Clifton High School - Rotunda Yearbook (Clifton, NJ)

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THE REFLECTOR Two for Julius Caesar, none for Alexander! The roosters were taken to corners and at Go started again. Alexander made up his mind to fight to the finish this time. He mixed blows with Caesar, but for some reason or other, Caesar's blows had more effect. Now and then Caesar would fly at his opponent, but the Macedonianis injured wing prevented his doing so. Finally Caesar stepped back and made a rush at Alexander, and in less than a minute, Alexanderis throat was bleeding. He was down under' the triumphantly crowing Julius Caesar. That night Alexander died. After school the next day all attended the simple rites on the spot where he'd fought his last battle. Even the Holbein boys were present to express their sympathy. When the boys came home, their mother had a letter to read to them. It was from their grandfather, asking them to visit him for the first two weeks of summer vacation. The lads needed no coaxing. On their arrival home a celebration dinner was on the table. Two big chickens, roasted to a crisp! 'lWhich chickens were they?', Hermann asked anxiously. Those two old lighters, their father replied. That brown year- old and the four-year-old reddish brown! Julius Caesar and Maximilian!,' gasped Franz. Then Mrs. Holbein wondered, i'Why donit you boys eat! Chickerfs your favorite dish, I thought! The truth never came out, but at a quiet ceremony the double funeral was held. What bones of the fighters the boys managed to save, they buried. ERICH HARDT, June 1932. Nocturne After dusk when the trees are black And the trail is just a silver track That cuts the dark of the woods in twain, And lighted cabin windows stain The perfect sombreness of night, And high above the stars are brightg Then who can say the woods are mute When every birch tree is a flute And brooks are minor symphonies And lakes lap rhythmic melodies, And katydids and crickets speak, And owls whirr from the mountain peak, And frogs recroak their serenades In lonely swamps and marshy glades, Why, some folks must have ears of stone To think they walk the woods alone. VERNON GROUNDS, February 1932. Twenty-six

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THE REFLECTOR Arrangements for a fight with Alexander were immediately begun. The time was the next Monday, the place, Reiter's back yard, and the conditions these: QU a ring was to be made, CZJ no one but the referee and the two roosters were to step into the ring Cpenalty, for-- feit the fightj 3 Q32 if one contestant was disabled, he would lose, or, if one contestant had been backed out of the ring three times, he would lose. Wilhelm Hoffman was chosen referee because he was thought to be least partial, since he had moved to the town only the week before. Hold your roosters in opposite corners!', cried Wilhelm. Ready? The boys nodded. uG0!rs The roosters stood staring at each other. The Roman General ad- vanced first and looked at Alexander. As he neared, the Macedonian leaped at him. Caesar was ready, and landed a blow at his opponent,s unguarded belly. Both were the type to ight to a finishf' They fought furiously. Blows were raining on both of them, neither one gaining anything, until Alexander got careless and began to leave openings, of which his opponent took advantage. These constant hard blows were beginning to show on the Macedo- nian as he backed up slowly. He tried to rush, but only landed in an- other shower of blows. Suddenly he advanced, regardless of the peeks he received, and hammered at his opponent's throat. Not liking the head attack, the Macedonian backed to free himself. Julius Caesar rushed at his enemy and peeked away with all his might. Alexander drew his head back and peeked the Roman just above the beak-a painful blow. Caesar backed and tried pecking, but Alex- ander leaped on him and knocked him down. Julius struggled, but it was futile. His opponent peeked at his throat till Caesar just clucked submissively. Then Alexander gave a victorious crow, while standing on poor Caesar. The dejected Holbeins went home with the injured battler. From day to day his temper increased as the pain of the wound stayed. Finally it began leaving, but his temper stayed. About two weeks after the first defeat the Holbeins asked for a return battle. It was granted, and the same preliminaries were gone through. This time there were bets! The four boys put all their marbles in a box, and the winning team would get them all. William called UGO! and the fight was on! Caesar wasted no time, but backed Alexander out in about two minutes. One!', called the referee. Get your fighters in the corners! This was done. i1Go!ax Another rush, and Alexander fell out again. The Macedonian's wing had been injured. Twenty-Iiv

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THE REFLECTOR The Serpent I l?1I'IAT,S the idea of sending us out on a night like this?,' snarled Inspector Casey, as he plodded along in company with two bobbies were answering a call sent into headquarters. The call was from Limehouse district, and stated that a French car without lights had been parked in the middle of Blackwold Road for three hours. The day was typical of London in February. It was about four in the afternoon, but darkness had already descended upon the city. A dense fog added to the disagreeable weather, and water dripped from the huddled tenements, forming pools in the street. Chinamen glided silent- ly from shelter to shelter, looking neither right nor left. I? l if Ill!! fl Sergeant Dunn. Several minutes of silence ensued. The Q7 Ill r df. Here she is,', announced Dunn, soon after they had turned into Blackwold Road. He took his note-book from his pocket and jotted down what Inspector Casey considered of importance. Mercedes car, light tan trimmed with brown, left rear fender bent. The inspector then opened the car door. With a cry he leaped back. What's this! Dunn moved so that his line of vision penetrated the interior of the darkened car. Slouched behind the wheel was a human shape. Casey struck a match, and by its aid illuminated the interior and lit the dome light in the car. Closer examination of the body revealed that it was a Chinaman. Looks as if heis done for, Dunnf, whispered Casey, Better call a Wagon. While Sergeant Dunn was hurrying to a nearby upubv to summon a patrol wagon, Casey examined the rest of the car. He found no blood or traces of violence in the car, but on the back seat was a perforated box about the size of a hat box. He lifted the box up, and as he did so a rustling sound came from within. Non-plussed, he returned the box to its former position just as Dunn appeared. Before any further investigation could be made the patrol wagon ar- rived. The Chinaman was transferred to this and taken away. Ser- geant Dunn accompanied the wagon to supervise a more thorough ex- amination of the man. Inspector Casey drove the car to the police garage and, after leaving it with orders that it should not be touched, he took the mysterious box very cautiously and headed straight for his of-- fice. He reached his oflice and settled down in his chair with the box on his desk. By the aid of the strong light of his desk lamp, he discerned a moving form beneath the perforations of the box. Inspector Casey de- cided that he had better take precautions before opening the box, so he called up his friend, Reginald Moniker, curator of the London Zoo, who had been his assistant in many previous cases. Casey explained the situa- tion to the curator, who invited Casey to come over to his residence, which adjoins the Zoo. Holding the box at arms length, Casey descend- Twenty-seven