Woonsocket High School - Quiver Yearbook (Woonsocket, RI)

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18 THE QUIVER WHEN THE TRAIN COMES IN WITH FOOD FROM AMERICA Little Olga tightly held the ragged black shawl around her shoulders with one small, dirty hand, and with the other she dragged her three-year-old brother through the crowds of children already gathered to meet the incoming train of the American Relief Administration. Now she could see it approaching in the distance, winding along like a serpent and occasionally giving a shriek to announce its coming to the eager, half-starved children. It was moving very rapidly, but to little Olga and Ivan it seemed to creep along like a snail. Would it never come ? It was pitiful to see the thousand children collected there. They stood so very quietly, not at all like normal children, and watched the train with their big, expressive eyes. Olga felt as though she no longer had strength to cling to Ivan’s hand and she thought it was slowly slipping from her grasp. Looking at him. she wondered vaguely at his hollow cheeks and his thin body; but if she had looked around her at the other children, she would have seen that Ivan was by no means the only starving child. The small, pinched look was stamped on all those pale young faces. Indeed, if she had gazed into a mirror, she would have seen the face of any one of those children reflected in her own countenance. She was aroused from her stupor by the hoarse shouts of the others and by Ivan’s tugging at her hand. The train had. at last, reached the station. It was bringing food, she told Ivan, as she pointed out the Red Cross to him. Olga found herself in the midst of a rushing crowd. Everyone had seemed to gain life in an instant. Each of them knew that he would soon have food, and all were prepared to give the “American Relief lady” the best smile they could summon to their dry lips. For an hour Olga waited for the food tickets, standing with the others near the great train. She waited patiently, for she knew that there were a thousand other starving ones who must also have food. While she watied, Olga watched the women and men from the train rushing hither and thither, some distributing tickets, others going about numerous other duties. One Russian officer reminded her of her father, who had fallen during the war in the service of Russia. Finally she was sent with two tickets into one of the restaurant cars, where she and Ivan were seated at a small table and were given two bowls of hot, nourishing broth. Never did food taste better to hungry children! Ivan’s eyes shone as he devoured his portion.

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THE QUIVER IF I COULD LIVE AGAIN THE LAST FOUR YEARS 17 When you truly regret a foolish act or a sin of omission, your mind returns incessantly to the error, and as you reproach yourself, you sigh, “If I could only live that over!” Then, try as you will to forget your mistake, it will always remain fixed in your memory. Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I must be lacking in conscience, for no such regrets concerning the last four years are rankling in my soul. However, I have a vague intuition that it would be quite the right thing for me to strike an heroic pose and cry out, “Oh, that I could live the last four years over! Shades of ye wasted study periods, hours lost to idle dreams, haunt me no more!” Then, with deep sighs and a self-conscious smile. I would declaim for hours on how I should have abstained from my semi-annual afternoon at the movies, from drawing pictures during the geometry class, from gossip, clubs, and magazine stories, and from powdering my nose; but, most of all. I would regret the day during my Freshman year when I played hooky and took a long hike one beautiful March day. During all this oration, I should feel myself sinking trom the position of a lazy sinner to that of a prating hypocrite with an eye to being complimented by an admiring audience, that, at the proper point, would exclaim, “With what a noble, thoughtful air she speaks!” Thus encouraged, I would continue : “My friends and teachers tell me that without doubt I could have won honors in High School. In fact, the most reliable critics say that I might easily, with a few extra hours of concentration a day, have stood first in my class. Oh, little Freshmen, take my advice: waste not your study hours in play, lay aside your dreams of next summer’s fishing, and grasp Golden Opportunity. It passed me while I slept! It is too late for me to remedy my error, but I trust that I shall impart to you—” At this point, I should probably be assisted from my soap box pedestal by some firm-minded friend. But in serious and solemn conclusion, let me say that if I were to live the last four years again, I should probably do just as I have already done. MILDRED HATHAWAY.

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THE QUIVER 19 When, some time later, the train drew out, it left a group of happier children, whose bodies had been strengthened and warmed by food. Among the group stood Olga and little Ivan. Olga bent gentl} over her baby brother and whispered happily, “Oh, Ivan, don t you feel better now?” And they turned and disappeared, a pathetic picture to the eyes of inanv an older person. MADELEINE ROSWEI.L. WHEN OUR GRANDPARENTS WERE YOUNG I. When Grandfather was a boy, he had a pet canary. One day it was found badly mangled on the floor. Both he and his sister, Florence, or Fudge, as she was called, blamed the little kitten; but there were two kittens, and so the youngsters decided that both must be executed immediately. Each took a kitten and started off for the mill-pond, about a mile away. It was very shallow, really a mud-hole. The kittens were thrown in, but naturally they ran right out again. The children procured long sticks and tried to hold them down, but it was of no use. The youngsters fought for nearly an hour without resting, until the cats were nearly dead. Their little faces were so pitiful and their eyes were so wide with terror that at last Fudge s heart would not allow her to see them drown. In an instant she picked them up and ran home with them. My grandfather was terribly angry and said it was “just like a girl; they always backed out!” But when he reached home, he was finally made to realize that it had been the right thing to do, because one of the kittens was innocent II. My grandfather was sent to school at the age of eight, with his cousin, John, who lived next door. They always walked to and from school together. Every day they stopped at their grandmother’s for something to eat. . One day John was sick and could not go to school. My grandfather stopped as usual on his way home. After learning that John was sick, his grandmother gave him two oranges and said. “Keep one for yourself and take the other to John.” On the way he ate one of the oranges and put the other into his pocket. When he reached John’s, he went in to tell him the news. John listened with interest