Stoughton High School - Stotonian / Semaphore Yearbook (Stoughton, MA)

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Literary (Continued) Supper ' s ready and waiting, she announced. Join us, Craven, said John, rising from his chair. Thanks, said he, don ' t mind if I do. We take up the story again some two hours later. The atmosphere inside the house is suffocating and the three people in our story have gone out onto the porch tc get what little breeze there is. The keen despair of the Reids does not seem to have been imparted to Mr. Hiram Craven who again is pressing upon John his offer of $7,000 for the farm. Craven, said John at last, ' I can t sell this farm. It ' s my very life. I built this house and the barns myself. I ' ve improved the soil and grown good crops here up to this year. I ' ve worked my fingers to the bone and grown old here. Look at my wife. She ' s fifteen years younger than she looks. I ' m praying for something to save my life ' s work. Oh! for the blessed rain. I can ' t sell. The little group grew silent, so did the world around them. The wind no longer rustled the parched wheat stalks. Hiram Craven moved his feet nervously. He coughed. Then abruptly he turned, went down the steps and toward his car. As he was about to open the car ' s door a faint spattering struck his ear. (Mancing quickly upwards he perceived masses of unnoticed, tumbled clouds. And from then fell, of all things, rain! The spatter increased to a stead v pattering which in a moment proved very uncomfortable to Hiram. Jerking open the door of the automobile be popped into the seat and then he glanced back at the house. In the now roaring downpour he saw two figures. John and Mary Reid. They were on their knees in the rain their faces thrown back to its refreshing coolness. It was difficult to say whether their faces were wet with rain drops or tears of thankfulness as through the sound of the rain came John Reid ' s voice, the blessed rain. ROBERT SMITH You Can ' t Win An Argument (After reading Dale Carnegie ' s hook ' ' Hon to W in Friends and Influence People ' ) You can ' t win an argument, you ' ll hear many folks say, But we all get into one, about everyday. ' e il argue for hours on one little thing, We ' ll argue so loud, it ' ll make your ears ring. And what do you get? Just a sore throat, Maybe a headache, and the other guy ' s goat. ou ' ll be telling your best friend that he ' s all wet. And lose all the confidence of folks you ' ve just met. And so my dear friend, take a tip from me. Give in to other folks, and admit )ou ' re up the wrong tree. HENRY LAARHOVEN ' 39 Page Thirty-

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Literary (Continued) personality, not at all bashful and a perfect mate for Ginger Rogers? Mike Crim- mins. Next on the list — but with a jerk I came awake resolving to confine my little snacks to the after noons. BLANCHE ROWLAND ' 38 ' ' The Blessed Rain ' ' The hot. dry wind blasted across the endless, dreary plain. It rustled the parched yellow-brown leaves of a wheat field. It drove dust particles against a low, rambling frame house surrounded by barns and machine sheds. On the porch of the house, in a creaky rocking chair, slumped a weary, discouraged man who gazed with unseeing eyes out over the dry fields confronting him. From the door behind him came a tired-looking woman in a faded gingham dress. Well, John? ' she said. It ' s no use Mary, turning about in his chair to her. The crop ' s done for. This wind s uncovering the roots and I don t dare run a cultivator. The soil ' s too dry anyway. Tiat will we live on, John? she faltered. God only knows. he replied. This crop was to take us out of debt. Now it ' s ruined us. ' We can t sell the place I suppose? Not a chance. hy the farm s blowing way in this wind. His wife quietly turned and entered the house leaving John with his head bowed forward on his two hands. The faint purr of a motor brought him into tense expectation. A cloud of dust on the road to the house dissolved and showed a speeding car which grew in size until the figure of the driver drew a look of hate and distrust to John ' s face. As the occupant of the car alighted and waddled up to the porch he called in a voice meant to be friendly. Well, howdy-do, Mr. Reid. A faint, surly nod was John ' s reply. How goes the crop, friend, squeaked this blowy individual whom I shall introduce as Mr. Hiram Craven. Crop ' s done for, was the short reply. What are you going to do? I don ' t know. Want to sell? No answer. I say, my friend, squeeked Craven. 1 11 give you a fair price, say .S7,000. ' That wouldn ' t pay half of my debts. returned John. Besides, what am I to live on? Here came the slam of the screen door and Mrs. Reid stood on the porch. She nodded to Hiram and he half-bowed in return for this friendly greeting. Page Thirty

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lAterar (Continued) By Gum! There certainly i? a technique about chewing gum — that mastication of a prep- aration of plastic soluble substances — which has not been mastered bv everyone. Nearly everybody at some time or other chews gum. but how many people are reallv proficient in the art? For instance, a person expe rt in this particular field may be seen chewing busilv - -and efficiently — one moment, and in the next you ' d think he had never seen a stick of gum. Magic? Technique! During the moment when you beheld his jaw rapidlv rising and falling he was unaware of your scrutinizing gaze. hen he became con- scious of it. howe er. he skillfully slid his tongue over the gum and with a swift movement placed it deftly in a secluded spot far back in the remote recesses of his mouth. Clever! It takes a very talented person indeed to execute the well-known trick of gum- pulling successfully. This feat is performed in many wa)s. but the following is the most generally known: the gum is placed by the tongue between the teeth, the greater part of it outside. Then it is delicately pinched between the forefinger and thumb of either hand, and the arm is gracefully extended. It requires an extraor- dmarily accomplished person to return the gum to the mouth without having it adhere nicssil) to those parts of the physiognomy most nearly concerned. We will not go into the techinque of bubble blowing here, as that is an art in itself and would require a separate chapter entirely. The parking of gum is a subject that has been well covered b many writers in many different fields. All we shall say is that the number — and variety — of places used for the purpose is so unbelievable that even the stores are thinking of introducing suitable places in which a busy shopper may park his — or her — gum while shopping, charging so much per hour. Be that as it may. you will find gum parked almost anywhere, from a hastily contrived retreat in that corner of your best pocket-handker- chief to a leisurely position on the inkwell in the post-office. As you undoubtedly realize, there are diverse material uses for chewing gum other than chewing. Many gum manufactories advertise their product as an indis- pensible beauty aid. Ladies are advised to chew — thus stimulating the throat muscles, strengthening the tissues, and in the end preserving youthful contours — that is, abolish- ing the double chin. Some gums are designed to take the place of toothbrush and tooth paste, manv a girl has found that in a pinch, a small piece of gum will discourage a stocking run: then you must consider its use in anchoring a rug on a newly polished floor; Page Thirty-two