Clymer High School - Clymax Yearbook (Clymer, PA)

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4-l----CLYMAX - P There's Nobody Here But Me and You! The narrow village street was flanked on both sides by crooked rows of two-story buildings, except fora large three-story frame structure that stood on the corner at Baldwin and Endicott Streets. Overhead, stars feebly scin- tillated through rifts in dark clouds which scurried hurriedly across the sky. impelled by a brisk, chill wind. Sidney Routh, overcoat collar pulled well up beneath his fedora hat, slouched along the slippery sidewalk toward the three-story building. An electric sign above the doorway proclaimed it to be a hotel. As Routh walked into the doorway, a drizzle of rain and sleet began to fall. He smiled in anticipation of a hot bath, and a warm bed afterwards. I'll take the best room in the house, he told the clerk standing behind a Himsy counter. Ry the cut of Routh's clothes and his well-groomed appearance, the clerk could tell that he was a man of means. l'm sorry, sir, but all the rooms are occupied-except one, the clerk stated nervously. 'Tm willing to pay handsomely for a good room with a bath. Give me the room you've got, Routh demanded impatiently. I can't very well force anyone to vacate, and I wouldn't advise you to take this roomkit's supposed to be haunted! However, it does have a bath. VVell, I'll take it anyway. There never was and never will be any such thing as a haunted house. Routh's smile of anticipation, which had vanished, again appeared. Some of Routh's assurance of a good night's sleep left him when he entered the room assigned to him. Situated on the windward side of the hotel, it could not be kept warm. Outside, the wind set up a successive series of roars and moans as it blew past. XVith each blast, a tree grated raucously against the wall. The gloom was accentuated by the square of dim light from the single window. When he turned on the light, Routh's assurance fell several more de- grees. The walls were covered with old fashioned wall paper from which large dark Flowers seemed actually to protrude their ornate heads. They were bare of pictures except for a miserable war scene which looked suspiciously like some that appear occasionally in the rotogravure section of a Sunday paper. A dresser, a chair, and a bed were the only pieces of furni- ture. The dresser and chair might have been bought in any second-hand fur- niture store. The bed was the least inviting of anything in the room. It was an exact duplicate of a hospital cot except that it was painted a shabby black. Testing the mattress, Routh discovered that it was harder than it had first appeared, Although trying to make the best of a bad bargain, he became even more discouraged. However, he turned out the light and went to bed. The wind 71

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F 4 1ffcLvMAx:eeE P or Ne'er Shall We Return Let's spend our days in harmony, And master each appearing task. Let no one shirk, but duty face, And worthy make our clear old class, For ne'er shall we return. 'Tis early june. The sun is set On happy :lays gone hy. One task is clone, there's time for fun But wait, oh, wait and realize, No more shall we return. 'Tis time to part, the call is clear! On to our task with joy. Make each day the better clay, Ancl bear in mind, thatee Nevermore shall we return. joI1N Brlcoskv, 232. 63?

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4: 1fficLvMAx4-Q-5+ still roared and the tree scraped against the wall. Routh tossed about for several hours before his tired body finally relaxed in a fitful sleep. About midnight he awakened from a nightmare with a start. His body was streaming with sweat. NX'ide awake, he listened tensely. The wind still howledg the tree continued its scraping. Excluding these sounds, he could hear nothing to justify his awakening. Very vaguely, he remembered hearing something say, t'There's nobody here but me and you l Ile tried to convince himself that this had been part of his dream, but in spite of himself, he could not dismiss the thought of that strange voice. At length, he again fell into a doze. Idle dreamed that someone was standing over him saying: There's nobody here but me and you! Routh awakened so abruptly that the bed creaked. lle listened, muscles tense. As before, nothing could be heard but the howling of the wind and the scraping of the tree against the wall. The man's imagination began to run riot. Once he thought a shadow flitted across the square of light on the floor. For a second, fear clutched at his heart as the bulk beside the dresser materialized into a chair instead of some sinister thing ready to spring upon him. The tree scraping against the wall seemed to chant in a monotone, There's- nobody-here-but-me-and-you. Mentally, Routh cursed himself for accepting this infernal room. He wished he could fall asleep again. Better yet, he wished dawn would break. The luminous dial on his wrist watch registered four o'clock-two hours before daybreak. After what seemed an interminable length of time, his somnolent brain again submitted to the strain. Even in sleep, he was conscious of a feeling of terror. Again that diabolical chant wakened him, There's nobody here but me and ,you l He thought somebody had him by the wrist. Trembling with fear, he turned his head furtively. The band of his watch encircled his wrist. llis face was wet: his hands shook: and his body was weak with horror. ln desperation he leaped out of bed and began dressing frantically. The tree outside still seemed to chant: ''There's-nobody-here-but-me-and- you! just as soon as I get dressed there'll be nobody here but you! Routh veritably screamed. WALTER MOLESKY, '32, 72 l