Washougal High School - Kaiyawi Yearbook (Washougal, WA)

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1-1-:fgfaunomwk -----ifffm e- -- Encounter l noticed her the moment I entered the corridor. She was standing near the elevator entrance, glancing now and then, with almost savage eyes, at the men passing up the stairway. The glance was often, as in my case, reciprocal. I reasoned rather vaguely that here was a woman whom I had no particular desire of knowing. It was also quite evident that she, in turn, held a scornful contempt for the persons who were waiting there for the elevator. The cage descended, the door was opened, and several men hurriedly merged. Without exception, they cast a sidelong glance at the figure standing near the entrance. Up? asked the elevator boy in a matter-of-fact voice. Well, certainly not down! the woman snapped out, and entered the cage. Three others, including myself, followed her. -- Young man, will you kindly hold these parcels? asked the woman, turning to Illl'. ., That will you kindly failed to be a matter of courtesy, considering the lone in which she made the request. Certainly, madame, I replied. I was scarcely aware that my voice had betrayed any unwillingness, but l suppose it did. At any rate, she detected it. Young man, she said, staring at me with an almost withering gaze, you're-highly improbable. ltll admit that I had held some such an opinion of myself, but l resented the criticism from this particular person. Nevertheless, I took the packages without any more words. The other occupants of the cage, who had been interested observers of the incident, got out upon the third floor. Well, now I can breathe a little more freely, said the woman, as the door closed behind them. I could see by the questioning look on the face of the elevator boy that he desired to know to what floor the woman wished to go, but that first encounter and subsequent observation seemed to have taught him better discretion than to ask. He decided to allow her the privilege of giving the direction unsolicited. I desired to get out on the fifth floor, but did not dare to tell her' that she must take her packages, as I, too, was quite 1'esigned to await her pleasure. The elevator stopped. Top floor, madam, the boy said, rather meekly. Top! she exclaimed, with decided vehemence. Then please descend to the ninth. Of all the impudence! The elevator boy seemed to wish that the cage were larger. She stepped out on the ninth, and I followed with her parcels. This way, she directed. I began to wonder where my fate was leading me. She walked with decided step down the hallway, stopping at the door of a private office. There she relieved me of her two small bundles. l breathed a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her, and walked rather shamet'acedly down the stairs to the fifth floor, where I' had some busi- ness to attend to. l had barely stepped out a half hour later when I met the woman again.

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ee - A V aamommk eeee ee eeee Each night was to be spent in some village. The little hamlet of Boom was their destination the first night. Here, much to their surprise, they t'ound easy-going, self-satisfied, ignorant people, very different from those in the city they had so recently left. aThis was only the first of several similar cir- cumstances with which they were confronted during their journey. Stevenson and his companion had scarcely realized what the life of the country folk would be, and in several of these remote villages, especially in Belgium, they were regarded so superstitiously that frequently they were even denied the night's lodging. The two travelers were scrutinized by the peasants, called peddlers, and, as a rule, told that they could not be accommodated at their respectable inns. However, after having stood a great deal of humiliation at being termed ped- dlers, an incident occurred at one of the towns on the Oise that greatly im- pressed them. A peddler and his family stopped over night at the same inn with Stevenson and his friend. They were treated much better than any other lodgers. Altho' all food was crude enough, the peddler and his family were favored with tough beefsteak and warmed-over potatoes, while their com- panions were given only common bread-berry. After this they did not feel so disg'aced at being termed peddlers, and drank their wine with the host taccording to customj as if they were fully aware of their position. Nevertheless, many times they were forced to ga from place to place seeking lodging. One rainy, dark night, tired and soaked to the skin, they presented themselves at an inn door, where the appetizing odors of juicy meats ard steaming breads tempted them almost beyond endurance, but supperless, they were turned away to search further on the dreary streets. Nevertheless, finding shelter somewhere, they always started the day in a fresh, happy spirit, in spite of the rain and other diseomforts. Stevenson became quite infatuated with the quiet, contented life on the canals, especially the Sambre and Oise Canals. To see the fresh, clean, little houses hedecked with flowers with smoke rising from the chimneys, and children playing about the doors, so appealed to him that he was reluctant to leave the canals. His fascination for this easy-going sort of life was increased hy a visit on board one of the canal boats. Going down the Oise was not an easy task, for either locks, siphons or some other impediment continually inter- rupted their progress. In one place the water of the stream was almost entirely taken by various mills, and the travelers were compelled to disembark and shove the canoes before them. Trees and bushes were often lying partly or wholly across the stream. A tree in the latter position once threw Stevenson out of his canoe, causing him a great deal of exertion before he gained dry land again. He had tho't that if he laid down in the canoe it would drift under the tree sal'ely. However, he miscalculated, l'or a branch of the tree caught his coat and overbalanced the canoe, which, freed of its load, went spinning down the stream. So continued their journey down the Oise towards Paris. Perhaps even more mishaps than pleasures accompanied this pair. A great many of these were due to the fact hat they did not present a favorable appearance for for- eigners, and had to suffer the consequence. Nevertheless, they were optimistic throughout, and felt upon returning to the city life that they had been in an- other corner of the world, the memories of which, pleasant and otherwise, would long remain with them. Rl-IODA HENION, '17-

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- 077206 I tried to evade her, but she saw me, and evasion was out of the tl',l0'ilIUll. 1 was engrossed when you gave me my parcels a little while ago. young man, and so I forgot the tip, she said. She dropped a coin of small denomina- tion into my hand' with it she gave me her card. 9 When I was once more alone, and could breathe with less emotion l rt ad as follows: Miss Mehetabel Vandersleeve, Secretary of National Womczfs Association for Correction of the Eccentric. l could but laugh at the incon- gruity, and went my way. WlNifln1.n H. XVOOIJINGS, 'tii. Inertia Across the ice start briskly out And suddenly stop and turn aboutg If your feet go by with a sudden shove, You'll know it's Newton's principle ot' Inertia. The bed is warm and the room is cold, Your time for getting down is toldg But you can't get up, without outside force. lt's the inability to move, of course, Inertia. FT!-Im. llnoww. 't'i.