University High School - Cub Yearbook (Oakland, CA)

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brink. It wasnit in Tom's nature to let go, and besides, he was se- curely anchored to the tree. He made a violent effort to draw him- self and his prize back to the top, and his huge body swelled and strained in a last supreme try. For a moment he hung motionless, but the weight of the boar was too great, and slowly the long hawser- like body began, sickeningly, to stretch. For what seemed an eter- nity, I watched, frozen, as the smooth shape grew Slimmer and slimmer, stretching,- Suddenly the voice stopped, and with a sharp shock, I recalled my- self to the little white-tiled restau- rant. Following his gaze, I saw my story-teller staring at the blue- coated back of a policeman on the other side of the room. Swiftly, stealthily, he pushed back his chair, and before I could move, he was at the door. The policeman turned, and catching sight of him seemed to clear the space in a single bound. However, by the time he had reach- ed the door, the shabby form had disappeared into the night with- out. Ruefully, he turned back and came toward me, while a sick fear settled like a lump of lead on my stomach . I looked around me. There, under his chair, lay the hat which had attracted me first. I picked it up, and was examining it when I heard the policeman say in a matter-of -f act voice, VVell, how much did you lose ?,' Mechanically, I felt my pockets. My watch, bill-fold, fountain pen, coin purse,-all gone. VVho is he? I gasped. '4That's Spell-binder Joe, he said. '4we've been trying to catch him for the last five years. Told you a wonderful story, didn't he? VVell, I'll report your case to head- quarters. I hope we catch him next time, and he sauntered out, swinging his night-stick. TO THE STAGE CREVV It's pleasant to stand in the spot- light And bow as the audience cheers, Itis nice, when the curtain is drop- ping, To catch the applause in your ears. It's easy to think you're an actor, To stand in the l'ight's brilliant glow, And to feel that the crowd has ac- claimed you The star of the evening's show. It's pleasant to read in the papers, The flattering dope that is there, It's nice to be talked of as famous, And asked to each social af fair, But it isn't so easy to labor Behind all the curtains and screens And work even more than the actors At changing the lights and the scenes. It's the person who works like a Trojan Behind the curtain and lights That never can share in the hand- clasps Right after the opening nights. That's why here at school we give credit To those to whom credit is due, And always make sure that our plaudits include The boys on the stage-setter's crew. -Arthur Arlett. 35 J

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that I ever hope to see. He must have weighed a half a ton or more, and his tusks were long and gleam- ing, and he had a. wicked eye that shone balefully in the jungle sha- dows. Of course, our horses bolt- ed at once, with our guns in the saddle holsters. I didn't waste any time staring, but got lNIiss Parker and myself up into the tree as soon as possible. Then the old snorter parked himself at the foot of the tree and glared at us. There was nothing we could do but wait until somebody came along and chased the brute, so con- sequently we settled ourselves for a long wait, while the old boy down below us settled himself, and pro- ceeded to go to sleep. With the intention of making ourselves more comfortable, I moved up higher, and grasped a thick, gnarled branch above my head. I nearly fell out of the tree, for the branch was cold and clammy, and moved under my hand. Slowly it uncoiled, and re- vealed itself as a boa-constrictor of magnificent proportions. I gave a yell, and prepared to throw my- self out of the tree and take my chances with the boar, for an adult boa is an ugly customer to stick around with. I was stopped by an answering cry from lNIiss Parker, and by the time I had recovered my balance and looked around, here she was talking to the brute, and it was resting its head on her shoulder as if it were glad to see her. Yes, it was Tom, right enough. Personally, I shouldn't have recognized him, but then he wasn't my pet. Bliss Parker was talking to the reptile, and pointing to the snort- 34 ing beast below. I canlt p1'etend to say whether the brute understood her, or whether, freshly awakened, he saw breakfast waiting for him, and acted accordingly. The girl always claimed he understood her. However that may be, Tom un- wound himself some more, and dropped a couple of coils around the boa1'. Then began a mighty battle. The pig, uttering piercing cries with a horrible human note in them, fought and thrashed in a vain en- deavor to free himself from those dreadful coils. It was horrible to watch, and Edith leaned trembling against me, her eyes closed, and scarcely breathing. I put my arm around her protectingly, but I could not take my eyes from the struggle below. For some time they fought, the frantic efforts of the boar preventing the snake from getting his deadly grip. Fin- ally Tom anchored himself with a couple of turns around the base of the tree, and then, slowly, inex- orably, the huge coils began to con- t1'act. The boar, feeling it, re- doubled his struggling, and his shreiks became continuous and soul-rending. As I watched, I could see that they were coming near to the edge of the gorge, where a little river flowed. Tight- er and tighter grew the pitiless coils, weaker and weaker grew the boar,s efforts, but nearer and nearer they came to the brink of the precipice. At last, about a yard from the edge, the boarls struggles ceased, and there was a hideous sound of crunching bones. HThen, crash! The edge of the gorge caved in, and victor and vanquished disappeared over the

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1 . ABOVE TEN. THOUSAND By Nathan Rowley 'gAnd we probably won't have any dinner or blankets tonight, well just have to make the best of it. Such were the words of Gil- bert Earle as he trudged up to the 'cadvance guardi' after an arduous day of hiking. This did not war- rant a very auspicious beginning for a Hwalki' of one hundred and sixty miles nor did it seem like the end of a perfect day. VVe, the John lNIuir club of 1926, had left Lake Huntington late the afternoon before and today had tried to hike a little extra to make up for lost time. There were eleven in the party. Gil Earle acted as manager and chief advisor of the group. Gil's father, lXIr. L. H. Earle, lNIr. R. E. B1'ownlee, Hal Earle, Tom Decker, Bill ltlurdoch, Amos Culbert, Frank Herberth, Don lNIcCown, Bob Perry and I, not to mention seven other burros which acted as pack animals, fin- ished the list. As near as Gil could make out, two of the boys and all the burros had taken the wrong trail early in the morning and were still going wrong. Luckily we were still in civilization and we managed to get food at some little camp. Just as we were finishing an early dinner and were preparing for a night on the cold, cold ground, the burros began to arrive. They continued to do so until half past eight that evening. According to Amos Cul- bert, the only benefit that he de- rived from having the burros take the wrong trail was that his vocabu- lary was greatly enlarged. To cap the climax, HlNIicky', was left up on the trail and some of us had to go back to get him. '4lNIickyi' in- troduced himself to all of us and some one prophesied that he would not let himself be forgotten by any one. VVe will read mo1'e of him later. Everybody took a much needed rest the next day and we found a second cousin to the Hole swimmin, holen, in which we all wet our toes. Late that afternoon, I rushed into camp eager to recite my experience onan exploration voyage. -And I saw a dead cow and a beautiful water fall and fell inf, I still can't see why everybody laugh- ed. The next morning after we finally b1'ibed uhlickyi' to move, the cavaleade again started forward. The mountains we were passing through were just mountains. VV e had. not yet come into real wild country. At about ten o'clock, we passed through the McKinley grove of big trees-the Sequoia gigantia variety. These trees were both interesting and unusual, being three hundred feet high, on the average, and from six thousand to eight thousand years old. By the time the party had pro- gressed this far, 'glNIicky', had firm- ly established his reputation. He will never be famous, only notori- ous. In passing we might say that lXIicky was a burro. The unusual thing about him was that it onlv took eight of us to put his pack on him. Also his feet insisted oi. wandering of f the trail toward the green grass. 36