Kew Forest School - Blotter Yearbook (Forest Hills, NY)

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THE BLOTTER The Passage GREY blanket covers the slumberrng crty at the mouth of the Hudson The rushrng trde slaps greedrly at the prles of the ferry slrp Rotted green prles that take the blunderrng pawrngs of corpulent ferry boats they lre patrently aw artrng further onslaughts Drmly vrsrble rn the mrsty maw of the early mornrng they stand lrke so many bleak spectres rrsen from the tragedy filled waters of the rrser to clutch new vrctrms to therr bosoms Suddenly out of the murky curtarn comes the drsmal toot of a departrng steamer a frerght shrp no doubt for only they leaye at such an hour As rf rn answer a deafenrng roar resounds from the smoke stack hrgh aboye my head The trme worn rarlrng on w hrch I am leanrng trembles Then srlently the prles file by seemrngly rn trme wrth the throbbrng beat of the engrnes below me I am on my way to the ersey shore to a shore that I cannot as yet see Suddenly the prles drsappear the slrp rs gone and the trde slaps hungrrly at the plates of the boat I shrft my gaze and look back oy er the foamy trarl now xrsrble as the boat changes rts course Vaguely outlrned agunst a background of lowcr Manhattan stands the shed through whrch I stepped but a few mrnutes ago to board the xessel I an rmagrne that I see the frgure of an old man standrng on the landrng brrdge thoughtfully gazrng after the dcprrtrng bolt It rs the lagure of an old sarlor whom I notrced as I came aboard It rs hrs job to collect fares and as he performed hrs duty I watched hrm well for each person he came to was regarded w rth the same rnqursrtrye stare Thrs rs eyrdently hrs chref joy rn lrfe It relreyes the monotony of hrs task Perhaps he rs rnto the gray my thoughts of hrm wane He rs but a Heck of foam on the crest of a wave The haze rs begrnnrng to lrft Across the bay I see a mayestrc outlrne of the Statue of Lrberty Nearer the Iersey shore rs a low lyrng smudge of bl rckness A norse behrnd me causes me to drscontrnue my pursurts l turn to see a jolly lookrng lrttle man wrth a brg accordron strapped across hrs chest closrng the door of the cabrn Obyrously oblryrous to my presence he runs a loyrng hand oxer hrs rnstrument and carelessly plays a melody of the Neapolrtan boatmen Strange rt sounds on thrs sloy enly shell on whrch we arc standrng I lean back agarnst the rarlrng drrnkrng rn the bcautrful song My eyes wander upward to the lrttle prlot house atop thc ycssel The caprarn stands wrthrn rt peerrng steadfastly before hrm Hrs placrd countenance radrates the self possessron and authorrtatryeness of eyery captarn that sarls the Sexen Seas H seems no wrt less proud of hrs lowly tub than the skrpper of that brg frerghter passrng up off the port bow rs of hrs yessel The musrc stops the accordronrst retrres to the rnterror of the cabrn I turn once more to the rarl and my yagrant gaze drrfts oy er the waters to the passrng shrp and the pulfrng lrttle tug that rs pullrng rt slowly downstream The haze rs lrftrng raprdly Off to the east a slrght glow rs becomrng notrceable On the starboard srde the skylrne of Manhattan stands out agarnst the gray horrzon Slowly I saunter across the deck to gun a better N rew ' ' l q r . Q 7 , , ' - , ' Y v . . I ' 7 V . 5 I ' 7 . . v 1 Y I ' ' - V L' ' y 1 ' ' I ' y ' 1, 1 . I 3 t . Q Q I L L . . ' 'L . ' . ' ' ' , ' ' .. q I . I I l Q 7.. Q t ' 'A I r l L . Q 7. r Q A 7 L I . ' I I I 7' I 7 ' Y 1 ' ' 4 ' 1 r , ' Q Y Q ' ' . L . ' '. l r , . ' , ' A ' , t ' 'L M 4 ' ' ' ' ' . A a philosopher, reaping a harvest from the human cargoes that move by him. He fades 7 I . U F K h l. a . 4 I 1 ' . .. I 1. A . . s If s L l c L . I 1 7 . . I I. I I V .I V L l . L ' . K L ' C VL' .I L' I 7, I ,I . as D . 4 4 ,L I I ' 4 A A I A I . 1 A - ' ' , ' . 2. ' ' . ' 2 ' a r ' . '. r - r. ' . . ' ' . ' . ' , e Y . , . I ' l . , . Y . 1 . Y V . . . I ' , ' ' . . f ' r r ' . Y r f . y. v 48

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THE BLOTTER Suddenly 1 de1fenrng ro1r rssues from the smoke stack 1boxe me rnterruptrng my obserx rtrons Sornehoxx the norse rs not qurte so omrnous 'Ihe sun hrs rrsen' The gr1y curtun rs lrfted 1nd the lrst xestrge of rt h rs frded rnto nothrngness The d rxxn has come MARTIN SPITZ 99 Country Doctor T xx1s 1 dull flll exenrng xxhen the old doetor brought hrs oll horse 'Hlcl buggy from the strble Tonrght rt seemed to hrm rs he gmed rnto the blrck sky thrt thrs xx 1s to be hrs lrst nrght on errth He shrxered slrehtly tryrng desperrtely to sh1ke off the xxerrd feelrng, but rt xx 1s of no use Hoxxexer he rerlrzed thrt he h1d 1 duty to perform thrs nrght 1 lrfe to s1xe He hrd grxen hrs serx ree to the lrttle communrty of Greenx1le for forty sexen ye1rs 1nd he must nexer f1rl these gentle country folk As he elucked softly to hrs old mrre he remrnrsced oxer hrs lrfe He thought of hrs xxrfe 1 berutrtul country grrl xx ho hrd dred txxentytxxo yerrs wo hrs only son xx ho hrd been krlled rn the Grelt XY rr hrs medrcrl clreer hrs rose g1rden xxhrch xx IS sloxx ly dyrnv 1s xxrnter xx is rpprorehrng On Ind on xxent hrs thouvhts to 1 post 1nd xxrth hrs xxell xxorn blrtk bu, rn hrs hrnd he xx rlked rnto the house A young grrl h ld tlllen frrtturrnv her hrp Ind she mrght perhrps be errppled for lrfe rf she drd not rn the merntrme lose her lrfe lorgettrnrf hrs errlrer presentrment the doctor plunged herdlong rnto the duty of slxrng the grrl s lrfe She h1d so much to lrxe for Three hours l1ter he trudged xxerrrly out to untre hrs horse 1nd to he1cl for home The rvrrl xxould lrxe he told her prrents 1nd he xxould come 1g1rn to see her rn the mornrng So xxerry xxas he th If he xx rs searcely eonscrous of the doxxnpour of r1rn lt xx 15 1 brd storm th rt h1d arrsen lt xx as the first of the se1son 1nd he re1lrzecl rt xxould be h1rd toxerrng the sexen mrles to hrs frrm He pondered xxhether rt xxould be xx orth the trouble to trke 1 detour ot three mrles rnste1d of gorng oxer the rottrng xx rter brr lee He xx rs s0 trred thrt he grxe the mrre her held The rn rre chose to t1ke the route oxer the old brrdrve xxhrrh sprnned the one beurty of Greenx1le the xxrld drshrn frlls They xxere h rlt xx ry rcross xx hen rll of 1 sudden 1 bolt of lrghtnrng struck the brrdge turnrng rt rnto 1 huge bonhre The next mornrng rn the cold d1xxn some tlrmers found the doctor s body xxashed agarnst a slndblnk Hrs blaek medrell bag xxas elrsped trghtly rn hrs h1nd BARBARA CLARK 36 4C 7 r x . r l , f ' ' ' t ' , I 1. L' ' 2,. 1' V .'z ' ' L' 75 1. . 4 1 ' ' A - ' t J . . L . ' ' I ' ' , ri 1 1' ' I L ' ' ', Q ' XS l' aj ' A. . ' . ' , ' S 'L f . V I A V 7, . 'lf . , . ' V , l . L e . Vg A V' V L -7 L , v A ' - v -I , - , ' , ' '- V '. ' ' , A r 'A ' , ' 1 ' ' - ' 'L .b . . . .' , ' . ' r '. . . . J 2 a . . . S . ' V ' 'f ' Y l ' vb 3 -f - , , - . 1 vm Q and suddenly he rerrlrzed he was in front or Mrs. C1rey's farm. He tred the mare t J , . ' ' . r ' ' 1 , '. ' D I . r L , 1 ' A C, ' ' , 1 S ' Q . ' Q , . ' L ' . I ' Z., ' r , ' Y t , ' 4 ' ' ' ' . , r 1 . D ' ' , L . ' ' . V. . ' 1 ' ' L '..' ' 1 ' ' ' L' . v L - 1 I - .A I A51 V .A . , 1 4 I v '1 'L Yi - 'Q' 5 ' ' . ' r ' 4 ' 1 . L ' . ' ' b . ' ' S L ' L 1 Yr , V. if ' gl L l. V l ' x h l. 1 ff ' i 4 L Q D V ' ' t A , ' ' ' 4 ' . ' ' 1 s ' ' V . 4 . , L L ' r '. ' '1 ' ' ' L ' ' ' ' Q , . 2