Hunter College High School - Argus Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 28 text:

THE ARGUS Qlhikn The steaming jungle was awakening to the first peep of sunliqgfht. The gaudy parakeets screeched their wieilcome to the rising sun. An o-ccasional lazy roar was heard far off and nearer still, a good many hungry ones. The mo-ist, verdant foliage grew even moismelr in the early llight and tihfe hundred odors of the tropical day sprang into sudden existence. Down from one of the topmost trees scampered a little, brown crea- ture. From bough to bough hie swung, now clinging precari- ously to a tiny limb with his long tail, nccaw missing a branch altogether and dropping six or eight feet 'before regaining his h-old on some limb. Finally he reached the ground and ap- peared illuminated by the ned sun whicih gleamed bl-oody in the tiny clearing. He was a little fellow with lforng brown hair which shone red-gold in the sunlight. His tail, by far the most extraordinary feature about him was much -like an animated piece of manilla rope. His tiny red' eyes sparkled with mis- chief and indeed, his whole face was expressive of devilment. He grimaced and squeaked with his little mouth' and' finally, taking fright at some strange, sound, Hed through thief jungle. This little fellow was Chiko, ltihe worst monkey in his entire neighborhood, that is in his home-tree. Chiko was mis- chief-bent that hot morning but, poor little rasclal, ill luck was indee.d about to befall him. All morning he played in the jungle, now throwing hard nuts at so-me passing le1oSpard, or other animal, which was not likely to give pursuit, now chasing his tail up among the treiel-tops. However, Chileofs evil spirit was looking down upfon him when he seized an extra larg1e:, hard nut and hurled it at an approaching body, scarcely visible among the huge, concealing leaves. The forest was rent with a 'hideous roar and Chiko, to his evielrllasting hornor, beheld a giant gorilla, a Very, very angry gorilla, raise himself up on his hind legs and glare balefully at the tiny miscreant. For a moment the poor little fellow was too frightened to do ought but crouch on his limb, his tefesth chattering and his body shiv- ering in terror. Then as he beheld the enraged one about to mount in pursuit little. Chilqo reczovered all of This nerve and 26

Page 27 text:

THE ARGUS strokes, the Boy swam to the unconscious girl. Then, in the approved manner, he began rescuing her. Slowly, but surely, he approached the, bank of tihfe river, until, at last, he felt the solid ground beneath his feet. Tenderly, he took her in his arms and carried her ashore. In the shade of an old green oak he laid her down. He knew she wasn't dead because she was breathing. Suddenly, hlel began to wonder if that curl had come back to his hlair. But her thick lashes were fluttering. Now he would' see what coulor her eyes were, violet, gray, or brown with golden glints. His maid of thlel downcast eyes! The Boy sat breath- less as the long, fringed lashes slowly slipped back from her white cheeks and disclosed to him for the first time, tlhxose eyes. But suddenly the earth blackened, withe.red, and died. Empires came crashing down about his ears, There was no joy left in anything. She was cross-eyed! Etta Miller, Ag7 -.1i,...l Dear untaught genius with the puzzled eyes That scan a world which shofuld in homage bow, Dear gientle, rude, intvollerant, kindly one Whose soul is music, and wlhlose heart is gold, I see your fingers groping on the keys- Short, thick, work-blunted fingers in whose. tips Chainlesd melodies beat vainly on cruel gates, And will nlolt die, 'but riot in your soul. I wlatch yiour dnotoping head, your erring hands That prayed for music, but were stricken dumlb. VVe two togethiewr make a sytmphony- My unshed piltying tears, your silent song. Charlotte H. Hochman. 25

Page 29 text:

THE ARGUS just a wee! bit of his naughtiness along with it. Making a fear- ful little grimace at his pursuer he started to run through the tree-tops. And so began a chase such as monkey-land had never be- fore seen. Thief enraged gorilla became a little more enraged each time he just 'missed his prey, while the bold Chiko be- came just a little bit bolder eaqhi time he eluded his pursuer. Up and down the aerial paths of the jungle they swung. Chiko knew enough to keep to the slendlelr branches and the very ends of the stout ones which could not hzold his heavy pur- suer. He laughed and chattered with delight to see Ih-ow thle big .gorilla was forced to keep to the large boughs for fear his -great weight wlo-uld cause some branch to bneak and send him into oblivion with the memory of that chattering rascal hot in his brain. All day the chase continued. At length, however, as the tropical sun began to sink in the west, li'ttle Chiko began to realize that he could mot go much farther. Less 'and less fre- quently did he turn back to taunt his enemy. More and more often was hiei forced to go out on branches so slender that they could hardly support even him. Finally, it came to an end, but a most unexpected one both to Chiko and! to tlhle big gorilla and to someone else, tovo. The liUtle monkey, at the last of his resources, found himself at the tip end, of a slender bough with no other within swingjing distance. Slowly his enemy grasped the bough on which Chiko- was seated and swung it, first gently then wi-th increasing velocity. Ohiko saw that the end was near and tried to prepare for it as blest he could. He re-mem- bered his home-tree, his scolding mother, and his fearful father with an unprecedented tendernlelss. He. hoped that the gods would forgive his mischief especially the time when he hung lhis little sister by the tail over a waterfall and thiern the time when he stole all his brother's bananas and his brother had none all day and the time when- Crash! down went the limb and down went a little brown ball of fur, down, down, spinnring as it fell straight into the arms of something soft and wanm. Obviso-usly, thought Chiko, the igods had forgiven 'hfis sins and he was in the Banana For- est, the Elysian field of monkeydom. But, alas, as he was about to rise, a hideous, earsplitting roar, accompanied by a flash of fire, pierced thief depths of the silent jungle. Chilcoa Z7