Turlock High School - Alert Yearbook (Turlock, CA)

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The Secret of the Locket 0 NE afternoon during the great world war, Mrs. Emerson sat read- ing the last number of The Ladies' Home journal, As she turned to the news pictorial, a group of undernourished children stared at her. There is more than one group, she said. These little boys must be twins-A pretty, but starved baby-There's an intelligent boy and gill and how like Theresa's are that little girl's eyes! the bent intently over the page. Soon she discovered that the cllildren whose pictures were on that page were Belgian orphans who were not only penniless but homeless. The magazine was ap- pealing to prosperous Americans to give homes to the little waifs whom Germany's militarism had made motherless and fatherless, Mrs. Emerson was a childless woman. She and her husband lived happily in the suburbs of Oakland. Quickly thoughts began to come to her. There was no reason why they could not welcome at least two of the poor little mites into their home. There was room, and to spare. Her eyes kept wandering about the page, but they always came back to the picture of the intelligent boy and girl, the girl who hal eyes so strangely like Theresa's. Thoughtfully she alternately gazed out of the window, and looked' eagerly back at the page of pictures, That evening after discussing the matter with her husband, Mrs. Emerson wrote to the journal and requested that the two children be sent to her home. For several weeks there were many preparations in the Emerson home. A playroom was miraculously added to the house, while pretty bedrooms were mysteriously fashioned from one of the guest rooms. l At last came the eventful day on which the new members of the household were to arrive. Having taken one last look at her prepar- ations, Mrs. Emerson hurried away in a spirit of great expectancy. Of course she must be there to welcome the little tots! It would be very pleasant to have two little people in the large home. They would be her own, too-not by birth, of course, but she would be a real mother to them just the same. By this time she had reached the pier where the boat was drawing in. How should she know them? But then, those eyes-like Theresa's she'd surely recognize them. Presently a little boy and girl came down the gang-plank. But they couldn't be the ones. She had never seen little beings so emaciated. Poor kiddies! Mrs. Emerson found herself moving eagerly forward. However, they were the children for whom she had looked so eagerly. All the motherly love that God had 20 I .

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life saver and then the fishing was bad, After a few more unimportant incidents the like of which I shall leave to your imagination, we set out, much to my joy, for home. In summing up the results of the trip, I found the following: LOSSES A lot of good sleep and good humor for tiveg half of one inner tubeg three snag linesg top section of fishing poleg line, hooks and sinker for sameg part of one pair of trousers. GAINS One blowoutg bad humor for fiveg two halibutg one exceedingly well developed black eyeg sundry scratches upon my pedal extremities: 21 personal distaste for fishing with women. Moral: Cherchez la femmefl -BRUCE PEARSON, '20. Q Ai M Some High School IPS If you can keep your head, when all about you Are pretty girls, some making eyes at youg If you can think of them and do your lessons, And make allowance for their flirting toog If you can master love and mathematics, And treat these weighty subjects just the sameg If you agree with teachers when they tell you That dreams of love will never lead to fame 9 If you can calmly watch some other fellow Take home your girl because his car is newg If you can drive your Ford and keep from longing To break his head and own a Buick, toog If you can wish him joy, and really mean it, And say, Old boy, you're welcome to my girl g If you can gladly fill each blessed minute XVith only noble thoughts and deeds well doneg You're far too good for earth and all that's in it, XVhat's more, you'll be an angel soon, my son. HAROLD HJELM, '21. 19

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placed in her heart welled up in her. She reached them, introduced herself, and cuddled them both in her arms. ' As they were getting into the car which waited at the curb for them, Mrs. Emerson suddenly was filled with horror. She had noticed for the first time that the boy's right hand had been amputated. Cf course, she managed to conceal her thoughts, for she knew that little Albert was too much of a man, even though only nine, to accept pity. During the ride to her home she wondered how such a misfortune could have befallen the child. VVhen the car stopped beneath the portechochere, Mrs. Emerson told the children this was their new home. Then she led them up to their rooms. There she left them with the maid to remove the travel stains while she went down to the library. Here she summed up the things that had been forcibly brought to her mind. She counted them off on her fingers. First, these little ones must have quantities of good nourishing food. She must have ever so much more milk than her present supply. She should order it that evening. She reached for a memoranda pad and made a note, Sec- ondly, the youngsters needed love--all that she and james could lavish upon them. The third fiinger was for lots of pretty clothes. Then she thought of the competent governess they must find-and a swing in the grape arbor would be sure to please them. Besides these there were other things she had noticed, Antoinette. who was thirteen, seemed to be taking the place of both mother and father to the little 'brother. Goodness knows though, she exclaimed, he is such a little man he doesn't seem to need mothering. That the children speak almost perfect English, is rather strange, ,I think. just then she thought of an errand in the kitchen, She would tell cook to use lots of cream, and to put an extra egg in the custard. As she neared the door which swung into the kitchen, .she heard gthe maid telling cook, -most beautiful old chain and locket to match that I ever saw. Do you suppose she'd let me take it off when I bathed her? I should say not! Of course, she didn't say it with her lips, but her eyes seemed to say, 'Don't you even touch it.. It is the most sacred thing I possess. ' I 2 It was a happy group of four who sat at the dining table fhat evening. Mrs. Emerson knew perfectly well that children should eat in the nursery, but as they were such dears, she made an exception that evening for it seemed so much more like a real family that way. james Emerson fell in love with the little folks at once, He filled their plates again and again until little Albert said laughingly, fand this was the first sign of joyous mirth he had shownj: Non, non, monsieur! Merci, monsieur. I have dined as a king tonight. I could not eat another mouthful. 21