Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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THE SENIOR MJGNET 11 pilor about one hundred miles west of Lenore. Here he had made some very staunch friends among the natives, since he could talk the Hindu language, and secondly, because he was an Englishman. He would en tertain the people for hours sometimes by playing his saxophone. Natives by the hundreds gathered around to listen to him play One day, one of the natives who was his servant, told Edmond that the natives suspected him of being some supernatural person. These natives, much given to superstitions, thought that some wicked God was trying to destroy their faith by talking through this strange instrument. Further, the natives that evening, secretly planned to set fire to Edmond’s hut after he had gone to bed. So as soon as darkness fell, Edmond, work ing on the hint of the servant, gath ered his belongings and fled to the woods. True enough, about midnight, the house suddenly burst into flame. Edmond came from Monopilor to Lenore where Harry and Ralph found him. Here he got another servant who also seemed to take an interest in the instrument. One day, putting Edmond’s hut in order, the servant came across the saxophone, and was very much interested in it. The brightness with which the silver glittered in the sunshine and the strange noise, had never been experienced by the native. Edmond noticing the servant’s admiration, took advantage of it and donated it to him for some service which he had performed, but not without first warning him of his own narrow escape in Monopilor. The servant proved to be a very intelligent pupil, for in a short time he had succeeded in learning how to get a sound, yes, several very wierd sounds from it. Then one day, the servant disappeared, also the saxo- phone. He did not return, nor had any one seen or heard of him. “Very strange, but, what of the God, why the bringing of food every evening? Why the long and excited prayers and all the commotion ?” asked the inquisitive Ralph. “Well, that’s queer also,’’ said Edmond. “There has lately been a series of rumblings, groanings, and so forth, coming apparently from the God. Well, the people, nor I, either, cannot explain it. I think it is just the way the wind strikes the monument, especially the head, which it appears is hollow. The natives place food for their God there in the evenings, and in the morning it is gone. There seems to be a story current among the natives, that the God is angry over the actions of the people, and that this is a warning to them. They place food there in order to please him. This food, though, disappears at night. I think the explanation for that is that the animals of the forest detect it, and after dark take it, for bones and the like have been found on the ground. But of course it would be folly to voice these opinions to the people.’’ The monument to which Edmond refers is a huge figure of Buddha, on a base about forty-five feet square, about fifteen feet high, and tapering to about twenty-five feet at the top. The figure of Buddha topping it is about thirty-five feet high, other dimensions in proportion. The head is a huge affair, the eyes looking over the land for miles. At the rear there appears to be an opening, but it is not certain because no one dares to climb to see. There is a certain hearsay that anyone attempting to climb the image itself, will instantly be struck dead. This is strengthened by the fact that a tourist a short time ago attempted to climb it and immediately fell dead to the ground.

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THE SENIOR MAGNET Adventures! Graham Fithian “Harry, what do you say we take a little trip into some far off country! I’m really serious now. I must get away from the daily grind.” “Well, drawled Harry, “I don’t know. I’m beginning to feel that way myself. Lay out the course.” For several months Ralph had been suggesting the trip,—partly in fun, but largely in seriousness, until now, less than a month since his last suggestion to Harry, the two boys were aboard a cruiser nearing Gwader, a small seaport town on the west coast of India. Harry McCarter and Ralph Ashton were two boys who had lived side by side, who had fought and made up with each other, who had graduated from college together, two years previous, and were, needless to say, the best of friends. Harry, who had been playing in the Castle orchestra nearly every night since his graduation from high school, found himself rapidly growing discontented with this night work, tired of the crazy mobs who paid, and paid well, for the privilege of dancing to the tantalizing tunes of his saxophone. Ralph, who worked, more to help pass the time away, than for his living, always had been anxious to travel, to see the rest of the world. So, finally, his convincing and pursua-sive manner had found him a traveling companion, only natural though it should be Harry. India—the land of different people, the land of dense forests and the land of all dark and deep mysteries, was naturally the place that the adventurous Ralph would choose. A1 so on account of his father’s influence, they could gain transportation free of charge to this part. Upon landing at Gwader, Ralph was at last satisfied and Harry also was beginning to feel the presence of the same spirit which haunted Ralph, namely, the desire to participate in an adventure such as one reads about. Leaving the two boys at Gwader, we next find them at Lenore, a small town some six hundred miles to the north and west of Gwader. Lenore, a typical town of about six thousand people, was situated in the midst of a huge dense forest. People dressed in their characteristic manner, gathering each evening and bringing gifts of food and drink, which they placed at the foot of an immense effigy of Buddha, and then knelt in long and fervent prayer to this, their God. One evening while watching one of these ceremonies, the two boys noticed not far away, a young fellow, a white man, an English man—and true enough it was Edmond Staler who had graduated in their class in high school, and who had played with Harry for some time in the Castle Orchestra. Needless to say, they were so completely overjoyed that from the ordinary spectator’s point of view, it was hard to tell which ones were the most ridiculous, —the natives, bringing their offer; ings to the Gods, or the action of the three boys. After telling their respective adventures and talking over past times, the conversation finally narrowed down to one adventure in particular. Edmond had some very interesting stories to tell since he had been in that country about eleven months, but one especially interested Ralph and Harry. It seems that Edmond was living, at the time, in a small town by the name of Mono-

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12 THE SENIOR MAGNET This aroused Ralph’s curiosity to the utmost. That rumblings should continue to come from day to:day, that food and drink would disappear from the top of the pedestal, seemed unbelievable. His curiosity continued to such a degree until one day he pursuaded Harry and Edmond to accompany him to the opening in the back of the head of the image. Not being stopped by the many warnings of the natives, they started to ascend the image. Slow but surely they climbed to the opening, Edmond disappearing into it first, and followed by Harry and Ralph. Here they found a large room, containing three pieces of furniture, namely: a table, a stool, and a sort of bed. On the bed— Awakened by their entrance, the man jumped up from the bed and was about to jump from the opening when Edmond recognized him as his servant and caught him. His story was short and simple as follows: Afraid of being killed for playing the instrument if he remained in the village, he had climbed to the room which he had heard about in Buddha’s head. Fnding this a suitable place, he fixed it to suit his needs, and there he played and practiced. Descending at night, taking his choice of the finest of foods, throwing the rest to the ground where animals soon found them, he returned and played or slept. The boys descended and Edmond told the natives that the anger of the God would be overcome if they would simply follow his instructions. The servant returned to Edmond’s hut where he was not molested for playing, but instead was admired much by his fellow friends. When the three boys left Lenore, the natives gave a great feast to “the men who had soothed the anger of the Gods.’’