Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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6 THE SOMERVILLE RADIATOR '%t3a's Strategy Xaura iDitllc, X., '07 c I IE sun was just setting beyond the ex- tensive tobacco fields of a plantation in Virginia. Amid the lengthening ■ shadows of the fast-gathering twilight, bringing to an end the heat of the day. with its cares and toils, two figures were seated on the veranda of the old Brag- don mansion. Roth were silent, gazing at the familiar hills and fields which stretched far and wide. The man, small and slender, with his woolly, white hair offsetting his black, wrinkled face, was the first to attempt conversation. Wa!. ‘Liza, ‘pears ter me yo’ ain't much fer talkin’ ternight. Wha’ am de matter? Ain’t cher gwinc talk?’’ “Yo' jes’ min' yo’ bizniss, ’Rastus Jotliam Wash- in’ton. an’ !c’ me alone. Nothing more was said until a form appeared in the doorway of the house, and some one spoke. Oh. Eliza, I've found you at last,” sighed Mrs. Bragdon. What shall i do? You know that be- fore Colonel Bragdon died, he asked me to always keep our custom of having the annual dinner, and we must have it this year, the first one after his death. But there is nothing to give to the guests. As you know, we rely on the tobacco; but the pro- ceeds have not come in yet, and will not in time for the dinner!” Tcr’blo, ter'ble,” nodded Liza, rocking back and forth in her chair. Then, you know.” continued Mrs. Bragdon, “we have no poultry to speak of except the turkey gobbler, and that would be far from enough.” Suddenly a light shone in Liza's gleaming eyes, and she said • Xebber yousc min', honey. Sic an’ ’Rastus ’ll tak’ car’ ob dat. You jes’ stop worritin’ ober it an’ we uns '11 fix dat all right.” Mrs. Bragdon, glad to place the burden upon the strong shoulders of the old. faithful family servant, thought little more of it. She felt that, in the hands of the trustworthy servant, surely everything would come out right. TJza did a great deal of thinking that night, and the next morning, while washing dishes, she con- fided her plans and made known her orders to ’Rastus. Now. yo' sec here. ’Rastus Jotliam, when it gits dark ter-night youse gwine driss up lak a gal; yousc gwinc put on dat rid driss ob mine, an' a kcr- chcef, an’ my ole yaller sunbonnet. Now. vo’ jes’ berember. an’ yo’ nuts' act reel lak’ a chile, too. Yo’ tak’ ina’ does bastrik an’ put dat turkey gob- bler in an’ go an’ sell it.” “Yas, ’Liza.” said ’Rastus meekly, for he knew that to go against ’Liza’s orders would mean trouble. Toward evening that day. a little figure clad in feminine apparel, with a covered basket on its arm. stole cautiously away from the gate of the Bragdon mansion. It made its way toward a plantation about a half-mile off. There was no difficulty in selling the gobbler, and after depositing it in the poultry yard. ’Rastus re- ceived two dollars and a half and returned home. Late on the same night ’Rastus again went stealthily from the house, and went to the same place where he had sold the turkey. He took the bird from the yard, careful not to awaken any one, and then, running home, placed it safely in the Bragdon poultry yard. ()n the following day affairs went on as usual. The gobbler was strutting about in the yard, and Mrs. Bragdon could discern nothing amiss. Toward evening ’Rastus, again attired as a girl, slipped out with the turkey, and, going in a differ- ent direction from that of the previous night, sold the bird a second time. Again late at night he stole the gobbler back, and again placed it in the Bragdon poultry yard. This went on for four nights, and ’Liza thought that in two more nights she would have enough money for the dinner. On the fifth night, as 'Rastus started out to sell the turkey, ’Liza called him back, and said : Now. min'. 'Rastus, be keerful an' don’ yo’ fergit dat dorg wha’ youse gwinc ter. Don’ yo’ class ter fergit.” As 'Rastus neared the house of the Grants, where he was to sell the gobbler, he forgot about the dog, which was feared bv very many people, and was hoping that this would be his last night as a pedlcr. The sale was made quickly enough, but as 'Rastus turned from the door, he started to hop and skip. The dog, seeing the fluttering red dress from behind the house, flew out and took hold of it with his jaws Rastus shouted lustily for help. Upon hearing his shouts, the inmates of the house came running out. It was too late for ’Rastus to escape then; for his sunbonnet had fallen back on his shoulders, disclosing clearly his black face in the moonlight. With much difficulty he explained his conduct to the Grants, who laughed exceedingly over it. Then, quickly retaining his turkey, he re- turned home with many misgivings. Bres ma' soul.” he said to himself, almost sobbing, hope ’Liza won’t skin dis pore nigger.” Upon his confession to ’Liza, her anger at first was beyond words, but afterwards she began to give ’Rastus his just deserts. Wha’ fo' vo’ do dat? Yo’ am a pore fool ob a nigger.” Mrs. Bragdon. hearing the disturbance, came from the house, and seeing ‘Rastus in the torn aj - parcl, which neither of the darkies had thought of in their excitement, demanded an explanation. She was greatly mortified, and on the following day sent 'Rastus to return the money, with a note of apology to each plantation where he had been. After that she said no more, but proceeded to make plans for the dinner herself. But ’Liza remained angry for several weeks. She was forever freshening the incident in the mind of 'Rastus. “ Yo’ pore fool ob a nigger. she would sav, yo’ deserb a good hard lammin’!” And ’Rastus would meekly reply: Yas, ’Liza, I knows it. ’Liza, I do fo’ shore.”

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S37 STACK 03°) THE SOMERVILLE RADIATOR W hitcomb, who for the past eleven years has been the beloved head master of the Somerville English School, but now is at the head of 15 rock ton’s school, made a formal address at the opening exer- ciser. Brockton is to be congratulated, for the govern- ment of a high school could rest in no worthier or more efficient hands than those of Mr. Whitcomb. We greatly regret to announce the loss of Miss Ingram and Miss Small, both members of the Eng- lish School faculty. Miss Ingram resigned in favor of the Brookline High School, while Miss Small taker, charge of the English department in Brock- ton High School. K « We are pleased to learn that Mr. Southworth has once again resumed his duties at his office in the City Hall Annex. His illness was the cause of much anxietv to his many friends and, in fact, to all those who knew him. 9 ► r. Tiie football season has once again opened in all its glory, and again comes the question of school patriotism and fealty. Are the games to be at- tended by a small and unenthusiastic crowd, or are they to be witnessed by the majority of the student body, loyally cheering their fellow-schoolmates on to victory? We are optimistic enough to hope for the latter, although the spirit shown thus far is in no way encouraging. Cheer leaders were chosen •early, and everything within the management’s power has been done to arouse enthusiasm. Now, schoolmates, it rests with you. not to remedy the apathy shown in this one respect, but to strike at the root of the evil bv overwhelming the existing indifference toward all things connected with the schools, that need and deserve your support. Attend the games, and by fervent cheers en- hearten the players to strive their hardest to gain the honor for which they are battling. K Relentless Death has taken two more of our members to their eternal home. One, Miss Mil- dred I fall, was a member of the English School, •class of 1007, and the other was Miss McGarr, of the class of 1008. Miss Hall had for some time suffered with rheumatism, but nothing serious de- veloped until this summer, when she was stricken •with typhoid pneumonia, which resulted in her 5 death. Miss Margaret McGarr passed away on September 10, after a sickness of only five days. The sympathy of the entire school rests with the relatives and friends of the two young ladies in their sad bereavement, but “The path of sorrow, and that path alone Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown.” r k We take this opportunity to express our thanks to the faculties of both schools for their timely as- sistance to the new staff. Particularly are we in- debted to Miss Merrill and Miss Pratt, as their thoughtful advice and kind encouragement have served and will continue to serve, we trust, as our most dependable mainstay. r r »» ». The need of a school song has long been felt, and. considering the fact that there are so many rhymers within our own precincts, it seems useless to remain in need longer. It has been suggested that the bards” submit their bardic lays” for publication in the Rawatok, from whence compe- tent judges may select one or two as standard school songs. For the football song published in this issue we are indebted to Edmund A. Arnold, English. ’07. i; it it It It is the earnest wish of the staff that the Raima!ok shall serve as a medium for all matters connected with school life. Club notes are earn- estly solicited, and, in fact, anything which will be of interest to the readers will have a place found for it. As is well known, the editing of a class column is an arduous task unless the editor is as- sisted by notes from his classmates. Therefore we beseech you to aid in any way possible your class editor, as this department is one of the principal features of the paper. All material must be written on one side of the paper only. All material must be in on or before the tenth of each month. ------------♦■»•♦-♦----------- ■Resolution Whereas, by the divine will of our Heavenly Father, our classmate, Mildred G. Hall, has been taken from us; and Whereas, we, the class of 1907. have learned of her death with great sorrow, we hereby offer reso- lutions of sympathy with her parents, who mourn her loss. William T. Henderson. President.

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THE SOM HR VI LI.K RADIATOR 7 £be Ibarpist :«5 ? Cora TH. Sargent, JE., '07 31 HK auditorium of one of the fashion- able theatres in Paris was crowded to the doors. Every one seemed gay and happy, laughing and talking sb rapidly that, as I forced my way to my seat, the place reminded me of a hive of bees, buzzing on all sides of me. I was alone, and as the gossip of those around me annoyed me, I had intended coming in just as the curtains would open. 1 was only five minutes carlv. so awaited the time patiently. I hat night the girl harpist was to play for the first time in Paris. She had come from America followed by showers of praise which seemed impos- sible for a young girl not yet twenty to have at- tained. That night the highest society of Paris were ready to welcome her. as they often do noted artists at first, and later dismiss them with a smile which longs for something new. I had taken a sudden interest in this girl. Why I do not know. I longed for her success and triumph as 1 imagined she longed for it. Although I had never seen her. her youth strangely appealed to me and her strong devotion to music. Music has been a dominating part of my nature, and nothing touches my soul as much as the soft, vibrating tones of the harp. The five minutes were up. and the lights in the great auditorium were slowly lowered, while the string orchestra became more and more distant. The people ceased their chatter, and as the crimson curtains parted became lost to everything but what was before them. I gasped in amazement as I beheld in the centre of the stage the harp. Such a beautiful one is rarely seen, and I gazed upon it as if fascinated. At one side of it was the little seat. These were the only objects visible. The stage was dimly lighted, and on all three sides were hung curtains of deep yellow satin. The effect was mystical and wonderful. I felt as if I was in a strange, beautiful land. But as I gazed, the golden curtains at the back slowly parted and the young harpist came forth. Gowned in a white, soft, clinging robe, devoid of ornament or jewel, her golden hair falling from her shoulders, and her violet eyes shyly meeting the gaze of the people—she stood before us. The people clapped long and loud, but she only responded with a slight nod and took her scat. For a moment her fingers hesitated, and I felt myself tremble, but for the second time she lifted those wondrous eyes and began to play. She held us spellbound. Hardly a breath could be heard. More and more I seemed drawn within tlmt strange land. As her slender fingers moved, she never withdrew her gaze from the people. Xo smile lighted her face. but her whole soul and every emo- tion was portrayed in her countenance, as well as in her music. Some folk song, simple and sweet, then a brilliant rhapsody, then an original compo- sition : many and many she played, resting now and then for a minute. At last, after having played with our emotions, from sadness to joy. from bitterness to sweetness, from passion to calmness, she stopped—but did not rise. The moments passed—site turned to her harp and played that piece that is known and loved, not only bv Americans, but by all. “Home. Sweet Home.” Her whole being was poured into those few simple notes. Then site arose and slowly drew back, and the golden curtains closed. The audience did not move. All were in tears. Many had bouquets which they had intended to threw to her. but they were forgotten. Finally the flowers were thrown on the stage and the clapping began, not loud, but long and half-broken, like so many sobs issuing from a thousand throats. She did not appear, and we did not expect it. Still moving under the spell the young and beau- tiful harpist had cast over us. that great mass of humanity passed from the doors of the theatre— without sound. 5. O. fID. Club The oresent school year finds the S. O. M. Club stronger in numbers and as active as ever in school and social affairs. The Alpha Chapter has already held two successful meetings, as has also the Beta Chapter, and a well-attended general meeting of the club was held at Flemming Hall on October 8. Schedules of social affairs have been made up, and the coming year promises to be an eventful one. The annual club show will be held at Odd Fellows Hall February 34, 1906, and the members, with their many friends, have already started things going, all of which portends for the eminent success •of this coming event. New members arc constantly being recruited to the ranks of the votaries at the shrine of S. O. M., and the institution of a third chapter is now medi- tated. ----------»♦—+—-♦■» fl bi ZUpba On September 28 the Phi Alpha Sorority held its first meeting at the house of its president, Miss Katherine Foote. After a short business meeting, a social hour was enjoyed and light refreshments were served. It is hoped to make this year the most prosperous yet. and many good times are looked forward,to. The officers of this year are: President, Miss Katherine Foote: treasurer. Miss Ada Hallctt: and secretary, Miss Dorothy Crane.