Trafalgar Castle School - Yearbook (Whitby, Ontario Canada)

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McLeod remained. Mother and Father went into their room, and I climbed the ladder and lay on the floor of the loft. From there I could see pretty well but the logs in the fire crackled so loudly that I could not hear what was said. Elizabeth stood by the table with her back to Mr. McLeod. Slowly he walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. He spoke to her, and she turned around, her face aglow, laughing and crying at the same time. Then she was in his arms. I was so happy that I put my head in my arms and cried. When I looked up Elizabeth h ad her golden, wool cape about her shoulders, and Robert was ushering her out of the door. 1 wondered where they had gone, and I waited there on the floor, for their return. The loft is cold. 1 became tired and stiff with waiting, and finally went to I awoke with Elizabeth laughing and shaking me. The sun shone through the window and turned her hair to gold. Her eyes sparkled as she raised her head, and showed me the shining gold wedding band. She and Robert had gone in his sleigh to Toronto, and they were married. She was blushing and starry-eyed, and I was so glad that she was happy. So you see, Katherine, I have had a very exciting few days. Now my school- master is my brother and my sister is Mistress William Robert McLeod, a school-master ' s wife. I shall write to you again soon, and tell you more of Canada, this wonderful land, but to-day I am too excited. P.S. Mr. McLeod says that he supposes a school-master can afford to study law and support a wife — especially if she is as pretty as Elizabeth. He says only an idiot would stay single. bed. Your affectionate friend. Molly. PAT RIDDELL A mournful sound, A dim light shone, A whoshing passed. And then was gone: And so was home. THE TRAIN in the far distance A shrill piercing call: The wolves. Out of the quiet night The eerie cries come forth Echoing to far distant lights: The wolves. M. MUNRO E. WESTHEUSER PAGE NINETEEN

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dipping my pigtails in the inkwell. I did not mind a little ink, but Mr. McLeod said that inky clothes make more work for mothers and older sisters. So yesterday morning when Mr. McLeod said that we could have a skating party on the river, and then go to my house afterwards, we were all excited, but Robert and I most of all, for we were both hoping. Of course, unless girls want to be called Tom-boys , they do not skate, but it is fun to watch the boys race across the i e. At seven o ' clock last evening, all the school children met in front of the house. Mr. McLeod and Father each drove a team, and, in two sleighs, we started along the River Road to a place where the ice was smooth and wide and windswept. It was very cold, so each of us was warmly wrapped in fur robes. Mother gave us each a hot brick wrapped in wool to put at our feet. It was a merry ride, with fourteen of us bundled into the sleds, singing winter songs, all the way along the road. The horses seemed to dance in time to our music and their harness bells added a jingling, merry note to the night. In the distance, through the dark trees, a huge brush fire burned brightly. Mr. Matthews from the General Store, Mr. Stewart, the harness maker, and Mr. Taylor and Mr. Dupuis, and many other town people were there. They helped us down from the sleighs, and we girls stood laughing and chatting about the fire while the boys attached their skates to their boots by leather straps. I wished so hard that I could skate too that it must have shown in my face, for Father said, Now Molly, you know little girls don ' t skate . Little girls! You would think that I was eight instead of twelve and knowing my sister was a-courting. Soon however, we tired of watching the men and boys glide over the shining ice, so Father took us home in his sleigh. At home the smell of baking tarts and ham met us at the door. Our heavy oak table sagged under the weight of the goodies set out for our guests. Elizabeth, in her best dress, stood tying the bow of her crisp white apron. Her auburn hair gleamed in the lamplight, and her cheeks were rosy with excitement. Her dress was indigo blue wool, and looked just lovely. Mother and she made it last autumn. They spun the thread and wove the cloth and dyed it with some lumps of indigo dye that Mother brought from London in 1848. Elizabeth looked very lovely with her long, full skirt and tiny waist, as she carved the huge smoked ham on the table. I wish Mr. McLeod had been there, for it was very domesticated. At last, when all was ready, we heard sleigh bells jingling, and shouts of laughter, and knew that at last the boys and Mr. McLeod had come. The door burst open, and they all tumbled in, with rosy cheeks, and snowy boots. Mr. McLeod came in last, and he stopped short when he saw Elizabeth. She pretended to be busy with some tarts in the oven, but her face was redder than oven-heat could make it. I wish so hard that she would go over to him and speak, and then they would not be fighting any more. She did not go to him, but instead she hung up the boys ' jackets and caps, and he put another log on the fire. Throughout the party, it was like that. They ignored each other completely with- out really showing that they were doing so. I saw Mother look at Father and he just shrugged his shoulders sadly. At last everyone began to leave, until only Mr. PAGE EIGHTEEN

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Found by a Form-Teacher Our Classroom, O.L.C. Dear Parents, We want to tell you about Initiation Day which was on Friday. After school, we ran to the Bulletin Board to see the order the Head Girl had posted there. Jane Carruthers said that all the new girls were to wear a slip over a gym. top, and a full skirt put on topsy-turvy and gathered at the waist, with a belt to hold it. We were to have lipstick on our hands, a nylon stocking over our heads, a nylon sock on one foot, with a rubber over it and a sock with a paper bag over it, on the other. You can imagine how funny it looked. The old girls felt very mighty when the new girls had to bow down four times to each of them. Our poor knees ! They were so dirty ! The tasks included shining shoes, dusting Main Hall stairs with one piece of Kleenex and countnig the squares on the side-walk. Some had to find pine cones for the fireplace, and some had to wash Dr. Osborne ' s car. At the end, everyone had to bunny-hop all the way down to the school gates and back. We changed for dinner and went into the dining-room as usual but we had to eat with the left hand in square motion and drink milk or water with a spoon. I do not think that I had much dinner that night. I did not have much sleep either, because I was so excited. We could not talk or smile and if we did, we heard that we should have to pay a forfeit. Every- one else in the dining-room laughed so much. Miss Carter laughed too. It was really a nice event. With love from, The Elementaries PAGE TWENTY