Plainfield High School - Milestone Yearbook (Plainfield, NJ)

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2 HARRIET MORGAN KATHARINE HOLT THE ORACLE SYDNEY ANGLEMAN Editor-in-Chief GEORGE. ENK HALLIDAY McKay

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THE ORACLE 11 ning high over fresh deer tracks in the mud. As there is a large bounty on crows, I tried to creep up to a flock, but the sentinel saw me, gave two loud “caws” and they were gone. Crows are unlike ducks in that ducks have no sentry, while every flock of crows is well guarded by one in a tree-top. As I crossed the dam, about a dozen wild Mallards were breakfasting close by shore. Caesar was exploring so I watched them searching for food with heads under water, and feet paddling vaguely. A head would come up to swallow the food it had found, and would go down—dry and gleaming as it had come up. So intent were they, that they saw nothing until Caesar charged for them, then they ran through the water, flapping wings and sending sprays in all directions. The sun was now too high for fishing and I knew there was no one around, so we got into the canoe and paddled around lazily. By twelve o’clock I had shot seven large frogs, cut off the legs and started a fire. After I had a good bed of coals, I pushed corn and potatoes in the ashes, and broiled the frogs’ legs on a stick. Caesar relished these, and I the corn and potatoes. “Then we found a patch of enormous wild strawberries, which we both enjoyed. He loved strawberries. The fire was going out and we lay stretched out under a pine—or at least I did. | Caesar seemed very uneasy and sniffed at everything. “Then he looked up and jumped as though released by a spring—for there above us, stretched to its six feet of sinuous length, a blacksnake looked down at us with green-eyed impassability. | Caesar stayed to bark—at a distance. I was in the canoe, feeling as though my blood had turned to ice. At five o’clock I had forgotten—almost, and started to walk wearily down the brook path again. When we had covered half the distance to the bridge, Caesar stopped so sharply that I nearly stumbled over him. “Twenty feet ahead of us a man, a total stranger, was catching a trout. From the fight it was putting up, I judged it to be a big one! I dropped down beside Caesar, forced him down and put a hand over his mouth so he couldn’t bark. “The man had caught it in his net and struck it mercifully on the head, then I stood up with one hand on Caesar’s collar, and my rifle tucked through my arm. By the time I had moistened my lips and cleared my throat he had cast twice. “This is absolutely private property.’ At my first words the man looked around wildly for a moment and stuttered ““W-What ?” “This is absolutely—” I began again. “Never mind, I heard the first time, but—” “Very well then, hand over that trout and get out!” I ordered as gruffly as I could, loosening my hold on the collar, and shifting my gun. He looked at Caesar, then coolly emptied four big trout out of his basket. The largest was perhaps a pound and a half; the smallest, three-quarters of a pound. I followed him to the end of our line, watched him get into his car and drive off. We reached home about seven o’clock, famished, but perfectly happy, for we had brought proof with us that we had driven off a real poacher while serving as game warden. ‘The largest fish the man caught is stuffed and mounted, and hangs in the living room of our bungalow.

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EpItTH MoweENn BO HAYWARD ERICKSON THE - ORACLE GEORGE Hipp Business Manager we HARRIET ROBERTS Art Editor RuFus SEARLES 13