Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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10 THE SENIOR iMAGNET CHAPTER 111. Peggy, who was living in Canada for the summer had taken up aviation as a sport. She intended, if the chance presented itself, to do her bit by means of her airplane. In order to test her endurance, she sometimes made long distance flights, remaining in the air for twenty-four hours at a time. She waited impatiently for the war to end so that Jimmie would return to her. for had she not promised him that she would be his wife just before he left for camp? CHAPTER IV. On July 5, one of the tanks was hit by a shell and exploded. The force of the explosion jarred the other tanks and they too, blew up, the aerial torpedoes were released, the gas balloons got away from their bearings, and the whole earth shook. The gas, much heavier than air, was carried bv a strong wind over all of Europe. Everywhere the people disappeared. iMen and women at one end of a street would look up and see everything living disappear, as in a wave, and finally they, too, would go. Within twelve hours after the first explosion, not a living thing was to be found in Europe, Asia, or Africa. I'he aerial bombs, strange machines having their own small motors and wings, were sent spinning skyward. They dropped all over the earth. Islands were visited by them and in a few minutes were minus all the inhabitants. In America, the quivering of the earth at the time of the explosion caused much excitement. The wireless was busy sending calls to Europe, but received no answer. It was all strange and uncanny. An air bomb fell in the United States. The people for miles around were killed. Another fell in the vicinity of one of the storage tanks. The result was the same as it had been in Europe. Everyone in North and South America was killed, or at least it looked like it. The people who lived on the islands were killed, either by the gas being carried by the wind or by air bombs or floating mines. Jimmie, who was now working on, and had just about completed a gas mask, heard and understood the explosion. He put on the gas mask or rather gas suit which he had just finished, and went to warn the people. But he was too late. Everyone had disappeared. No one answered to his calls. Poor Jimmie, alone on the earth, didn’t know what to do. He was the cause of it all—and he alone survived it. CHAPTER V. At noon, July fifth, Peggy went up in her airplane for one of her endurance flights—she remained in the air for thirty-six hours. When she came down, she was completely awestricken. There was not a living person, animal or bird to be seen. Where had they gone? Instead of staying there alone, she did the logical thing. She got into her airplane and started home. When Peggy reached home, she found conditions the same as they had been in Canada. She was terribly worried now and decided to hunt up Jimmie. She knew where the chemical laboratories were and headed in that direction. Jimmie heard the machine as it landed and he was so overjoyed to think that there was another human being near that he rushed out and collided with Peggy, who was coming towards the door.

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7 II E SENIOR EM A G N E 7 9 GAS Anna Nolan CHAPTER I M sorry, Jimmie, but I cannot marry you—yet. I’m not ready to settle down as a housewife. We’ve lots of time and a long life before us—can’t we just go along on the old basis of friendship for awhile and each have a good time, for a few years anyhow?” Thus spoke Peg Ryan to her friend and suitor Jimmie Burke, who had just proposed marriage to her. “Well. I don’t see anything else for us to do if that’s the way you feel about it,” spoke Jimmie. “But. Peg, if I do something big and worth while, will it make any difference?” pleaded Jimmie. “It might, but I’ll make no promises,” said the practical Peg. CHAPTER II Two years have flown by on the wings of time. Jimmie is employed in the chemical laboratories of the Government. A war has broken out among the nations of the world, such as the one of the first half of the twentieth century. Fifty years of peace had passed and Germany, under the rule of another William, again attempted to master the world. Jimmie was working under the utmost secrecy—he worked day and night, and looked it. He was thin and worn looking. His task was to try to invent some weapon of war that would be more deadly than the last fiendish invention of the Germans, a small bomb full of red hot prickly balls and a deadly gas that penetrated the gas-masks through the holes burnt by the hot pieces of metal. Alter working for about two weeks he finally completed a gas, very destructive and poisonous. He did not really know how terrible his invention was until he, with about six officers, took some of it out into the country to try it. They fired a bomb of it at a herd of cattle about a mile away. In about two minutes, when they looked again, not an animal was in sight. The gas had completely exterminated them. Thousands of gallons of this gas were manufactured and shipped to Europe in large tanks. A German spy obtained the formula and the Germans wishing to beat the Allies at their own game, manufactured great quantities of it too. I his gas was put into every conceivable weapon possible. Into air bombs, floating mines, shrapnel's, hand grenades, and many others too numerous to mention. I he only thing that kept either side from using it was fear for the safety of each army’s men. The gas was so effective that no mask had yet been invented to render a man immune to its attacks. The Germans were afraid that if they used it the wind might blow the gas back upon the German army and kill them; with the Allies it was the same. Great tanks of gas were already on the battle field in readiness for the time when a mask should be discovered. Mines had already been launched and had claimed their victims. The world stood in horror and awe of this terrible new weapon.

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THE SENIOR EM A G N E T II You can imagine their greeting and their conversation. I didn’t hear what they said and I’m not old enough to manufacture a conversation for them—I haven’t had the experience. Needless to say, however, they decided to leave that desolate spot and they both climbed into the machine and sailed away. They had traveled about sixty miles when Jimmie lost control of the machine. It began to fall. They came nearer and nearer to the hard earth, or no, not the earth, a lake. They were about ten feet from the water and—I woke up deciding not to eat any more midnight luncheons. -B.H.S.- A DREAM Gertrude Guttormsen I dreamed that Butler had gone thru a change. And everything there was new and strange! I wonder if dreams come true. That everyone in the class had passed, And flunking subjects were a thing of the past, And we won the championship at last, I wonder if dreams come true. I dreamed that Dot flyers wouldn't talk any more That Ellen worked problems and hollered for more; I wonder if dreams come true. That when Bernlohr made a basket, there were no fans to cheer That class dues were paid quite promptly each year, That Bernard was as big as he’d like to appear, I wonder if dreams come true. That Miss Purvis no longer with problems could cope, That down in the gym there was plenty of soap; I wonder if dreams come true, That the Basket Ball trips now lasted two days, And the Magnet Staff was showered with praise. And when I awoke, I was in a dale, I wonder if dreams come true. TO THE CLASS OF UNE, ’22 Thelma Cooper ’24 Farewell, Senior Class, We bid you sad adieu, And whatsoever comes to pass, We hope Fate will smile on you. Out into the world you’ll go; With many a smile and tear, And tbo’ through many a hard place you'll row, We hope your path may be clear. Soon we will be in your place And we will not envy you. In the world of many a race. We hope Success will carry you through. So these last words we give to you, May you remember them'. Be always courteous, kind and true, Whene’er you fail, begin again. —b.h.s.— A TOAST Elizabeth A. Mulhclland Here’s to the Seniors of ’22 Here’s to the vim in all they do. Here’s to their teachers, who with helping grace Helped them to win in their long run race. And here’s to Miss Houston, the best of sports, Who’s helped us out of trouble of all kinds and sorts Here’s to her kind, so unfortunately few May they smile just as brightly, and remain ever as true.