The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1947-04-11

Education adjourned and gather
ed by the glass case in the back
OF the schOOirOom TO admire the
sterling silverluncch box with the
gold nameplate which had defied
possession by any Of the two thou
SAND and .twenty-One students
who attended the school since
its establishment seventy-nine
years before.
Kipp sat up IN bed. his eyes were
open he morning sun was streaming
through the window. casting crazy
shadows on the yellow bedspread
through the frilly curtains. The
roosters, perched on the white
washed fences in the yard below
were growing. Pap, the collie. was
trying to carry bass as usual, sue
ceeding only in emitting weird howls
which combined with the diaaonant
choral efforts of the barnyard group
to produce a clamor which was any
thing but musical except. perhaps,
to those occasional city-folks who
spent a week or two each year va
cationing on the farms and ma
naged to find cen the smell of dung
an inspiratory item.
Kippy, being a farmers son and
having lived on the farm his entire
thirteen years, was not so easily in
spired nor was he partial to the
symphony conducted by Pap each
morning. He simply did not hear it.
To him, it was just another morning
but since it was just another mon
ing he didn't think about it being
that ard if he wanted to think
about he wouldn't have been able
to do so for, although he had ri
sen to a sitting position, he was not
yet fully awake.
Kippy stared straight ahead
through empty eyes, waiting for
the curtain of sleep to lift the hea-
wy drowsiness that clouded his
mind. The fog lifted, and Kippy
was suddenly awake only he
found himself comforting the al
cOholioSgaze of Grandpa Schlitz
whose enormous portrait lit had
been done by travelling artist
for fifty cents and loaf Of bread
, in one afterno0n) monOpolized the
opposite wall.
Kippy shuddered, burped senti-
|, mentally as he would not have done
in front Of his parents for fear OF
the results and laughed until he
noticed the clock. 1t was still forty
five minutes before seven which
meant that the alarm had not yet
rung> He proceeded to slide under
the covers, but suddenly stopped
thinking how strange it was that
he should have woken up before
the sounding of the alarm. 1t hao
never happened before. Certainly
such an occurrence was not out Of
the ordinary and, above all, no wor-
rying matter but still he felt the
Y necessity of giving the incident fur
= Their consideration. He could not
t help but feel that this day would be
different. re more he thought of ii
the more certain he became of the
possibility. A torrent of exciting
thought pushed through his mind
and he could not bear to Ii in bed
when so many things were waiting
to happen to him.
Y He started to get out of bed and
= realized that he was following the
e habitual pattern, If this day was to
be different he would most GER
tainly have to cooperate. He pulled
his feet back in. climbed over to the
other side of the bed and slid to the
floor pleased with his own alertness
Fie dressed himself quickly. making
certain that he reversed the usual
y process by starting with his shirt
= following with the trousers and
slipping the shoes on last.
- He rushed through the bath
room, gulped down his breakfast
in the kitchen, managing, some
how, at the same time TO quell
his mothers curiosity over his
unexpected presence at such an
= early hour by interfering unin-
I telligible grunts and mods at pro-
:. per intervals and stopped to catch
i his breath only when he was
I safely outside looking for all the
e world as he did any other morn
S ing when ne was starting out to
l school.
His books, tablets, pencils. cray
e ons. sandwiches. an Grange and
= three raisin cookies were all packed
e away neatly in the battered green
4 lunchbox which the school board
" had presented him for years per-
feet attendance. That vas Seven
years ago and, since that time,
Kippy had received six more iden-
tical lunchboxes, one for each adj
ditional year of perfect attendance.
i This year, if he completed the re-
!. naming two weeks of school with