A B Davis High School - Maroon and White Yearbook (Mount Vernon, NY)

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MAROON AND WHITE and morbid a few minutes ago, I became happy and gay, for I had thought of a way to save my father and those precious papers. Why couldn't I speed up the mo- tion of the pendulum? No sooner thought of than done. I grasped the pendulum firmly in each hand and gradually acceler- ated its motion. Would it work? I could only hope for the best and finally, after fifteen minutes of swinging, was rewarded by hearing an exclamation from one of the soldiers. 'My word, that clock must be run- ning a race! I never heard one trick so fast before. I'd even say that the hands were going faster.' Then I heard the gruff voice of the one whom I judged to be the head of the party reply: A' 'The clock does seem to be ticking quite fast, but as for the hands speeding. I think that is due to your imagination. What in the world could increase its speed, anyhow?' Another soldier spoke up: 'Different clocks tick at different speeds. but all keep the same time. I know. I'm a clockmaker by trade.' I was momentarily frightened when I heard them discussing what could hasten the clock's speed, but felt relieved when the second soldier gave his opinion. Would the clock, even with its increase in speed. make up twenty minutes, the fifteen which had passed from the departure of my mother to the arrival of the 'redcoats', and the five which would allow my father a safe margin after the British had left? To me the time seemed to go by extremely slowly, while to them outside-that is, outside the clock-it went fast, I was be- coming very stiff, for I had been swinging the pendulum for an hour. The air in the clock wasn't of the best sort for breathing, and I soon began to feel sleepy. At times I could hardly keep my eyes open, but a hard knock on the head, administered by a very solid pendulum. seemed to tell me, 'Wake up! Wake up! Remember your dutyl' As this thought centered itself in my mind, I immediately threw off the lethargy and began to work with renewed vigor. Page One Hundred and Forty It seemed as though I had been in the clock days, or was it weeks? In reality it was only an hour and a half. The British would leave in fifteen more minutes if I had increased the speed of the clock sufficiently. The last few minutes seemed an age. I could hardly stand up on my feet and began to feel faint. All colored lights, red. blue, yellow, flashed in front of my eyes. At last I heard chairs moving in the parlor. Voices. seemingly from a great distance, came to me strangely dis- tlnct. 'Well, I guess Carroll isn't going to show up. Ricker must have been mistaken, or- 'Or what?' 'Do you think that he could have double-crossed us? A scoundrel like him would do anything' 'No, that's quite impossible. He hates Carroll too much and really means him harm. However, I wouldn't take much stock in his stories after this. Let's go. There is no use wasting -any more time here.' I don't remember much that hap- pened after that. I heard them leave and stumbled out of the clock and groped around for a chair, but I never reached one. Everything went black. My legs caved in under me. and I sank to the floor exhausted and dead to the world. I awoke some time later and saw my mother looking at me anxiously. She had been bathing my face. My father was standing beside her. They both appeared frightened, for they didn't know what was wrong with me. After I had related my adventure, they exclaimed with surprise and admiration. My father said but one thing to me: 'My son, I am proud of you and know that you will make a great general.' After finishing his story, my father's great-grandfather faded back into the shadows, and I thought what a brave and courageous young boy he had been. His father's prophecy came true, for he be- came a victorious general in the Civil War fighting for the right cause, that of keeping our great Union undivided. JESSE IVIEHRLUST, Class of 1934. NINETEEN THiRTY5THREE

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fright when I heard them heading for the same room. There was no escape for me. I glanced hurriedly around the room. looking for a hiding place. It seemed al- most impossible to find one in the par- lor. What was I to do-where was l to hide-and most important of all, how was I to save father? I was growing des- perate. The 'redcoats' would soon come into the room. I scanned the room again. At last my eyes struck the huge grand- father clock in the corner and lingered there. I remembered that there was a large space in it where the pendulum swung. It was my only chance, so I rushed to the door of the clock, flung it open, and swiftly cached myself in it. closing the door just as the first 'redcoat' entered. I feared greatly that he had seen the door close, but my fears were unreal- ized, because he was looking in the op- posite direction as he came in. I-Iow care- less of him-how fortunate for mel They all ranged themselves about the clock as far as I could make out by the sounds. I was afraid that they suspected my whereabouts and intended to torment me by keeping me imprisoned until I couldn't stand it any longer and had to come out, but I found that I was wrong. after they had begun speaking. 'Are you sure this is the house?' asked the captain. 'Yes, sir. if what Charles Ricker said is true.' 'Ricker said she might have gone to live with some relatives in Charleston.' 'A 'I-low did Ricker happen to tell you all this, and why does he think that Car- roll is stopping at his home before going to lVlorgan?' 'Ricker has a grudge against Carroll for some reason or other. I think Car- roll showed him up in front of Wash- ington once, and he wants revenge. He said that it was possible that Carroll would stop at his home firstf After hearing this, I was what you would call burning up. If I could only lay my hands on that scoundrel! What I wouldn't do to him! I had forgotten that I was a mere seven-year-old and that I would come off second best and very NINETEEN THIRTY-THREE MAROON AND WHITE much worsted if I ever contested with such a treacherous traitor. 'I don't like possibilities. I like facts. We'll wait here for two hours and if Carroll doesnt show up by then, we'1l leave and call it a bad job.' '1'd hate to have this fellow, Ricker, lighting on my side. I'd never know when he was going to give me away.' You can imagine my feelings as I heard those last few remarks. Why it was at least fifteen minutes since my mother had left, and there remained just about an hour and forty-five minutes be- fore she would return with my father. Now I had heard that the British were going to wait for two hours. Why in the world did I ever go into the parlor and worst of all, lock myself up in the clock? What could I do, cramped up, with little air to breathe? I should have run out without my coat as soon as I had seen the British coming. Surely I had been out in colder weather than it was then. My father would walk into a trap all be- cause I had been so foolish. I mustn't give up hope. There must be some way to save him, for the British. who I was sure were looking at the clock, would leave as soon as their two hours were up. If there was only some way by which I could move the hands of the clock for- ward. But. no, I was unable to move them, being inside the clock, and even if I could, the movement would seem un- natural, and the British would guess where I was. The only thing to do was to speed up the clock, but how? How could I, im- prisoned in ment? All the pendulum was swinging back and forth in front of me almost touching my nose. There it swung, implacable, silent, never speeding up, never slowing down. but al- ways keeping its slow, even pace. If I could only impart to it the knowledge that its master was in danger, it might find a remedy, but perhaps it did know and could do nothing about it. All at once an idea struck me. It came like a lightning bolt. most assuredly from heaven. Whereas I had been sad the clock. hasten its move- while I was in there, the Page One Hundred and Thirty-mne

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WAROON AND WHITE SEA FANTASY One day, back in the year 19- I plan- ned a sea voyage destined to be a long re- membered one. The good ship, Fortune Teller was therefore scrubbed from stem to stern. and a neat looking vessel finally resulted. I sailed the ocean blue with my magic crystal for the realm of Fantasy. In my excitement I had neglected to take with me maps and a compass. but youth being exuberant, always eager for the fray, has no time to think of such apparent trivialities. In the end, however, these very nonentities loom as something big and ter- rifying. So it was with impetuous me. We sailed the ocean blue, my crystal and I. but we never reached our destination. We are lost , thought I. Suddenly a deadly calm pervaded everything. The sea, too, was hushed, was treacherously tranquil. Certainly, this stillness, this change from the normal was a phantasmagoria. a hallu- cination. But Wait, another change is be- ing wrought. Indeed, I am demented now. -such things do not occur, have never oc- curred. Oh celestial dame. hear me. hear me. I entreat you to spare me, to have mercy. for- The quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the earth beneath. What is that terrible rumble, that fleet- ing flash of light? The earth is angry, the sea is angry. our little vessel is unsteady! It began to rain in torrents: and some Hshes whose faces were vaguely familiar were flung high into the air. The thunder was like that of Thor's hammer. Finally, an unusually brutish wave enveloped us and we parted. Farewell, farewell, but this I say, to thee. oh trusty ship, you have served me well, but this unseen catastrovhe is no fault of thine. It took only a few seconds to say all this: in the interim, I was being devoured by a mon- strous wave. Fortunately, my faithful crystal sank with me. The brine was sim- ply sodium chloride, for I had never sav- oured such sweetness before. As I sank more and more, the cold almost slew me. for I am most susceptible to the cold. I NINETEEN THIRTY-THREE had only my crystal. A thought occurred to me. Maledictions are few! Why had I not gazed into the crystal before com- mencing my trip to see what fate had in store for me? Oh, man, the most asinine of all creatures. surely, your limitations are few! Enough of this raving and panting. -I was almost crossing the bar I was so numb. The tails of some gorgeous mer- maids were tickling me, and I am awfully ticklish. Finally. cold and bewildered as I was, I perceived a beautiful coral castle. which glistened as do the pearly gates in heaven. Summoning sufficient strength, I managed to ring the doorbell, and faint conveniently. When my faltering senses regained consciousness, I found myself in a luxurious palace. reminding me. strange- ly enough, of our own Alma Mater. Heavens, what are those poor fishes doing there, working so hard with such eager expressions on their faces? She, who had revived me, stated that they were cram- ming for Regents. Can you in your flight- iest imaginings, picture these poor fishes under the sea studying for Regents so dili- gentlv? I should never have believed it. had I not seen it with mine own eves. Their inkwells were so dry and clean, that their studious faces were revealed therein. It is of course natural, that even scholars cramming for Regents should desist from studying. Therefore. we wended our way into various rooms. As I directed my course towards the music room. the strains of familiar and dear songs reached my ears. My gaze was arrested bv a figure pounding loudly and clearly with her tail upon the piano keys. Of course, it was none other then our gifted Ruth Walter, surrounded by the musically inclined: Bill Bartlett. Dorothy Colish. Dorothy Berman. Anna Consolazio. Margaret Jacober, Nelson Leonard. Alvin Roberts, and Helen Keith. I could hear above the rest. Lewis Willing. singing Mother Machree . Instead of a benign look transforming his face, a most truculent one was apparent. Poor bov, perhaps he confused his emotions. Oh, music, wherein doth lie your power to soothe and enchant and refresh by the Page One Hundred and Forty-or