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

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6 THE CRIMSON AND GRAY aid tourniquet about his arm where the cruel glass had cut an artery. Big Boss, thoroughly sober now, was also bending over him. Swipey ' s confused brain tried to figure out why Big Boss was so white and was he wrong in thinking he saw tears in the Boss ' hard, cynical eyes? You ' ll be 0. K. in a couple of days, big fellow, said Dr. Bob cheerfully. Swipey smiled sweetly and closed his eyes contentedly as he saw Big Boss extend his right hand to Dr. Snowden who shook it earnestly. Then the little ragamuffin closed his eyes peacefully and went to sleep. DID YOU EVER HAVE A DISAPPOINTMENT? Harry Dyer Gilman ' 36 One Friday evening I decided to put off my home work to some other time and took a notion to go to the movies. Up the stairs I shot. I tore off my clothes. Ran to the bath room and dabbed some water on my cheeks and called it a bath. Even this slight delay made me very late My hair! It was like a por- cupine ' s! But who was going to see my hair anyhow? They ' d be dazzled by my suit — my suit! Why where was my suit? I gazed helplessly at the hurricane-struck room. I waded through clothe? to my closet door. 1 opened it. Down came my clothes like snow engulfing me. From the middle of the pile I started to bur- row out. I picked, pawed, and finally tossed my clothes around in frantic despair, but there was no suit to be found. I sat down on the only orderly spot in the room, my bed. I tried to think. At last, looking up from my dusty grimy hands, I saw my suit hanging on the bedpost where I had left it the night be- fore. I put it on hurriedly, skipping a few belt loops, breaking a couple of vest-buttons and undergoing a few other mishaps which I do not remember. I was then ready to go — believe it or not. I pulled open the door and fell pell-mell down the stairs, landing with a hard thud. I dashed for the hall door but missed by two yards after the rug had betrayed me. I fixed my regalia and started off down the street. I reached the corner at quarter-of, and dashed around to the theater but the door wasn ' t open. I tried it. Only a mere squeak came from the nailed hinges. I had nearly torn it apait when a man came up to me. What can I do for you? was his question. I explained to him that I wanted to go to the movies. He stood there laughing heartily. My temper rose like mercury in the hot sun. What are you laughing at? I demanded. So yen want to go to the movies, was his reply. Can ' t you wait until it opens? I stood there all exhausted and gazed at my watch which was keeping Daylight Saving Time on this, the first day of Winter Time. MOUNTAIN CLIMBING IN GERMANY Olivia Story ' 38 Far above the tiny village, Garmish, locat- ed in the southern part of Germany, rose the craggy peak of Zugspitze, highest mountain in the Bavarian Alps, which form a natural border between Germany and Austria. Zug- spitze is about twice as high as Mt. AVashing- ton and reaches a height of approximately 9996 feet, To our group of boys and girls, clad in hiking clothes and carrying packs, climbing this bare-faced crag seemed nearly impossible. There was nothing unusual in the climbing although the trails wound around and around the mountain in spiral paths. How- ever, we had no difficulty in reaching the first cabin and there we spent the night. All the girls crowded into one cabin and the boys in another. These cabins were similar

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OCTOBER 1935 LITERATURE MASTER SWIPEY, PEACEMAKER Kathleen- Tilly ' 37 There was nothing nice about Swipey, who had, like Topsy, just growed. He remembered very little about his parents, for since early childhood he had lived with the Big Boss, as crooked a racketeer as ever lived. Big Boss had taken Swipey under his protection during his less prosperous days when he realized that the youngster ' s limber feet and light-fingered hands would be of great value to him in his petty larcenies. Swipey had a regular gang consisting of other dirty urchins such as he, who openly bragged about their pickpocket- ing adventures. One evening as Swipey and Big Boss were talking on a street corner, they saw the new doctor of the district, a young man by the name of Robert Snowden, approaching. ' With a snarl, Big Boss stepped out onto the side- walk, blocking the young man ' s path. Look here, youse, he said disagreeably, ya know who I am? Dr. Snowden evidently did not. I ' m da Big Boss and ya better come across wid one hundred bucks protection money by Friday — or else! The agreeable smile vanished from the doctor ' s face, and Swipey tried in vain to drive away the feeling of admiration he felt for that quack as Snowden replied proudly, I ' m a doctor. Try and get your money! Then he turned abruptly and continued down the street, leaving a greatly astonished pair behind him. Friday came, and there was no sign of any money from young Dr. Bob, as he was now called by those who had immediately become slaves to his merry laugh and gentle eyes. He tried to be friendly and had even played foot- ball with Swipey and his gang one night in the narrow squalid city street. At first the boys had been sullen, but hero worship of the young doctor ' s broad shoulders and six-foot-fitness overcame their prejudice. When Dr. Bob was about to leave, Swipey had said shyly, Doc- tor Bob, ya better pay that hundred bucks or Big Boss ' ll get ya, but his only reply was a carefree laugh, and a smile of thanks. But now it was Saturday, and Big Boss, tipsily assertive, was really angiy. Tucking a .45 revolver into his pocket and yanking Swipey along with him, he said unsteadily, We ' ll get that guy! Swipey had no choice but to follow. When they had gone about half the distance to the doctor ' s house, they suddenly saw a runaway driverless truck careening down the street towards them. The first thing they knew, the truck was upon them, heading straight for a glass show window. Big Boss jumped clear, but Swipey was almost under the wheels when some one grabbed him out of the way. The next instant the air was filled with flying glass, and he recognized his rescuer as Dr. Bob Snowden before he fainted. When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he saw the young doctor twisting a first-

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OCTOBER 1935 to our pioneer ' s cabins. The beds were nothing but boards over which were thrown blankets. Two of us huddled into one bed and shared the blanket between us. It had been a hot, sultry day and we slept well even on those hard beds. In the morning after washing our faces in the glacial brook outside our cabin, we had our usual breakfast of raw oatmeal mixed with nuts and raisins. It doesn ' t sound appetizing but it really was delicious. Soon we finished this and, after washing the dishes, packed our knapsacks, and started on our way. There were several changes in the scenery on the way. First, the trees became stunted and had less foliage; then there were no trees at all; and then — suddenly, we were walking over a broad expanse of snow. Sensing that we were tired of hiking, Monroe, our leader, declared a halt. Beyond the snow were some rocks where the tired ones rested, but most of us engaged in a snowball fight. Snowballs were flying thick and fast when we finally got ready to go. At length we came to the last house and from there on to the top a thousand feet of rocky cliff stretched skyward. Cable wires were attached along the sides and we clung to these and pulled ourselves up hand over hand. Should one slip and fall, on the left side one would fall into Germany and on the right, into Austria. We had been climbing through mist but as we reached the top, the clouds parted and we had a spectacular view for miles and miles of the Bavarian Alps in all their gloiy. It was with regret that we found that we were to descend almost at once because our leader, an excellent weather prophet, said that it would rain in an hour ' s time and that we better make as much progress as we could while the going was good. On the way down it started to rain and then to hail. Down the mountain we ran helter- skelter, our hair blowing in our eyes, and our clothes being soaked through. At the halfway house, after a hot cup of cocoa, we decided to go on for we couldn ' t get any wetter. Two of us met three little burros coming up the narrow path. We decided we wouldn ' t move for them, but pushed on. Presto, chango! and there we were covered in mud, rolling down an embankment slam bang, and then landing up against a tree. The burros, as stubborn as we, had pushed on also, and had pushed us right off the trail. Our friends came down to see if we were hurt but, finding us all right, climbed back and left us to pull ourselves together as best we could. The rain had swollen some of the little rivulets into roaring brooks and we had to detour in many places or wade through them. At last we went through the beautiful natural caverns beside the brook and found our bicycles waiting for us. Although some- what bedraggled, we reached the Hostil and were able to give the friends who stayed behind a glowing description of the wonders of the climb on Zugspitze. STAR DUST Evelyn Fay ' 37 A nebula of stars catapulted Toward earth. Like crystal bits of broken glass They rent the void of space with steely glint, And speeding onward crossed the silver path Of moon beams flecked with molten gold. At once, The rushing stars were ceased from flight, bathed In wondrous heat, then slowly winged their way To earth below. We call them fireflies. THE MASQUERADE BALL Stanley Blackmer ' 36 Jack, the Captain of the North Side foot- ball team, a very likeable fellow, had gone around with Mae, the school ' s best looking girl, until she moved across the river. There Jim, the Captain of the South Side ball team, dated her. Both North and South sides of the river joined once a year in supporting a big masquerade ball. This year there was an argument about who should take Mae to the