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

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Westbrook High School if I 19 country in large packs, and itwas as much as a man's life was worth to be caught out at night when a pack was near. Such a winter we had to face, and the trips to the village, which was twenty miles away, were terrible experiences. We made these necessary trips once every two months to get the grain for the horses and provisions for ourselves, which we had not been able to lay in before winter broke. Luckily, however, before the snows became so deep that horses could not be used, enough pro- visions were laid in so that the trips could be made with a toboggan and Snowshoes. One still morning during the first week of December, Father and I started out on the last trip before Christmas. We were still using horses and sleds, for, although the snow in the woods was very deep, it was possible to go fifteen of the twenty miles on the lake. We started at four in the morning and arrived in the village about nine. We had planned to start home at noon, but one horse had cast a shoe coming into town and it was imperative that it be replaced in order that he be able to stand on the smooth ice of the lake. Therefore. because of various reasons, partic- ularly the smith's ill luck in fashioning another shoe, it was nearly three before we set out for home. A cold wind had started to blow, and Father and I had to take turns running along be- hind the sled to keep from freezing. Although we hurried the horses along as fast as possible, it was just dusk when we saw the place where we were to enter the woods from the lake. At that time a sudden impulse caused me to look away to the left. What I saw sent a chill straight to my heart! A pack of wolves numbering over a score were running silently toward us across the bay. Huge, gaunt brutes they were, with their grey fur on end. Father yelled at the horses, and just then the wolves, sensing a race, howled fiercely. This terrified the horses greatly and they began to run, gaining speed at every jump, with the sled slithering along behind them. We hung on z-as best we could, and prayed that the sled would not overturn before we reached the woods. We decided to gain as much of a lead as pos- sible over the wolves while on the ice, for there we had the advantage over them, and then un- hitch, leave the sled, and ride the rest of the live miles home. VVhen we reached the edge of the woods, however, and began to wonder how we were going to stop the horses, one runner of the sled hit a buried stump and over we went in a cloud of snow. Before I had time to think, we had managed to mount the plunging creatures and were tearing down the trail. It was a fearful sight to look back and see those huge grey shadows, each with its pair of shining yellow spots of light, slowly but surely gaining on us. The temperature must have been well below the zero mark, yet the horses between our knees were dripping sweat. At last, when it did not seem possible for the horses to go a step farther, and when the wolves were not more than one hundred feet away, we came in sight of the barn. Father slid off and opened the door and yelled for me to ride right in, but the horse beneath me was plunging about so, and I was so nervous myself that I lost my balance and rolled off. To make matters worse, Father, thinking me safe, rushed in behind the horses and slammed and bolted the door. I never before felt so helpless in all my life. It was like a nightmare and for at least ten seconds all I could do was to crouch there on my knees and stare at those oncoming demons, wondering what was happening. At last, however, I found my voice and yelledg Father, who was beginning to wonder where I was, unbolted and opened the door. I slipped inside just as the leader of the pack was less than ten feet away, and believe me, I never heard a sound that sounded so good in my ears as the sound that door made when it slammed shut. D. G., '38. SADDLE GALLS He looked so innocent standing there with his head hung low and his velvety lips nibbling at my hand. In fact, he looked like just the sort of horse that I should want for my first attempt at equitation. Besides all these evidences of lack of

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I 'q' The Blue fu- VVhite '8 something. Three weeks ago my regiment at- tacked a detachment of your soldiers by surprise. We crept up on their barracks and fired on the sentinels. A terrific slaughter followed. Your boys knew they were done for and sold their lives dearly. One soldier, a hero he was, killed four of our men with his bayonet. A god among a score of men would not have appeared more superb. He was about to end another when I crept up behind him and plunged my bayonet through his back. He fell, my victim, without even a chance to face me. The fight lasted but a few more minutesg our mission had been accomplished. I couldn't take out of my mind that French soldier I had stabbed. I started looking for him among the bodies lying about. I found him. Irene gave him a few more drops of water: he passed his tongue over his lips. He was suffering terribly but he had to speak. I found him lying on his back, bareheaded, looking up at the heavens as if to ask help. I bent over him. His hand moved slowly, so slowly, to- wards a chain around his neck. He pointed to it. tried to say a few words. I gave him some water as you just did me. He moistened his lips and spoke. I placed my ear near his mouth to hear. He forgave me for stabbing him in the back and asked me to take the locket hanging on his chest. He made me promise to take good care of it and when war was over to see to it that a certain French girl was given the locket. Her name is carved on it. I have but a few moments to say this, so please take the locket and finish what I promised but could not accomplish. The soldier coughed, coughed hard and closed his eyes. He was unconscious once more. Irene hastily took the locket with trembling hands. She already knew. Her eyes were so blurred she could hardly see the locket now. But the words Ray- mond and Irene danced before her eyes. The murderer of her one love, without knowing it, had fulfilled his promise and was the patient of the girl whose future husband he had killed. Irene rose and supported herself by holding the side of the bed. She took the medicine bottle in her hands. The doctor said he must take this every hour or else he would surely die. She could let him sleep, no one would know. The doctor would find the soldier dead tomorrow morning and thank her for her efforts. Raymond would be avenged. She thought of the fraulein who probably was waiting for this man lying in the bed at her mercy. She wondered what a German girl would have done for Raymond had he been wounded and taken care of in Germany. The soldier opened his eyes slowly, tried to speak once more, could not. It was time for his medicine. Irene approached, gave him the prescribed dose and doctored him through the night. The next morning the doctor entered the room. The patient was asleep, resting comfortably and assured of life. The old medico turned to Irene and gasped. Irene's hair had turned white. A. F., '36, SPRING I sprang from my bed one morning At the sound of a twee twee twee, And there from my window I spied him, A bird in the old apple tree. The wind swayed the branches around him, The snowflakes were hurrying by, But in spite of the wind and the weather I knew that the Springtime was nigh. D. L., '36. WOLVES The winter of '98 was exceedingly severe in the great North country. It closed in early in the fall, hardly giving the natives a chance to prepare for winter, and it stayed late the next spring. It was the coldest winter that had been experienced for many years, and left many a grey hair on the heads of the settlers, who had to fight its deep snows and endure.its cold blasts in order to main- tain life. On the denizens of the forest, too, it fell very hard. The deer were forced to yard up earlyg and long before Christmas, when their food supply gave out, the snow was so deep they could move only with great difficulty. Many, in fact, probably two-thirds died of starvation and ex- haustion. Others of the weaker animals were slowly extinguished, also. This condition, as will readily be seen, was bad for the carnivorous animals, particularly wolves. They roamed the

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20 j The Blue fu- VVh1te spirit, the sad look in his eyes struck a responding chord in my heart. I-Iere, I said to myself, is a horse that has lived, a horse that has seen life and found it worthless, but more important than this, a horse that will understand my melancholy na- ture and will realize that circumstances Cover which I had no control whateverj made me at- tempt horseback riding. The circumstances, I night explain, were two very impetuous friends, Paul and Dick. They had swept me off my feet, and before I realized it, I agreed to go with them horseback riding. And there I Was, as a result, standing in the middle of the floor of a somewhat second-rate riding establishment, regarding a four- legged creature which, despite its promising evi- dences of safety, might turn out to be a world hero simply by breaking my neck. I questioned the stable master as to the advisa- bility of taking him, and he assured me that even if I had the choice of all the horses in the world I couldn't have chosen a better mount. CI have found since then that the horse was the last one in the stable.j So I had him saddled and bridled and was ready for the momentous occasion. Well, there you are, said the stable man, and left me. Yes, there I was. But what was I sup- posed to do? How was I to get on? My friends outside were calling impatiently for me to hurry. I tried to get on, but the horse kept sliding away nervously every time I tried to mount Q so I pushed him against a wall, placed a box beside him and jumped. But as I jumped, he jumped- the other way. The result was a jumble of saddling around my neck from a hook on the wall. Finally, I called to Paul and Dick and they came and helped to hoist me aboard that eel, Tiny. The minute I was in the saddle something told me all was not well, however, I couldnlt back out on my friends, and being of Scottish descent I wouldn't forfeit my money without a ride, no matter how disastrously it might turn out. VVe rode down the hill on which the barn was located and wound down a little valley till we reached a great level stretch of pasture land. By this time I was congratulating myself on having chosen such a good mount. I even went so far as to say, VVell, Dick, I guess you'll have to admit that I'm a pretty good judge of horseflesh. Now, look at Tiny here, he's got a wistful look in his eyes. I'll bet he's never had a good master. What he needs is a guy like me. Yeah? Well, wait till this ride is over before you start bragging, answered Dick. But this retort didn't bother me very much, be- cause Dick hasn't such a fine nature as I have, and I can forgive people like him, because they can't enjoy life as I do, or rather did till I took up horsemanship. We rode on a few rods and just at the edge of the pasture I decided to lengthen my stirrups 3 consequently I took my feet out of the irons and started fumbling with the straps. In doing this I also let go of the reins because I needed both hands. At this opportune moment, Paul's horse took in its head the idea of doing a bit of trotting, so Dick's horse started trotting, and then Tiny started. Well, you can imagine how I felt, no reins, no stirrups, not even the ability to stick on. Suddenly it struck me that the neck of my horse was a very advisable place to anchor myself. This I proceeded to do by the simple expedient of wrapping my arms around that member. I'll ad- mit that it wasn't a very comfortable position, with my glasses dangling from one ear and my hat jammed over the other, but it had its points because it made Tiny so uncomfortable that he stopped. With a relieved sigh I straightened up in the saddle, and Tiny, seeing how far away he was from the barn, broke into a canter. Then I understood that wistful look in his eyes. Nothing could keep me in the saddle but a stranglehold around his neck 3 but when I did this, that fiendish animal started to gallop so fast that the grass tickled his stomach. I started to pray for a safe landing: however, my eyes were so dizzy from the reeling ground that I couldn't gather my thoughts, much less pray. Despite my plight. I wasn't going to .give up without a struggle: so I bit my teeth in his mane, hugged him tighter with my arms, and dug my heels in his sides. I might mention, at this stage, that I was tak- ing a pounding comparable only to being tackled by two football teams simultaneously, but a little thing like that didn't bother me at all. Only a blast of nitroglycerine or a derrick could have removed me from the saddle, that is, as long as