Cranford High School - Golden C Yearbook (Cranford, NJ)

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The Spotlight Page Thirty Slx Salramm By SARA ALLEN 31 Awarded Honorable Mention ln Natlonal Essay Cont st of The Scholastic N THE 11st of Trlals of Llfe From A to Z nght Ibefore Snumy Colds and Spinach come I Salesmen A Salesman IS a walking encyclopedla who IS antlclpated wlthl dread endured wxth 1mpat1ence and dxsposed of wlth all posslble haste He lS a person who ls bent on convmcmg you hls helpless VlCt1!I'l that hls are the only posslble wares on the market X, and that you are the most obtuse and xgnorant of men not to seize the golden oppor tunxty you are lettmg shp through your fingers when you stubbornly refuse to purchase Salesmen are utterly devold of any personal feeling and cannot be reached by curt refusals Jeers or 1cy polltenesses They contxnue to bestow pxtylng smlles on obstinate rebuffs and speak ln the coaxmff tones one uses to a temperamental chlld They even resort on occasxon to cajolery and flattery One day last summer havmg nothmg to do and all the time in the world to do it ln I was ensconsed on the front steps entertamxng a nelghbors small daughter with the remarkable tale of The Three Pigs I was up to the part where the wolf demanded entrance to the three DIQS domaln I growled ferocxously Let me 1n or Ill huff and Ill puff and Ill blow your house down' Marjle shlvered ln dellghted terror and I paused for dramatlc effect when a shadow fell across the lower porch step Looklng up I saw to my consternatlon a man who was all too evldently a salesman He had all the earmarks of one In hxs hand he carrled a black satchel and on hls face a fatuous smlle rounded syllables poured forth nearly drownmg me ln a sea of words He sald ln swlftly undulatmg tones I am Mr Potts from the Slnger Sewmg Machine Company of Elizabeth New Jersey I have here a booklet whxch I am sure would mterest you lmmensely It will tell you all the pomts of our famous machines whlch are used all over the world Here the steady flow stopped whlle the salesman paused for breath and I closed my mouth which I dlscovered had been standmg open durlng this bewlldering flood Suddenly I was flxed wxth a plerclng gaze whxch demanded the truth the whole truth and nothmg but the truth and the questxon What kind of sewmg machme do you use? was shot at me Taken unawares I gulped and stammered N none' The salesman bent a pltylng glance on one so benlghted m thxs mechanlcal age as to be without such a smmple necesslty as a sewlng machme But ln hxs eye was the look of a hunter who sees hxs prey and IS sure of makmg a klllmg Wxth feverlsh haste he drew forth a sheaf of papers from h1s sultcase and poked them at me Here glance at these he commanded I started to protest but with my first word he gestlcu lated wildly and shouted Look at them' Just look' There was such a llght of enthuslasm on his face that I hadnt the heart to dim it If l0Ok1Xlg at h1s papers gave hlm such pleasure I was not the one to deny hlm that joy I obedxently looked They were partlcularly unmterestneg plctures of sewmg machmes dlalgrams and charts Th1S odd man wlth a passlon for sewmg machlnes had gone on excltedly talkmg and explainlng but I only half compre hendmg had let hlm go on t1ll a questxon brought me to attentlon He had asked Now whlch type do you prefer? You re g1v1ng your order today so lt wxll reach you next week My order'J What order I thought It high time I intervened but before I could begm seeing the look of denlal on my face and evldently thmklng I had not been tempted qulte far enough Mr Potts bestowed a dazzlmg smlle on httle Marne who had been starmg all eyes at thls strange person and sald brlghtly Then thls lxttle M1ss can have lots of new dresses' Mamie and I both looked startled Marne at bemg thus unexpectedly addressed and I at the strange thmg he had sald I began to feel a httle nxght mare ish Could thls be an escaped Inmate from some 1nst1tut1on Then llght began to gllmmer famtly through my bewxldered braln I sald at last what I should have sald at the very begmmng But I don t want a sewing machine I wouldn t take It as a glft' I detest sewmg and Mother can t get me to touch her machme' The look of urprlse on my salesman s face would have been laughable lf It had not been so pltlful He grew redder and redder tlll I was alarmed lest apoplexy 1'6Sl11t He opened his mouth and C10Sed It su '- , , U , ' ' Q u rr ' as ' , . yn ' , l sa 3 dia, - ' ' ' ' ' , , , , . . D . I Y ., ' , Y ! Q 0 9 ' - ' v u 1 ' n ' I ' ' U ' V 7 1 H ' 9 ! ' . . . , . y y ' i Y X v ' ' He advanced with purposeful strides to my side and opened his mouth. A swift torrent of well- , . , - . . ,, y . . . ,, . . ,, , , . . t U - U Y 7 7 ' .. ,, - y 1 ' J 1 K ' I ' , , ' ' V ' ' an v

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The ,Spotlight l'nC1' Tl1l1't5'-Five m m Obnlg A 5711112111111 By THOMAS LINNENBRINK, '31 I am a shadow. A long shadow that sprawls over a new-decked earth. A shadow that has no orrgrn no pattern and I am the endrn rn myself I push eagerly through lazzrng clouds of Korean scent that flow from mottled banks of blossoms All rs quret here The sun peers back at hrs glrtterlnff tram as a grass carpet beneath the trees settles to outwatch some restln bees I am trred so trred of fallrnff across meadows rnto the gaspm brook and on to deepen forest dark I wrll res and be strll on the ffrass carpet under the May blossoms But I cannot for Sun sees and glowers' Gay trees are startled Blushrng petals fall shatterrngs of a Chlnese vase Therr pungencw IS so heaxy It chokes me' I am forced to go on I must on and on for I am a shadow A lon shadow that sprawls over fr n w decked earth A shadow that has no O11 rn no pattern and I am the eudmg rn myself -Mant 'KHBPE iliarnhrnpa 1Heard From Mx Bedl By HUGO DI Ff1B1o 31 By THoM1xs LINNENBRIINK patter patter The falntrng scent of dylng roses drrfts And falters drrp patter drrp Rarndrops fall on the flat roofs slantln roofs flat earth In the softened arr wh1ch has taken on a glow Of colors And the w anlng fragrance softly srnks and fades In the shadows heaped earth plowed earth upturned leaxes folded leaxes gr err d SXKZLQIYI leaxes How I would lrke to be a leaf sl epy wrth ramdrops talkrn therr tmx talk upon me drlpprnq so sleepX drrpprn so sleepx so leepx sleepr drrpprnff Leaxlng rn ms lonels heart rnftrtlculare Sorrows 11119 .mll llhlll I1 .U. , D . D 'U D . .1 D . h .U . f, 1 v' 4- ' t D ' ... -1 , . . H' ' , . . Q, . r c , , 3 - 1 1 ' 1 v Y 1 . - ,31 . ,4 .- 4 .U ., , D V , . I ,' Av 6 4 L Y V, 'Z 'e e 'Q.f ' D V 1' -' - .U . ., , s , Q. .U ,... l v rl r 'D T l I' a 1- lrl . ll

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The ,Spnflrghf l we 'Hxlrtx Seven agam looklng for all the world llke King my b1gUest gold flsh The resemblance was so strong I resolved then and there to change Klng s name to Mr Potts He finally managed to speak He stuttered Your m mother' Why arent you I mean I thought then xts not your house? You re not marr1ed I felt so sorry for hxm that I wlshed fervently for a husband or at least some money -enough to buy one of hxs machmes I saxd meekly and apologetlcally Not yet He brlghtened Vlslbly What do you mean by that'J Because 1f you re cons derxnv marriaffe youll of course be Interested Ln our famous lme- I saw I must be firm I sald determmedly No Im not consldermg it And Im not interested ln sewxng machlnes Good day Then hastily backing towards the door I reached xt and escaped leaving Mamie and Mr Potts starlng solemnly at each other Thls experlence has made me wary of all people even famtly resembling salesmen If there IS a knock at the door I hasten to lnform some member of the famlly of the fact but I am usually told wlth rude promptltude to answer It myself Whereupon I can nearly always dlscover a hole 1n my stocklng or bedroom sllppers as an acceptable excuse for not bemg m evldence All excuses fa1l1ng what lS wanted If he IS selling anything I can always close the door If as sometlmes happens I am not qulck enough wxth my foot and the salesman gets hxs planted firmly ln the doorway I am mdeed at a dlsadvantage I am forced then to choose between llstenmg to what he has to say and crushmg hls foot ln the door In thxs case I call for help and some member of the famlly usually Mother comes to the rescue and relterates at regular lntervals and wlth adm1rable persrstence that we dont want any Maglc Cleanser tor shoe pohsh or Shredded Wheat or bath saltsl txll the salesman s staylng powers are broken down and he leaves defeated for the tlme bemg Whereupon the entlre famlly w1th one accord heaves a sigh of rellef and looks forward to the time when as one of the pleasurable dut1es of an enllghtenecl people xt can go to the polls to vote down the unnecessary evil of salesmen 1Ku1er llvvha Emerging By Cr-nus SORENSEN 31 Across miimte space Our eyes meet 4How long lt takes to meet your l1ps'J I change to axr I move toward you You breathe me See through me Brush me wlth your words I go between your fingers Inslde the sleeve of your dress Intlmately I surround you Across mfimte space Our eyes meet To the sanctuary of your eyes To the prayer of your llps CI come wlth the flute song of happiness Llght ln my heart'l Across mfimte space Our eyes meet I count the aeons passlng Untll our llps meet 1 I come robed mn l1ght'J My hands are wlnd, shudderlng Upon the blue vexn of your throat, Upon your sable halr l'. 'I' f F1- .nl -- -.Illia Ill - . an l . Q . q Y ' D ' V .. - - . - 1 ' v '-' . . ' 1 . . . ,, . , 5 . . . . D O ' ' H Q . ' ' V v however, I advance boldly to the door, open it a crack, stick my foot in, and inquire in frigid tones ' ' . 9 X ' v ' 1 . .U y . . Y . , . Ml 1 0 O , , ' 3 ,