Vergennes Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Vergennes, VT)

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VERGENNES HIGH SCHOOL FIRST JOB Avoiding the shoveled walks where a street-lamp cast its yellow glow over the newly-fallen snow, Joe vaulted the wrought -iron fence and in a half-crouch, the soft snow muffling his footsteps, raced silently across the sloping lawn. Skirting the pattern of light from the windows of the white hotlse, he halted in the shadows of a snow-laden bush. “Can’t miss,” he whispered fervently, gauging the distance to the walk. “Just as the ol’ boy passes the lilac bush, I’ll let ’im have it! Then a quick getaway over the backyard fence.” He smiled in the early winter gloom. Wait until the gang heard about this. They’d find out that Joe Young could pull off a job as slick as any of them. A guy had to use his head on a job like this. Well, there couldn’t be a slip-up SPRING FEVER Oh, what a feeling—my head hums, my heart is working double time—its spring— spring!— the time for love. The birds chirp and flit lightly from branch to branch—of course, it’s Mr. and Mrs. Robin looking for a suitable position for their future home. The gray squirrels scamper around looking for their mate. Up North the bull moose lays back his head and blows his challenge to the world to come and deprive him of his feeling. People hurry and scurry about; there is a new lightness in their step. It’s spring, the most beautiful time of the year. James Benjamin, Class ’41 (Ed. Note: We think he’s in love!) anywhere. For a week now the ol’ boy was always home for supper at six sharp. Must be around ten of now. He’d be along any minute. Mebbe the gang would respect him more after this. Mebbe they’d call him “Joe” instead of “Shrimp” and “Half-Pint.” They’d probably let him in on some of their jobs, like the one they’d pulled a coupla weeks ago. There was the old boy now. A guy could spot that derby a mile off. Gotta take it easy now. Wait until he passes that lilac bush. Can’t miss— gotta get him. Wish he’d hurry up now. Joe was already scrambling over the backyard fence when he heard the teacher’s angry cry— “Who threw that snowball?” Joy Angier, Class ’40 A MIRACLE The score stood 22 to 22 in the final game of the championship series between V. H. S. and Burlington High School. The clock was ticking off the seconds, and there was 20 seconds left to play as “Art” Moorby came flashing down the floor. He stopped at midcourt and let fly an arching shot at the besket. The ball spun toward the basket, and the whistle blew just as it split the twine to win the championship for V. H. S. Just then Mr. Hylan woke up to find that his first championship for V. H. S. was only a dream. James Allen, Class ’43 (Ed. Note: If only dreams came true.) PAGE TEN

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BLUE AND WHITE “A DIFFERENT HORSE” It was a beautiful spring day, not a cloud to ruffle the calm blue of the tranquil sky. The girl gazed around her appreciatively and thought that nothing could happen to spoil this perfect day. (She had a mistaken impression as you will soon find out!) The pleasant contemplation had no more than gained a foothold on her mind than a loud racket assailed her ears—and it came from the direction of the swamp. Her immediate conclusion was that some pet had got ensnared in the traps that the men set out in the swamps. As she came close to the trap she noticed a small, black animal which had caught its paw and was vainly trying to free itself. As the girl came closer she noticed that the animal had a pretty white stripe down its back —those are queer markings for a cat she innocently mused. Knowing that cats are sometimes fierce when caught in a trap she went back to the house to get a burlap bag to put over its head. The small animal offered no resistance (it couldn’t very well, with its cranium so draped) as she extricated its paw from the trap. “I’ll take it home with me and keep it until it’s well again.” Little did she know that the animal was a slightly different breed than a cat. On the way up to the house she was surprised to smell a queer odor which grew more nauseatingly strong as time passed and reaching up a hand to push back her damp hair she was again surprised to find her hair more than nat- urally wet. “It’s a skunk,” she moaned, the truth finally forcing itself upon her—a perfectly beautiful gesture gone to waste! “But I won’t give up,” she said, “it certainly can’t spoil the day any more than it is already. I’ll still keep it for a pet.” By this time she was at her home and was practically ostracized by her family— for very obvious reasons. She installed the “little animal of big smells” into a formerly occupied rabbit hutch, where it was comparatively happy. Our heroine immediately found some good strong soap and proceeded to eradicate the perfumy fragrance from her crowning glory. (Her family was allergic to that particular brand). When her hair dried she was amazed to find it more lustrous than it had ever been before and took a more lenient attitude toward our friend of the trap. His paw was not badly injured and in a few days it was as good as new. By now the girl had become so fond of “Deluge,” as her pet was later christened, that she wanted to keep him, and now he is a major attraction of the farm. When the girl tells her friends of her shampoo, they listen but don’t offer to be a guinea pig—she never wonders why! The moral to this story is: When a good deed you would do— On a sunny day in spring, Always look before you leap It might be a wise thing! “Toby.” Norma LeBeau, Class ’41 PAGE NINE

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BLUE AND WHITE BLACK It was a balmy day in the late 1600’s. The birds were chirping as they fluttered in and out of the bird bath on the lawn; while ■throngs of gayly dressed, happy people lined the narrow streets of Havenshire. Everyone seemed to be headed for the center of town; that is, everyone but Sue and her brother Nicky, who were sitting dejectedly staring at the people below them. “Oh, Nicky, see all the people taking flowers to the queen’s court. She is going to pick the most unusual ones and give a prize,” said Sue, looking dismally at her brother who was in deep thought, “and we haven’t even one flower to take, and, if we did, I couldn’t go because I’ve nothing to wear.” “Say, Sis, I’ve an idea! Why can’t we take some of those lilies down in the marsh?” Nicky, suiting action to words, jumped up and started down the path. “Do you mean the white lilies?” asked Sue, jumping up also, “but those are so common, everyone has seen them.” “Well, I’ll get some anyway. Put on your pink flowered dress. It’s pretty.” With that, he dashed off and soon his blonde head disappeared from view. Sue turned and went into the house. When Nicky came back a little later she was dressing; he went to the kitchen and fixed the flowers, then remembering his stomach he went to the pantry where he got the bread, butter and pepper and made himself a sandwich. He sprinkled the pepper generously on the bread spilling some of it; this caused him to sneeze but he didn’t mind PEPPER because he loved pepper sandwiches. Just then Sue appeared. “How lovely you fixed the flowers, Nicky. Let’s go.” Upon arriving at the palace, Nicky and Sue took their flowers to the reception room where the royal judges looked at all the flowers to decide whether or not they were worth the queen’s attention. Then, the children joined the others at games in the court yard. Nicky’s and Sue’s flowers were among those chosen by the judges for the queen’s consideration. As Nicky and Sue entered the throne room they noticed that the queen and her attendants were gathered about one end of a long table on which were the flowers. Drawing closer they discovered the flowers that were causing so much attention were their own. “They look like lilies, but those spots,” “What strange flowers,” “The strange odor,” “Whose are they?” such were the comments people around Nicky and Sue were making. Sue looked closely, then gasped, “Nicky, you spilled pepper on those lilies! Oh, they’re ruined! Why did we come?” But wait—the group around the queen had become very quiet. Sue started to pull Nicky out of the room, then stopped; the queen was speaking. “The flowers are all very beautiful, but I’ve decided to give the—achoo—(I must be catching a cold) to give the prize of five hundred gold pieces to the young people who brought these spotted lilies, as they are the most unusual I’ve ever seen. Will the young people please come forward.” Nicky and Sue went up to the PAGE ELEVEN