom of a gully a girl, sitting with her face buried in her hands. Hello! What ' s up? Not lost are you? he questioned. I felt myself grovnng hot all over. Provoked at having blushed before a mere country boy, I answered with all the dignity I could muster: No, I ' m quite all right, thank you. [Page Twenty

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t)usk VEVA PAUL c LOUDS SCURRY fast across the sky And silent dusk all unawares Creeps close upon the heels of day And for the night prepares. The wind slips back into the sky And leaves the earth in waning light — ; Then faint and few the stars appear Meek heralds of the night. Then in this hour of restfulness Pause, busy World, in sweet content And let your soul, tired from its toil, In calm of dusk be blent. OOSO0 [Page Twenty-two