Etna Union High School - Nugget Yearbook (Etna, CA)

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sun's rays were less direct. On the south side of the hill, the brush had taken such a stronghold on matters that vision was reduced to the ground and sky. The dog and I were busy worming through the brush with nothing on our minds but the difficulty confront- ing us. He was just ahead of me, when I heard a rustle, a thump, and the dog came flying back to land on top of me, rear first. I wasted no time reversing myself out of this awkward position. Taking another route to the spot, I peered through the brush. Before me lay an oversized snake with rattles on his end. He had been enjoying a squirrel when he was so rudely interrupted. Now I hastily inspected the dog, who was right at my heels, with tail tucked, to see if he needed first aid. He seemed all right so I turned my attention to the snake. It appeared that the snake hadn't been able to clear him- self from the squirrel in time to make an effective strike. THIRD PRIZE STORY jerry Holden was walking down the main street of Kimstown, an old western town in the far west, when he heard the voice of Sam Stanley, the game warden: Jerry, how would you and your dog like to help me try to kill the old cougar that was feeding on Tom Morgan's cattle? Old Ben, Morgan's foreman, said the cat just killed a steer up by the West Branch Salt Box. He wants a couple of helpers and a good dog and he will take his hounds after the old cattle killer. Sounds all right to me, jerry said, When do we start? I'll pick you up at 6:00 sharp in the mornin' in front of your place. Have your dog, your 30-30 and your bed roll with you, answered the warden. Jerry was waiting when Sam's jeep pulled up. They talked as the jeep bounced up the narrow road to Tom Morgan's spread. When they arrived Old Ben was waiting with the hounds. They walked for hours under the hot afternoon sun up the canyon to the salt box. There the critter lays, Old Ben said as he pointed to What would have happened if the dog hadn't been in front of meas I crawled through the brush! Not being as quick as the dog, I would have been bitten, almost without a doubt. As I was alone, several miles from help, and without a snake bite kit, I was grateful that I hadn't met the rattler face to face. I killed the snake and let the dog inspect' him thoroughly, then hung him on a bush. Since my close brush with my prospects for good health didn't make me feel too good, I abandoned the idea of taking the long way home and struck out directly. I don't know what'to attribute my good luck to. Perhaps it was sent to make me appreciate the dog more --I don't know, but this I do know: he won't have to worry about being left home from any hunting trips where I am concerned. -David Black, junior S the steer's half-eaten body. They turned the dogs loose, but Jerry followed, his own dog, Old Spot. They had been gone from the salt box two hours when jerry heard Old Spot baying the Cougar. Jerry crawled through the underbrush and saw the cat up a big pine in the clearing. He edged over to a big cedar log and rested his rifle over it. Jerry aimed at the hissing cat and pulled the trigger! The cat screamed loudly and dropped to the ground, while Jerry, fumbling with his rifle, found that the gun was jammed., Seeing the position Jerry was in, Old Spot dashed in from the rear. The cat turned on Old Spot, but the old hound dodged him cleverly. jerry, on the verge of collapsing, finally reloaded his gun. He took careful aim at the fighting cat and squeezed the trigger, the car fell, dead. Jerry, who was so excited he had almost turned green, got up and started down the trail, butiOld Spot just looked up an wagged his tail. It was just another day's work for him. -Robert Lange, Sophomore

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FIRST PRIZE ESSAY 'Bea The best years of your lives are those four years you spend in high school. I doubt if there is a single student who hasn't, at sometime or another, heard those yery words from their elders. However the usual re- sponse is, What makes you think so? To the Freshman, the first few months of high school are exciting, new, and different. They arrive at school on time every day with a sparkle in their eyes and appear prepared for anything tha.t might happen. The upper- classmen think: How stupid these Freshmen are- they don't realize what they're in for. Of course, these lively Freshmen don't know, and, furthermore, they don't care. To them, this is the best year of their lives. The life of the Sophomores is indeed very dull. They have experienced the thrill of being Freshmen, and ac- cording to them, there is nothing to look forward to in this second year of torture. They begin to realize that there is nothing worthwhile left in high school. They drag through one hundred and seventy-nine days of the same classes where they see only the same faces. Tests, quizzes, and more quizzes, and tests are hurled at them. They begin to wonder just why anyone ever thought of high school as the best years of their lives. The Junior Class- Upper-Classmen -take their SECOND PRIZE STORY eww? newly acquired title very seriously. Maybe too seriously, for in the eyes of the other three high school classes, this title has gone to their heads. But the juniors are experiencing what every Junior does. The same teacher who aggravates them on one day, is, the next day, the best teacher in school, and other teachers are placed on and taken off their hate list. Whether the teachers know it or not, in the life of every junior, each teacher takes his place on a hate list. The Juniors know for a fact that this is not the best year of their lives. When the class acquires the title UD Senior, for the first time in their four years together, they become closer than ever before. Most of the members of the Senior Class hardly realize this, but unknowingly, there are a few -incidents that display this fact. The Senior Class is usually the underdog Why? This is because of the following reason: the Freshmen think the Seniors push them around too muchg the Sophomores think the Seniors are too stuck-upg the Juniors think the Seniors know too muchg and the teachers think the Seniors are not serious enough and get senioritis too soon. The Seniors may think they know about everything, but one thing is certain, in a few years they too will be saying, those were the best years of our lives. -Joanne Smith, Senior 7m Wan He was a large black dog, affectionate, lazy, not too intelligent, and slightly clumsy. He liked to hunt and whuffle around through the brush looking for every- thing-and nothing in general. He couldn't track to amount to anything, and I don't know why I took him hunting that day. Perhaps it was because I knew what it meant to be left home from a hunting trip. Chances weren't good for deer that dayg the weather was as hot and dry as it had been all month. The sun was slightly red as a result of some forest fires, and it gave off a blistering dry heat. I left about eleven in the morning, intending to go on a short hunt and eat when I came back. I walked slowly because of the heat. There were signs of deer, but mostly they were small tracks-does and fawns. The dog didn't try to pick any of these signs up but axnbled along as if it were almost a chore. I headed for the spring where I thought some deer might have bedded. The spring was dry now, and the remaining grass was cropped close. Apparently it didn't offer much attraction for the deer, for there were no fresh beds that I could see and very little other sign. As hunting was discouraging, I decided to go home and wait for a better day. I also decided to take the long way home. The dog was ambitious now, as the

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569464 guide ,Vx xffg .VS FIRST ROW: James Smith, Diane Munson, Lynn Palmer, Jim Toner, McCallister, John Deppen, John Corrigan, Ernest Hayden, Bill Depr-vv, Ernest Bigltam, Sue Kramer, Karol Skillen. Mrs' Slroud- THIRD ROW: Stafford Smith, Kenny Diclrenson, Phillip Drewsen, SECOND ROW: Sam Smith, Skip Bennett, Fred Shipler, Robert Pele Munson, Milton Wolford, Jim Hardman, Novella Corbett. eaea 4 Qmde In nw, it .t tr'-Q FIRST ROW: David Wills, Steven Roberts, Eldred Scull, Carl Mar- Larry Betschart, Raymond Hiertager, Stephen Burr, Arlene Hughes, tin, Richard Gray, Steven Burton, Dennis Davis, Mona McCullouqh, El Karen KBVGSI Caro' Hammond' MVS' Smllll' Donna Young, Bol:luic3BrOWr1, Barlnara Franklin. Ti-HRD ROW: Rayelyn Smllh' Joanne Van Lmdt' Cymllla Snapp' Earl Mullin, Gene Branson, Dale Wolford, Bill Hovverton, Nadine SECND ROW- Bill lewis, Steven Ward, Georqe Morris, E. J. Hiett, Murphy, Patsy Ortiz, Susan Mathews.