Rockland High School - Cauldron Yearbook (Rockland, ME)

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THE CAULDRON ll MISSING - - - ALL HANDS LOST As the sun sank into the hills of the mainland, significant things began to hap- pen. The1'e was heard the cry of the gulls as they flew inland onto the yet un- named mountain. The seals along the headland and reef ceased their play and barking and moved out to the open sea. Far to the southwest there was a line of ragged windlashed clouds. Slowly the mounful tune of the storm was apparent as the wind increased and blew through the rigging of the Rose Marie. The Captain standing at the forepeak viewed the storm with apprehension. He knew that his ship, seaworthy as she was, had just crossed three thousand miles of storm. He turned to his Mate and ordered the other anchor overboard, the .lashings on the furled sails secured. The Captain then went below for his supper. The men in the forecastle had their meal undisturbed by the approaching storm. After mess, they sat around in the glow of the battle lanterns sewing buttons and patching badly battered sea gear. One was making a little doll out of hemp for a child many miles away. O11 the island everything was quiet, deathly quiet, waiting for the storm to break. The only sound was the stilifening breeze moaning through the pines. Per- haps it was moaning for the ship that had to ride out the storm in the exposed harbor. With darkness it began to snow. The wind increased and began its vengeful, claiming roar. The seas raked the deck of the ship, fore and aft, and she tossed and plunged like an unbroken stallion. Still the storm increased its velocity until the seas tossed and writlied like a soul in torment. It grew colder and ice began to form on the rigging and the ship. , On the hills the pines tossed their branches to the sky. There was no light tower's gleam or clang of the bells-only the wind and the sea and the ship. Sud- denly like a shot one of the anchor cables parted. The Captain ordered his men on deck to see if anything could be done. There was only one thing to be done, that was to pray--pray that one cable and one anchor could hold the ship. Astern of them, on the reef, they could hear the surf pounding against the knife-edged granite. Slowly the roar became more distinct, closer drew the ship to the rocksg the last hope was lost. Then came the sound of rending timbers--then oblivion. The storm intensihed its fury as if in glee at finding its mission of destruction accomplished. Slowly, with the coming of dawn, the storm abated. The leaden skies broke clear and a huge orange sun arose. It looked down upon a mountain and a clean white beach, littered with white oak timbers, and a childis half-made doll. Raymond D. Bowden

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I0 THE CAULDHON tostop with the gang after a show or dance on Saturday night. He went 011 talking about the crazy hats his girl used to wear and the farewell party they had before he left, but I wasnft paying too much attention. I had heard so many of the boys voice their hopes and ambitions that I didnlt care about listening to another version of an already exhausted subject. I never was one to dwell on the insignificant ....... I remembered the frankfurter stand on our street corner, and there was an iceman too, only he was Scotch. As Tommy talked on I was home. There was the friendly policeman on Elm Street, so unlike the military police of occupied Europe. I saw our house, Dad mowing the lawn just before supper as he always did, and through the scent of burning leaves came the aroma of fresh baked pie. Mom always was the best cook in town. Insignificant . . . ?? Suddenly, hestitatingly, I realized that a holiday parade, a picnic on Sunday and all the little things which America enjoyed so freely were not as meaningless now as I had led myself to believe. For the first time in my life I knew what a first class heel I had been. I had avoided the boys since I had gone overseas. I didnit join them in their songs and card games and all for reasons that seem so trivial now. Ever since I had gone overseas I had been building a shell around myself and daring anyone to tear it down. It didnlt take much thinking on my part either to admit to myself that this was the reason for my disliking Chaplain Stewart so much every time he started playing good Samaritann, as I had called him. He was doing his best to break down this barrier of mine while all the time I was making it worse. Tommy was silent now and smiling. He must have known how I felt. He must have known what he had done to help me. I was at a loss for words. Thanksv, I managed to say. t'And one of these days I know I'll see your name up there in lights on Broadway? Without saying anything he turned away and was gone. That was a terrible thing to say, for, although I didnt know it then, It learned later that Tommy would never dance and perhaps never be able to stand again. I remained away from the rest ofthe boys as much as I could. I wanted to be alone, but not for the same reason that I had avoided them before. This time it was different. We were nearly home and I wanted to remember everything about this next hour. The white gulls were hovering aimlessly over our ship and as I stood there, watching the New York skyline, guarded by the 'goddess herself, the lump in my throat made me realize how much home really meant to me. Flora Hustus '46

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I2 THE CAULDRON SURPRISE There was nothing extraordinary about the day. It was Saturday afternoon. People were coming and going, as usual, looking for anything that couldnlt be found, gasping about the prices, laughing at their neighbofs hat, and catching up on the latest gossip. There too, was a dejected looking dog on the corner, star- ing longingly at a string of frankfurters that was guarded by the plate glass win- dow at Millerls Meat Market. After watching him a couple of minutes, I realized that I was a little hungry, too. I turned into johnsonis. That was a favorite spot with the rest of the gang after dances and movies. It was vacant now with the exception of the girl behind the counter. Finally, the menu and I came to an agreement so I orderd a milk shake and a sandwich. Now I've seen an artist's conception of strange people from Mars, live seen freaks at a side show and live heard about the seven wonders of the world but I never thought I could be startled in my own home town, yet there it was. I had walked over to deposit a nickel in the juke box and returned, about to resume my struggle with a tuna fish sandwich, when my unsuspecting gaze rest- ed upon a window across the street. It was not the window itself which held my glance, however, it was something beyond. I say asomethingp' .... should I say nsomeonev? .... for as nearly as I could make out it was a woman wearing a bright yellow dress and sitting in a chair reading a magazine as if nothing was wrong. There was something wrong in my estimation though. That unexplanable apparatus which was on her head was by no means an ordinary sight to me, to say the least. It had long tenacles reaching up to a pipe above. Could she be tun- ing in on a coast-to-coast hookup? My milk shake and sandwich forgotten, I became fascinated by the mechanisms being displayed to me across the street. Soon a girl in a white uniform detached a lot of clips from the irons on the woman's head. She replaced the former ma- chine with another which swallowed the womanis head almost entirely. I don't think the victim could have been aware of what passer-bys thought as she sat reading that magazine, with a contraption similar to an upside down cake mixer on her head. I went back to my milkshake and sandwich, leaving the poor woman to her plight while I listened to Spike Jones, rendition of Dont Fence Me In . I hadnit realized before that -lohnsonis made such Havorsome sandwiches, but after four more of them, I had appeased my hunger, so I started for the door, eager to relate my observations of the afternoon to someone else. Perhaps Ioe or Kip would be mowing the lawn around the honor roll again. just then my mother emerged from the building across the street. She had her hair different, I think, but the only thing I noticed was the fact that she was wear- ing a bright yellow dress. Franklin Blaisdell