Norway High School - Caduceus Yearbook (Norway, ME)

Page 25 text:

THE CADUCEUS' 21 advanced than any on earth, as I stood in the presence of countless human skeletons in that gold-colored burial temple. Had I entered a city of the past where everyone had perished thousands of years ago? I returned to the plain where my rocket rested. I started the controls for the re- turn journey. It roared loudly and sud- denly stopped. There was nothing to do but try and get a message to the upper world. Through my television set, I final- ly got, The Boss. I told him what I had seen, and that the rocket was no longer of any value. I asked him how I was to re- turn. He didn't seem at all pleased, but he told me to return to the temple and fol- low a street that was in front of it. I must keep going in a straight line. I did as I was told to do. I left the City of Death behind me and came upon a dark tunnel. Thanks to the food pills I had for food and drink, I did not have to carry a huge sack on my back. I followed this tunnel for days. These days were meas- ured for me only by my desire for rest and food. They turned into months. I was driven almost crazy at times for there was always the same long, narrow tunnel. .Sometimes I would have to crawl for miles. One day I noticed a change in the tempera- ture, and I could smell fresh air. I decided that I must be nearing the surface of the earth. I hastened my weary, wasted body along. I had arrived, but blocking the entrance was a huge boulder. My food pills had given out. Human life at hand, and I was stopped by a boulder! Vainly I tried my weakened strength against it. I lay for hours becoming weaker every min- ute. Wliat was that? I screamed as loud- ly as I could. Now, I have fully recovered and am en- joying life to the full. The Boss has be- come a great friend of mine. I told him of my adventures and struggles. He mere- ly nodded his head and handed me a long telescopic instrument. I looked through it as he had indicated and feature my aston- ishment at realizing that it was the City of Death in the center of the earth at which I was looking. The Boss said he had been aware of my progress every day, and it was he who had the rock at the entrance re- moved. I asked him what he knew about this city and he informed me that Way back in the ice age, when the world was partly covered with ice, humans sought refuge in the earth. For many years they built that long, narrow tunnel into the center of the earth. There they lived for thousands of years, and their brains developed to such an astounding degree that they reached a stage far beyond that of even our own age. These people were not able to live at the center of the earth after the ice age had passed. Many of them chose to die there and so betook themselves to the temple of golden hue, where I had seen the bones. The rest vacated their vast city at the earth 's core , and followed the tunnel to the surface. However, they did not return to this land lighted by the sun in the same civi- lized condition. They emerged as wild, un- civilized cavemen. I was given freedom to marry by The Boss. I did not care to accept this grant, however, because I could not have the wife I wanted. I requested that if I were to be rewarded in any way at all, it should be in the form of another dangerous, but thrill- ing commission. The Boss gave me a glance of approval and ordered that the tunnel be converted into a deep shaft, through which huge elevators would carry thousands with lightning-like rapidity. He then turned to me and outlined his plan to have this dead city repeopled. My com- mission was to be his, The Boss', personal representative in this great undertaking. --H. Dyer, '32,

Page 24 text:

20' THE CADUCEUS' The terrible War of 1937, when one-half the world fought the other, had finally come to an end and peace once more ruled the thoughts of people. Japan, Great Britain, France, Germany, and America had been the conquerors, their power now swayed the universe. There were no more naval conferences, standing armies, navies, and large battleships. War had been success- fully outlawed. The world itself had progressed in this time of peace. The people had finally at- tained contentment and happiness. Chi- cago had become the largest city in the world, and boasted about skyscrapers and elevated streets. Why, the Empire State buildings-some of them were over a mile high! They were contructed with no Win- dows, the air being pumped in by means of tubes. These great structures were erected on an unusual kind of a base that they might move with the sun. Huge air cars carrying about a thousand passengers hitched to these Vast towers of aluminum. These air cars could circle the world in less than a week. But what was the use of let- ting my thoughts wander like this? Why not brace up and face the Boss? The next morning I stood before a. large desk in a private office. I was faced by a small, squint-eyed man about seventy-five years old. He was The Boss. The Boss was the master mind of the age, the terror of the younger generation, for he gave out the young man 's life work, picked out his wife, told him where to live, and held con- trol over his possessions. The Boss and I had a long talk during which I learned that I was never to be married, but, worst of all, I was assigned a terrible job. I, HD. X, was to go to the center of the earth and explore. In a very short time preparations were completed and I was off. What a terrible noise the rocket made as it started! This rocket was pencil-shaped with a point al- most minute. There was one window made of strong, thin, polished steel, so thin that one would mistake it for glass. The com- partment became very dark and hot. I choked for breath 5 I fell to the floor. Af- ter consciousness returned, I staggered to my feet and rushed to the window. Why, it was as light as day without! I must have gone straight through the earth. But no, the earth's surface did not look like this-all honeycombed rock of myriad strange hues. The rocket was still plunging forward, cutting right through the rock. Occasion- ally it would pass through a large open space, like an enormous hole. At last the rocket stopped, and I got out. I was on a large plain. I could not see any sky over- head, but there were many strange lights moving back and forth. In the distance I perceived what ap- peared to me to be skyscrapers. But how silly! Skyscrapers at the center of the earth! And there couldn't be anything like that without people to build them. I finally reached the city. But what was the meaning of this strange silence that rested over everything? Were its inhabitants concealed and watching my movements with curiosity, or possibly with animosity? I experienced several cold chills as I walked down that silent street with no sky over- head and only those strange lights moving back and forth, back and forth. Every- thing was vacant, not a sign of life any- where. On my exploration, I passed through many buildings and streets far more mod- ern than those on earth. And although everything seemed to be in the most excel- lent state of preservation, I came upon no sign of life of any kind. At last my wan- derings took me to a large temple-like build- ing. I opened the door and looked upon millions of human bones and skeletons. Just limagine my sensations, when I was all alone in the center of the earth in the heart of a great, deserted city that was far more

Page 26 text:

22 THE CADUCEUS' ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG DEPUTY SHERIFF The morning sun shone brightly on the little town of Wayne as young Bud Ran- kin stepped from the office of Sheriff Jim Williams. Bud was a young man of twenty years, and he had just been made deputy sheriff by Jim Williams, the high sheriff of Pembroke County. As Bud stepped out on the street, he was feeling as though he could handle almost any job that came up, as far as sheriffing was concerned. He was just preparing to mount his -horse when a stranger stepped up to him. For a mo- ment Bud had a feeling he had seen that face before. Good morning, Mister Deputy Sheriff, said the stranger in a smooth voice. f'G00d morning, stranger, replied Bud. 'fYou are the new deputy sheriff of this town, arenit you? questioned the stranger in a sneering voice. 'fYes,7' replied Bud rather crisply. Bud was on the point of asking the stran- ger what he wanted and who he was, but before he could voice his thoughts the man had turned away and was gone. As Bud made his way homeward that evening, he seemed unable to get his mind away from the stranger whom he had met earlier in the day. He felt he had seen this man before, but where or when he could not remember. For two weeks things progressed very well. Bud was getting along fine with his new job, until one day, Sheriff Williams was called away on a business trip for a week, and Bud was left alone to take care of the sheriff 's office and responsibilities. Just as Bud was seating himself in the office chair, after the departure of the sher- iff, the telephone rang and a vaguely famil- iar voice informed him that the stage was going to be held up seven miles out of town, on tl1c Silver Lake road, and that he had better hurry right up there if he wanted to save the stage. At first, Bud was perplexed and did not know just what he had better do. The sheriff had told him to stay in town unless something very important hap- pened, sthat would make it necessary for him to leave. Bud had a feeling he ought to stay, but still, if the stage was going to be held up, he must do something and do it immediately. After Bud had collected his wits, the first thing he did was to call in a man about his own build, deputize him, change clothes with him, and send him to meet the stage with instructions not to let anyone know who he was, if he could help it. Next, Bud closed the office and made things look as though there was no one there. After pre- paring himself for a hasty departure, if necessary, he sat down in the back corner of the office, where no one from the outside could see him, and waited. Just why he waited or what he was waiting for, he did not know 5 but, nevertheless, he had a feel- ing something was going to happen before long. At just exactly four o'clock, the time the stage was to be held up, a shot sounded, followed by three more in succession. Bud searched the street just as a horseman was disappearing around the corner. Bud ran down the street, through an alley and reached the next street through which the horseman must pass in order to get out of town. He was not a moment too early in arriving there. The horseman was coming, at breakneck speed, straight down the street. As the horse and rider sped past, Bud fired at the horse and scored a hit. In less than a minute, Bud, horse, and horse- man were piled up in a heap together, be- cause the horse, when hit by the bullet, jumped straight at Bud, who was unable to get out of the way. A fight followed in which Bud was vic- torious. During the struggle, Bud was un- able to find out with whom he was fighting: