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

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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

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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 life-long enemy, Buck Henderson, came up, stumbling and stammering. The following conversation took place. ' ' Gee, Margie, you didn ' t think you could fool me, did you ? Why I ' d known you any- where. I thought that dumbell, Charlie Johnston, would try to hang around you all evening, so I hurried up to ask you for eight or nine dances and your company at supper. Wouldn ' t you like to go over to the park and sit on a bench until the dancing starts? Chnrlie, laughing inside, merely nodded his head and they left the hall. As soon as they were seated in the park, Buck slipped his tirm around the dainty shoulders of ' Mar- gie and begged her to remove her mask, which she firmly refused to do. After fif- teen or twenty minutes, during which Buck grew quite sentimental, they returned to the hall where dancing was in full swing. Charlie ' s slippers were pinching his eight D feet until he could hardly keep the tears back, but he had firmly resolved to get even with Buck Henderson for once in his life, so they danced. Luckily Charlie ' s face was over Buck ' s shoulder, for if Buck had seen Char- lie ' s distorted countenance he would have easily realized his mistake. During the encore of a dance, the chair- man of the entertainment committee an- nounced that owing to the fact that it was Hallowe ' en, no one was to unmask until mid- night. This announcement satisfied Charlie perfectly, for it gave him an opportunity to have more fun at Buck ' s expense. At last, refreshment time arrived and Charlie sank thankfully on the stairs with Buck. Now Buck had been complimentary enough before eating, but after ice cream and cake he became an expert. Oh! What fun Charlie had listening to Buck rave about her little pink ears! Just as the ' Orchestra started to play Home Sweet Home, and the dancers pre- pared to unmask, Margie pretended to be faint, so they left for home. Instead of stopping at his own gate, Char- lie walked down the street and stopped be- fore Margie ' s house. Buck was becoming quite impatient for Margie to remove her mask so, when he least expected it, Charlie snatched the mask from his face and gathering up the skirts of his ancestors ran down the street. When he reached, his doorsteps, he turned to bid the startled Buck a laughing goodnight. There is no more to tell except that Buck never forgot that party and never called Charlie a dumbell again. L. Williams ' 24. A MEMORY OF THE PAST A slender blade of silver crowned with pearl rattled from a big brawny hand into the rough pine table between us. My gaze leaped from the fine surface of the weapon to find a sudden grimness in the sun beaten face of our chief boss. He appeared to be lost in thought for a moment, then leaned forward and broke into a story of the woods, a story told with a simple eloquence which brushed aside the obscure mist of forgotten struggles and thwarted ambitions. We seemed to be watching as if in actual life the figure of a young lad again striding up the valley to the cabin door of the chief boss. He applied with engaging cheerfulness for a job in the construction gang. He ap- peared to be an Italian of high intelligence and physical fitness. The only name he gave was Steve and just Steve he became to all of his fellow workmen. A deep affec- tion developed between Steve and one of the younger men. The two were at work on the big dam being constructed across the valley tie friendship was often apparent. Work had progressed rapidly except for a few de- lays caused by disagreements between the workers and the foremen. The ring leaders were illiterate foreigners whose brains were soaked in alcohol and disillusionment, and they were intent on making trouble. Con- ditions led to irritations among the workmen and between the workers and the foremen. Petty quarrels and errors in construction seemed to be the white caps of a threatening torm. Steve and his group of friends op- posed the drunken actions of the trouble makers. One day, apparently by accident and ill fortune, a section of staging crashed down carrying a group of loyal workers to destruc- tion. There was a whirling mass of debris, an endless drop and then oblivion for those concerned. In the confusion and horror of the scene a hand flashed back and a streak of silver blended with the gray of a man ' s back, and sank to the hilt. A moment later Steve ' s friend disapeared over the staging to ioin the dead below. With a spring Steve was upon the mur- derer and revenge fought with drunken fury on the very brink of destruction. Back and forth and up and down they struggled like