Eastern High School - Punch and Judy Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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THE EASTERNER the natives of a menace that continual! threatened their lives. Tt was said pe 3 0 be in the form of a tree having serpents for its branches, which would enfold any one who came near them. It also had Bowel, to poison the atmosphere to a great distance ; so that any one who came near it was overcome, and the re- gion in which it stood was bare except for the bones of its victims. Things be- ing so, the faculty decided to inspect this singularity, though they did not credit the superstition of the natives, As a preparatory measure, arrange- ments were made for the sailor who was the source of the information regarding the tree, to take part in the enterprize. After being under special care for two months, he appeared to be himself again, and was confident of his ability to show the scientists the way to the unmarked island, The scientists spent considera- ble time in other places before they were able to go in quest of the remarkable tree. As Theseus had found his way out of the labyrinth, so did the sailor lead the horticulturists to the unknown island by means of landmarks he had taken note of when he was leaving it. All disembarked in one of the fine har- bors peculiar to the island, and made camp at no great distance from a few of the queer houses of the natives. The people of the island were found to use one of the Malayian dialects which was familiar to some of the party. The half- civilized inhabitants of the island were friendly enough, but when they learned the purpose of the party, they were un- willing to give them any information. The sailor knew the exact location of the tree, and consequently, he volun- teered to see if the tree really was as it had been pictured by the natives. Persons who had come near the vicinity of the tree were never seen again, and as the tree was close to a road in conjunc- tion with a mountain pass which had to 23 be us ed to cross the motntains, its toll was A he fearful. The priest of the people authority to feed the crimi Ot AEC | the criminals to » and keep innocent persons away from it. Owin i : HOSEN one i ig to these condi- aie wits see ever seen the tree. nee , hough he volunteered, saw e €ason to risk his life. Reaching the aaa were nearest to the ae ok g climbed it on the farther create le supposed destroyer, he fo- f S powerful glass on it. Instead 0 a desolate country, he saw a beau- tiful valley covered by a forest over which the object of his venture towere d. Moving around through the valley were the priests, some well near their temples ; others well in the forest showing no fear of the dreaded tree, while a few kept watch on the road farther away. From the description of the tree given by the sailor on his return, the scientists found it already to be known to science as the Upas tree, which has the same ef- fect as poison-oak or ivy on one. This being a fact, the priest must have been practicing a heinous crime for an in- definite time. Not until the people of the island had seen from the mountain, did they believe their priest to be so atrocious. Any horrible death may be imagined as the end the priest met when a crazed mob swept down upon them. Gladys had finished a synopsis of her story and was reading it over. Before she finished, however, she was crying. She saw that all her efforts were in vain; her story flavored of a cheap novel. It had meant so much to her, and now she simply could not stand it. Her sis- ter wanted to know what was the matter. Gladys raised her head and pointed at the cause of her grief. No one had been apprized of Gladys’ literary endeavor ; so when her sister had read the story she was astounded. She threw her arms around Gladys, and said, “Stop, you silly; I don’t see why you cry about such a nice story.” Her other sister, her mother, father and brother were like- wise surprised when they read it. Gladys was made happier by their esteem than any reward would have made her. T. Marguis, 10A1.

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THE EASTERNER 22 On not a few subjects had Gladys con- templated writing ; they all treated, how- The Arnold ever, of common events. Literary Society was offering a valuable prize for a story of any kind that might exceed others of the competition in €xX- cellence. This story must be written by a student of a preparatory school, and Gladys was trying to put forth her power as an authoress. Now she wanted to be original and write something besides facts; yet she realized her lack of mate- rial, and decided to create a story from her imagination. She could think of any number of relatable themes, but always their similarity to some other story was apparent. So far Gladys had made lit- tle progress in surmounting the seem- ingly prodigious task; moreover, she could not settle down upon anything def- inite. Turning the pages of the encyclopae- dia in abandon, Gladys stopped here and there to notice a word. Almost to the end of the book, and about to close it she noted a word which had a startling effect upon her. Where had she heard it before? What had it in common with another word she had in mind? Differ- ent reminiscences sprang up in her mem- ory; she thought of books she had read, and of other recollective instances. How did her brother describe the mad sailor's yarns and how part of it had impressed Professor Meider of the University of Chicago, who happened to be there at the time. Hardly without knowing it Gladys had thought of a number of oc- currences which if handled properly, would harmonize, and likewise develop into an impressive narrative. An expedition was being formed by A Transformed Trial the Agricultural Department of the Uni- versity of Chicago, to study plant life in the Island of Java, and also to discover if possible an island in the Utopian Archipelago which was said to contain a peculiar tree. In a meeting held shortly after the arrival of Professor Meider from a trip he had taken to Bos- ton, he related to his brother instructors a tale told to him by a broken down deck-hand who had been caught in a ty- phoon in the Indian Ocean. The vessel to which he belonged had been driven aimlessly about for days, and finally beached on an unchartered island. As “One of the ship's boats went ashore” suddenly as it arose the great storm died down, and it was found that the vessel had grounded in such a place that once it was there it was comparatively safe. Having passed through the typhoon with his ship secure, but with half of his crew missing, the captain found that he could get off the reef at the next spring tide. One of the ship’s boats went ashore to get water and provisions, if possible. The men who were in charge of the long boat had no trouble in securing what they needed and they also learned from

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24 THE EASTERNER Fhe Tripod, Hartford, Conn. We enjoyed the article in your last number “Smashamirror So—So on Feet- ball Sidelights,” and are eagerly await- ing another one. The Gleam, St. Paul, Minn. We notice that you do not devote very much space to your Exchange Depart- ment. As this is an important part of a school paper; let us suggest that you enlarge it. The Comet, Milwaukee, Wis. Your Christmas number is clever. The book, throughout, shows careful work. The Thistle, Toledo, Ohio. The coyer design of your December issue is very attractive. Your stories are good, but we liked especially, “Her Diary,” as it is a most unusual type of story for a high school paper. We ad- mire the way in which your Athletic Department is managed. The Canton High School Monthly, Can- ton, Ohio. The story “Takamuri, He Make Chrismas Shop—Shop,” was both clever and interesting. Let us have a few more from “Takamuri.” The Echo, Nashville, Tenn. Your paper is well gotten up but some good cuts for the several departments of the magazine would make it far more at- tractive. The Lawrence H. S. Bulletin, Lawrence, Mass. The stories in your December number are good, especially “The Least of These.” We suggest that you criticise more of your “Exchanges.” The Review, Washington, D. C. Why not devote a little more space to the criticism of your “Exchanges?” Then, too, more jokes and locals would greatly improve the paper. The Maroon and White, Alexandria, Va. Your cover is both neat and attractive, but why not make the contents of your paper more interesting by some good heading and cuts? The addition of a Joke Department also, would greatly help, for humor is a real necessity to a school paper. The Red and White, Chicago, Il. All the departments of the paper are well handled. The “Screech” is certain- ly worthy of notice as its material: is truly original. The Totem, Seattle, Wash. The cover of your Christmas number is very artistic. Your jokes were good in this issue. The Tattler, Kincaid, Kansas. We miss the “Exchange” column in your issue of December 24. You should certainly keep up this department as it does a great deal to keep a paper in touch with the papers of other schools. The Gold and Blue, Salt Lake City, Utah. Your Christmas issue is splendid. The prize stories are most interesting. Why not illustrate some of them? We have also received the following exchanges : The University Hatchet, Washington, DIG: The Pasco School News, Dade City, Florida.