West Side High School - Legenda Yearbook (Saginaw, MI)

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Say it with Music Ross Rutledge Jimmy McMurran sat in a large arm chair by the fire place, gazing into the fire. There was no light in the room except that which the fire place afforded. His only companion was his Airedale, Pat, who stretched out on the hearth, dreamily gazing into his master ' s eyes. Say, Pat, you ' re a lucky dog, said Jimmy, in a tone mingled with sadness and worry. Nothing to worry about. Just got to come home and eat. Look at me, Pat, I ' ve got as much trouble as all the rest of the family put together. Pat ' s only reply was a wag of his stump of a tail and a bound at Jimmy ' s face. Lie down, Pat, he commanded. Don ' t be so emotional. I didn ' t want you licking my face. The rebuked dog lay down at his master ' s feet. The master slouched lower in the great chair and watched the flames, as they leaped up the chimney. He was in the same forlorn condition, when his elder sister, Bar- bara, came into the room. Let ' s have some light, Jim, she proposed. Don ' t sit here in the dark like a hermit. No, I like the dark. You see it ' s more — more comforting, he replied. Comforting? she asked. Yes — something like that. What ails you, Jim? she asked, as she sat on the arm of his chair. Nothing, he replied. Shall we dance? Well, then, why not cheer up? Of course not, he growled. What do you think I am, a fish? I don ' t believe I ' d dance with a fish. Do you? she replied. This last remark made Jimmy laugh. He could hardly think of his pretty sister dancing with a fish. She had replied to his retort literally, when he had spoken only figuratively. Dancing was a pastime, exercise, sport, or art, which ever you care to term it, that Jimmy despised. It had spoiled many good times he had expected to have. Dancing would not have bothered Jimmy so much, if it did not necessarily involve girls. He admired girls from a distance, but he preferred that distance be at least twenty or thirty feet. He was subject to many smiles, for beside being a likeable fellow, he was a football and basketball man. Jimmy admitted to himself that he liked to have the girls so friendly with him, but he was afraid of them. He had wished many times that by some freak of luck he would be forced to get acquainted with some one. However, he took great care not to have this happen. He was very successful in his attempt to avoid meeting the opposite sex, until about three weeks prior to the present incident. So you can see why

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Rearin ' ! Without this school dialect a Junior is regarded as passe. This stage comprises a whole year of excitement and animation in everything. It is at this time that axle grease is applied to all creak- ing joints and the young gentlemen and ladies start out to make a name for their school — good, bad, or indifferent. They are hasty in entering sports, and very enthusiastic laborers in dances, plays, etc. One of their favorite occupations is preaching to the freshmen on how to walk the straight and narrow path in the dark, while they them- selves indulge in all kinds of crookedness. However, the Juniors as a whole are quite a respectable class and quite beloved by the teachers whom they condescend to honor with their studied obedience and good will. Ah! at last! after following them from their tender infancy, through the grilling horribleness of the several tortures, including Chemistry, we may stand back and complacently view their advent into High School Heaven. They are on the home stretch! This final stage in the development of the Educated Graduate is as the moonlight eve- ning to a perfect summer day. Of course, the road is rough at times, but some manage to cover it on a Latin Poney or the Teacher ' s Goat. Their lives are their own! They can now dry the Freshies tears — take the Jack out of Sopho- more — and inspire the Junior to higher ideals. These sophisticated young people are, unlike the lower classmen, too engrossed in their own affairs to care to meddle in those of the less advanced. Naturally, they receive the most shocking news with studied indifference, as much as to say, Little one, when you have lived as long in this cruel world as I have, you will not become so excited over some one being merely kicked out of school, (or whatever the subject may be). The journey done, each Finished Product steps forth to claim his or her merit of knowledge from the altar of Graduation — and thank- fully repeats, with a sly wink at the rest of the world, The SENIOR KNOWS that he Knows.

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Jimmy was so disagreeable, when asked to dance. Barbara and Jim sat in the dark for quite a while, without saying a word. Barbara was thinking of some way to find out what was troubling Jimmy. Jimmy, after considering what a rude reply he had made to his sister, was trying to say something to get in her good graces again. However, he did not want to be too apologetic, nor she did not care to appear too curious. Finally, Jimmy broke the silence with, I ' m sorry I was so rude, Bab. But you know I hate to dance. I ' ll forgive you this time, Jimmy, but you should dance more. Your party is a week from tomorrow, isn ' t it? she asked. Yes — and worse ' n that I don ' t know anyone to ask. Why not ask Jane Towner? Walt saw you taking her home one night, Barbara reminded him. It wasn ' t my faut, he replied. Don Baird got me into it. Tell me about it, Jim. I ' d like to know, she pleaded. That night Don and I went down town. There wasn ' t much doing so about eight-thirty we started home. Then Don said, ' Stop in with me at my uncle ' s. I have to see him. ' So I did. I knew he had a cousin, Ruth, but I thought she would be enter- taining Tommy Jones. She was entertaining, but it wasn ' t Tom, it was Jane. Then Don started into the parlor and I followed just like a little pup. I don ' t know why, but I just naturally did. Then without a word of warning he walks up to Ruth and says, ' Let ' s dance. ' Well, I just had to follow suite. We danced two or three times and Don says, ' Let ' s change dances. ' So we did. Jane kept looking at me all the time until I felt sorta foolish. So I asked Don to change back because I couldn ' t see her looking at me all the time. You see, she ' s shorter than I am. Then when it was time to go home, I had to go with her. She asked me to come and see her. Don said that I was a lucky dog. If he wants to go in my place he can. Walt saw me. So, of course, you all knew it the next day, he told her. Don ' t you believe you rather liked to dance with Jane? I don ' t think you were forced, were you? Bab asked. No, I wasn ' t forced physically, only by circumstance. I ' ll admit I liked it only I felt so out of place — so unnecessary. Go to the phone and ask Jane. Don ' t wait until some one else has, advised Barbara. No, Joe Hammon probably asked her, he replied. Barbara named several suitable girls but to no avail. Jim had a plausible excuse for each one. They were too young, too old, they had been asked, or he wasn ' t well enough acquainted with them. She could not persuade her brother to ask Jane. She pleaded and coaxed with him. She discussed and debated the matter with him from different angles. She put it up to him as a social obligation. She even told him it would get even with Walt for telling on him. He was deter- mined, however, not to be influenced either way. Then, as a last resource, she struck for the weak point in his armor, his mania for accepting bets and his lack of ability to let dares go unchallenged.