Wells High School - Crimson and Gray Yearbook (Southbridge, MA)

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THE CRIMSCN AND GRAY spying them on the top shelf. Jimmie soon disappeared around the corner of the house and down the street, just in time to see his car go by the corner of the block. Usually another came in about fifteen min- utes but not today. Jimmie started to walk. It was two miles to the school and never had he walked a longer two miles. As he entered the building and passed one of the rooms he saw that he was twenty- five minutes late. He went to the office for his slip, and was greeted by a cold glare from the principal. Late again, Davis ? he asked. This has happened once too often. What is the rea- son for it? Jimmie explained to him his morning of misfortune. The boy seemed to be in such earnest that the principal said he would give him another chance, and excused him from a week in the detention room. The first class was about over, so Jimmie waited in the corridor until his mathematics class began. The day before they had had a very stiff test in this subject. There were a number of low marks and the teacher was giving the class a severe lecture. He read the names and marks of those that failed. As he went down the list, he soon read the name of Davis with the mark of thirty. He paused, remind- ed him of his marks, and advised him to spruce up. The latter sat up in his seat and as he did so he felt something piercing his back. Upon reaching it, he found it to be his last collar button. Jimmie was unable to suppress his feelings and a smile broke upon his lips. Seeing this, the teacher, thinking he was smiling over what had happened, requested him to remain after school. In his next class the teacher was called from the room. The pupils became restless and began to throw erasers. Jimmie was studying his lesson. He had made new resolutions and was trying to car- ry them out when ari eraser thrown with quite some speed, landed on his neck. This was too much for Jimmie. Running to the blackboard, he seized an eraser white with chalk. Picking his opponent next to the door, he aimed and fired. It missed the fellow, but the door opened and the principal walked in» There was a heavy chalk mark on his shoulder, needless to say, where the eraser landed. The room quieted down like magic. Who threw that eraser? asked the prin- cipal. A pause and then a feeble, I — I did sir from Davis. Two hours in the detention room for three weeks, said the principal, and see me at the office first. That afternoon as Jimmie went into the office the principal began to scold him. What is the reason for so much trouble from you today? You started the first thing this morning and you are still going. I thought you v ere going to turn over a new leaf. What is the cause of your behavior? Jimmie had been looking out of the win- dow, but now turning toward the principal answered, Because it is ' Blue Monday. ' Alice Beardwood. FORTUNE HUNTING PATRICIA It was a clean cold, day in November, when Patricia Merrill decided to take a walk. She left her little apartment and walked at a brisk pace, until finally she decided she did not know where she was going or where she was at present. All she knew was that she was in a narrow, dark, street which seem- to her to be an alley-way. Hurriedly she left this and entered a large, wide street which she knew must be some distance from her starting place. Walking along enjoying the briskness of the air, she was suddenly surprised to feel a light touch on her shoulder. Twirling around she faced an officer, who told her to come along with him. Patricia yielded at once as she was in a daze at such a hap- pening. Aarriving at the Headquarters, the Chief demanded of her, What ' s your name? Where are you from? What are you doing here? Patricia answered the questions calmly, after resuming her self-control. She also explain- ed she was in the city seeking work. Work, replied the Chief, Yes, fine work you ' re doing. I ' ll tell you right now Miss, you ' re he re for the night. What here for the night ? Yes, mam, here for the night. Of course you know, I am innocent and can give you credentials as to my identity.

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY one said what they had to say at the meeting instead of afterwards. A meeting is a great deal more interesting if there are some good arguments. If only everyone were willing to help, the meetings would be just as lively as they used to be and everyone would be willing not only to come but even pay to get in. Arthur H. Gaumond ' 24. How many pupils of the high school enjoy reading a school magazine with good stories and editorials, clever jokes, and school notes? Just about all of them. But how many of these same people seriously consider support- ing such a paper ? A good many of us take our paper for granted, without stopping to think of the time, effort, and money that must have been put into it. Why not make i a few attempts along the literary line your- selves and contribute them to the paper ? Send in any news or good jokes that you hear. Try writing a story. A true school paper is a paper for the students, to whose contents the students contribute. Subscribe to the paper even if you can ' t help in any other way. Let us make the Crimson and Gray a paper worth noting, a paper con- stantly improving in all respects through the efforts of its loyal supporters, the students. E. Poeton ' 24. BLUE MONDAY Jnmmie ! ! came his mother ' s voice from the foot of the stairs. Receiving no answer she repeated the call and a few seconds later there came a faint, Yes from beneath the blankets which almost covered the boy ' s head. Another pause, then Jimmie ! ! you have exactly fifteen minutes to get down here, eat your breakfast and catch the car for school. I have called you for the fourth and last time. After much mental effort, Jimmie finally pulled himself from beneath the covers. He started to dress, looking longingly back at the bed, as he put his collar on. But where was his collar button? On the dresser, — in the drawer, — on the floor, — no- where to be found. He ran into his father ' s room hoping to find one there. He had up- set the drawer of the dresser, in the middle of the floor, when the precious article rolled out of a corner. It had never taken him so long to tie his tie before. His little brother had borrowed his comb and had forgotten to return it. Jimmie went diving after it, knocking a chair over in passing and stubbing his toe. Finally he rushed into the kitchen, yet only half awake. He had four minutes be- fore car time. Gulping down a roll and half a cup of coffee he looked for his books. He could not remember where he had left them the night before. Finally his mother came to the rescue b§

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY Very well, who is there in the city that you know, that we can summon? Oh, well, let me see, — but officer, I ' ve been here a week and — really, I don ' t know anyone here, but at home. — That ' s enough. Put her in the cell, offi- cer. We ' ll hear you in the morning, Miss. Patricia sat silent and was busily absorbed in her thoughts of home, of how her father, a prominent and wealthy lawyer, would re- ceive the news. She could just imagine her mother falling in a dead faint, at such news from her baby girl. And her brother Jim, — yes, Jim would he be horrified and come to her at once ? But the most important question was, — how could she get Jim, without letting Mal- colm Hamilton, her fiance, know? - Soon she fell asleep, and the next thing she knew was that it was morning and the ma- tron had come with her breakfast. After breakfast she was summoned to the office of the Chief. On arriving there she was surprised to see her brother Jim and her fiance waiting to take her safely home. The Chief apologized and the three left his presence. Patricia questioned the two as to how they knew her fate, but until several years later she never learned. When Patricia arrived home her parents were waiting with wide open arms to re- ceive her and to be told how it all happened All that Patricia could say was, that she would gladly let Dad support her, and she would never again go Fortune Hunting. Brother Jim and Malcolm treated the sit- uation as a joke at first, but soon Jim real- ized the joke was all his own because Mal- colm had other things to talk about to Pa- tricia. As they walked in the garden Malcolm told Patricia of things far more interesting to her than the joke — or supposed-to-be joke — for not till long afterward she did learn that the police who arrested her had receiv- ed instructions from her family who wanted her to give up her ideas, and return home. THE HALLOWEEN SPREE Just the week before Halloween, the prin- cipal of the Elmwood High School, announced that there would be a masquerade party held in the auditorium the following week. A panic ensued, during which every one asked some one else what to wear. The sub- ject of clothes is supposed to be exclusively for the gentler sex, but during the next week the boys, for once, showed all of their hidden vanities. Some talked of clowns and witches, others of knights and Indians. The girls, of course, were not far behind. One could easily see that their minds were not on the keynote of action in Macbeth or on French composition. During the next week, Charlie Johnston thought and thought about clothes, but he couldn ' t think of any costume that could be created out of his slender allowance. Finally, in desperation, he sought the assis- tance of his mother. Mrs. Johnston offered to help him, but would give him no hint of her intentions. The next day she ransacked the attic from end to end, and at last, after much strug- gling, succeeded in opening the trunk she had been looking for. She hastily gathered the filmy mass of contents into her arms and went downstairs. In a few minutes she called Charlie, who was raking the lawn, and asked him to come in to see his costume. Very much excited, he went up the stairs in three bounds and stood expectantly in the doorway of his mother ' s bedroom. As soon as he saw the heap of ruffles and frills on the bed, his face fell, and he could not hide his disappointment. His first words were, Aw mother, I can ' t go as a girl ! But after lis- tening to her plans he became much inter- ested in attending the masquerade in his great grandmother ' s party dress. The night of the party can never be for- gotten. There certainly were many minutes of hopelessness and despair. Can you ima- gine Charlie scrambling into his ladylike clothes and holding his breath while Mrs. Johnston hooked the dress? Or can you see Charlie struggling to get his all but tiny feet into his mother ' s black satin slippers? Finally, even his powdered wig and mask were adjusted to suit his mother, and he started out for the high school. Fortunately the streets were dark and Charlie didn ' t meet a soul. Arriving at the school, he left his mother ' s wrap in the dress- ing room and powdered the tip of his no?e before the little, cracked mirror. Charlie had a scheme of his own and planned to en- joy the evening to the utmost. He nonchalantly sauntered into the hall, and had no sooner seated himself than his