Lompoc High School - La Purisima Yearbook (Lompoc, CA)

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LOMPOC UNION msn SCHOOL The L. U. H. S A LUNAR FLIGHT Say, have any of you fellows seen Phil Green lately? No, guess he's gone off on one of his trips again. Queer fellow-whatP,' 'HS far hack as I can remember him, he was that way, always restless, dis- satisfied with everything. Oh! I suppose l1e'll get over it some dayf, Yes, Init what's become of his shadow, Cole, y' know? I haven't seen him since-oh. since last .lilly at the Scientists' I,uncheon-rememberP He's a regular little owl: quite, but say, hc sure takes everything in. Funny how he and Green always hit it off so well,-ever since they were little kids. Say! close that door! It's cold enough herein Turning about, the speaker gasped, then exclaimed, XVell, speak of the angels and they're hound to appear Springing up he hastened to meet the newcomers, who were no other than Philip Green and his shadow, James Cole. Drawing near to the warm fire where thc group was seated, they were greet- ed: What news, old chap? Where y' been now Say' don't you guys ever stay home? WVell, casually remarked Green, drawing up a comfortable chair, and warm- ing his hands by the blaze, come on, Jim, let's get really warm for the first time in some months-quite a while, fellows, since we've felt the need of this, indicat- ing the glowing fire. Cole stretched hmiself out comfortably in a big chair and gazed into the fire. Say, aren't you going to tell us? lim not going to be nagged to pieces for six whole months and not be rewarded for it. Every person I've met has asked where you were, and, of course, I didn't know. So snap into it, and relieve my mindll' Well, here goes: but mind you, don't criticize or butt in 'till I'm through. Jim, here, and I have been to the moonln He stopped, letting this blunt piece of information be absorbed by his audi- ence. Nor was he disappointed: looks of ineredulity, sly glances of neighbors at each other, then at Phil, who sat grinning pleasantly. Think I'm mad, don't you? VVell, I can't say as I blame you. Thought so myself for a while. But, truly boys, l'm not spoofing, what, Cole? Cole nodded his head in acquiescence, staring, meanwhile at the fire. VVell, either you're crazy or I am, came from a skeptical chap who sat in a corner. Anyhow, go on. Maybe we'll bite. Say, if you wanta know, shut up for at least one minute, will you? broke in Phil. Just listen. He paused reflectively: then, crossing his knees and staring into the fire reminiscently he began to speak. p, Fu About six months ago I was just down and out with the wear and tear of things, so I went over to .lim's and I said to him, 'Say, old whale, what's chances of doing something peppy? I'm fed up on this pink-tea training I've been getting. Any kind advice will be gratefully acceptedf 'Huh, got it again, have you?' he says. 'I-Iow'd you like a trip to the Moon? I looked at him for a minute and then fell for it. 'You're on, old top, I'll try anything once.' 'Well, thenf he says, 'you remember old Doc Mallory ?,-well, I guess I did -and tllen Ile went on. 'He's working on an experiment down 'at Ford's Island. lt's an apparatus he thinks will go to the moon, and he must have some one to try it out.' I13l

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The L. U. H. S. LoMPoc UNION HIGH SCHOOL man in that condition ought not to stick around where the currents are hot. VVell, anyhow, he and I and a couple of others went to work. Just as we were starting off, Kelly came up to me. Kid, 'Dutchie' was drinking and gambling all last night. For Heaven's sake be careful! I promised and walked away behind Dutchie Up we went to the top of nowhere on a fifty foot pole. We were pulling wire and we had to be careful, for it was hot. Right at the start I noticed that Dutchie was acting rather finicky. He'd push himself his way, then shift around nervously a little more. I didn't like his state of mind at all. I was busy on my end of the cross section and wasn't minding him much any more when suddenly I heard a funny wheeze. Instantly I realized what had hap- pened. I gave a warning yell to the men down below and whirled about towards the Dutchman. There he was, limp, with his foot on the twenty-three hundred and the four-forty in his hand. It had nailed himl A sickening odor of scorched flesh came to my nostrils. I pulled him loose and hung on to him while the men down below got ready for him. We got him down, and somebody came running up with a pulmotor. Maybe this would set up his breathing again, but the chances were mighty small. VVe strapped the rubber mask on his face and fell to pumpingg We worked for two hours, hut he never once showed any sign of life. It was night now. All the camp had gathered around, yet everyone was as quiet as the tomb. After the Dutchman had been wrapped in a blanket and carried away, Kelly took my arm and shook his head gravely. -H. S. '25. REGRET If it only could have beeng If I had only thought: But I didn't, And it's not. WVhat's the use to fret Worry and regret? lt's done! So let's forget. -Charles Hibbits, '25. A SKETCH His spurs clinked sharply as he strode into the little old store. He stopped and narrowed his eyes on something he saw 'on the counter. He stood there look- ing fixedly at the paper for a few minutes. Then he looked up and there was a look of furtive fear on his face as he said with an uncertain smile, I know that fellow they want there. As he said this he pointed at the paper on the counter at which he had been staring. But I don't know where he is now, he added dully. There was a hoarse murmur heard throughout the room as he spoke, for a large reward was up for the man's capture. Craftily the man had slipped from sight when he found out he was wanted. Some from the back of the group said indifferently, Why don't you hunt him up if you know who he is? You ought to be able to get some trace of yer pardnerf' But above the sound of his spurs as he stalked out of the room he was heard to mumble, I donlt want to find him. -Ted Lundberg, '24'. U21

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The L. U. H. S. Loiuroc UNION HIGH scuooi. And I said, '.Iim, I'm with you bo'. Itis a mere trifle and it won't phase me. Several days later we arrived at Ford's Island, down near Portland, you know. We found Doc Mallory and told him we were willing to help him. The old duffer seemed rather uncertain at firstg we thought he didn't approve of us-y' see be used to know us when we were in college-he remembered us, too- ahem! But we told him we'd reformed. He said it wasn't that, but he wasn't .rare the thing would go clear to the moon! He'd never tried it before. Not a very pleasant thought, that of only going half way-eh, what? But we didn't care. So after several days' talk and last looks at mother earth, we climbed into a torpedo like affair and he shut the little spring door for us. VVe could feel our- selves moved about-and up and down: then all of a sudden there was an awful explosion, and we felt our cage hurled far out into space. We kept on going for about forty-eight hours, then-bang! VVe hit something. Cole found the spring for thedoor and opened it. We climbed out rather dazed and unable to see at first because it had been dark in our little cage. ' It finally became apparent to us that we were on what appeared to be a huge piece of green cheese. Is that so?i' exclaimed one listener excitedly. You know, when I was a kid I heard that the moon was made of green cheese. Can you beat that? Huh! don't you fool yourself, it's not, grunted a disbelieving one. Say, will you please wait until I've finished before you fight about it, ejaculated Philip, anyway, it looked and behaved like a piece of cheese. When we'd walk in the ordinary way, as we do here, we'd spring up about three feet in the air-something like those slow motion pictures they have. Well, the only vegetation we could see was bunches of large furry looking bushes. So we went wandering about, didn't eat or anything: we didn't want tog fact is this A. M. is the first time I've eaten honest-to-goodness food for six whole months. As I said before, we wandered about, and one day we met some people. They looked like human beings, except that they had curly blue hairg that was the only way they differed from us. Oh, yes: they couldn't talk, either. We talked to them, but they eouldn't answer or even understand. It was just as if they were deaf and dumb. We stayed with them several days before it became apparent that they just thought things at us. At first, it was hard to accustom ourselves to it and we'd try to answer as we were in the habit of doing here: then, we'd have to change about and think at 'em. Really, they were the most interesting bunch! Some wore modern dress, some, medievalg others, ancient. I said to Cole one day, 'Say, who does that guy in the Roman gown remind you of? And also the dame over here with the Egyptian affair? 'HI know Iive seen her or her photo somewhere, she's familiar to mcf Cole told me: then slapping his thigh, he yelled almost in my ear, 'I've got it! It was inuthe history book, remember? Thatis Caesar over there, and the dame is Cleo- patral' Well, when he said that everything began to clear up. One fellow came into sight whom we hadn't spotted before, and we both knew him at onceg for he was none other than Abe Lincoln. That solved itg after that we studied them all carefully and were able to pick out a bunch of old historical favorites. It was a great game! We identified Queen Elizabeth, but her boon companion was a strang- er-until we discovered it was Mary, Queen of Scots. Such friends! They were thicker than molasses in the dead of winter. VVe thought questions at them, asking who they were and how they got there, and all that but they couldn't think anything at us but their names. That made it as easy as pie for us then. Now, I'm getting to the good part, eh, Cole? with a meaning grin. Cole mi