New Utrecht High School - Comet Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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GDB 0011121 He left her, intending to go to the mov- have to change in the evening? By gosh . ies . . . he discovered he hadn't enough he felt awful. What was he going to do? money to go in . . . the prices had changed Damn the movies . . . he went up the street to evening prices . . . why did the prices . . . blazing mad . . . THE END o Rainstorm Mildred Dtmetz You do not know- But as I watched the train Go out And clash with the horizon, My heart hung limp, My throat Was a mass of Unshed tears, And I felt like The brooding clouds That warned of rain. I turned-and going back I hoped that I might cry And ease the pain That pierced my breast. Then, suddenly, the clouds burst- And large watery drops Fell over me,- And soon I no longer felt grieved, But instead, Full of understanding and love. So I took my rain-washed self Into the little home, And our little girl Who ran to meet me, As I came up the walk, Laughingly cried- Mother, the rain drops on your face Make you look as though You've been crying . . . Nine

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charles devlin ln An Artist It Would Be Temperament E felt like hitting someone . .. any- one. just to feel the solid flesh under his lists . . . ecstacy. The freshman in front of him irked him. Someone poked him gently in the ribs as he walked down the hall. He turned around with a glare in his eyes . . . Must be some wise guy! But it was only Jim . . . good old Jim . . . but he wished he'd stop poking him in the ribs . . . so uncomfortable . . . a most irritating habit. Why didn't that teacher shut up? All that talk about Napoleon, and Bismark, and Cromwell . . . that was all bunk . . . they were a bunch of fools, anyway. He didn't see where they got their reputations . . . probably had good press agents. He thought of home . . . Gee! he'd be glad to get back home . . . out of school. Somehow, the day passed like a ton of bricks in an Austin . . . That itch in his hair both- ered him . . . why did one have to have itches? They were of no earthly use . . . as far as he could see . . . Same way with bugs . . . he'd never understand why the good Lord had put them on earth. Take, for instance, mosquitoes . . . pesky things. . . HE came into the house, singing. He jumped into the air several times . . . almost hit the ceiling. His mother told him to stop it: he was acting crazy. Why couldn't Eight he be himself anyway? People were awful . . . a bunch of gloom bearers . . . why couldn't he act the way he wished? . . . he was flaming into a terrible rage . . . He'd show them . . . he'd act the way he felt. HE left the house, quietly humming. Nice day, he thought . . . won't do homework now . . . in the evening was the time . . . no use wasting such a swell day . . . The man in the grocery store irritated him. Why did he have to stand there, gap- ing and talking with thecustomers? The store was a place of business . . . not a gab mart . . . what right had he to discuss anything else . . . he felt like choking the talkative customer. He left the store singing again . . . the world was a great place. Swell weather. Nice clerk in the store. His mother was a great pal, even if she did send him to the store . . . He decided to do his homework when he reached the house . . . instead he turned on the radio. Bet there was some good mu- sic on . . . he was feeling great . . . felt like loafing . . . listening to the radio. The thing began to buzz terribly . . . why did it have to buzz? He turned the dial . . . didn't seem to be any music on. Terrible state of affairs . . . no music . . . he felt like swearing heartily for all he was worth HE left the house, muttering under his breath. He met jenny . . . had a talk with her . . . he felt great . . . Jenny was a pretty girl.

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THE LADY WHO CAME T0 STAY R. E. Spencer T is surprising that an author should produce, as his first attempt, such a mas- terfully written novel as The Lady Who Came to Stay . It is even more sur- prising when we look at the background of the author, R. E. Spencer. At ten, Spen- cer was forced to leave school and help in the family support. Being of a studious mind, however, he spent much of his time reading. Between the ages of 15 of 20 he clerked, read Emerson and Hugo, and stud- ied music. At twenty-five, he was married and earning S1440 a year. A few years lat- er, he began a college course at night in ord- er to gain advancement. Thus he spent his days at work, his winter evenings studying, and his summer evenings writing a book. At the end of four years, 1926-30, his book was finished. In October, 1931, this book, The Lady Who Came to Stay , was chosen by the Book League as the outstanding pub- lication of the month. 54THE LADY WHO CAME TO STAY is a psychological novel, a study of character. It is the story of a conflict that carries on beyond the grave. Supernatural occurrences, such as the return of the dead are used for the furtherance of the plot, but this does not make the story fantastic, add- ing rather to its power. The story itself is a simple one and the interest lies mainly in the characters. The outstanding feature of the book is the con- flict between Phoebe and Katherine, but it is also interesting to study these characters themselves and to note their effect upon the other characters and upon the house in which the story takes place. The book is indeed worthy of praise. Let Mr. Spencer but keep up inthe manner in which he has begun, and he will soon be one of the leading writers of the day. Ten ' PRO LITTE THE ALMOND TREE Grace Zaring Stone GRACE ZARING STONE brings forth a new novel, The Almond Tree . The set- ting is Washington where Mrs. Stone has been staying recently. The book deals with the aristocratic circles of Washington. Mrs. Stone is in a position to know this sphere of society, since she has spent much of her life in these same circles. The Almond Tree is a story of three sisters, their hopes, their disappointments, and their fears. Mrs. Stone treats each of the stories of the three sisters separately. Each of these stories contain in themselves the germ of an excellent novel, and offer great possiblities if properly developed. Mrs. Stone has done fairly well. However, she failed in certain parts. Her picturization is too vivid. The glimpses of Washington are kaleidoscopic and over-brilliant. The cherry trees are too picturesque, the homes too lux- urious, and the society too charming. Even the crises in the story are a bit too tense. In describing Washington, Mrs. Stone makes us feel that she has not lived there long enough to really know the city. We do not get the sympathetic understanding of the city, such as Strong gives in his de- scription of Ireland in The Garden. The Almond Tree is not all that might be expected of Mrs. Stone, but it is a com- mendable effort.