Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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Till'. SOMERVILLE RADIATOR 9 stem, and the wind blew piercing cold, but the determined lad only set bis teeth the harder and braced himself anew. liis unde had either fainted again or had fallen asleep.—probably the latter, judging front his heavy breathing. Rut there was no chance of sleep for David: although lie was tired, he must remain awake and navigate the knockabout all night, or, at least, until the gale subsided enough for him to anchor safely. And stay awake he did. beating up and down be- fore that faithful lighthouse. The boat pitched and tossed, occasionally the sleeper groaned or spoke, the sea lashed itself into a seeming frenzy of delight over the boy’s predicament, with always that steady four reef blow, blow, blow. After a few centuries of tacking, coming about, and tacking. David began to see faces peering at Inm from behind the wave crests. He heard voices in the air. laughing and shouting at him. The faces drew nearer and took on a threatening look; the voices grew louder and angrier. Then it seemed as though the whole ocean were about to rise and sink the little craft. Sharp pains ran up his back, his legs grew weak, and his eyes went blind for a moment. With a tremendous effort he pulled himself to- gether and took a new position, repeating with des- perate emphasis over and over again: Stand by, child! Stand by! You’ve got to stand by!” A bout this time the wind abated a little, making the steering somewhat easier, as far as physical exertion was concerned. But with the lull came a fog bank which shut in over everything so dense that Dave could not see the other end of the cock- pit. For a moment he was at a loss what to do, until a whistle began to blow with suggestive regu- larity. As it was in the direction of the lighthouse, he decided to use it as he had the light for a range. A beautiful July morning broke. The sun before it had risen very high, burnt off the fog, and, the wind having subsided to a comfortable whole-sail breeze, the sea was as smooth as a mill-pond. Out- side the harbor was seen a knockabout under four- reefed mainsail beating up and down off Great Island Light. At the helm was a pale young giant in the last throes of exhaustion. Me kept up now only by siieer force of will. Presently the knockabout was seen to fall off the wind, slack her sheet, and run for the entrance of the channel. Coming further into the inner har- bor than before, she brought to off the steamboat wharf and hove anchor. Down came the sail, and was furled and stopped almost unconsciously by the brawny lad. The Katydidn't’s tender, con- taining three men. the absent crew, now came up alongside, and the occupants piled aboard. TeJI us----” Run for a doctor; Uncle Dave’s broke a rib!” was their greeting from the exhausted youth. Mr. Chamberlain, who had awaked about sun- rise. cried feebly: I'll tell you all about it. only first give three rousers for the bravest second mate that ever sailed a ship single-handed all night in a four- reef hurricane!” “All right. Uncle Dave. I’m a hero, but I won’t do it again if---” and the second mate fell into the captain’s arms sound asleep. Obe to 5. 111. anb X. jfootball (Air: Maryland. My Maryland.”) I. Oh, Somerville! my Somerville! Fast are nailed your colors high— Fast they will fly. proud in the sky, Just listen to the reason why— ()ur boys are true and play clean game, With honor ever as their aim. ()h, Somerville! my Somerville' For you our cheers continue still. II. Our boys in colors red and blue Upon the check” know what to do. They push the ball straight down the field, And never know the words to yield. We’ve kickers, too. there with the brick, (fur Captain Bowlbv does the trick. Oh. Somerville! my Somerville! For vou our cheers continue still. III. Our line is strong, let's raise this song To the backs who dash along. Tis they we prize, in them strength lies, Gleams courage ever in their eyes. (fur snappy “ends” have got the last,” They stop the halfs and nail ’em fast. Oh. Somerville! my Somerville! For you our cheers continue still. IV. ( ur quarter knows his business, too, ’Cause Mixer works for the red and blue; Our centre Ireland's fat and fair, He’s got the goods, and is right there. Our guards” and tackles fill the list. For all without them would be missed. Oh, Somerville! my Somerville! For you our cheers continue still.

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s THE SOMERVILLE RADIATOR TZhc Second filiate Ernest XU. Gbapin, E., '00 AVID ('I'MMIXGS was a lad of six- teen. He was only a Freshman, but was very large for bis age. being nearly six feet in height, with tough sinews and a well-knit frame. This was the third summer he had played the part—for it was play to him—of second mate on the knockabout Katydidn’t.” The “Katy- didn't was a swift, staunch, little craft some thirty feet in length, owned by Dave’s uncle, who used her in knocking about the shores of Xcw England and Xova Scotia during the summer months. This year it was July when they started out of Portsmouth. X. 11.. for a run north. The party consisted of Captain Ren Matthews, First Mate Uncle Dave'' Chamberlain. Second Mate David Cummings, before the mast. Dr. Francis Clifford and Lilly Edwards, two friends of the owner. David, being the youngest of the party, was of course the butt of all their jokes. He was not sea- man enough to be trusted with much authority, yet he knew more about handling the ship than did either of the landlubbers before the mast,” who were practically ignorant of the art of sailing. So it was that all the unpleasant little jobs fell to him. on the ground that it was the second mate’s duty.” If he objected, the captain, or Uncle Dave, would say. Got to. Second mate’s job always.” Some- times they would order him to do some such thing as pulling up the centreboard while the boat was sailing close-hauled and heeled ’way over, or swab- bing down the decks in a heavy sea, and then laugh at his vain endeavors to execute the command. Xeverthelcss, he had a very enjoyable time of it. for his work was in reality light, and he was the pet of the crew. The “Katydidn’t ran up the shore at a good rate with fresh southerly and easterly winds. Stop- ping in a day here and a day there. F.astport was soon reached. Here they put in for a look at the town. The boat was a stiff one. carrying a whole sail while others had in a reef or two, but she had scudded in under two reefs. The breeze was blow- ing east, with every promise of freshening. After deciding to remain in port until more favorable weather. Ren. the doctor, and Billy went ashore, leaving the Davids to stand guard on board. Xot being familiar with the place, the captain had anchored a little too far off in the outer harbor, ac- cording to his principle of never going too near shore in strange waters. Unfortunately he had chosen a bad situation, for the strong ebb tide and the stronger east wind made dangerous rips over the wicked rocks of the channel. As the rips grew chcppier and more ominous, the Davids grew more and more nervous, until finally the elder said: Looks as though we’d have to get out of here pretty quick.” Let’s put in the fourth now and get ready,” re- plied the other. Accordingly they set to work and reefed her down to the last point. When this was accomplished, the sea was running so high that the “crew” decided to up anchor and run for it rather than risk staying in that rocky sluicc-wav. Young David went forward to pick the course through the rocks, while his uncle took the wheel. Ir was a difficult problem to beat the ship out of a strange channel in that wind and tide, and with night fast coming on, but they felt capable of it between them. “Hard-a-lee!” shouted Dave, as they approached shoal water. Xo motion was made to comply, however, and the young pilot turned to repeat the order. There lay his uncle in a heap beside the wheel! David leaped aft. and. releasing the spokes from the grasp of the unconscious helmsman, spun the wheel over just in time to escape the jagged head of a rock. This tack brought them into breakers at the end of the channel. They looked dangerous, but it was do or die. so I avc gritted his teeth and braced him- self with a firm hold on the wheel. As the boat was pretty well heeled over, he luffed her up just as she reached the breakers, and stood by to cut the halyards if necessary. Rut, instead, he grabbed hold of them, barely saving himself from being swept overboard by a great wave which poured into the cockpit. Dashing aft again, he let the boat fall off on the starboard tack for a light lie had noticed coming in. lie didn’t know the name of it or where it was located—except in relation to the ship channel and harbor entrance—but he felt able to keep in deep water with its help. When Dave tacked ship again, all the water in the cockpit soused over to the other side and sub- merged Mr. Chamberlain’s head. As he had merely fainted, this brought him to. and with much difficulty ami many moans he raised himself to a sitting posture. “What struck y’u?” inquired the nephew in a hoarse shout. Rroke a rib against the wheel when she jumped on a flaw! Fainted!” replied the victim in a weak yell. “Look out you don't do the same! Say! But you’ve a job cut out for you! The boy soon realized the truth of this. The “Katydidn’t” was the best boat her builder had ever turned out. but Dave had all he could do to keep her from capsizing. The fierce wind howled in fiendish joy, the waves chased astern, eager to break aboard, while the knockabout, with her lee ribband awash and young David Cummings putting every ounce of strength on the wheel, tore along in the teeth of the gale. In ordinary circumstances the l oat was a remarkably dry one, but now she shipped every sea. The water swept from stem to

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10 THE SOMERVILLE RADIATOR TOtnmng Tilts “TOH” .16 j XUalter IE. IDernll, X„ ’07 ITUATED on the banks of a winding river in New England lies one of the many academies for which New Eng- land is so famous. This one has a record of which it may well be proud. Founded in the early ‘forties bv the Rev. James Willis, from whom it takes its name, Willis Academy has turned out many graduates who have risen high in the business or profession they entered. Indeed, two have become governors of their native state: one was an ambassador for a long term to Great Britain ; several have been emi- nent judges, and there arc lawyers, ministers, and merchants galore, some of whom now doubtless think of the time they were caught, while at the academy, making faces at their Greek teacher by his seeing their reflection in his spectacles, and wish that they were boys once more. One autumn day in the year 190—, there stood on the campus of the academy a small group of stu- dents just back from their summer vacation, talk- ing over in loud tones and with much laughter their experiences while separated. Now. fellows,” one of them was saying, 'T11 wager that I had the queerest experience of any of you this summer. One day I was out canoeing near my home, and carelessly I capsized the canoe. Well, you ai! know I can’t swim a stroke, and the water all around that spot was twenty feet deep. I started to flounder around and veil for help, when to my surprise I found that I wasn’t sinking. Well, if you'll believe it, when I investigated the cause, after help came, I found that there was so much cork in the soles of my shoes that it kept me above water just by its buoyancy ’ Tin's story was met with veils of derision, and one lx v said : Sec here now. ‘Fish’ Blodgett, if you give us any more yarns like that this term, we’ll doom you to eternal association with the Freshies.” And with this terrible warning, young Mr. Blod- gett subsided. At tiiis point the conversation was interrupted to greet the arrival of another youth, who was appa- rently well known to all present. “Phil Stubbs, by all that's wonderful, I’m glad to see you again!” exclaimed one. and there were other expressions of joy heard which indicated that the newcomer was, in the well-worn words of the story book, a general favorite. And now let us take a look at our new friend, who is to be the central figure of this brief narrative. Phil at this time was seventeen years of age. and while rather below medium height, showed by his appearance that his muscles were well developed. He was also noted for his swiftness of foot, having won several cups in different school races. He was quite the conventional hero, being the only child of a widow, who, deprived of her husband by a train wreck, had been left with scant means of support. There would have been small chance of Phil’s at- tending school for any length of time under these circumstances, but he was ambitious to obtain an education, and by doing odd jobs around the acad- emy in the three years previous he had earned money to pay his tuition, and had saved enough to allow him his full time for his own on this his fourth and last year at Willis Academy. But to return again to the group on the campus, where by this time the conversation had turned to what is the chief fall topic in almost every academy, high school, and college in these United States, football. “Topsy” Brady, the academy wise man. here making answer to one of his less well-informed classmates, said: Yes, fellows, we've all got to hustle this year, if we arc going to beat those fel- lows from Thornton Academy, for their team is one of nearly all veterans, while we have only three of last vear’s pla vers back, though we couldn't have any better captain than Fred Warner, who’s worth any two ordinary players.” But,” said another, they say that there are plenty of new fellows coming this autumn who have good material in them, so we’ll hope for the best.” Here Phil broke in: Well, boys, I for one am going out for the team, and it 1 do make a position on it. I’ll do the best I can to uphold the honor of the school.” Several others also said that they were going to try for the team, and after this, with promises that they would soon meet again, the group broke up and scattered to their different rooms. The next day marked the formal opening of the academy, and it passed off uneventfully except for the customary pranks played upon certain ones of the “greenhorns” by their elders, the Sophomores, who forgot in the dignity of their new position that they had been just as verdant themselves but twelve months before. And so a week passed by. Then Captain Warner issued the call for the football can- didates. and the athletic season had started. Willis Academy had secured for this year for her coach a young man named Blake, just graduated from L-------- University, where he had been one of the leading athletes. Although this was his first year at coaching, yet he was determined to turn out a good team, and therefore he gave more attention and time to the candidates than an older coach would have done. Seeing Phil Stubbs the first day among the other candidates for the team, he noted that he was quick on his feet, and resolved to sec how he would do at left end. Therefore he as- signed our friend to this position, with two other boys, both heavier than Phil, though nearly as swift as lie. Although it would be gratifying to tell how Phil by brilliant work beat his two fellow-students for the position, such was not the case. When the time came for the final selecting of the team for the Thornton game, the captain favored Phil for