Forster Secondary School - Spartalogue Yearbook (Windsor, Ontario Canada)

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Page Twenty-Four “ TH E SPARTAL OGUE — 1952 A Ghost I Should Like to Meet (Honourable Mention) I have often thought that I should enjoy entertaining a ghost. A ghost? you ask, Why in the world a ghost? Well, to tell the truth, I think a ghost would be one of the most genial sorts of guests, if not the most interesting. One of the ghosts which I would like to encounter is Aunt Mabel (gone these ten years, poor soul). After passing through my bedroom wall, the old dear would seat herself on my bed and say, How about a cup of tea? It ' s going on four. Then, she would examine the book that I was reading and exclaim, Hmphl One of these murder mysteries, eh? Now I ' m sure one of those nice Elsie books would be much more educational. Aunt Mabel is on my list of Choice Ghosts to Meet for several reasons. She would keep me well-in¬ formed on such matters as the activities of the Heavenly Harp Society, the Promotion and Demotion of all Heavenly Persons, and the casualty list of all new angels who happened to have broken a wing after a fall from a cloud, or suffered a black eye caused by a very unruly and tremendously mischiev- ious halo. Another ghost I would like to meet is Uncle Henry. He was not my real uncle but he married Aunt Mabel, thus bestowing upon himself that dreaded title. I often wonder whether Uncle Henry ever gain¬ ed his freedom. I wonder, is Uncle Henry blithely chucking pretty angels under the chin or is he duti¬ fully playing his harp under Aunt Mabel ' s careful and beady-eyed supervision? 1 would like to see Uncle Henry just to make certain that he was happy and that his back did not pain him any longer (Aunt Mabel was always a bit careless about those plas¬ ters). Uncle Henry would be no source of informa¬ tion for me. He was never one to talk much, especi¬ ally with Aunt Mabel around to furnish details. Of course, neither of these people were important to you, nor did they interest many others. However, to my family and to me Aunt Mabel and Uncle Henry were very important. They furnished family gossip, their children all had wonderful cases of measles, mumps, and chicken pox, and last but not least. Uncle Henry was the owner of the first motor car in town. Truly, Aunt Mabel and Uncle Henry lived very exciting lives in this world and I should very much like to hear of their adventures in the next. Public Speaking Public speaking drew quite a number of enthus¬ iastic and eloquent candidates from both the senior and junior forms this year. Miss Graham, who handled all the details of the contests. Miss Harris and Mrs. Haeberlin, who spent hours coaching the speakers, are directly responsible for such a fine showing by all the students. Ross Archibald of 1 IB won the senior boys ' contest with a highly entertaining and intriguing speech on Flying Saucers . His impromptu dealt with sev¬ eral interesting aspects of Air Travel . John Lindsay of 13A, who delivered a timely speech on Canadian Industries , tied for second place with Walter Parashak of 12A, who spoke very well on Why 1 Am Proud to be a Canadian . Third was George Mahler who spoke on the United Nations as a force against Communism. In the senior girls ' division, the winner, Marilyn Snyder of 12B. delivered an excellent address, India To-day , and topped it off with an equally well-done impromptu, The Importance of Education . Runner-up, Nancy Her of 11 A, gave an interesting speech entitled Plastics . Competition was exceptionally keen in the junior boys ' contest. Douglas Paton of 10A netted first place with his speech, The Atomic Bomb . In his im¬ promptu, he gave a pleasant account of a trip through the Laurentian Mountains. Second-place winner was Stuart Klein of 9A who gave an inspiring oration on Why I Am Proud to be a Canadian , while Richard Randall took third place. The winner of the junior gi rls’ contest was Diane Yates who opened our eyes to some interesting facts about the discovery of radium in her speech dealing with Mme. Curie ' s contributions to science. Her im¬ promptu outlined the difficulties she experienced in learning to swim. Special congratulations go to Diane who placed second in the W.S.S.A. contest. Phyllis Smith took second place in the school con¬ test with an informative and inspiring speech on Helen Keller. In her impromptu, she told of her am¬ bition to be a teacher. Third place went to Anne Johnston who spoke on the dangers of narcotics. Her impromptu dealt with the peculiar Ontario winters. Other contestants deserving credit for fine speeches were Judy Kidd, Janisse Staples, Margaret Carson, Stuart Mills, Garry Tucker, and Carl Bjerkelund. Congratulations! We thank also Mark Johnston, Bob Wade, and Don Bradley under whose capable chairmanship the contests were conducted as well as the time¬ keepers, Don Erskine and Garry Newman and the messenger, Mary Sibley. —Judy Steadman, 1 IB.

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‘■THE SPARTALOGUE 1952 Page Twenty-Three 4 The Ruby Necklace (Honourable Mention) As he gazed aimlessly through the jewellery store window, Mike Velda ' s thoughts were certainly not on the copious display of glittering jewels. The worn, gray suit hung neatly on his short, stocky form, but the usually squared shoulders slumped, and his usually affable countenance was creased in a frown. He was lost in deep and serious contem¬ plation—contemplation, which had been gripping him for the past week and which was surely and slowly robbing him of his will and power. He must save the store! It was the only thing that kept him going now that Emma was gone. At the thought of his sweet, patient wife, the bleak desperation of Mike ' s eyes changed to a fond, wist¬ ful reminiscent smile. However, he thrust himself back into the midst of his troubles and a feeling of suffocating hopelessness seized him. Then his eye caught the penetrating gleam of the ruby necklace. Its fiery brilliance seemed to burn into the black velvet of its case and Mike marvelled at its colour, its beauty, its worth. His eyes narrowed at the thought. Would he dare take the gem? He could pay off the mortgage on the store. But he would be stealing. He would go to jail. He would lose everything. A maelstrom of thoughts whirled through his brain; then an agonized groan escaped him. I must do it! It ' s the only way! The sudden sound of his own voice brought him back to reality with a jerk. He glanced furtively around him to see if anyone might have heard his exclamation, then cursed himself for acting like a common thief—Well, wasn ' t he? That night Mike stayed up late. He sat at the small, round table, his head in his hands, thinking and planning, thinking and planning. His thick, gray hair was rumpled and the harsh light from the lamp mercilessly sketched the deep wrinkles on his face, the dark shadows under his eyes, and the thin strained line of his mouth. There was one thing he did know. The jewellery store had a small window at the back. He’d often seen it when he cut through the alley on his way home. But would it open? Another thought flashed through his mind. Surely the store would have a burglar-alarm, even though it was a small-town store which had never been threatened with robbery. He could only hope and pray that he would not stumble across it, for if he did, there would be no escape. Finally he went to bed, but he found little sleep that night. The next morning Mrs. Brown met a friend in front of the jewellery store. She confided, Did you know that Mr. Velda just passed me on the street, and he didn’t even say hello? Oh well, I suppose he has his troubles. My, isn ' t this a beautiful ruby necklace in the window? That night Mike worked in his grocery store later than usual. It was dark when he cut through the alley on his way home. He approached the window cautiously, and after glancing from left to right, stealthily explored the frame with gloved hands. Here was a latch at the bottom. His desperate lingers clawed at it, its rough, rusted surface burning be¬ neath his hands. He froze. Footsteps were sounding around the comer, coming nearer, and nearer. He shrank against the wall, into the shadows; beads of perspiration stood out on his brow. For one moment his heart stood still; then Officer Kipple passed on down the street. Mike ' s shaky legs hardly carried him back to the window, where he pulled a small chisel from his pocket and clumsily inserted it under the base of the window. Slowly, straining, he pushed downwards. The window groaned and his heart leaped as it moved up. Then he was inside the room, barely breathing, the fear of an alarm engulfing him. Cautiously he felt his way to the front of the store. Yes, here was the necklace. He closed the box and gripping it with one hand, made his way, half-blindly, out of the room, through the window and out the alley. Scarcely realizing how he was able to make it, he arrived home. He laid down the box without opening it, as the realization struck him that he had actually stolen the necklace. When sleep at last came, he tossed fitfully, dream¬ ing that the necklace was around his neck, choking out his life. Gray dawn was streaming through the windows when he awoke and disentangled the covers from around his head. Lagging steps took him into the front room where he spied a letter under the door. Listlessly he tore open the envelope, then stopped, for he saw only the line Dear Mr. Velda: The bank has reconsidered your request for a loan. He sank into the chair, incredulity, joy, then horror, mirrored in his eyes. He grasped the jewellery box in trembling hands, tore open the cover, and gasped. There was no necklace. He had stolen an empty box. —Mary Jane Makar, 13A.

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••THE SPARTALOGUE 1952 Page Twenty-Five 1 t t First Row: Second Row: Back Row: Marilyn Snyder. Judy Steadman. Barbara Bennett. Betty Holdsworth. Anne Haeberlin. Miss Philpot. Marilyn Sinclair. Caro Armstrong. Marilyn Sylvestre, Pat Shangenuk. Elsie Newman. Mary Jo Hopkins. Jean Alexander. Betty Bruce. Our Choice For ' 52 Are you interested in visiting the far corners of the world? Do famous people fascinate you? Does war, with its heroes, adventures and heartaches occupy your mind? Or are you, on the other hand, one of the millions who like to hear about everyday occurrences—always interesting, sometimes sad, often humorous? In selecting these books we have kept you, our fellow students, in mind; we have tried to find books that will keep you entertained, interested and informed. PRINCESS ELIZABETH By Demot Marrah To many of us the fact that the queen had a child¬ hood very similar to our own may come as a sur¬ prise. Both the author and the photographer have skilfully caught the Little Princess in many informal moments. This beautifully illustrated book gives an excellent account of our queen during the time when she was still a princess. It contains over one hundred and seventy photographs, many of which are from Elizabeth ' s private album. THE SIGN OF THE ANCHOR —By Evelyn C. Nevin This book gives an excellent picture of the days in which Christians were persecuted. It is the story of a young Corinthian boy, Lykon, whose father is arrested by Roman soldiers because he is a member of the Christian organization. When his father is taken, Lykon is presented with a square piece of wood on which is burned the figure of an anchor. All this means nothing to the boy until he reaches Rome where the true meaning of the token is re¬ vealed to him. Lykon ' s story of the mysterious yet powerful anchor will challenge the imagination and hold the interest of every reader. THE WOODEN HORSE— By Eric Williams In 1943, twc British officers made the most daring and ingenious escape of the whole war. The two men built a wooden horse and together with another companion they escaped from a German prison camp —the notorious Stalag Luft III, designed to hold the Germans ' most prized prisoners, the aircrew, and considered to be escape-proof. Their escape from the camp itself is only a part of the story. Once outside the wire, they were still faced with the problem of getting out of Germany. They had many adventures; time after time, disaster threatened to overwhelm them, thus making the reader often catch and hold his breath. KON-TIKI— By Thor Heyerdahl This is the story of a daring voyage across the Pacific on a raft by the author and five companions. Heyerdahl believed in the theory that the inhabi¬ tants of Polynesia came originally from Peru. Be¬ cause his ideas were scorned, he determined to prove them. On board a raft, the exact replica of (Continued on Page 43) LIBRARY STAFF