Norway High School - Caduceus Yearbook (Norway, ME)

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THE CADUCEUS 21 a thousand pieces on the cold floor. The phantom was creeping, crawling, shrieking toward him all the while, and with a start, Reginald realized that he must get back out of that place, but he found the wall without a door. All the pressure he exert- ed was in vain. As he stood pushing and trembling, a creaking was heard, a rustling, and a claw- ing. Turning about, he faced a ghost-a real ghost-not that of the story books. It was only the skeleton of a man bent and deformed, surrounded by a veiling of white- ness. No sheet or cloth, but the vague form of a man enveloped in a jelly-like, misty, softness of a substance whiter than snow. Reginald did not move, he did not breathe, he even stopped living for a few minutes as that horrible apparition ad- vanced with the rapidity and smootlmess of lightning. It was upon him-not hammer- ing him, but enveloping and overcoming him with its wicked supernatural power. Gradually Reginald felt the sting of this thing and there in that dark, unknown pas- sage this man felt his life line grow weak, and, under tl1c influence of this thing, it snapped. He departed to the shades of the world below. -Charlotte Longley, '31, The Two Faithful Servants In a secluded corner of the Jones fam- ily's attic, stood an old piano and piano stool. The Joneses had discarded it be- cause they had purchased a new electric radio, illld the room did not allow space for the old friend, the piano. After standing in the attic about two months, the piano and stool were sick of their new home. One day the piano said to the stool, This is a horrible place, isnlt it, my little friend? Why did Mr. Jones ever have us moved way up here? Wllell we were down in the parlor, Mandy, the hired maid, kept us shining and polished, all of the time. Wasn't it fun for us when the J oneses were' away and she would sneak into the parlor, sit down in front of me, and make faces in my polished surface? How funny she did look with those little curly pigtails that colored mammies often havef' Yes, said tl1e stool, But it wasn't so much fun for me wl1e11 Mrs. Jones accom- panied herself 011 the piano, while she was singing soprano. Did you hear what she said to Mr. Jones one Tuesday night? I fairly felt my legs creaking wl1e11 I heard her tell him, 'Dearest, I was weighed today, and I weigh only two hundred pounds nowl' 5 IIark,,' whispered the pia11o. I hear someone coming. I hope it isn't Mrs. Jones. If she heard what you said, she certainly would feel insulted. There was silence in the attic. .Suddenly a voice remarked, They are right over here. ' Soon the keyboard cover was lifted, and all the dusty keys were revealed. Mr. Jones had brought a man to see the old piano and stool. He was poor, but wanted his two children, Jeanette and Royce, to have some sort of musical education. You may have them both for twenty- iive dollars, was Mr. Jones 's offer. The man 's heart jumped with joy. IIe answered, I will send a truck im- mediately, as he paid the money. In about an l1our the piano and stool were on their way to Middle Street. They came to an attractive little bungalow and were moved inside. Royce and Jeanette proved to be very pretty, w1tl1 fiaxen curls and bright blue eyes. How happy they seemed! HK ilk if ik If ll! if ll? Another day, about one year afterwards, the piano said to the stool, How happy we are, here with this nice family, and how I enjoy having little Jeanette and Royce

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20 THE CADUCEUS have it. Soon the calf began to bleat almost con- tinuously. It lost its appetite and grew so thin and weak that at last it died. The family felt badly and cursed Mirandy bit- terly for the loss of their valuable animal. The legend still goes that one night old Mirandy telephoned to one of her neighbors in order to borrow a pound of butter. The woman told her that she had barely enough to supply the family. But old Mirandy de- clared that they had a plenty if they only thought so. VVhen the next butter day came, these people began the churning early in the morning as usual. They churned and churned, but the butter did not come. Of course they said that old Mirandy was to blame, that she had bewitched the cream. At last the man of the house came in. He said that he'would stop old Mirandy from interfering with the butter's coming. So he heated an iron red-hot and plunged it into the cream. In a short time they had butter. The next day several inquisitive people went to see old Mirandy and to find if she had been affected by the hot iron. Surely enough, upon her arm was a long burn. They asked her how she got burned, but she was unable to tell them, for she said that she did not know. Now, was Mirandy a. witch or not? -Helen Flint, '32. A Stop in Cock Lane He was fond of traveling, in fact he oft- en did travel. Like all good philosophers he had his reasons: first, he indulged in constant journeyings because of the pleas- ure which he received, and second, he trav- eled because he thought it in keeping with his chosen profession-that of an archae- ologist. That is how Reginald came to be in Cock Lane. He had studied about Gibbon, Burke, Johnson, and all the rest, and now he was in London searching for more in- formation. All day long he had walked about, look- ing at everything, prodding and pokingg then at sundown he ha.d returned to his lodging-an inn of much. renown in Cock Lane-near the church where the historic episode of Johnson and his ghost had taken place. After his meager repast, he wrote up his discoveries of the day. Because he liked recreation as well as other people, about quarter of twelve he ceased his labor and sought his poetry books. The inn where he was residing was one preserved because of the frequent visits made there by J ohn- son when in London. It was only with special permission from tl1e society in charge of this building that Reginald was able to stay. Reginald was a man of calm disposition, The room poetry this very unobtrusive, and amiable. in which he was reading his night was dimly lighted by a small lamp, near which he was sitting in an old rigid chair. He was suddenly aware of someone in the room. Turning quietly about, he saw only two hands-scratchy, scrawny hands-receding through a small aperture in the wall. Being a man not easily alarmed he logically laid aside his book, took his lamp and started toward the wall. He saw no sign of anything unusual and so he be- gan to feel the wall where he thought he had seen the hands. Suddenly, as he felt a certain spot, the wall began to tremble and then he saw a door open. Holding his light before him, he was able to see a whiteness back in the gloom there. Advancing a bit, it became even more vivid. His first thought was of a ghost, and he was about to retreat, when the door jarred shut with a slam, which knocked his light from his hand and shattered it in

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22 THE CADUCEUS touch my keys. The stool was silent for a moment, and then said, Well, I don't know that I should feel so sad, because they can 't touch me as they touch your keys. Did you ever notice how careful they are, not to place their feet on my legs, and scratch me? The piano and stool stood in the parlor of the little bungalow many years, and on the stool at that piano Jeanette and Royce learned to become real musicians. They both play in orchestras, but even to this day, they are thrilled when they can come home, sit on the old stool, and play their old piano. . -Marjorie Judkins, '32. Who Was He? It was noon, and the day was hot, when a. loud knock came at Aunt Nancy 's back kitchen-door. A rather tall man, dressed in a coarse brown hemlock suit, looked up inquiringly at our old aunt. He carried his body erect and held his head straight up. There was an axe in his left hand. On his feet were tough cow-hide boots, which encased the bottom of his heavy trousers. He wore a faded blue shirt, open at the neck. His face was one of noble character, with high cheek-bones and a sloping forehead. His head was topped with tousled black hair. which left his temples bare, but grew in shocks at his neck and ears. He had a stiff, square mouth and jaw with well-set, firm teeth. His eyes were of a blue tinge, deep-set in his kindly face. His hearing was erect, but rather awk- ward, he was about six feet tall. His hands, though well-formed, were large, and calloused with toil. Aunt Nancy gave us a perfect descrip- tion of the man. Who was he? . -J. F. Wiles, '32 The Boar Hunt King Aegeus had not made a sacrifice to Artemis, the huntress, at her feast. fShe was a goddess especially worshipped in the locality of Calydon in Greecej VVithin a week after the feast, a terrible wild boar was reported ravaging the country side, destroying the corn stacked there, and at- tacking thie people. The creature appeared now here and now there with a suddenness that seemed supernatural. The people be- lieve this to be caused by the slighting of Artemis. King Aegeus organized a party to hunt the boar. This morning the hunting party of about thirty men are assembled in a designated place. King Aegeus's young son, Theseus, after much. begging, is allowed to accom- pany them. The clear blue sky with the green fields, in contrast with the darker for- ests, form a sublimely beautiful picture. Now let us turn to the hunting party. They are dressed in a chiton-a sort of robe reaching a little below the knee, fastening in the front like a shirt, also, they wear boots and wide brimmed hats. They are girdled tightly, and there are knives in their belts. They also carry spears and bows and arrows. The party proceeds with the yelping dogs running ahead. They march on and on through green fields, now climbing summits of high hills, sometimes crossing the cold, rushing mountain streams and stumbling through rocky gulleys and passes. Also the party passes into valleys where sheer rock rises majestically to tow- ering heights. One might easily imagine himself in the stronghold of the gods. In contrast to this picture, we see sheep and cattle grazing on peaceful hillsides. At last we are coming to the country of the dreaded boar. The dogs pick up the scent. Now all is confusion as the men madly try to keep pace with the dogs. The- seus. quickly being left behind in the mad