Winchester School - Oui Dire Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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32 OUT DIRE ceived his last letter. .Xfter The Tempest The l.overs walked to The llpen Nvindowf' lt was t'Twilight and the birds were singing their evening song. They listened to the little brook whispering and laughing softly as it danced along Under the tlld lflmf' .Ns The tlld Clock on the Stairs was strik- ing, he opened his eyes. lle looked around for his lflsie, but found A'She Came and XYent only in his dream. lt, lf. ll. 'If,. IN THE DESERT, tlnce upon a time a caravan set out across the desert, laden with rich merchandise for a far distant market. Some of the camels carried pig-skins full of the rarest wines of the tlrient, other rare species, tapestries and silken cloth. flu l7ahanger's camel was a load of salt. lt was the hope of each merchant to reach the tiolden tiity at the time when the liajahs entered by the tiolrlen tiate, for if they were fortunate enotigh to arrive at this time, they were permit! ted to enter and to follow the royal train to the court, where their wares brought fabulous sums. To be sure, the tiolden tiate was not forbidden to every body. lt swung open at any time to a privileged few: such as the messengers of the king, or princes, or anyone bearing merchandise so precious and so costly, that only kings could purchase: but no common vendor could hope to enter except in the rear of the liajalrs train. which came yearly to visit the Holden City. The merchants urged their camels on, desirous of reaching the Holden liate at the proper time. lioremost in the lead was lfahanger, whose heart burned with the mad desire of being the tirst to enter the tlolden tiate with his wares. L'ufortunately, however, but halfway across the barren desert, as they paused to rest at an oasis, his camel became lame. ln vain he urged it to arise and to continue its journey, the poor beast could not do so under its great load. Sack by sack he lessened its weight, at lirst throwing it otl' grudgingly and with sighs, for he wanted to lose as little as possible of his prospective fortune, but even rid of the entire load the camel could not arise. ,Xfter delaying with liahanger for two days and nights, the caravan was obliged to go on without him. l'oor lfahanger was desolate. lfor four flltji and tour nights he watched and waited, hoping that at any moment he might go on, but his camel, though able lt: stand it little gmtl to walk a little, was unable lo carry the sacks of salt. Hzxllflll has indeed forgotten med' he Cflfffli beating his breast and tearing his mantle to pieces, for even if his camel were able to con- tinue the long hot journey, it would be useless, because he would arrive too late to enter the tiolden tjate. Thus discouraged and worn out after the long days of waiting, he sat down to rest under a palm. Presently a bee began to btizz around him, but he paid little heed. Ah woe is mel tlf all men I ani most miserable! t lf all dooms mine is most unjustl XVhy should I, with life beating strong in my pulses, and am- bition burning in my heart, be treated thus? The bee, growing tired of buzzing around, set- tled on the back of Fahanger's hand, but stung him not. XX'here there are bees there is honey, he thought. lle arose quickly and followed the bee, forgetting for the time his misery and mis- fortunes, forffettinff the heat and barrenness of 5 m . the desert, Un and'on he went, until he came to a?- could it be the Garden of Allah? lt was a beautiful oasis full of flowers of all de- scriptions and colors, and as he entered a rare and delicious perfume filled his nostrils. He had entered the rose gardens of 4 lmar Khayyani. Now Umar lihayyam was a sage who had the miraculous power of transmuting the most C0111- things of earth into something brecious. fame had spread into far countries, and mon llis many pilgrims sought him to beg his wizard touch, but for a generation or more his where- abouts had remained unknown. No living crea- ture had ever been able to discover him. Only the bees knew, and following the bee, Fahanger found himself in Umar Khayyanrs presence. Now liahanger was a youth of gracious mien and pleasing withal. Xvith straightforward speech he told his story and Umar was touched by his tale. lle bade him go and bring his camel thither, and without a word Fahanger did as he was bid, little knowing who the man was. Xvhen he returned, Umar said, Thou dost not know who l am, Fahanger. lflast thou never heard of Umar Khayyamin XYith a low cry of surprise lfahanger fell at his feet, for now he thought he cottld reach the Golden City. and that tlmar would change his salt into precious stones, and he would be far richer for his delay, But alas, his hopes were in vain, for instead Umar continued, Thou thinkest that be- cause l am I lmar Khayyam I can grant thee what thou most desirest. Nay Fahanger, that would be wrong. livery man must be his own al- chemist. Have patience. Here, if thou wilt, on these dry sands shallst thou lind such secrets, that when thou dost liually win the Golden Gate. it shall be with wares that shall gain for thee a N

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OUI-DIRE 31 served it, was now a dark green, almost black, and many Whitecaps could be seen curling toward the shore. Xafhat was that? A distant peal of thunder! As I watched, the sky be- came darker and the great black clouds cast shadows on water and shore. The wind was rising and the tall trees around me swayed from side to side, warning me of the approaching storm. The thunder was more distant now. and here and there a Hash of lightning streaked the clouds, which hung low over the earth. I was not far from the cottage, so I decided to remain until the storm broke, for its approach was a beautiful sight. The wind had in- creased and was now blowing a fgale. The waves appeared as huge rollers, and as they broke upon the shore the very earth seemed to quiver. Half a mile along the coast, the beach became narrower until the soft white sand dis- appeared and the rocks and cliffs rose directly from the sea. Upon these the waves were beat- ing with their mighty force and l could see the white spray rise and fall as they struck this wall of rock. The vivid flashes of lightning that occurred so frequently now, illuminated the heavens, and were followed by terrific claps of thunder. A flock of seagulls flew past me, only to descend and skim the top of the waves. Something damp and cooling blew in my face. Vdas it the spray from the lashing waves which the wind carried my way, or the oncoming rain? I started up and made my way back through the forest, arriving at the cottage just as the storm broke in all its fury. li. C. l., 'ig. WE. CTU be sang to Sprites of Hn' Niiflz! are rec. are rec'. l Dignihed Seniors are we, are we, Important as we can be, can bel Dressing neatly, Smiling sweetlyg Examples to all, you see. Back for the Seniors all must fall, Wfe march along so proud and tallg Reproving small girls, Wfho, shaking their curls, Push up in front of us all. Studious Seniors are we, are we, Brilliant as we can be, can be, Latin, German, All we're learnin' College grinds we soon shall be. . . -.. .....,.,...,T.,..,.,-,, - X- Thinkers are we like ll Venser osou, and like him we aver, Rlirth she is crazy, l,'Allegro, lazy, Contemplation much better. Taciturn Seniors are we, are we, Quiet as we can be, can beg Never laughing, Never chatting, lYe never act sillilyl H A'Reden ist silber, Schweigen, gold That be our motto till we're old llracticing ev'ry day .Xble we'll be to say Ninety nine in our S. R51 Rl. ll. ll., 'ii R means School Record. Il A CLASSICAL ROMANCE. XYhilc reading the Pickwick l'apers, lJavid Copperfield fell asleep in Ht irandfather's Chair in Hur Hld Home, The llouse of Seven Gables. The XYinter Tale which llarnaby Rudgeu had been telling him, gradually faded away into a beautiful Midsummer Nights Dream. The Snow Image, which he had watched lJombey and Son mould, was trans- formed into 'tlflsie Yerner, who was now watched over by her Guardian Angel. Pages from an old Volume of l.ife were turned over before him and the Twice-Told Tales once more reproduced in his dream. lle was back again to the Twelfth Night of 1 Jur llundred Days in Europe, at the l-Bleak House, the home of Nicholas Nicklebyf' Hur Mutual Friend. There he had met lflsie Yernerf' The Fair hlaid of l'erth, and there The lllithdale Romance began. They had often chatted Myer the Teacupsu with The Auto- crat of the Breakfast Table, and frequently visited The Uld Curiosity Shop, Une day in Kliddlemarch, he was summoned to the front by Richard III. .Xfter fighting In the Ranks In the Kings Country, he was captured as The Spy Under False Colours, and thrown into St Roman's XX'ell. llis Letters to Elsie Yernerv ceased, yet she watched for them with Great lixpectationsf' XX'ith the aid of Two Gentlemen of Verona, he made his escape with l recaution, and re- turned again to Elsie Yernerf' Ifler Needless Alarm for him was over, and there was Much Ado about Nothing when she remembered how long it had been since she re-

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GUI-DIRE royal entrance, but thou must remain with me and I shall show thee how to lind these secrets. Fahanger consented, and when the moon shone white and full in the heavens, Umar sent him into the gardens to pluck rose leaves. This is thy work, he said, every night must thou all these jars with rose petals and sprinkle them with the magic water of the fountain. 'ZX task for poets, thought Fahanger as he set to work diligently: but the thorns began to tear his fingers, and his back began to hurt, and the hiss- ing and rustling in the grass warned him of the presence of snakes, Night after night he con- tinued his work until long months had passed. At times he became overcome by a mad desire to slip away on his camel, which was now quite well. Xllas he not wasting his life in this lonely place? Then the words of Omar, Patience, have patience, Fahang-er, came to him and he would take a new grip on things. At last one day towards the close of the long hot summer, Omar called him to him and said, Fahanger, I have watched thee continually since thou hast been here, and I think thou de- servest thy reward, for thou hast proved thyself worthy to be a sharer of my secrets. Come, I will show thee. Seest thou this tiny vial? lt weighs but a rupee and yet princes would give one-half of their kingdoms if they could but ob- tain it. It contains the marvelous perfume of my roses. Take it, Fahanger, and proceed to the Golden City. Behold the gift of the desert, this is thy reward for thy patient service in its soli- tudefl So saying, Omar Khayyam placed the vial in Fahanger's hand and bade him good-bye. Then Fahanger went forth, and the camel. healed in the long wait, bore him swiftly across the sands to the Golden City, and the Golden Gate which would not open to any common vendor, swung wide for Fahanger. llrinces brought their pearls to exchange for drops of his perfume, and kings their bags of gold. livery- where he went, the sweetness of the magic attar opened for him a way and won for him a wel- come. Xklhenever he saw a head bowed down under misfortune he would whisper Clmar's words and stop to teach tlmar's lesson, that from the commonest experiences of life may be distilled its greatest blessingsf, l.I.. ll.'1q. liliil SUMMER NIGHTS. The water lapping softly, Against my little boat, Makes music sweet Unto my ears, .Xnd through the years, .Ns on I float, No sound so very meet: For me no music costly. Stars over the whole world shine, tliently winds are blowing llirds calling sweet, The waving trees, The balmy breeze, The cows' soft lowing, .Nnd all the summer heat: T'is of all the loveliest time. 1. M. 12. 15. MY PET CROW. -lim was captured by the employment of an energetic small boy to climb the pine tree where the nest was. .Xfter being lifted from the nest, he was gently put into a bag and lowered by a cord to the ground. lle was then taken home and put in a barrel. In the bottom of this, many small sticks had been placed for him to catch hold of with his feet. lle continually cried for food, and even kept on siluawking with his mouth full. Until he could be perched outside his barrel, lim was given a diet of milk-soaked bread. Presently he was placed on the low roof of the woodshed, and taught to fly. After this lesson was learned, he became a self-sustaining member of the house- hold, and by no means the least conspicuous member. lle had the free range of the garden and of the farm. He never molested the garden or the lield corn, in spite of the many opportunities. The reason for this may be because he could easily get food at the kitchen door!scraps fallen from the garbage-pail, for instance, for crows are natural scavengers, and they are very fond of meat and fish. No effort was made to confine him, yet he showed no desire to join his feathered fellows. ln fact he seemed to fear his own kind, and when wild crows came into the garden, he would fly for the protection of the woodshed. He never molested any of the numerous robin and held-sparrow nests about the place, simply be- cause he could get food elsewhere. Isle turned out to be very beneficial in the garden. XYhen the gardener picked up a hoe or a fork, and started out to cultivate, lim would come walking with that quaint, or rather uncer- tain sidelongi gait of his tribe, and follow the rows of fresh-turned earth behind the gardener, 33