Trafalgar School - Echoes Yearbook (Montreal, Quebec Canada)

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life, and his eagerness for an unknown destination lent the scene mysterious excitement. Then, on the most remote shore, a camp fire flickered from behind the trees. The mystery was cleared, the destination known. High above a bird called on its way homeward. Dusk had arrived, the time for return to shelter, a time to be enjoyed through companionship. Naomi Curry, Arts VI, Barclay House. ON GETTING TO SCHOOL Each morning sharp at five to eight I rush from home or I ' ll be late. I wait and shiver, nerves on edge. For a dawdling bus marked Cote des Neiges. At last it comes with bursting seams, Its human load packed like sardines. To gain access we struggle hard. Before the final Prenez-garde. I have no tickets, and alas ! The old crab makes me show my pass. I don ' t know what he wants to see — The ghastly picture ' s not like me. And so we swing and bump and sway. As we proceed along the way. I tread on toes, get nasty looks. And struggle with my load of books. My straphanging is quite a feat. For never do I get a seat. At last McGregor comes in sight, And with a struggle I alight. I ' m glad to see the last of thee, Oh monster of the M.T.C. Alice Craib, Form Vb, Ross House. MECHANICAL MANNERISMS MACHINES have very human personalities. Kindness brings out their best qualities, while abuse will make them mean and unco-operative. If you take good care of your machines they will do their work well and stay nice and healthy. Machines are rather delicate creatures and are forever breaking their bones. If a machine has fallen and broken some part of its body, a careless person might try to mend it by using glue and adhesive tape. Of course you are not the careless person, so you should take it to a competent machine doctor who will do his best to restore the patient ' s health. (Besides, the adhesive tape and glue method is seldom successful.) As might be expected, with poor handling, a machine will often become sick. If you have adopted one, such as a garbage disposal, you must be extremely careful about its diet. If you feed it carelessly, it is likely to develop a case of acute celery-stringitis or perhaps silverware poisoning. [33]

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THE PYRAMIDS Built by the blood of a million slaves. Mute testimony of Egypt ' s glory, They once stood fair and crowned with rays From Ra, the Sun God, famed in story. But of that glory, now alone Remain these blocks of crumbling stone. Full etched against the burning sky. The desert sands swirl round them still. And o ' er the tombs of kings gone by The desert now can work its will. The splendour of an empire, gone As fade the stars when comes the dawn. Though mighty Egypt turned to dust Still they endured, and still they stand ; Their tombs are robbed, their treasures, rust. And all is covered now in sand. But they are timeless as the sea And stars, through all eternity. Anne Begor, Form IVb, Gumming House. DUSK THE SUN was sinking in the west, making the craggy slopes on the western shore mingle with the water in a purple shadow. The reflection of the tall pines welled slightly with the dying movement of the water — not so much a movement, as a deep breathing which hinted at the dormant power of both trees and water. In that reflection the bottom of the lake, shale and sand, could be seen, but elsewhere the lake had locked its secret for the night and the waters were unfathomable black depths. Although visibility would remain for a time yet, the blue haze which precedes darkness had begun already to drape the summit of the hills. No doubt the evening star would soon appear over the forest, and night would descend. From behind an island slipped a canoe, silently propelled by the paddle of a lone man. He paddled with a steady stroke over what appeared to be a predetermined course towards the end of the lake. His presence gave the lake [32]

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A vacuum cleaner is especially susceptible to diseases of the lungs. If you are not careful, it will very likely begin to cough right in the middle of a cleaning job, rendering it useless for several minutes. When its coughing fit is over, a layer of dust one inch thick will cover everything in the room, and to top things off, the poor vacuum may become violently ill all over the newly cleaned rug. This i s usually considered to be quite a nuisance. To my knowledge, machines have never organized a labour union, but they do have definite ideas about how much work they should do. If a washing machine is given a very heavy load to wash, it may do one of three things. If it is the I-know-my-rights type, it will simply refuse to do anything at all. Then again, if it is the neurotic kind of machine, it will take one look at the clothes and then try to strangle itself with them. This is ruinous to both the machine and your clothes. The third type of machine is the industrious sort. It will decide to do all those clothes or die trying. Usually it doesn ' t die, but it does have a nervous breakdown and isn ' t fit to work for weeks. Since all this is very impractical, I suggest that you consult your washer and never give it more work than it feels it can do. Machines are like little children, and when you stop to think about it you really can ' t get along very well without them. Treat them with love and kind- ness, and they will rarely disappoint you. Oh dear! Please excuse me. That wretched stove has just cremated tonight ' s dinner, and I had hoped that it would be nice. Judy Lorenz, Science VI, Barclay House. CHRISTMAS EVE THE SNOW fell softly, transforming the countryside into a white fairyland. Dark green patches still showed on the fir trees surrounding the farmhouse, and contrasted strikingly with the white background of the hillside. There was no sign of life in this corner of the valley, and no light showed in the farm- house windows. Suddenly, a small brown whirlwind tore round the side of the house, barking to be let in. The happy laughter of children echoed through the trees. Three small boys appeared tumbling over each other in their glee. They ran back to their parents, just emerging from the woods, and helped them pull the heavy sled to the door. They lifted the newly-cut fir tree from the sled and dragged it indoors. Light flooded the house. The children began to decorate the tree in the window with strings of popcorn and gaily coloured balls. A church bell rang somewhere in the distance. It was Christmas Eve. Elisabeth McKay, Form IVb, Ross House. MAN ' S PLACE IN SOCIETY WHEN I WAS young I was quite fat and people used to tease me a great deal. At grade school I volunteered to help in the cafeteria, where, after the food was served, I wiped off the tables. As I went around, people offered me their sandwiches, which I took, and sometimes their dessert. This of course did not help my figure, and soon I was nicknamed the Human Garbage Can. [34]