Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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A FAVORITE HATH NO FRIEND Gee! I never did get myself in so much trouble before, an' all because of being a gentleman. You know my Sunday school teacher. Miss Alice? Well, she told us boys we gotta be little gentlemen, an’ always be polite an’ everything esjxscially to ladies, ’cause that's what those knights did a long time ago. So, I thought I’d try it. There was a new teacher at our school, teaehin’ my grade. V Miss Janson: know her? Well, anyway, she was uglier n ole Mix Skeggs’ cat! Regular old maid, so cross an' cranky. Hut Miss Alice said to he ’specially nice to the homely uns, so I did. VYisht I hadn't now. ’Course I didn't do much: jus' picked up things she dropped an carried her chair around for her. But she surely did like it. Smile? She grinned like a chessy-cat. Then she began to pet me. It was. “Willie, clear, you may do this,” an’ “Willie, that was perfectly correct, an’ “If all you boys were such little gentlemen as Willie.” until all the other fellows in the room began calling me, “Dear Little Willie” and “Teacher’s Pet.” 'stead of “Slats” an’ “Rill.” I don’t blame 'em, either. Hut even my fanihly wondered how come I got such good marks. Mother ast me if I was sick. Dad threw it up to Sis that I got better in conduct than she. She called me a “Goody, Goody.” You bet I pulled her hair hard. too. For a while I didn't mind, but one day Fatty an' Red an’ Cakes Alston was goin’ fishin’—playing hooky, you know, an’ goin’ down to the creek. I knew it ’cause I heard ’em whisperin'. Hut when I came near 1 heard somebody say: “Mush! Don’t let Sissy know. He might tell teacher. Me left out of the fishin’ trip? Me! who can swim botter'n any hoy in this school? Me! who onct caught a fish 'bout as long as both arms—well, anyway, as big as my front-part-ot-mv-arm. Me! who can lick Fatty I Hair any old day. an’ he’s three years older than me! Yessirec. Rob! So I had to get back like I was. This was too lonesome. Finally 1 found a peachy plan. So next day. when teacher dropped her hook. I never even looked up. Willie, will you please pick up my hook for me? Thank you. dear. csrn, I said, sorta sulky. Rut I gave the thing a kick 'fore I touched it. Then I got out a rubber band and made a lot of ammunition. Zing! Right on her glasses. W bo did that ' Your work, rthur Hlair; come here, sir'” and site led poor Fatty to the comer and made him stay there. “Hut, Miss Janson, I did it' “It is very noble i I think she said noble) of you to assume the blame. William. but rthur must suffer his own punishment.” She beamed at me over her specs. Then I tried upsetting the boy-what-sat-bchind-me’s ink. She called that an accident. Accident when I knocked it over with mv ruler! I was desp'rate So at recess I stole back and drew a picture on the l oard Poo thirty-three

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as though feeling for something, as an octopus looking for food with one of its long arms. Front its violent motions it appeared almost as if the upper part » f the strange formation were trying to tear itself loose. Now from the face of the desert another snout was raised, attached to a similar balloon, and advanced with great rapidity toward the first strange form. The two silently whirling balloons, each of great height and so black that they stood out sharp! silhouetted against the surrounding gloom, now began a witch’s dance in the sky. Sometimes they leaned far back and then danced forward as if saluting each other. Then they would dart from each other as if repelled by some unseen force. Again they appeared about to rush into each other’s arms, only to whirl off once more and resume their weird dance in the skies. At last a low moaning noise was heard in the air. It sounded not unlike the breaking of an angry sea on a rockv coast. Suddenly, while the balloon-like forms were still going through one of their strange dances, they rushed together. ()n meeting, the two forms appeared to engage in a giant struggle. Round and round they spun, wavering, leaning, bouncing here and there as if they were having a wrestling match. All this time there was a steady roar like that of a big waterfall. Unable to speak or even move, we watched this ghastly dance, in great alarm. From time to time the lightning illumined our pallid faces. Once Ned glanced around at his uncle, whose face was set and drawn as the lightning played upon it flickering!}’. Suddenly there was a shout from Charlie, the guide. It’s coming this way!” ■'(let to cover, crawl under the auto and hold tight for your lives.” shouted our leader. scramble for the shelter of the heavy car followed. The lightning was now continual. No one spoke a word. In fact, even a shout would hard!} have been carried more than a hand's breadth in the car-split-ting turmoil. The air became full of sand and pebbles that stung like needles when they struck us in the face. Instinctively we lay on our faces, clutching the ground for fear of being blown away. If this pillar of cloud, or whatever it is. ever hits us.” 1 said to myself, it means ‘good-bye.’ ” I was clutching the sj okes of one of the auto's hind wheels at that moment and distinctly felt the immense machine rise an inch or so and settle back with a bump. Not even the heavy auto can remain steady in such a case, I thought with additional alarm: it will be swept away like a straw and wc will go whirling after it. to be dashed to death somewhere out on the desert.” The thought had hardly flashed through my mind when there came a glare of lightning so fearfully vivid that it seemed to scorch my eyes. Blinded for one instant, the next moment a deafening crash like the report of a huge gun deprived me of my hearing. Mow long I lay there, half stunned. I never knew, hut in reality it was not many minutes before Ned was shaking me by the shoulder. Are you all right ? he questioned. (Continued on Page 35) Pau thirty-two

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Dramatic Club