Woonsocket High School - Quiver Yearbook (Woonsocket, RI)

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THE QUIVER 23 who was coming ashore for some provisions. He saw a form floating in the water and upon examination, found him to be my husband. Everyone drew the conclusion that he must have been sitting on the i ailing and fallen overboard. You know it was an odd thing that, although he had practically lived on the water all his life, he had rc-vcr learned to swim. He was buried in a little cemetery behind the church where we were married, and your mother and I used to go every day to oflfer a prayer for him.” Grandmother’s story was ended, but I saw something new in her smile that I had never noticed before. It was a smile, not only wistful, but very brave. LOUISE ULLMAN, ’24. A DAY IN “YE MERRIE OLDE ENGLENDE” We were awakened at early dawn by mine host of the Red Lionne Inn, a coach-house on the road from Cambridge to London, in order that we might partake of a hearty breakfast, served smoking hot. before we continued our tiresome journey by stage-coach to London. However, we could not do full justice to this excellent meal, for the “Tally-ho” of the guards sounded in the courtyard before we finished. There was much scurrying around and altercation with the other passengers, but finally we obtained seats in the interior of the coach, where we were packed between an old lady who was afraid of highwaymen and an old gentleman whose only comments were upon the class of people with whom one was forced to travel. W e endured this atmosphere until we reached London, where we made haste to descend at the sign of the Crowne. As we had reached this hostelry at dinner time, we indulged ourselves to the extent of eating a savory dinner and then, while we tossed off a mug or two of ale. for such was the custom of the times, we read the poorly printed billet, which had been handed to us upon our arrival. Since entertainment was needed to free ourselves from the disagreeable feeling which had been contracted during the morning’s ride, we decided to attend a new play, “Macbeth,” by a fairly well-known playwright. William Shakespeare. We learned that it was being played at the Globe Theatre under the capable direction of that gentleman himself.

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22 THE QUIVER the children in the neighborhood had spent three days in decorating It. “If I do say it, I certainly made a pretty bride, and your gra.iu-father, in his blue uniform, was handsome enough to have gone into the moving pictures, had they had them in those days. We had a honeymoon of three heavenly weeks. We stayed at home because it was change enough for Joe to be on dry land without gallivanting around the country. “Finally the day came when he was to leave. I don’t believe any parting was ever so touching. I had a terrible feeling that I should never see him again. Something seemed to tear at my heart, and I hated to let him go. It was to be for a year and a half this time and I thought I could never wait for his return.” Here Grandmother paused, and I didn’t dare to speak, I was so afraid of what she was going to say. Finally it came, the inevitable. She almost whispered it. “He never returned.” My heart almost stopped. “Oh, Grandmother, what happened?” I couldn’t help it, but I was weeping. It was a very long time before she told me “They were about an hour from port. The men had been very busy clearing decks, and your grandfather, after the work was done and he had come from the watch, told the mate to take the wheel while he went to rest. He lighted his pipe and walked toward the stern. That was the last time he was ever seen alive.” “Why, Grandmother, how perfectly terrible! Didn’t anybody know what became of him?” “Well, the manager of the shipping office came up to the house. I was just finishing dressing your mother and was putting her into her cradle. You see he had never seen her, and I wanted to make her as pretty as possible. So when the door opened, I rushed out, expecting to dash into your grandfather’s arms. When I saw who was there. I knew instantly that something was wrong; and when he told me tiie news, I was nearly crazy. I don’t remember much until I opened my eyes some time later and found myself in bed. with my mother and father leaning over me. It all rushed back to me, and I buried my head in the pillow and sobbed. I think it was the best thing I could have done, for afterward I seemed to have awakened all over again. The first thing I thought of was my baby; and when they brought her to me, I crushed her to my breast, mumbling something about the Lord being good to have given me a daughter that looked so much like her father. I think I even smiled a little. “The next day his body was found by the lighthouse keeper,

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24 THE QUIVER After making arrangements for an omnibus to take us to the Globe Theatre, we retired for an hour or two in order to become rested from the effects of the morning’s trip, for the play did not begin until three o’clock. About half an hour before the arrival of the omnibus, we attired ourselves in our new plum-colored suits, w hich had just arrived from Paris, for we did not wish to be outdone by any one at the playhouse. When the man arrived, we entered his conveyance and were rapidly driven through the narrow, crooked streets, wondering all the time that he did not kill us or some innocent, unoffending pedestrian as he bowled along. As soon as we arrived at our destination, we descended, and he collected the exorbitant fare of three-pence apiece. After looking with some repugnance at the rather ugly exterior of the octagonal shaped building, we paid an admittance fee of two-pence and entered. Once i.iside, we stopped, gazed around the building, and noticed, first of all, that the buildnig had no roof over the central part, or pit, as it was called. There were three tiers of galleries, which extended entirely around the end of the building towards us. Then, at the farther end of the building and extending into the central part of it, was a good-sized stage, with railings around it and a balcony and trap-door at the other end of it. We were told by voluble by-standers that, by paying a few extra pence, we might obtain seats in the galleries. or, better yet, by paying as much as a shilling, we might sit on the stage. This latter course appealed to us, as we were desirous of showing our new plum-colored suits; and as we were persons of affluence, we paid our shillings and were duly ensconced on the platform in all our glory. In a few moments, the afore-mentioned trap-door opened, and a person ascended and placed upon the bare stage a placard bearing the inscription, “This is a Blasted Heath.” This done, he rapidly gave place to three boys so well made up as witches that it would have been impossible to detect the fact that they were boys if one had not been so informed by a garrulous gallant who sat beside us. The actors did very well considering that they were handicapped by the total absence of scenery and the lack of stage properties, and acted their parts with gusto, seeming really to live their parts. We noticed that the actors and “actresses” were dressed very richly. Upon inquiry, we learned from the informative gallant that their clothes had been given to them by their noble patrons. (It seems that each company of actors has its own patron in some noble lord, who has them perform for him and rewards them with his cast-off garments.) We observed, as the play went on, that the only change in scenery, if it may be called such, was the change in the placards, which told us