Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR he had entered wide open. He could hear the breathing of the other man quicken and become heavy. Then came absolute silence. He stepped out from the shadow and faced the head of the stairs in time to see a dark form re- treating back down into the locker-room on tip- toe. Waiting until the form had passed from sight into the damp blackness down stairs. Dono- van himself descended. At first he could not see. but, as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he made out the figure of the unknown intruder, moving slowly along, apparently examining witii much difficulty the number of each locker. Suddenly Donovan caught his breath. There was something familiar in the stoop of those pow- erful shoulders. Who------Ah! lie knew. The unknown was Clancy, a new rubber taken on a few weeks before. Donovan frowned. Clancy, he knew, had no love for him, for Clancy’s left eye still showed the results of a little set-to the two had had a week before, from which Clancy had emerged in a much worse condition than Dono- van. A dull click broke the sullen stillness. Clancy had stopped before one of the long row of lockers and had twirled the combination lock correctly, for the door of the locker was open before him. Donovan, watching closely from the shelter of the stairs, saw him draw something, a glittering, tick- ing something, from his pocket, saw him hesi- tatingly. regretfully place it in a certain pocket f a coat hanging in the locker, and then----- Suddenly the man before the locker stiffened: his gaze roved from side to side, and his fingers twitched convulsively. Donovan realized that Clancy had sensed the fact that lie was being watched. Immediately Donovan found the electric light switch with his fingers and switched on the lights. Then he stepped out and faced the other man. Well, Clancy,” he said, was it cold feet or a guilty conscience?” Clancy stood glaring, but said nothing, so Donovan continued. It's all very simple, Clancy. You've had your eyes on that watch ever since you've been here. Did that open door startle you a little? If you'd had any nerve you'd have made for the door and run for it. Yes. it's a clear case of cold feet. Clancy sneered. Well, what are you going to do about it? he asked. 11 Do? echoed Donovan, surprised. Why. what would you do, now, if vou were in my place? I guess I'll keep you here till the boys come, and then put it up to them. They'll be here in—let me sec—about four minutes. Then Donovan got into action, for Clancy, evi- dently deciding that his engagements elsewhere would not permit him to wait for the boys, came at him with blood in his eye. It was a merry encounter while it lasted, and it lasted some few seconds less than a minute. When it ended, Clancy was fiat on his back, his damaged left eye still more damaged, and the right one almost equally as much. And there was Donovan, breathing a little hard but unmarked, smiling above him. Clancy, conquered and broken in spirit, looked up. The fierce sullenness in his swollen eyes was gone. They were pleading now. Finally he spoke in the voice of one making a confession. I was tempted. Donovan, from the moment 1 saw that watch. Hut you don’t understand. His voice broke and faltered. There’s a littie girl, my wife, sick in bed. All she needs is---.” Donovan broke in harshly. Cut it out, he commanded. It’s the truth. persisted Clancy. You won't believe me, but it's the truth. She needs nourish- ment and proper attention, and what I'd have got from that watch would have supplied her with both. You’d have done the same thing, he finished. Mis eyes were pleading again. Donovan look at him. He believed the man now. Yes. I guess I would.” he said thoughtfully. Donovan had a wife himself. Then you’ll let me go? Clancy got un- steadily to his feet. His eyes sought Donovan's eagerFy. but Donovan turned away, lie stood for a moment with his back to Clancy, and his hand went deep into his pocket. When he took it out again he turned around. Go ahead. said Trainer Mike, and held out his hand. Then the Dooming sound of rhythmic cheering was born to their cars like the rumbling of a dis- tant volcano. Out in the open air Clancy was not thinking of the triumph of the Reds, lie gave no heed to the howling, swirling mob around him. In his right hand he crumpled a ragged, old twenty-five-doll it bank note. In his mind was the picture of a girl

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IO SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR waited. His breath was coming in gasps, and his eyes were nailed on the ball. here was only one minute to play, when on a fake punt forma- tion, the Ranual quarterback tried a forward pass. His aim was good, and the ball shot straight towards the end, who waited with out- stretched arms. Bill made a wonderful leap in the air. and some- how caught the ball, tucked it under his arm, and sped for the goal line. Ear ahead the goal post seemed to dance before his eyes. He heard the heavy thud of the pursuing halfbacks, and now, as he flashed across another whitewashed line, he heard their sobbing breath and could almost feel it on his neck. Only fifteen yards more? But his knees began to weaken. He gasped and staggered on. Nearer and nearer came his two pursuers, and. as he crossed the ten-yard line, lie felt a hand clutch- ing at his back, and then the two mighty backs hurled themselves on him, and he fell across the goal line with the men on top of him. Time was up, and Bill had made his “S.” “ Ibe Sucker B ? jfranl; C. iDavus, '13 HE rhythmic cheering from the stands is suddenly swallowed up by a great spontaneous roar that comes from the throats of Red and Blue supporters alike. For from out of tlie midst of the struggling mass in the centre of the field the oval pigskin erratically bounds, having escaped the clutches of the blue- halfback who had carried it. A blue end flings himself at it. but the ball successfully evades the grasping arms. Immediately a red-jerseved youth pounces upon it. cat-like, and in the same motion comes to his feet, the ball held securely in the crook of his arm. ( n the instant he is off. a clear field in front, speeding straight for the goal-line, fifty yards away. “Better come over to the clubhouse and have that knee patched up, hadn't you, Bob? solici- tously inquired the cver-cautious trainer, Mike Donovan. “And then a siiowcr and a rub wouldn't harm you any, you know. Captain Bob Storer, out of the game with a wrenched knee after crossing the goal-line for the first score of the afternoon, shook his head impa- tiently. The veteran trainer stood for a moment, think- ing. Possessed of a vigorous constitution, al- though rather slight physically, there were few men of his weight or near it who dared stand toe to toe with him in a fair fight. Well. he said, that knee should be attended to at once. I'll go over myself after some fresh bandages.” He started off toward the clubhouse just as the whistle blew on the field for the resumption oE hostilities. In ten minutes, now, the game would be over, and it seemed as though the Reds were going to repeat their hard-won victory of the year oefore, for Captain Storer's recovery of a fumble and sensational run for touchdown, with the goal which followed, looked fully large enough to hold safe the battered and discouraged gladiators in blue. The clubhouse was a long, low building off at the northern end of the stadium. Donovan, with his pass key. let himself in at a side door. The building was still now, very still, for he was the only one in it. Everyone else, substitutes, rub- bers, even the watchman, was down on the side- lines. Trainer Mike's rubber-soled shoes made no sound on the hardwood fioor as he crossed the narrow hall to the storeroom. He quickly found the roll of elastic bandage for which he had come, and had turned to pass out again when a sound from the locker-room below brought him to a halt. ()n the cement fiooring underneath, heavy foot- steps sounded, their echoes reverberating hol- lowly through the empty building. They passed dirccth beneath him, turned, and then started up the stairs over at the left. Puzzled, Trainer Mike hesitated, then took a couple of steps forward, and standing in the shadow of the wall at the right of the stairs, waited for the unknown to appear. The footsteps continued to the top of the stairs, and then suddenly stopped. Trainer Mike swore softly, lie had left the door at the side on which

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12 SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR restored to perfect health, the color of the roses blooming in her checks. Donovan, still standing thoughtfully in the locker-room, came to himself with a start. “Gee!” he muttered ruefully. “There’s an aw- ful hole in my hank account just at present.” Then— Hang it! I wish I knew whether or not lie played me for a sucker.” XEbe (Turning of tbe By? iRobert C. Bourne, ’12 Worm THINK it was so lovely of Mr. Brown to offer to take us out in the boat, ' exclaimed the matron perched in the stern, the motion is so exhilarating, don’t you think? I hear you arc quite an enthusiast, Mr. Brown. Doesn’t the motor ever get out of order? My husband has always said that he wouldn’t own one for a farm, you know. But then I think such a nice, comfortable boat as this one—and Speedwell is such an appropriate name, too.” Yes. I fell in love with this boat the moment 1 laid eyes on her, ’ rejoined the other matron. “The agent wanted to show us another, but 1 told George that it couldn’t possibly be better than this one. and George thought the same as 1 did, so we bought it. Did you till the oil cups. George, be- fore you started? I — 1 think so,” answered George, I'll look and see. and relapsed into silence while puttering about the engine. The foregoing conversation was held in the stern of a small motor dory, chugging down the bay. Mrs. George Brown, regent of the Ezekiel Stockman Chapter. I). A. K.. was entertaining the state regent. Mrs. James, Briggs, for the week end at her summer home at the seashore. As may be inferred. Mr. George Brown had been called into requisition to furnish the entertainment for the guest. Mrs. Brown was a woman of brilliant talents, high ambitions, and somewhat decided opinions. I’nder her administration the Ezekiel Stockman Chapter had developed from a comparatively in- significant body to one of the largest and most in- fluential chapters in the state. ()f this she was justly proud, and aspired to become state regent. With this once obtained, who knew but that she might some day attain the president-generalship? Mrs. Brown hardly dared hope for this, but she had set her heart on the former office. With this end in view, she was entertaining the present in- cumbent of that position, about to retire, with the hope of getting her favor and support. From the height of her social aspirations, she looked upon George as merely an accessory to obtain the de- sired object. She therefore devoted her time and energy to arousing the interest and friendship of the Exalted Personage, and almost forgot to di- rect George in the running of the engine. Of George little need be said. He had been Mrs. Brown’s husband for so long that he had no recollection of ever being otherwise, and it was only on extremely rare occasions that lie ventured to protest mildly against her imperious decrees. On this day. however, he was filled with a vague resentment against he knew not exactly what. and. while outwardly as meek as ever, scowled darkly ahead, and turned the small steering wheel in the bow with vicious little jerks. The boat had been skirting close to the shore, owing to the beauty of the scenery and the height of the tide, and George now started to slip in be- tween a small sandy island and the beach. He had just reached the centre of the narrow channel which separated the island from the shore, when with a gasping cough the engine stopped. The boat at once lost its momentum and drifted slowly with the light breeze toward the shore. George glared impatiently at the engine, and Mrs. Brown gazed inquiringly at George. He walked aft, gave the wheel a petulant twitch, the boat shot ahead a few vards. and stopped again. George thought he noticed something wrong with the car- buretor. and bent down to examine it, amid the vociferous advice of his wife and the inane re- marks of the guest. A circumstance that none in the party noticed