Woonsocket High School - Quiver Yearbook (Woonsocket, RI)

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8 THE QUIVER feelings by means of a short, sharp snicker, given with a rising inflection, which always reminds me of a question-mark. He invariably utters a series of sharp, quick, belligerent snicks when he is angry or when he see a dog or cat. He has an unmerciful antipathy for these, and 1 remember one case of a dog which ran into the coati’s kennel when 1 opened the door and threw in a piece of meat. That dog was fortunate to get out of the scrape as easily as he did. W ith one quick flash of his long claws, the animal had removed a strip eight inches long by an inch and a half wide from that imprudent dog’s back. With a few more movements, he would have digested him. A person described the attack on a dog by a coati. The incident happened in either Boston or Springfield, when a coati escaped and chose a medium-sized dog for its first meal. He said that the coati jumped upon the dog’s back, held itself there by hanging to the dog’s ears with its claws, and proceeded to chew off the back of his unfortunate victim’s neck. No one dared approach him until he had satisfactorily gorged himself. This fierce denizen of the Mexican wilds may be really tamed by one method only, and that is kindness. Force only subdues this animal—it has a revengeful spirit, which unkind treatment cannot subdue. The coati is more mischievous than a monkey. He has an instinct for destruction that knows no bounds. If he is allowed loose and alone in a house for half an hour, he will contrive to smash dishes, break glassware, pull all the tablecloths and whatever is on them to the floor, and eat all the digestible materials which appeal to his rather indiscriminating palate. If anyone is in the house at the time, however, he will curl up and apparently go to sleep. Mike is the name of my pet coati. One day. the family being out, I brought Mike in and allowed him to wander about the room while I read. His exploring about the cabinet disturbing mv peace of mind, and my vocal warning convincing him that his presence about the cabinet was undesired, he immediately betook himself to his pillow, and I forgot the incident. I rose about an hour later and left the room for less than a minute; and when I returned, he was up on the very top shelf of that cabinet with his inquisitive head in a bowl of stewed prunes! The moment I opened the door, he took a flying leap to the floor and curled up on his cushion, fast asleep. LEO DESROSIERS, ’21.

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7 THE QUIVER The elf disappeared, the silver boat vanished, and Sally Ann found herself back on her little cot. The last rays of the setting sun made her blink, but she smiled at Nursey Dear, who was saying. “What a nice nap you had, Sally Ann.” ? “Yes,” answered Sally Ann, “and what a nice story to tell Camille s teddy-bear.” Hathaway. ’22. THE BROWN COATI OF MEXICO One of the popular households pets of the Mexicans, the brown coati, is, in many respects a remarkable creature. The coati is about the size of his cousin, the raccoon; but his fur is shorter, owing to the warmer climate of his habitat. The nose is more pointed and is gifted with wonderful power of movement; the tail is flatter and less bushy, and is longer than the rest of the body; the teeth and claws are about three-fourths of an inch in length. The coati walks with a bow-legged, flat-heeled stride resembling that of a bear, and the combination of his long nose, his two wickedlooking eyes, and his peculiar bow-legged strut gives him a cocksure, comical air—though it is a formidable one also. In a cage or runway, he paces.about all day long, walking round and round, back and forth, in and out of his shelter, exploring corners and crevices, and never getting anywhere. A coati will eat any kind of meat, and is especially fond of tab.e scraps, candy, fruits, and flavoring-extracts. Among the more egregious articles of his diet are frogs, flies, spiders, and earthworms. In one case it was found that he had consumed all the cold cream on the dressing table of a feminine member of the household. The coati in his natural state is a tree dweller. He can leap from branch to branch with an agility equal to that of the squirrel, and his long claws facilitate climbing and clinging. Coatis live in tribes and concentrate their attacks on solitary animals with such fury that none but the higher animals, such as the jaguar and lynx, can resist them. In spite of their fierceness, coatis are easily domesticated, especially by kindness. They are kept in Mexico as pets. However, they must always be kept tied, as they are especially fond of fresh dog or cat meat, and like to get it themselves. The coati has a very small variety of sounds with which to express himself. Whenever he is spoken to, or when food is held out to him. or while he is investigating anything, he gives vent to his

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THE QUIVER A POLONIUS I KNOW 9 In the morning when I start out for school, I sometimes wait at the corner of the street for my chum. hen I do, I invariably meet n 'd gentleman, who takes his morning walk at just that time. One day, I had a longer wait than usual, and the old man said. Ootid morning,” and stopped to talk to me. After that we often exchanged a few words. At lirst. 1 rather liked his queer conversation, hut lately his morning ‘••leeches have grown exceedingly tiresome, for he says practically the same thing every time I see him. He always begins by asking me for whom 1 am waiting, although I must have told him at least a dozen times. His curiosity is unbounded. 1 here is no question which he hesitates to ask. from my family history to the price of my new hat. If anvone else passes us and says, “Good morning, he immediately inquires who it was, where he lives, where he goes to school, and as much more as I will consent to tell him. He is always ready to give me a piece of advice and never doubts that I will appreciate it and act upon it at once. This morning he actually told me not to take up stenography at school because his daughter tried it and didn’t like it! After that I should not have been ;■ bit surprised if he had remarked, like Polonius, “Have I ever said a thing was so and it proved otherwise r” I suppose this will go on as long as we both live on that side of t’ e city. Every morning I make up my mind that I will not answer any more of his questions; but, when 1 see him coming down the ‘•treet leaning on his cane. I have not the heart to snub him. MARION WALLACE. ’22. (Science 1)—“Pumps were discovered 2 000 years before man. Mr. Don Ion: Can you give me the formula for arsenic?” Freshman: “I just had it on my tongue. Mr. Carroll in Physics: Has any one a watch with a second hand?” Clever Child: “I have a second hand watch.” (Physics 3)—N. Israeli: “How much does a pound of aluminum