DECEMBER 17, 1937
THE LEXHIPEP
Page 3
LITERARY PAGE
“GIMPY”
(Continued from page two)
ed the birds, watched the squirrels
gather nuts and together they gather
ed many kinds of flowers. They had
gone to high school together and had
spent their holidays out of school to
gether.
It was one frosty, holiday morning
that they were spending the day gath
ering wild nuts and grapes that grew
along the edges of the swamp that
they had come upon “Gimpy.” Wound
ed by the sportsman, he lay panting
on the frozen ground, almost ex
hausted from fright. By hiding in
the thicket he had escaped being
found. Gently Karl had picked the
proud old bird up and had at first
sight seen the broken leg. Other
shots had stung the bird brutally, but
not bad enough to kill him. It was
Carrie who had suggested that they
take the bird to Karl’s house and re
vive it.
After the leg had been attended to
and the bird had been placed by the
fire to warm, the two had sat down
by the fire together. Carrie had look
ed up at Karl as if she had had some
thing to tell him, yet she felt deep in
her heart that she hated to do so.
She knew that Karl’s father ha re
cently died and that he could not go
with her to college, because he must
stay on the farm and care for his
mother. She knew that she would be
lonely at college without him, but her
father had Insisted that she must go
and finish her education so that she
would be able to make her way in the
business world. Somehow something
inside her told her that she hated the
business world and that she would not
enjoy working in town even though
she did live in the city and was per
fectly fitted to make a splendid office
girl.
Somehow she felt that she would
love being a simple housewife for a
husband like Karl would make. And
now, that Karl’s mother was old and
could barely care for the little farm
house, Carrie felt something inviting
her to take the job in her hands. Yet
her father had spoken and she must
obey. So she told Karl about her
father’s request, and that she had
planned to enter college as soon as
the next term began.
So she had gone, and this beautiful
autumn evening marked the close of
a day of the third autumn that she
had been gone. Through these three
years, Karl had looked after the little
farm, cared for his mother, and had
observed the ducks, watching and
waiting for their return in the spring
and feeding and protecting them in
the late fall. The ducks had come to
love him so much that they lingered
long after frost before they would
leave the swamp and migrate to the
warmer climates. They always re-
' turned to the swamp early in the be
cause they knew they would be loved,
adored and protected there. They felt
safe to build their nests and raise
their young there among the willows
and rushes.
Gimpy was usually the first to re
turn in the spring and the last to
leave in the fall, and as Karl had
watched him today he notice that he
had only a small group of followers.
This was bad news for Karl, because
he knew that the gallant old leader
would soon gather the small remain
ing number of ducks together and
start his journey.
The mallards finally left the swamp
and Karl was left alone again. The
heavy frosts fell and snow followed as
the autumn faded into winter. The
deserted swamp froze over and the
rushes around it bent under the
weight of snow. The glowing fire in
the farm house welcomed Karl as he
returned home after doing the daily
chores.
And so Father Winter ruled on and
at last came the renaissance of spring.
The ice on the swamp thawed and
cracked under the first warm rays of
the spring sun. The rushes raised
their slender knife like leaves as if
to shake the melting snow from their
backs. Blue birds, robins and other
small birds returned and burst forth
their welcoming of spring. The ground
began to thaw and became warm and
moist, and the twigs on the fruit trees
swelled with buds. The whole atmos
phere introduced spring.
With the coming of spring, Karl
was kept busy preparing his farming
lands for planting. He was so busy
that he had not had time to go down
to the swamp to see if Gimpy had yet
returned from the South.
One evening when Karl returned
from the fields, he heard someone
talking to his mother. It sounded like
some very familiar voice that he had
heard before. Now he was up on the
porch and he could hear the voi»
distinctly. There seemed to be tears
in it yet; it was like music from
harp to Karl’s ears because he had
recognized the voice. Quickly he en
tered the house and there, with her
face turned toward the floor, Karl
saw Carrie. At one glance he sum'
med her up: more beautiful than ever
She was about five feet two inches
tall; long wavy black hair that curled
upward where her slender neck rested
on a pair of beautifully shaped shoul
ders matching a pair of shapely curv
ed hips that showed well carriage of
body.
Her eyes met his as she looked up
to see who had entered the room
“Carrie!” he exclaimed. “What are
you doing here? Your college isn’t
up.”
She ran to him, and he gathered
her in his two powerful, bronzed arms.
She buried her tear-stained face in
that broad chest and wiped her eyes
as she tried to gather her voice in
order to answer his question.
“He was awful!” She sobbed as her
nose quivered every time she sniffed.
“He even bragged about his ability to
ruin a girl’s pride. 'Why I ever thought
I could love him I don’t know. He
seemed to be so popular, so outstand
ing, so stunning. Thank God I did
leave college to get away from him
He proved to be the real poison that
his type really is that night at the
dance. He was intoxicated when he
said it. When a group of the college
cut-ups asked him to make a speech
he staggered to his feet and intro
duced me as his little country maid.
The crowd burst forth with a mock
ing laugh and shouted three cheers
for Philip Ballard, king of the grid
iron, and his little country damsel.
All the rest of the night the girls and
boys shunned me and sneered at me
as he dragged me around, until at
last I could stand it no longer. I broke
away from him an dran to my room,
threw myself down on my bed and
cried bitterly. Like a spirit the vision
of you flashed into my mind. I rais
ed my head from the pillow and
wondered where you were and what
you were doing. It was the first time
I had thought of you since that day
you sa me board the train. Sudden
ly I decided to leave college and come
back to you, and now I am actually
once more in your arms.”
She had ceased crying and turning
she slid out of his arms and walked
toward the door.
Karl stood motionless, but Carrie
stooping to pick up her hat and suit
case, continued walking towards the
door.
Just as her hand reached out to
push the screen door open, Karl
caught her. She turned and looked up
into that bronzed face that beamed
down at her as he parted his lips
with a smile. She smiled back, and
once more he gathered her in his
arms and their lips met.
The sun had sunk below the ho
rizon, and a large, yellow moon hung
behind a clump of oak trees. Pigeons
cooed gently on the bam roof, and
the piping of frogs floated louder and
louder in the air as the two neared
the swamp. As they sat down be
neath a large birch tree, they saw
something gliding along the smooth
surface of the shimmering water. As
Gimpy swam closer, the glimmering-
moon made it possible for Karl to
recognize him. Carrie also recognized
CHRISTMAS EVE IN—
(By Mary Louise Lumsden)
The chicken pen at Grandpa’s farm:
Ada carries the coarsely ground
corn out to her bantam rooster who
crowds his good cheer at the sight of
her blue-checked apron.
The garage:
Bill, home from college, grunts and
grumbles to himself in university
slang as the stubborn Chrysler resists
his attempts to thaw out its engine so
he can take his girl’s Christmas pres
ent.
Jail;
Shifty-e3'ed Pete, the tramp, who
steals a few chickens every fall to in
sure him six months board and keep
takes another half-moon bite of his
soggy cornbread, and ambles over to
the barred window to aimlessly watch
the surging, last-minute-package-
laden crowd, and the Christmas greens
festooning the street below.
The hospital:
All is quiet. The white-clad nurse
holds the ether cone over the face of
the half-conscious boy on the table
Another nurse deftly places the shin
ing, sterilized forceps into the grim
faced surgeon’s ready hand. They
stand silent, watching, not hearing
the Christmas confusion of the streets
The post-office:
Packages are being placed expertly
in the mailbags and the extra carriers
step back to make room for the fresh
load of mail being brought in for the
fatigued clerks to sort. The revolv
ing door constantly whirls, as the
crowd makes its circuit. A fat, red
faced man with outstretched tongue
drops a sheet of stamps and, despite
his vigorous protests, is pushed aside
by the hurrying mass. A lad in a
faded red sweater, frayed at the el
bows, stands on tiptoe to shove a
homemade Christmas card in the slot.
He grins his satisfaction, puts his
hands in his shallow pockets and is
swallowed up into the hurrying hu
manity.
The cemetery:
Two well-dressed people, a sad-
eyed man and a tiny woman finger
ing a black-bordered linen handker
chief, stand for a few minutes in the
raw air beside a two-foot mound. Tire
man places an expensive holly wreath
on the grave and turns to the woman,
his wife.
’It would have been his first Christ
mas,” she sighs.
A small village church;
Little Ezra is saying his “piece.”
Little Ezra is wearing real leather
boots like Daddy’s and new red gloves!
‘My Daddy likes his ’Trismas dift.
And said that mine was nice.
And I was dust a sugarplum.
And made of sweetest spice!
And den, he said, my Daddy did,
He’s such a funny Dad,
That I’m the berry nicest dift
He ever, ever had!
Front of Tom Hall’s house:
‘Look out, boys, here she comes!”
shouts Tom, and heaves a lighted
firecracker into a cluster of boys
coasting down hill on a shining new
sled. Too late! The powder explodes
in one small boy’s eyes and makes him
blind for life! Tom stares.
An orphanage;
Annual treats are being doled out
alphabetically: Rachel Anderson, Jack
Bertram, Joe Bowden, Sara Cates—
they shuffle up with shining eyes to
accept the fruit-filled Christmas
‘pokes.” Everyone has two apples,
STAR IN THE EAST
(By Mary Louise Lumsden)
the bird and smiling up at Karl she
recalled the day that they had found
him crippled.
As the two watched the old drake
Karl could not help comparing him
with Carrie. Just had Gimpy’s pride
been shattered by the sportsman, so
had Carrie’s pride been shattered by
the college hero and just as Gimpy
had reutrned from the South to a man
whom he loved and had learned to
understand, so had Carrie returned to
the man who was different from all
other men in that he hated false
pride.
Star in the East! Symbol of Christ;
Shining upon the present day earth
In its confusion, shame and illusion—
O what a change since the baby King’s
birth!
Star in the East! Symbol of Christ;
Thou art the star which led wise men
to praise
The long promised Master whose own
sore disaster
Was destined to save men from
Satan’s low ways!
Star in the East! Symbol of Christ!
Watch the mad rush all for nothing
or less!
But yet in our noise and tumult, our
joys.
We feel them as keenly, as Christ
doth us bless.
Star in the East! Symbol of Christ!
Help us remember the true Christmas
worth!
Help us to pause and remember the
cause
For which Christ, our Saviour, was
sent down to earth.
FROM OUR EXCHANGES
Among the new exchanges added to
our present list are “Technique” from
Technical High School, Charlotte, N.
C.; “The Mountaineer” from Lenoir
High School, Lenoir, N. C.; “Sky
High” from Lee H. Edwards High
School, Asheville, N. C.; and “The
Brarkety-Ark” from Roanoke College,
Salem, Virginia.
One paper that catches my eye is
named ‘"The Scroll” from Lexington
High School. I wish to congratulate
the fttaff 'Of- this- paper for uieir fine
work. The headings that were drawn
for the different departments were
very original.—High Spots.
“Now in case anything should go
wrong with this experiment,” said the
professor of chemistry, “we and the
laboratory will all be blown sky high.
Now, come a little closer, boys, in or
der that you may follow me.”—High
Life.
Teacher: “Why do you go to school?”
Student; “Well, it’s better to go to
school than never to have slept at all."
—The Mountaineer.
The decrepit old car drove up to the
toll bridge.
“Fifty cents,” said the gateman.
“Sold!” replied the driver.—Wall
Street Journal.
“Nine out of ten explorers in the
South American jungle had stumbled
across ancient ruins,” remarks a writ
er. The tenth we suppose, looked
where he was going.—Humorist.
two oranges, two bananas, some can
dy and nuts, except little Bobby Zan
der, the last sack had no bananas^—
there weren’t enough!
An American family’s home:
The twins have hung up their
stockings between Mother’s and Dad
dy’s, and baby brother’s wee sock is
between theirs. “Mother,” says Rose,
sleepily, “when IS Santa Claus com
ing?” “He won’t come till you go to
bed, dear,” she replies. Dreamy-eyed
Ruth has an inspiration. “Daddy,”
she asks, “will you see Santa?” “I
hope so,” he responded. “’Why?”
‘Then, will you tell him something
for us?” “Certainly, blue eyes.” He
toyed with her curls. “What is it?”
‘'Tell him, will he please not leave
any seeds in the raisins, cause we’ve
been good and we love him, and,
oooh, I’m so sleepy! C’mon, Rose,
let’s go to bed, so Daddy can tell
Santa!” So the five-year-olds say
their prayers and taking a good-night
peep at baby brother stumble off to
bed.
Merry Christmas!