Johnstown High School - Spectator Yearbook (Johnstown, PA)

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18 SPECTATOR beautiful contrasting color-picture, with its olive hue. When it catches the sun, it makes a picture of inter- twining ribbons of amber against a turquoise background. Rooted to the ocean's bottom are real trees with long branches, bearing fruit resembling olives. The foliage is wonderful and forms a beautiful picture when the branches are set into motion by the movements of the currents, as if wafted by land breezes. Watching the passing panorama through the glass-bottomed boats, peo- ple go into ecstacies over the marvels of these gardens and over the wonders of aquatic life. After a day spent in viewing the marvels of nature one the island and sea, one reluctantly returns to the main- land from a place so full of natural charm and beauty. The Pink Pearl Margaret Bley, '16 NCE upon a time there was a princess by the name Q9 of Ulanieg beautiful as to face and form, but hate- ful as to disposition. This princess had a younger sister, who, being just the opposite of Ulanie, was bright and sunshiney. Now Ulanie had her own way most of the time for the sake of keeping peace in the palace. For this reason she' had many more beautiful jewels and dresses than Mina, her little sister. But Mina had one piece of jewelry that Ulanie coveted. This was a dull gold ring set with a pink pearl. The ring had been given to Mina by the ruler of a neighboring kingdom. Therefore Mina was very proud of it and prized it above all other things. Ulanie was determined to get the ringg but she dared not openly take it, therefore she invented a cunning scheme. One day as she and Mina were walking together, Ulanie said, Mina, I had a terrible dream last night, in which an old woman stood by my bed and said to me,

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S P E C T A T 0 R 17 oysters boats greet the eye during the trip. As the boat approaches the island, its beauties become more appar- ent. Lofty peaks rise from it and deep canyons and abrupt precipices are plainly seen. Passing the big rock sentinel, the traveller suddenly catches his first glimpse of the tiny village of Avalon, cradled with its hotels and cottages in the lap of the volcanic hills, Stepping from the boat, one is refreshed by breath- ing the clear air of the sea. Santa Catilina is an island of pleasure, where sports of all kinds are greatly patroniz- ed. Winding up the mountains, one finds roads for coach- ing parties. Tourist parties are conducted every day from the village of Avalon to the Isthmus , a long neck, lying immediately to the northeast, and through canyons, mountains, and cliffs, from which one gains a marvelous panoramic view. To the southwest of the island are Seal Rocks. Here can be seen those shiny little animals, from which the rocks take their name, in their natural haunts. As many as thirty of these shiny creatures can be seen at one time basking in the sunshine. Probably one of the best known and most unique wonders of Santa Catilina's attractions, which most visitors to the island never miss seeing, is the view of the submarine gardens and aquatic life, through the glass-bottomed boats. These wonder- ful gardens of the deep are a marvelous sample of na- ture's handiwork. Floating over the green and blue waters in a glass-bottomed boat, one sees the comings and goings of aquatic life. Here are shell-encrusted rocks, fishes of varied colors, red, green, and gold, zigzagging sinuously among the submarine foliage. The giant Cali- fornia star-fish and the jelly fish are plainly seen lying prone and motionless in the rocks. The giant sea octu- pus, with its long tentacles reaches out in search of crabs and other prey, and the peculiar Garibaldi fish, which resembles the angel fish of Florida, lies as if on its side in a bed of vari-colored sea foliage. The kelp forms a

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SPECTATOR 19 ,.,.,,,...---.,. YVY- f Y V 4 ar- -fn V -. --1--l--- 'Ulanie, thou shalt tell thy sister Mina, that a great evil is to befall her unless she immediately throws the ring set with the pink pearl into the Black Pond in the Palace garden. Tell her also, if she heeds not this warning, she shall be changed into a serpent. Poor Mina was trembling with fright when Ulanie ceased speaking. Let us go at once to the Pond, that I may throw the ring into it, said she. It would be terrible to be changed into a serpent. Ulanie smiled wickedly to herself. At least, thought she, I shall have the pink pearl. By that time they had reached the pond and Mina hurriedly cast the ring into the black waters. Then they returned to the palace. As soon as Mina had left her, Ulanie sent for the kitchen boy and told him to go and bring her a fish from the Black Pond. The boy remonstrated and said that there were no fish in the pond, but Ulanie told him she had seen one that very morning, as indeed she had fthe one she herself had put inj. At last the boy returned with the fish. Ulanie took it to her room, opened it and found the,pink pearl just as she had planned. For several minutes, she stood looking at its beauty and then slowly very slowly, slipped it on her finger. As the ring passed over the knuckle, Mina opened the door of the room and gazed with horror-stricken face at a great black serpent creeping slowly- across the floor. She gazed with fasci- nated eyes as the serpent wiggled out through the low window and disappeared from her sight. Thus the en- vious Ulanie named her own punishment. -,,..,-11