Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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THE DEBATER 21 IN FLOWERED SILK HAVE rer.Uy come on an er- rand, said Mrs. Cobb. Jessie Stubbs caught her lireath. She had begun to be- lieve that her neighbor had ac- tually come to call. It seemed, however, she had been mistaken. You know, went on Mrs. Cobb, that we ' re getting up our play, ' The New Min- ister, ' and tomorrow night is dress re- hearsal. I can ' t find a thing that is suitable to wear. The costumes are all going to be old-fashioned, and I hate to have anything made up on purpose. I thought maybe you ' d have something that would answer, Mrs. Stubbs. Jessie Stubbs sat very quietly consider- ing. Yes, I have something, she said at last, slowly. There! cried Mrs. Cobb. I knew you would. Do get it and let me see. Jessie Stubbs went into her bedroom. She paused before the quaint high bureau and opened a drawer. A scent of dry helio- trope came out. She lifted a sheet of tissue paper and took out a flowered silk dress made with a tight, plain waist and a full skirt. She laid the dress down tenderly, and going to the closet, brought forth a huge hat box, from which she drew a Shaker bonnet, and returned to the sitting-room. Mrs. Cobb gave a cry of joy. Lovely! The very things I wanted! she cried. I ' ll take ' em right home and try ' em on, Mrs. Stubbs. After she had gone Jessie Stubbs sat down in her chair and studied the stripes in the rag carpet. I ' m a fool, she said to herself, I ' d no business to let that woman have my things. But I had a longing to have ' em seen to let folks here know I once used to wear silk if I now go in calico. All day long, Jessie Stubbs wove rags of silk, cotton, or woolen into carpets, rugs, and curtains for the townspeople. Some- times she earned as much as a dollar a day. This kept her in food and paid the rent of the remote, tumbled-down old house. She had lived for the first fifteen years of her life in Westmore. When her husband died and his people had manifested only too clearly that they had regarded her as an in- cumbrance, she had come back to West- more and talien up carpet weaving. Nobody remembered her. She was as much a stranger as if she had never lived in the place and she thought it well. From first to last her life had been a failure. At seventeen she had married for fancy, and until she was middle-aged she had struggled to live at peace with her tyran- nical husband and his domineering relatives. When the church which she attended had first begun to talk about producing a play, The New Minister, she had felt a curious longing to be included in the cast. She, who was never seen save in faded black and white calico or a shabby black serge, wished foolishly to blossom forth in flowered silk one time more in her life. But the opportunity had not been given her. And now she had handed the flowered silk out to Mrs. Cobb. There was some satisfaction in the thought that the beauti- ful dress would be admired and cause won- der among th ose who had not dreamed she owned such array. There was fear also that it be carelessly used. She was busily weaving next morning when there came a knock at the door. She opened it and looked into the face of a small girl, who was laden with a large par- cel. Mama sent your dress back, she said. She ' s sick and can ' t wear it. She ' s got the grippe. She said for you to wear it and go in her place, ' cause — ' cause — ' cause it ' ll break things up if you don ' t. And in there, she pointed to the parcel, is some- thing you ' re to learn. That ' s all. With trembling fingers, Jessie undid the parcel and shook out the delicate, shimmer- ing folds. From them fell a paper. It contained the little speech she was to learn. My land, my land! she thought, and her heart fluttered. I wonder if I can do it. I wonder if I know enough. Now that the opportunity had come she feared to grasp it. But when Mrs. Grant, whom Mrs. Cobb had sent, came to help her dress and tell her what she must do and guide her to the rehearsal, she began to believe that she would have a vei y good time indeed. She seemed to be back again in her happy, carefree young girlhood, the idol of her parents and the life of her circle. A smile came to her lips, her heart lightened. Every movement showed her happiness. Those who beheld her could scarcely be-

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20 THE DEBATER HOBBIES EARLY every pupil of this high school has a hobby. A hobby is the name applied to that which takes up a person ' s attention aside from regular life work; for example, my hobby is running. I am will- ing to train faithfully for weeks in order to be given the pleasure of burning up the cinder path, running neck to neck, with some other schoolboy, in sterling competi- tion. There are two kinds of hobbies, the good and the bad. Athletics is a source from which each and every boy in our school may draw a good hobby. In spite of this fact, we find a number of boys in our school who do nothing more strenuous than dancing, pool-playing, gambling, and so on. These are bad hobbies because the boys derive nothing really beneficial from them. A good hobby, on the contrary, gives a youth health and character. A boy without a good hobby is a drone. He is not an addition to any community. On the contrary, he is a hindrance. The sole ambition of these drones is to warm the benches of a high school, wear a flashy necktie, and possess a box of cigarettes. If we can only make these drones acquire a good hobby, we can make useful citizens of them. Therefore, see to it when the next call is issued for candidates, that you report and also urge your backward neighbor to do the same. In so doing, you may be making a man of him. Who knows? A PLEA lURING the last few years a new sport has been introduced into Wakefield High School; namely. Track Athletics. Since the advent of this branch of sport, many athletes of prominence have been developed in our school. I dare say that there are few high or preparatory schools that can boast of a pair of runners such as Goodwin and Duggan. These two have been the mainstay of the W. H. S. track team for the last two years. Since they are going to graduate in June, a great problem confronts Coach Farrell, for he must develop a pair of runners that can step into their shoes. For this reason, every boy in our school should feel it his duty to come out for the track team this spring, and help relieve the situation. If any feel that they are not especially fleet of foot, let them try the field events, such as pole-vaulting, jumping, or putting the shot, for the e require nothing but practice. I am sure that if every boy will come out for some branch of track athletics. Coach Farrell will be able to build up a track team for 1917 which will uphold the reputation made by the team of the preceding year. T. G. DIGNAN ' 17. BASEBALL lANDIDATES for the baseball team reported for practice April 5th. Although little interest was mani- fested the first few days, consid- able interest was shown after the second call was issued. The team is fortunate in having such an experienced coach as Bob Lane. With this position well filled, and with several veterans back in the line-up, Wakefield is bound to be represented by a fast team this spring. The veterans available are Huestis, Dig- nan, Kalahar, Barrett, Donovan, Reid, Branch, and Sullivan. This year the school has a good opportunity to win the league championship. The students should realize this and show it by encouraging the team. E. J. SULLIVAN ' 16. It ' s hard to go to school at all, From warm September in the fall Through all the winter ' s cold and snow Until the birds above us fly. And the sun is far north in the sky. But when vacation time arrives, We ' re only told to our surprise. That we have four more weeks to go, Because the scarlet fever scare Gave us three days we were not there! MILDRED MUNN ' 16

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22 THE DEBATER lieve that this radiant little figure was the old woman who toiled dully at the loom all day. The rehearsal over, a man who had watched her constantly came up to her. I ' ve been trying to make out who you are and where I ' d known you, he said. About forty years ago I saw this same dress, or one just like it. I remembered because I thought it was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I danced with her four times. Her name was Jessie Lindon. He looked at her curiously, waiting. Jessie looked at him, and in her little face, away back in the deep bonnet, the color that came was in no-wise a reflection from the pink silk lining. She, too, remembered the evening and the bright boy with whom she had danced four times. I was Jessie Lindon. And that night I danced with you, John Bruce, was the last time I ever danced with anybody. I was married a few weeks later and my husband did not permit such follies And this is the very dress I wore. I am pleased to see you again. She dropped him a low courtesy. He returned it with a deep bow. Then they laughed at each other. After that dress rehearsal, it was noticed that the Widow S+ubbs got a great deal of attention from John Bruce. It was no sur- prise to anybody, therefore, when the two were married. The bride ' s wedding gown was of flow- ered silk, which, in spite of careful remodel- ing, had a curiously old-fashioned look. Upon her breast she wore a spray of helio- trope. MARGARET BURNS ' 16. f PEASANT LIFE IN RUSSIA SMALL Russian village is very unlike a New England village. A small Russian village consists of fourteen or fifteen houses, which are really little huts, about feet high, with roofs of matted These huts contain only one room. The floor is of earth, and there is a small window in the roof which serves as a chim- ney. One half of the room is taken up by a eleven straw. large oven six feet vdde and ten feet long, extending within five feet of the roof. On the top of this oven there is room enogh for three or four persons to sleep. The space under the oven is used as a roost, at night, for the chickens who roam freely about the house in the daytime. In a cor- ner of the room is a large, wooden bed, with boards serving as a spring and a bundle of straw as a mattress. On one side of the room is a long bench which is used in place of chairs, and which extends the length of the room. At four o ' clock in the morning the men are up, and after a light lunch, they go to work in the fields or in the woods. At ten o ' clock they return for dinner, which con- sists chiefly of barley-soup and ryebread. At three o ' clock they have another lunch and at seven they eat supper. The pig and goat of the family are often present at the meals. Peasant people of Russia practise the rule: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. This is especially true on market day, when they collect all the produce of the week, — eggs, butter and cheese, which they take to the nearest market, often four or five miles away. With the money they re- ceive for their goods, they buy salt, herring and grease which they use to soften and to polish their high, leather boots. The peasant people of Russia as a whole are very poor; nevertheless, most of them go through life happy and content. JENNIE GERSINOVITCH ' 18. D-E-B-A-T-E-R D is for the days we worked to make it, E is for each hour spent that way; B means buy and make it pay. A is for the aid we hope you ' ll give it. T says try and write something that ' i new ; E is for the eager eyes that greet it, R means read and make others do so, too. All these letters when together Mean the best Debater ever. Boom it Better it Buy it. HELEN O ' BRIEN ' 17.