Winchester School - Oui Dire Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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OUT -I IRE 43 ground and pumpkins are ripe in the corn helds, when maples redden and beeches turn golden in the sun. Dry leaves rustled down from the trecs and the spicy smoke of bonhres was in the air. The day was as warm as summer, so that every- one for miles around had come out to enjoy the varied sights of the county fair. I happened to be jostling along with the rest of the happy- go-lucky crowd on the dusty fair grounds. .Xt a distance a great ferris-wheel revolved slowly on its ten minute rounds, but I was trying to steer myself towards a gilt and scarlet mcrry-go- round and though this was not far away, to reach it seemed a very ditlicult matter. Once headed right, a balloon man attracted my attention by advertising his wares in such a persuasive penetrating voice that no one could resist. At lirst the voice seemed to belong rather to the large bobbing bunch of red and blue balloons than to a man inside. But looking closer one could see an inconspicuous pair of gray clad legs protruding below, then a still less conspicuous coat sleeve with a thread-bare el- bow. This disappeared into the pocket of a faded coat above. Poking itself out of this same pocket was a red polka-dotted handkerchief and that was all one could hnd out about him. Nearby, in a stiffly starched white dress and a wide grass green sash, stood a young girl cling- ing to the arm of a country boy. Both were chewing gum in open-mouthed admiration ot the passing crowds. XVith her free hand she twirled a souvenir paper whistle decorated with a curly green tickler on the end. A large be- flowered hat drooped over her face so far that she could just peek out underneath. But her round rosy cheeks dimpled as she giggled at her companionis witty remarks and she was having a very good time. But what of her escort? He was a tall, loose- jointed youth with a friendly freckled face, blue eyes, and a nose tilting cheerfully upwards, and looked as if he might be good company. IBN' profession he served as postman for the R. F. D. route No. 13, and was a social star in the community. Qften some good housewife or daughter burned her week's baking in the oven while he leaned comfortably against the front gate post and gossiped with her. Since this was a holiday he appeared in a bright blue suit, stiff white collar, new oxfords and a Haming red tie which rivaled the color of his hair. A Roosevelt button on his coat lapel proclaimed his political beliefs. I sympathized with a fat old lady near me who elbowed her Way breathlesslv through the jam towards the Hall of Household Arts. ...,,,M K X 3 lleii bonnet had been shoved askew and wisps of Hutty white hair escaped, clinging to her warm liushed face. llerilously near the tip of her nose was balanced a pair of large steel bowed glasses over the top of which she 'gazed helplessly. ller progress had been hindered considerably by a big cotton umbrella clutched under one arm and a bulky bundle containing a, patch work quilt in the other. This quilt took, annually, lirst prize at the sewing exhibit. I'robably when not tlustered she had a beaming grand-motherly expression and undoubtedly knew all the remedies for the attacks of croup, mumps, and toothache of the village children. Slightly apart, with hat in hand, a stranger stood watching her efforts, a keen business-like looking man with ii'on gray hair. Ile impressed me as a man of alfairs to be honored and re- spected, though he was conspicuous in a dark suit with a gold watch fob at his waist. .X fraternity key hung from the fob which he hngered ahsently. In his hrm black eyes was a reminiscent look as if he were recalling the time when he too came to the fair with a rosy country sweetheart. As I at last reached the merry-go-'round, I nearly ran over a small boy with tangled curly hair and tear-swollen eyes. lle had lost his ma and any mother would have had trouble in recognizing him. Iloth cheeks were streaked from a burst green balloon, while tears coursed down them through paint and dirt. ,X sticky lolly-pop had remained mostly on the out- side of his mouth, his hat was lost, strawberry lemonade had worked destruction to once white knickerbockers, and in his chubby hands a furrv Eskimo doll and two pop-corn halls were hope- lessly mixed. I still dream of having a trip on that merry- go 'round, for instead of riding, the lost boy and I went in search of a parent for him. F. tl. '16, rbi... FORT WRIGHT. In this time of war. a great interest is, of course, taken in learning the daily life of the sol- diers, in the drills and target practise carried on in the forts all over our country. XYhile all these forts are necessary, and the drilling of men essen- tial. let us hope that the guns of the former need never- go into action, and that the training may continue to he training for many years to come. On a small island, guarding the entrance to Long Island Sound, a very important strategic point, stands Fort XYright, .Xnyone approaching

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4, QUI-DIRE serfinihled ln get their Yzilunhles out nf sight, and iniineflinlelx' the 1'exwflx'e1' seemed to he turned fli- ieellx' nplni exch fine nf them. lle held his pistol against his vietimnk hm-lieznl until he had shelled Hin. lfiwnn nn' fnllier, :nnwng nlhel' Cflllli he Hlilziimwl :1 Senlvli hzllf peiiny. ,l'l2llllCl' had em'- 1-ledrln-en1qie1'pieee flq1'1i1:111yye111's.Qilllingilhis lnelw peinn. :ind wus w1'1'v lu lnse it. The Wfulig n-glqligl-QI1iilflly.,He1'erl the thief elwewlzites, which he :icvepn-il, hut nevertheless insisted upon hm'- ing their rings :is well. 'llhe man went tlirongh the lwn eonelies in this inzlnner, :ind then fluiclv ly jinnping' frmn the vehicle was :it once enm- plelelx' lust tn view in the dense wmmd. Alter fl sliwrt pause at fl Park llllllllll eznnp funn which swldiers were sent ln pursue the han! dit, we jnnrneyerl nn :ind reneherl llld lfziithfnl :lt fnni' ffelweli. We went l1llll1ClllfllCly tw see the geyser, even hefwre giving in the lnn. We were L'S1lCL'lIlllj' interested in its hnsin which h:1d lmeen Lffilllllllllj' f4ll'lllC1l hy the x':n'i-Ins llllllCl'fll Sllll- slzlnees rlepnsitwl hy the water, Xlwst uf the llllslll is .if ll pure while SUllSlZlllCC hut rnvvunfl the wp :lnrl 'in une side ure lwznids nf hrighl yellow. green, find pnvple, 'lihe wider itself is 21 elezn' lvlue :ind cnntinnully hniling. This geyser de- serves its nznne fin' it erupts 1'egulz11'ly eve1'ylmL11', slmntiiig up flhnut El hundrefl 211111 twenty-live feet intn the :Lili XYe twink nur wily lnwzml the lnn, which is Z1 inznnnifwlh lng ezihin, furnished lliiwiiglifmt in El luxurinus ezlhin style with rustic furniture :ind llnin-s wweiwl with hriglil lnrlizln hlznilccls. Hnee inside we 2111 gzltliered :nvwnnrl the great when Fire- plnce In ziwzmil the snlrliers. They slum :11'1'ivefl :ind lzlifl hefnre ns Ylll'll1llS articles which the mh- luei' had thi'-vwn ziwziy :ls nf nn Vnlne tn him, .hlllllllg these things my fzlllier lnunrl his lucky penny. We went In sleep that night quite enntenl with Uni' day since we hull seen many unusual and hezlntiful sights und gilsn heezlnse we were the nnh' pe'-ple whn had 112111 the linnnr nf heing held np in Yellnwstwiie ljnrlc f4ll'1rYCl'l1Illl 11 eenlurv. C. XI.'16.' THE FEAST OF THE LANTERNS. The lllllflllllglll lily in SllX'L'l'5' hzws :iuimss Nlir- mlfil- H -1 A A .. XL. lln deep hlne slxx xx.1s Llnndless :ind sluddul with gnlrlen stars. ,The luke itself, nl- wiiys pezxeeful :md ezmlm, was ns sxnuulli ns glass. lwnilfling lights shnwefl the lneutirm of the village :ind the sunnnei' villages. while, on the rwlln-1' Flll4il'CS nf the Inlfe, the trees which grew elfise ln the edge mst dznrlc :ind grotesque shadows over the waters. It was the night of the Feast of the Lanterns. Every available Canoe and rowhoat was decor- ated with brightly colored japanese lanterns, In color, the lanteriis were gay reds, bright blues, :und gaudy yellows and greens. In shape, they were square, hexagonal, round, 01' oblong. On son1e,lieree dragons rushed about, on others, fair ladies blinked wonderingly at the light, and nn still others. weird flowers, never seen in any gzmlen, spread themselves over the surface. livery hoatman vied with every other one to make his boat the most beautiful. XYhen all was ready, the leader skimmed out over the writer. amidst the applause and delighted chorus of ohs and alms of the crowd which had gzitliered on shore. The canoe had been lmimerl white, inside and out. :Xt the how and the stern, white hireh poles had been put up and hetween them ll wife coverecl with white was loosely strung. llllflj white lanterns were hung on the wire and came down low over the boat. .Xs it ilitted over the water it looked like a grace- ful swan. Slowly, the others with their Hielcering lights nnwed out from the shore. The long procession nf walter-crzlft wound about the lake. Mirror Luke, true to its name, pictured the parade, as it glided in and out like Z1 serpent in the grass. After the circuit had been completed, a huge lJHlll'll'C was lighted on one of the points which juls out into the water. As it Hamed sliyward the crowded hoats gzmtliered around it. Soon the :mir was ringing with the notes of college slings, and old songs fznnilinr to everyone, such ns, .Xuld Lang Synef' My Bonnie Lies Over the Ucezxnf' and UhYllCl'C and U XYhere is your llighlzlnd Lznldie Gone? ln order to make the scene even inure lovely, the waiter was turned on nl Zl llyllllllll which was situated hetween the tire and the singers, The strezun was thrown high into the :nr and on coming down formed a misty enrtziin through which the Hames glowed Z1 dull red. The emwrl nn shore melted away and one by one the cnnnes slipped from sight into the darli- ness of the lmzitliouses. The music faded into nnthingness. The Hre died clown und tinally Xli1'1'o1' l.zd4e wus left :done with the moonlight :ind the stars to meditate on what they had seen. l l'he lfezist of the l.:lnte1'ns was over for an- other year. M. F. 'I6. SNAP-SHOTS AT A COUNTY FAIR. It was n clear hlue October day: the time of the year when heaps of red apples lie on the N

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44 OUT- DIRE the island, would see only a few hotels and sum- mer cottages clustered at one end. and at the other end. a line of hills, with here and there a few poles, covered with a network of wires, Stlg- gesting merely a wireless station. llut under- neath these innocent-lottking hills are the deadly cannon, for Fort XYright is built entirely under- ground, while behind them. in the harbor, are a number of long. black battleships. Shielded hy the tirst line of artificial hills are the parade grounds, the barracks, and the ofticers' quarters. The parade grounds present a marked contrast tu their surroundings, for they are sandy, hard, and dusty-looking, while on all sides are the fresh, green, cool hills. To the right of the grounds are the barracks. square red-brick buildings, with long porches stretching across the front. The officers' quarters are separate houses, on each side of a shady street, where the officers and their wives. for many are married men, live in a little village all their own. livery morning the summer hoarders are awak- ened at sunrise by the reveille, whose clear notes can be heard almost across the narrowest part tif the Sound. Then the fort suddenly be- comes alive. Subordinate otiticers in dark blue suits and the privates in khaki all stream towards the niess-halls. No black coffee and hard tack for these men. but fresh eggs. rich cream, and corn mutiins. due tu a nearby farm which also supplies the fort with fresh vegetables. Squads of men are then detailed to clean out the inner chambers of the fort, to oil the guns and other implements, and in general to prepare for the day's work. :Xt ten tiitxlticli, three days in the week, target practise is held. The tow-boats drag the targets. great, red, cone-shaped wooden HULIIS. which rise about twelve feet out of the water, a mile or a mile and a half out to sea. Then put- ting on full speed, they draw the targets past the fort. Men on the tops of the hills signal the dis- tance and the rate of speed of the boats to those at the lnittont, These signal lu the gunners, who, without even seeing their target, make the calcu- lations and tire the guns. .N terrilic report, which shakes all the window stnftl1Cl1L'iglllvti1'il1ghtrtlSes, is heard: mud flies in all directions, and a huge projectile whistles through the air. :Xlmost a minute after the report, the projectile strikes the water, and a geyser, from three hundred to four hundred feet high, shoots up near its target. But this kind uf practise is most expensive, for every time a sixteen inch diameter shell, one of the largest made in the United States, is shot, two hunrlrefl or three hundred dollars of Uovernment I I P5 money sinks to the bottom ot the seas, The afternoon is mainly given up to drills. The inspection officers gather in the stand at the end of the grounds. All along the street, facing the grounds, are the villagers, -the ofheers' wives and children, and the soldiers off duty. To keep these from crossing the grounds, or hindering the man- oeuvres of the soldiers, two sentries pass up and down, saluting their superiors as they pass before themf Then the band strikes up, and, with the band-master leading. the columns of soldiers go through their paces. Let a man lose his step, lower his gun too soon, bob his head, or commit any other breach of discipline, and he is instantly ordered to leave the lines. These clelinquents are often put to work cutting the grass, cleaning the streets, helping the gardeners. or smoking out the mosquitoes in the lower, swampy parts of the island. This is considered the worst kind of dis- grace, and the soldiers would much prefer so many hours' detention in the guard-house, or marching up and down, up and down, with heavy muskets on their shoulders. At six o'clock the sunset gun is tired as a signal for the end of the day's work. In the cool of the evening, the ofticers in white duck suits, attend the hops in the nearby hotels. and the pri- vates, in navy-blue uniforms, lounge on the porches, stroll along the beach. or have a gay time indoors, smoking or playing cards. lf we compare this peaceful scene with the tu- mult and the hardships of men on the other side of the ocean, how grateful we should be that our country is at peace, how uncomplainingly we should bear the trouble caused by the lack of im- ported goods and by the falling off in commerce. and especially how willing we should be to help relieve the sufferings of those who a1'e sick or wounded, who have no homes, and who are en- during all the evils caused by war. E. R. 't6. AN INDIAN STAMP DANCE. .Xll the way the hot, dry Oklahoma dust blew up into our faces, burning our eyes and parch- iitg our throats, while the old surrey rattled and shook, constantly bumping us up and down in a most uncomfortable manner, but we did not care, for we were on our way to see a real lndian stamp dance! Few white people were allowed to watch this dance, as the permission of the indian chief-a most careful savage- had to be gained, and this, as we had found, was no easy matter! But our party was well supplied with passports, and so, finally hav- ing come to the end of our journey, we had no trouble in entering the camp. Our Hrst feeling was one of disappointment. N