Oakfield Alabama High School - Oracle Yearbook (Oakfield, NY)

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- 0 . Why! What was that in that second story window? He rubbed his eyes. Was it possible? Yes, it was true. Up there in that window was the figure of a little child, its face filled with fear and the hope of rescue. The boy thought wildly, Why doesn't someone who is not afraid go to her aid? But nobody stirred. Again the thought of the firemen flashed through his brain, but they had made a mistake answering the wrong alarm. Suddenly there was seen to issue from the crowd a youth who Without hes- itating ran into the burning building. A hush! The crowd waited. A few minutes later two figures were seen in the window, then disappeared. He had got to her but could he return? In the boy's head different thoughts raced as he fought his Way through the smoke and fire-filled rooms, shielding the little girl. Why, he didn't feel afraid now! A feeling of responsibility rested upon him. He must save the child. A cheer rose from the street, hundreds of hands reached out to aid them, the boy and child. The burning building suddenly collapsed into flaming ruins. But he had won. Florence Caleb, Eng. IV. A Northern lbullke In the cool of an early morn, Like a smooth sheet of glass You lay stretched out in sleep, Revealing your inmost soul. The sun rose from your depths And transformed you to gold. You awoke, and sighed with reproach, Ruffling your surface, Obscuring your soul. The day wore on-your placid blue, Tipped with snow-white caps, Gave you a festal air. 'Gainst the horizon a boat plied by, Leaving a ribbon of smoke behind. Once, menacing clouds Turned blue to sullen gray. The sun sank into your depths, Leaving a path of reddish gold Over your peaceful, quiet waves. Mysterious, glowing with light, Refiecting the stars and the moon, . .1 You slept through the night. ' .-if. . .,l ' Ruth Hackley, Twenty-sig'

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O-- Victory T WHS nlght. The thund.er roared and the lightning flashed, lighting up a Small, white room and showing a fair-haired boy of about twelve years Cgmefillg Under the bed clothes. When he uncovered his head to see if it were S 1' S orming, he showed a face as white as his pillow into which he again thxust h1s.head and there sleep finally found him. But upon awakening the nent morning his first thought was of the storm and he trembled as he thought of it although he was partially ashamed of his fear. Q He recalled other incidents in his young life when he had been thoroughly frightened and ashamed of his cowardice. Was he not afraid of those huge fire crackers and their terrific boom which so delighted other boys? Did he not always shiver and shake when he saw and heard gun-play in a movie? And did he not always tremble with fear when he lay in bed at night and heard the wind howl? Yes, he was frightened at all these things and said aloud, Gee, I must be an awful coward. The matter did not end there either for older boys in the neighborhood knew of his fears and persisted in calling him a coward and a sissie , afraid of his own shadow. Which indeed was almost true for he never dared venture out at night for he always thought that someone was following him or was hiding just around the next corner or a tree. ' It was night. The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed again lighting up a room where we see again not a young terror stricken child but a young man of seventeen with a pale drawn face trying to make himself believe he is not frightened. Surely , he thought, if I can't convince myself, nobody else will think I am not. A brighter flash than any which preceeded it lit up the room and died away. Then what was that light which steadily grew brighter? Why did it not die away? Realization dawned upon him. The apartment house next door was aflre. What should he do? The flames grew brighter. Had the tenants been warned? Were they aware of the fact that they were in danger? He tried to call but his voice refused to come forth. Then increased horror came to him. Why, he was in danger too! Many thoughts raced through his mind. What to do! How to do it! A new thought gradually took form in his brain. Many lives depended up- on his decision. Shouldn't he then conquer his own fear and brave danger for the sake of so many others. His mind was made up. He hastily Jumpedlfrom bed pulled on his clothes, and buttoned them as he went down the stairs in leaps yelling fire as he went. By the time he reached the street everyone in the same building was hastily appearing. He turned in a fire alarm and al-A most instantly he could hear the far-away sound of the engine. The firemen were not afraid of fire-let them rescue the tenants and carry them to safety. Fear overcame him again- 'dly filling with people, mostly women and children who d She sgiisgnwasofnataheir beds Wails from frightened children filled the air. ha een ' .7 t d h' her. Where were the firemen. Why had. they not re- ghrfngzdxtfes Wallin Zveryine was safe now, only the building would be totally dgstroyed and perhaps the other one adJacent to it also. Twenty-five V ,.,...w, -19 ' ' 7- , ...frilfldliifiiilmii -lf'

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O Adloupit Yourself IEQVE a friend named Bill. Of course, it is not unusual to have a friend by is common name but Bill is a remarkable fellow. E h U I n . thingsvigrsigfri he was knee hlgh to a Grasshopper , people predicted great had Eggexgogifdgggfilllitigifvith the highest honors in his class, we all thought he But somehow he hasn't landed. Bill says it is because he hasn't had the breaks. But perhaps if you followed him around for a day you would have a differ- ent theory. Bill has ideas about the way things should be done. They're clever ideas, far more clever than the average chap's. There's no doubt that if Bill had been God he would have been a humdinger. But Bill isn't God. Nor are his ideas the only ideas in the world. They are in constant competition with an enormous mass of other ideas, most of which are rather careless and sloppy. For carelessness and sloppyness William has no use. He won't tolerate it-he won't compromise with it. He wants things done in his excellent way or not at all. As a consequence they're not done at all. No one man, however brilliant, can monopolize the whole arena or direct the Whole show. Bill's career, like that of many other people, is being frustrated because he hasn't learned that fundamental law of adaptability. Adaptability is the secret of physical as well as mental evolution. Life on this planet has undergone terrific changes and upheavals. Ages and intense heat and intense cold, continual wetness, perpetual drought. Animals survived those changes not by their great strength but by their ability and willingness to adapt themselves to change. The infinitely remote animal ancestor from which man probably came was a tiny mammal hardly bigger than a rat. It survived the terrific ice age by growing hair which would repel the cold, and by modifying its habits. The great reptiles, who had lorded it over the world before the ice cap came down, did not survive. They had both brains and brawn, but they couldn't change their ways. So Evolution went on and left them behind. No matter how important you are, you are only a small cog in the enormous mechanism of life. You will get nothing out of that mechanism for yourself unless you adapt yourself to the other cogs. Whether you like it or no , you of other beings. ' I l 1 Their necessity is your necessity-their opportunity is your opportunity. James Sinclair. t r fate is enmeshed with the lives of millions Twenty-seven --lun, .