Townsend Harris High School - Crimson Gold Yearbook (Flushing, NY)

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CRIMSON AND GOLD Yet Bob and Will never let their most unfortunate domestic situation be known. Whenever they were not alone they re- ligiously avoided all mention of sisters, and to attain this end often employed every conceivable kind of subterfuge and artifice. In fact, a casual observer would never have dreamed that either one had a sister. What could have caused such a state of mind, no one can say, but the most plausible theory is that they were possessed with a great fear of ridicule. Today it seemed the inevitable could no longer be avoided. Irv and Norman would mention sisters, and no matter what trend the conversation took, they managed to introduce the fatal word. Despite all of Bob's Herculean efforts to avert the unpleasantry that would result if the true state of affairs were to be re- vealed, Norman Sturman brought mat- ters to a head. You don't know, Irv, how lucky we are not to have any older sisterf, Oh, donit I?T' responded Sweet, agree- ing perfectly. Bob and Will,adopting a time honored device, sat back, to all outward appear- ances entirely oblivious of what the others were saying, hoping in this way to hear the end of the discussion before long. But Irv Sweet insisted These poor guys must have to take plenty from their sisters. The strain on Bob was too great, he could stand it no longer. The trouble with you is that you have no older sisters, he retorted, as he arose with great dignity and stood before them. Our sisters are nothing like you think. They treat us perfectly alright. Whatl demanded Sweet, they never give you orders and bawl you out? No, never, continued Will in Bob's behalf, they don't do anything of the kind. My sister speaks no differently to me than youid speak to your mother. My sister never yells at me because she's too considerate. Inwardly both he and Bob wondered how much for how littlej of that last compliment their sisters really deserved. And, he continued, it'S the same with Bob because I know his sister pretty well. Bob hastened to assure them that it was exactly as Will had said. His sister was also too considerate to scold him. It was most absurd for them to think that she would yell at him, and dictate her mandates to him, for he would soon put her in her place if she tried. So, said Bob in concluding his ex- temporaneous discourse, you see it's not so bad to have an older sister as you imagined. Mine is not my boss, and what's more, if there's any bossing to be done, you can bet she'd listen to me. Will had already gone upstairs, because he was afraid he would expose the com- plete falsehood of everything that Bob had said, either by bursting into con- vulsive laughter, or by exhibiting a look of dumbfounded amazement as Bob waxed bolder. So the gathering dis- banded. The two sisterless ones arose, duly impressed, for Bob's oratory had convinced them that it was far from calamitous to have an elder sister. As Bob watched them walk away he smiled inwardly. How lucky it was that he had thought many times of what he would say if he were compelled to speak on the subject. CHAPTER FOUR, It was half-past three exactly, and Sun- day afternoon as Bob stepped into the street to find Will and perhaps repair to a theatre. He had never expected to be allowed out for he was due to visit his aunt, but that engagement had been broken at the last minute. His mother, then, knowing nothing better to do with him, permitted him to go down to the street. Nobody was at home in Will's house. He had not expected to find Will's par- ents home, but Will had expressly told him that he was going to be in all Sun- Pagc Fifty-one

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CRIMSON AND GOLD much greater frequency She had failed but once to have an annual birthday party, However, on the occasion of her thirteenth, Alice's despotism was exceed- ingly obnoxious. She had at first sug- gested that he be locked in his room dur- ing the course of the partyg but when he threatened to stamp on the floor until the ceiling would fall, and thereby dis- rupt the party, Alice, fearful that such a practice would prove very disconcert- ing, allowed him to come. He was de- barred from competition in all games and glared enviously at the successful par- ticipants as they received their prizes. But when he presumed to ask Elsie Gor- don, who was sitting next to him, for a piece of her candy, the sororal wrath de- scended like a thunder-storm and Bob went supperless to bed. This was but one of the myriad of in- cidents in which his sister had completely humiliated and reduced him. And such was the atmosphere in which he grew up, for when he had reached his fifteenth year he was still completely subject to petticoat rule. CHAPTER THREE. It was half past nine on a Saturday morning as Bob stepped into the street. Of all times that Bob looked forward to with pleasure, by far the most eagerly awaited were the few hours of each Sat- urday when he was permitted to go out on the street. Not that he was kept in the house the rest of the week, but his sojourns were irregular. However, he could always depend on Saturday and very rarely was he disappointed. The street was the one place that afforded Bob some degree of personal lib- erty. Here there was no sister con- stantly standing over him, lest he occa- sion her displeasure. Here he was master of his own destinies, He could do what he liked, and speak what he liked, and read what he liked fvery frequently he smuggled books out of the housej. He could go to see a moving-picture without flflfjt' Ffffj' the consent of anybody. And when the cop was not around he could play ball, a game which his sister considered far too strenuous for what she termed a delicate constitution. Bob, of course, de- nied possession of such a thing, but that was oflicially established by parental de- cree at the solicitation of his sister. Pk Pls Pk Pk Pk Pls Pk Pls He was not long out before he met Will Holt, his buxom friend and compan- ion in misery. How did you get out so early? de- manded Bob. Oh, returned the other, with a sig- nificant nod of his head toward his resi- dence, your sister just came up so mine let me downf, I suppose our darling sisters are dis- cussing new methods of making them- selves nasty to us, said Bob as he heaved a sigh of complete resignation. 'Or perhaps to- Will had starred to say, but he suddenly stopped and Bob easily understood why when he saw his sister Alice and Will's sister, Catherine Qonly Will and Bob were not permitted to call her Kitty j walking toward them. After addressing several words to their most affectionate brothers, they walked on. The two friends sat down on the stoop in front of Will's house as their sisters turned the corner. I berjl said Will, that they're only walking around the corner trying to catch us playing ball, Suddenly their conversation assumed an entirely different, tone and the reason was the approach of Irv Sweet and Nor- man Sturman, who were secretly envied by Bob and Will. They would sooner have changed places with these two than with anyone else under the sun, for in their opinion two more fortunate fellows existed nowhere the wide world over. They had been born to their parents be- fore any sisters had, and hence, unlike our two friends, their existence was not subject to sororal mandates.

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CRIMSON AND GOLD day afternoon. Of course Will could have accompanied his parents. In fact, that first seemed most probable to Bob. Yet for some peculiar reason he dismissed this likelihood and gave it not a second thought. Will, by himself, would not have gone anywhere without waiting. So he eagerly ran down the stairs in the hopes of finding Will in the midst of a gathering, or promenading up and down the avenue. However, Will was not around. He looked all over for him, even to the ex- tent of walking around several square blocks, and scouring some places that were their occasional haunts. Yet there was no Will. He had not been in the candy store all day, and that was most remarkable. Obviously, if Bob would find Will, there was nothing else to do but Wait. Half an hour passed and Bob was no nearer to finding Will than he was be- fore. Still another thirty minutes passed without any result, and not only Will did net show up, but no one else did, and the ennui was becoming very pressing. Another quarter of an hour soured Bob's patience so greatly that he arose to walk away, cursing the gods of fate who so arranged circumstances that it was im- possible to rind companionship when he was permitted to repair to his hermitage, the street. Simultaneously with his action of aris- ing, he saw Norman Sturman and Irv Sweet approaching him. They had not seen Will and they had been around all day excepting the last hour or so. It was exceedingly strange, they commented, that he had left no word in the candy store. Sadly the unpleasant possibility affixed itself on Bob's mind as a disagreeable reality. Will had left without him, and now he would be compelled to go to a party without Will. To Bob, who was fond of friendship and company, and es- pecially Will's, the prospects in store for him were far from pleasing. Page Fifty-ftt'0 Bob was about to leave, when he saw his sister walking briskly toward him. Robert, she demanded, what are you doing down here? You come right up- stairs with mef, The worst had come long before he had ever dreamed of it. Yesterday, to these very two he had pointed to himself as an autocratic brother, and now he was confronted with the task of prov- ing, either true or false, the vehement assertions he had made. The situation, obviously, called for some fast and sharp brain-work. Assuming that he meekly obeyed his sister's command, he could imagine their merriment, the perpetual laugh that sight of him would provoke, the stinging jibes he would be compelled to bear. He thought, concentrated, and re- solved, while his sister glared at him, awaiting a reply. Better by far, said he to himself, to suffer a penalty of com- paratively short duration, than be forever compelled to endure the ridicule of his companions except Will, to be the butt of their wit and the object of their mirth, and above all, by far the worst, be branded a bluffer and a braggart. With this psychology, he turned to face his tormentor. He tried to speak, but it seemed as though a heavy lump in his throat would prevent him. Now with redoubled effort, Bob managed to over- come this difficulty. Slowly his mouth formed the fatal words: H Suppose you go up yourself and mind your own businessf' No sooner had he spoken than Bob wished he could recall his words. He saw his sister gasp almost imperceptibly, amazed at his sudden insolence. Never before, not even in his most violent bursts of temper, had he ever dared to address her with such cool impudence. His surging mind imagined sheld speak again. Perhaps it would be a repetition of the command in such a tone and man- ner as would make it extremely pre-