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

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VERGENNES HIGH SCHOOL queen, their knees shaking and their teeth chattering. Here are the gold pieces, dears. What do you plan to do with them, may I ask ? ” “I am goiifg to buy mother an Easter gift and Sue a new dress so she will always be as beautiful as you. If there’s any left I’ll save it,” stoutly declared Nicky, sneezing violently. Betty Fifield, Class ’41 CONTRAST MORNING With the first signs of the departure of the night’s darkness, there were a few faint streaks of colored light visible in the eastern sky. Individual objects came into view as the light’s intensity increased and a delightful, fresh breeze blew in from the distant sea. holding in it a trace of salt. The freshness of the morning was invigorating and spurred us on to our pleasurable walk. Ah, the colors in the sky became more vivid and their beauty made us halt to marvel inarticulately. Suddenly the sun, in’ all its glory appeared over the distant snowcapped mountains and shed its brilliant, strong beams on the dew-covered grass, making the tiny dew drops shine like gems. In yonder tree and bush the birds began to twitter and a cock in the farmyard of one of the valley farms crowed. Morning had come! THE NIGHT Beautiful, velvety darkness pervaded all. The freshness of the gentle spring wind felt like the caress of a lovely hand. The moon was slowly piercing its way into the eastern sky, with a beam of purest light following in its wake. The thickly growing trees were beginning to form an intricate pattern of shadow and light on the smooth surface of the road. There was nothing frightening or smothering about that darkness, only a feeling of beauty in the night. PAGE TWELVE

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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

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BLUE AND WHITE DAY IS DONE Slowly the dying sun slips behind the mountains, as a gold coin would slip into the bank. The sun’s ruddy glow touches each fleecy cloud turning it a delicate pink like a rose. The cows slowly make their way to pasture and as they go, their shadows grow longer, for now the last rays of sun are touching the earth. The whole countryside seems content to submit itself to the demure tranquility of Evening. Then the cloak of night wraps itself about the earth, and with it come the little heralds that go from tree to tree whispering, “Day is done.” Etta Van Ornum, Class ’40 SPRING Spring always brings such a wonderful refreshing feeling like a cool drink to a thirsty man on a hot day. The buds begin to peep out from their winter’s nest as a new born chick stepping from its shell. The sun sheds its golden rays to give the pussy-willows’ furry little body sufficient heat to appear in full array. The fast melting snow runs down the road like so many thousand rivulets winding along their course. The wind makes you want to run and roam so the breezes can play through your hair. Thus spring comes and goes like the passing of a phantom. Dorothy Reed, Class ’40 ALONE Having finished my work for the evening, I sat on the back steps awaiting the return of my father. As I sat there alone, I could hear the chorus of the peepers doing its nightly practice and occasionally the guttural croak of a bullfrog down at the brook. The horizon, barren except for the silhouette of an old house, long ago vacated, made me think of the poem, “The lone wolf sits on the world’s far rim and he howls and it seems to comfort him.” When my father returned, soft warm rain came with him. But now if I should sit on the steps at twilight, yes, I could hear the peepers and the croak of a frog, but also the distant rumble of the approaching train, a piercing shriek, and the rumbling slowly receding into the night, then the flashing headlights of a motor as it roared past. The progress of man hath marred the beauty of nature. Frances Husk, Class ’42 PAGE THIRTEEN