Westbrook High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Westbrook, ME)

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Westbrook High School 'b 'A 'B Lloyd, which informed us that breakfast was ready at last. W'e rushed to the table. The sight and smell of the food did not quite appeal to us, although we felt capable of eating anything. Lloyd proudly brought on the cereal and dished it out. He had mixed up some evaporated milk and water to put on the cereal, but he had made it so Weak that I could see the bottom of my pie plate through a half-inch of the mix- ture. I didn't notice this, however, until I had taken my first bite. I thought I would pass out, but I managed to gulp it down after several attempts, although I was uncertain then as to whether it would stay down or not. He had leftout the salt and burnt the cereal and, as if that were not enough, he had put the Hour in when the water was cold. which left large lumps of dry wheat to be bitten into. After I had masticated several of these lumps, I managed to dump the remainder, when Lloyd wasn't looking, into a hole in the ground, which I had dug with my heel. After having noticed that the plates of Thomas and Ernest were still full, I began telling how good it was, thinking that I could make them feel more miserable. I had no more than spoken the first sentence, when Lloyd jumped up and filled mine so full that it was running over the sides. I felt like kicking myself, but I could only grin and pray. I had to eat most of this because they had become suspicious and were watching me. My stomach had hardly finished rolling when he brought on the pancakes. But this time I had become cautious and took only a small one, whereas usually I would have grabbed for the largest. I placed it in my plate and poured some of the syrup, which he had made, on it. After the first bite, which was ten times as bad as the first of the cereal, I knew that I would certainly pass out if I ate it, for the pancake was about an inch thick and had been burnt on the outside, while the inside was just the raw dough, which ran out into my plate as I cut into it. The syrup had been made in an old frying-pan coated with rust. As he hadn't bothered to wipe it out, the boiling syrup had scalded most of it off into the syrup, giving it the flavor of sweet chemicals. As I sat there, swallowing to keep what I had already eaten down and playing with the pancake in my plate, some sort of modernized electric train passed on a nearby track. The others turned to watch it and I immediately, seeing my op- portunity, jammed thenpancake into an empty box and threw it as far as possible. You can bet that I didn't tell how good the pan- cakes were. I then tried to get the taste out of my mouth by drinking some coffee, but it was so strong and thick that one could easily mistake it for insect spray. That was the climax, and so with a mur- mured apology, I walked around the car and let nature take its course. And so may I, as one who has had the trying experience, warn you again. Beware of amateur cooks. L. D., '35. CORRESPONDENCE The most exciting of all the events that fill my day is the receiving of mail. The most dis- liked of these events is the answering of mail. Be it a library notice, a school catalogue, the regular weekly letter from the girl friend I met at camp, or the delayed letter with the out-of-town postmark-they all bring me, after hurrying home from school, at least the satisfaction that I am one individual person and somebody, somewhere, spent three cents for me. I am always a little disappointed to find that the person I had been thinking about all the way home from school hasn't written me, but when that letter does finally come, it is always twice as interesting as I have expected it to be. Once there were several letters bearing my name on the mantel. VVhat great fun it was to receive a prep school invitation to the winter carnival, to be invited to a Brunswick High Junior Prom, to hear all about how the social season is just getting under way in the South but how he wishes he were still up here with

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i Vlbb The Blue fa- White 12 GROWING PAINS The word pains, used in connection with growing, proved to be quite a joke in my case, for I not only have enjoyed growing but now receive a great deal of satisfaction from know- ing that at last I am taller than my brother. My desire to grow came to me three years ago when I was brought to the realization that my brother, who at that time had just come home from college, was still taller than I. This knowledge horrified me, and I began to eat viciously. The word viciously may seem to you a rather strong adverb to use in describ- ing the manner of my eating, but I can assure you that it is entirely fitting. At each meal I would eat to my fullest capacity, after which I would be forced to remain seated at the table for a considerable length of time before I could actually' walk away. VVhether this had anything to do with it or not, I soon realized that I was growing quite rapidly. It was, how- ever, several months before anyone noticed this change that was taking place in my size or at least before anyone made any comment on this fact. It was about this time that my brother came home on another vacation. I lost notirne in having our mother place a book across our heads as we stood back to back. Upon follow- ing my instructions she exclaimed that I was as tall as my brother, if not just a bit taller. I spent the remainder of that day in coining new names for him such as Shrimp and Runt. All during that vacation, whenever we had any company, I would purposely pass by my brother as near to him as possible and, of course, with my neck stretched to its fullest extent, so that our guests could see just how much I had grown. After I had arrived at this stage in our little growing contest, I had little difficulty in main- taining my lead. From then on, about five times a day, I would walk under the lights that were hanging from a chain in our living- room. When I first started this procedure I could touch the lights with my head only by standing on my tiptoes, but as time went on I was able to touch them while standing nat- urally. As would be expected, I received a great deal of enjoyment out of feeling these lights brush against my hair every time that I walked under them. One day while going through this routine I did not feel the brush of the lights through my hair. I went back and walked, this time on tiptoes, under them again. Still my head did not touch the lights. I was not only puzzled but a little worried. What had happened was a mystery to me until my father told me how he had taken a link out of the chain from which the lights were sus- pended, thus raising them two or three inches. The rest of the family, who had seen this trick successfully played on me, laughed heartily. I, however, failed to grasp the humor of the sit- uation. Now when I look back over those days of friendly competition between my brother and me, I cannot help realizing just how remote pains were from my growing, that is, as far as I was concerned. The rest of the family, how- ever, maintain that they felt them sharply. T. V., '35, BEWARE OF AMATEUR COOKS Have you ever eaten a meal that was pre- pared by someone who was trying to cook for the first time? If you haven't, let me caution you to beware. . On our camping trips, Thomas and I always have done the cooking, but one morning, while we were on our trip to the Chicago World Fair, Thomas and I had a Hat tire to iixg so we left the meal-getting to Lloyd. I naturally supposed he knew what he was doing, espe- cially when he did not ask us any questions, but I suppose he made up his mind to cook us a meal and surprise us. Well, he did. We were working on the opposite side of the road from him and the only thing we heard was an irreg- ular word now and then as the wind blew the gas-stove out or the food burnt. Tommy had just finished telling me how very hungry he was, when we heard a half-hearted yell from

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E I The Blue E-r White 14 his Northern friends - all before dinner. How good that delayed dinner tasted. Nearly every Friday afternoon I devote to the answering of what mail I have received. VVhy must one be so formal in accepting an invitation? I told Eddie during Christmas vacation I could go to that 'Wfinter Carnival. Miss Anna Verrill accepts with pleasure the kind invitation .... VV'hat hokuml It took me nearly the whole afternoon to write a proper -acceptance. Then I started to write the southbound let- ter. VVhat penmanship! I always start out well, but as my letter grows longer and as I think of more things that have happened-I must write them quickly or I shall forget- my writing becomes worse and worse. I con- soled my conscience by thinking he was lucky to get a long letter, and I guessed that he could spare a few minutes of his time from social activities to translate it if he wanted to. I had an even more drastic thirty minutes trying to think of something to Write to my Brunswick friend. Since the traveling was so uncertain, I couldn't attend the Junior Prom. Mail employs thousands of people in our post olhces, in our streets, and in the rural dis- tricts. After all, those pleasures otherwise in- volved are helping somebody somewhere and that is a satisfaction. A. V., '36. AT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS I have just had my picture taken. VVhen one is good-looking, he must have his picture taken often. I have mine taken every ten years or so. An old aunt of mine who has rheumatism and - three thousand dollars - wanted my picture to hang in her bedroom. She's such a sweet aunt! So I put on my new suit, the one I bought at the fire sale two years ago. It's a tritle too large for me now, but I expect to be a little stouter some day. I had my new shoes on, too. I mustn't forget to tell you about the new tie I sported for the occasion. It was a tie I re- ceived at Christmas from my beloved. To have your picture taken is an easy mat- ter, but to have the right photographer is another story. In the towns where there is but one photographer, the choice is simple. VVhen you live in a big city where there are two photographers, then comes the difficulty. To make a long story short, I left home with my new suit, my shoes, and the tie I received from my beloved. Oh! I adore my beloved. If she does not marry another boy, or if she does not remain single, she will become my wife as soon as my aunt-without the three thousand dollars- leaves for a better World. I entered the studio and came face to face with an old man. He had long white hair, which, I believed, he had not combed since the day he was born. Do you take pictures of people? I asked him. Yes, sir, answered he, if you will be kind enough to sit down in this chair. I-Iere's a man who talks Well, I thought. I'd have to use some snappy expressions my- self. I came to this photographer, says I, to be photographed, so I could have a photo- graph of myself. The old 'man made me sit down in another chair. I waited while he was getting his cam- era adjusted. I felt radiant. There are days when you believe you look better than others. That day I felt superb. If only my beloved could have seen me then. Do my shoes show enough? I asked. He assured me that I was an example of perfect appearance. Then hurry, said I, I am get- ting tired of this pose, it pains my neck. The old man disappeared under a black cloth. I could see only his hands caressing the sides of the camera. - VVatch for the little bird, said he, one, two, three .... Cric, crac, it was all over. I didn't see any little bird. I think he wanted to have a good laugh. I paid him fifty cents and waited about half an hour. Then he gave me my picture. I looked at it.