Newtown High School - Newtowner Yearbook (Elmhurst, NY)

Page 21 text:

Slash! Bang! Crash! Roars, growls, and yells filled the air. Blood flowed faster and thicker than Niagara Falls. Suddenly there was a crash louder than the rest. Believe it or not, that crash was my salvation, for I found myself on the iioor of my own room grappling with the pillow and holding my covers in my hands. Now dear reader, if your blood pressure is pounding, and your heart is throbbing, don't be afraid, because you too may have thrilling adventures like mine by just eating a mince pie or some similar dish before retiring. I Wish when you retire tonight that you have pleasant dreams. WILLIAM GREEN The Few PIERRE OPENED the drawer and lifted out the large black revolver. It had been used against them in 1914 and now it was to be used again. Yet this time it was not to be used by a proud young officer leading an army on the field of battle. Tonight its master would be a stealthy creature who darted from shadow to shadow, a creature more like an animal than a man, and who killed, only to slink back through those enveloping shadows to wait, and to pray that he would not be caught before he could kill again. For a moment a feeling of futility swept over the pale man. What good was all this? One army might defeat another and thereby win a war, but a handful of defeated men certainly could do no good by killing off a few unwary soldiers. He sat there for a while, staring at the flickering candle on the table. Suddenly he arose, opened the door and stepped out into the night air. The coolness of the wind seemed to lift him from his lethargy. In the East there wasa red glow in the sky and a dull rumbling could be heard.. The channel ports were being bombed again by the English flyers. Good luck to them! He turned about and walked towards the door, his mind filled with many thoughts. Suddenly, he stopped and turned again to the East. A certain phrase had leaped into his mind. Never have so many owed so much to so few. Yes, perhaps that was it, perhaps that was the reason he had searched for. Yes, France, too, will someday owe so much to so few ! Pierre opened the rusty gate and started slowly down the dark road. The weight of the revolver in his pocket was reassuring. He walked on, his eyes still on the glowing horizon in the East. SIDNEY KNowLEs 19

Page 20 text:

IN DARKEST AFRICA How rr started I don't know. Perhaps it was the pickles and ice cream I ate, or maybe it was the fifth Welsh rarebit. Anyhow, I found myself in the heart of nowhere, a friendly little jungle on the African continent. Boy, was it friendly! The place teemed with sociable ten foot snakes, amiable man- eating lions, neighborly crocodiles, picturesque swamps, carnivorous plants, and other enjoyable forms of biological creation. I had just finished making preparations for a short hike, about 500 miles, into the interior. I carefully packed my razor blade, water pistol, sub-machine gun and other weapons that were later to be my protectors. I set out with no one as my guide. After trekking about fifty miles I entered a clearing. Looking about, I saw facing me three of the most ferocious lions conceivable. The lions were short, tall, fat, skinny lions. I felt my heart to see if I were dreaming, but it was gone. It had jumped out of my mouth in fright. Undaunted, I took a bowl of wheaties from my pack and quickly downed it. I now felt ready for anything-anything except lions. But was I afraid? Did I lose my courage? Did I flee toward the nearest tree? Yes! About a quarter of the way up an enormous tree my progress was halted. Why? Because I rudely bumped into a leopard. I wonder what Emily Post would say about that. The leopard glared at meg I glared at himg he snarled at meg I moved to another tree. A swishing sound caught my sensitive ears. I looked above me. There was the scourge of the jungle-a deadly python, or maybe it was a wha-sha-ma- call-it. I was too scared to find out. This time I could not flee, for below me was a man-eating gorilla. Heaven only knows that he would have gotten indigestion if he had eaten me. I reached for my pistol. It was gone, fallen s in my scramble up the tree. The lions 'E-gf' Ay' X were playing with the sub-machine J + gun, and all were closing in on me. I ' A still had a weapon more dangerous than those that I had lost. Besides, if things got too hot I could always give the denizens of the jungle an icy S e,wn.,A stare and then climb the stair out of danger. But back to that terrible 'eil if ' 'l 4 , ligjl s, :wi ii i . l . ' a ' A VIR . A 3.1, 2 Q11-1 ,FN . --' y , weapon. This weapon was so deadly j I 115' 6 - JM 6' Q' - X, fra and terrible that men cringed at the V' y I s if, sight of it. Without a moment's i3 ill, , fl' ii ,' hesitation, I drew my trusty sharp 5, wi . 'ex dangerous razor blade from my pocket. 18

Page 22 text:

COMMUTING BY BUS naar ggi 521Mi9 ' 3' f fvim Q M! 'Mfr e fag gifffla fggki f I' k pl! A V G..D-.Nn-l.2u.. HAVING nrnnnn on the bus to and from Newtown many times, I feel I am qualified to acquaint those fortunate few who haven't, with the facts of a ride home from school. As the bus appears in the distance, the rush is on. The question of who will be the fortunate one to have the door open in front of him is quite evident as each tries desperately for this position. The bus comes to a halt and three or more find that only one body may occupy a given space at a given time. The lucky one jumps in as the other two hit the sides and bounce back. The few empty seats are soon occupied and then comes the fight for position, everyone refusing to move to the rear, each struggling for a place near the exit. Soon the last one is packed neatly in and the bus starts. We then come to the one and only advantage, provided you wish to classify it as such. You find, to your amazement, that falling is impossible without the cooperation of the other commuters or passengers. You finally adjust your breathing to the tempo of the majority and you realize your destination is nearing. Now the herculean task of getting off confronts you. You finally see an opening and dart towards it. You natural- ly knock a few of the unwary and unprepared off their feet, but that is just a matter of course. You finally reach the door and stagger out. After put- ting yourself together again and making sure you are still in one piece, you reach the decision that it would have been easier to walk. Ronnivr SN'nnxEn 20