Pembroke Academy - Academian Yearbook (Pembroke, NH)

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,I IHE ACADEMIAN g ,gp ns! Y , . Jrllreil., ll, ,. , . I I 1 l . .JU-wr 1 ,., , ,, I. lluli V, , Pleasant Street Suncook, New Hampshire February 26, 1945 Dear Eunice, My selection from the Book-of- the-Month Club arrived last Wednes- day. The name of it is NOur Hearts Tere Young and Gay.' It is written by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough. They relate their trip to Paris in the early twenties when they were not twenty themselves. Many funny incidents occur be- even begins. their ship, Ehen they fore their trip abroad While they are aboard there is a shipwreck. reach Paris, they see many famous people, although they acquainted with them. Since Cornelia has before, she likes to tell Emily all she knows about the ship. Your interest in humerous books led me to believe that you would thoroughly enjoy reading this true story. If you cannot obtain the book, please let me know, and I shall send you mine as soon as I Cane Let me hear from you soon. Love, Betsey do not get been abroad Epsom, New Hampshire February 26, 1943 Dear Jeanne, Thank you very much for sending that book to me, I certainly en- joyed it. I have just finished an- other book by Nevil Shute called, nLandfa1l.n It is an excellent English novel, and I'm sending it to you because I think you will en- joy it as much as I did. It is the love story of an R.A.F. pilot who sank a British submarine by mistake. Because of this error he gets into many difficulties. In the meantime he falls in love -with a ber maid and through her interest, loyalty, and wisdom, he is cleared of the charge brought against him. She proves to the high officials that it was not a British, but a German submarine that he sank. There is a lot in the book about airplanes and the sea which make it an exciting war-time storya H.. we When you have finished it let me know how you liked it. Please try and get it beck to me within two weeks because it will be due at the library soon after that. Love, Jeanette --.-11-.- HEVEILLE IN WASHINGTONA Author Margaret Leech A ' Compton French '43 - Washington vas e country capitol stretizhed out in a muddy valley along side the Potomac river, It became a prize for which two armies contended. On its stage was played a mighty political drama of a nan tion divided by rebellion, This city was made up of all kinds of people, crooks, contractors, reports ers, spies and foreign adventurers. The book tells of the lady spies, Rose Greenhow and Belle Boyd, of the Union Generals, and also men- tions Clara Barton along with many others. . At the opening of the war, W P.Sh'vr ington was a barrack over-run by soldiers: a gay resort in which men and women laughed and danced and drank. This book describes life at the White House, and the struggle cf Mary Lincoln a proud woman in an unfriendly community. I would not advise everyone to read this book, Reveille in Washing ton, because of the lengthy descrip- tionz 'lf a person likes descrip- tion and history, then by all means it. read

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1'H'E A C A D EIM I A N ON Y THE STARS ARE NEUTRAL by Quentin Reynolds Norma Cleveland This is a contemporary novel as told by the author, who was a news reporter in England for the Collier Magazine in America. In his work, he covered parts of the waring area abroad to gather material from va- rious incidents which have occurred in the war. He began in London, England, first, and was compelled to stay in bomb shelters and hideouts from en- emy bombs. He saw the small town of Plymouth entirely bombed out and said that if the people in Boston and Plymouth, Mass. could have seen this ruin, they would be over-an- xious to administer more Red Cross works and would be more eager to he1p,- although the people over there are said to have handled the affair very well. From .London, Reynolds went to France, then on to Russia. In these places, he came up against many great hardships and varied ex- periences. In Russia, very bad conditions' prevailed, such as mal- nutrition and diseases. HHQ also .said it was very hard to be ahfe to get anything that seemed at all Am- 'ertcan, and the men would go throughwanything-to get an American -ci rette ga . Reynolds -went from .France and Russia to Cairo, but had a hard time getting there. Transportation was poor, but he finally managed to get a plane. After having flown for about four ehours, something went wrong with were forced to for repairs to of plane travel the plane, and they turn back and wait be made. This way was also quite un- sanitary, and what food there was, was rather poor. At last, they got to a desert in Cairo which was a front trench in the war lines. A number of the soldiers and report- ers got trapped in this trench fer the night and lay there praying for a let-up of the enemy bombs. The Americans finally drove off the en- emy and all was a little safer fbr the time being. In order to escape safely, Rey. nolds had to ride out of the desert in a jeep in the black of night, and even this was constantly con- fronted with land mines and hidden enemy tanks. He and his men had to travel in complete darkness because of the hidden enemy with its camos uflaged apparel. After this ted- ious journey, they reached the Am- erican headquarters--this was about Christmas time. There were no ships allowed out, and only tanker transports came to America, so Rey- nolds had to take one of these in- convenient transports. He had planned to write a book of his experiences when he reached America, but due to the fact that all had to be alert at all times, he did it when he finally reached home. This is the book, and it was written when he got back here in America. pqga-1-y--4 A n aaa Robert In-this heroiccstovyg the author points out the courage and deter- mination of Harold Dexon, Gene Al- drich, and Tony Pestula, three fliers who lost their plane at sea. The story gives a day to day ac- 'ccunt, and relates all the hard- ships these three-men had to over- come. It tells of their 'eating 1shark's meat and.birds for food dur R.L.F T Trumbull ing their thirty-four days on the ocean in a rubber boat no bigger than a bathtub. The reading was very easy and interesting, This story makes you realize the difficulties that our boys are go- ing through, and I think the author did a marvelous job in telling the truth about these three brave men. Lily Houghton

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.4 ...And This was gleasantville ' Harriet Williamson ' Plodding slowly along the dusty highway, the wcrouched figure went. The dust, coated his mouth, tasted like dry, clinging chalk. As speedy motored cars whizzed by it camouflaged his clothing: it en- veloped him so much he looked almost like a moving cloud of dust. His head was bent low, he was so weary. Turning a well-forested bend in the road, he ferreted out a stout stick. It was what was needed to uphold and upholster old Moses. ...Moses was once as is everyone. He was born in Pleasantville, one of those places one might call a one- horse town. When he was old enough to walk he discovered a place he afterwards returned to again and a- gain, a place he revered. It was the little wooden chapel, erected as a neighbor to the stately, white Puritan church. Another spot he took great stock in was McLeevy's General Store. Mr. McLeevy had an- other motive for calling this son of a very active, wealthy customer WSugar plu .W This embarrassed Moses when he started wearing knic- kers. Then, too, there was the brick grammar achool, huddled like a scared rabbit amidst the towering evergreens. Moses did not have much time to spend there. When Moses was old enough, his folks sent him off to boarding school. Moses thought when school closes, I can go back and see every one in my old home town. But col- lege was to come before that, Moses' father wrote to him as college com- mencement approached. ---nAnd so, Moses, your mother and I have ar- ranged for you to become a partner in 's firm as soon as you finish college,' That's how it went. Some days when Moses came home from the office, he often longed to 4. .' -.,. .., , . find his wife waiting for himfin' Pleasantville, not in this huge me- tropolis. It became an obsession, an ,ambiticn. If only he could stroll down the maple-shaded main street and walk into the General Store. How homey it, would be to hear the tinkly bell on the door! Well, by jove, he, and his wife, and now his family would go for a visit to Pleasantville. Yes, the next vacation from the office. But next summer his wife became ill. When the vacation time came, Mrs. Moses could not go. She was too weak to be moved. Mbses was putting flowers on her new green mound the week they had planned to be in Pleasantville. From one city to another Moses wandered. He couldn't manage his office job, so he had 'bean' 'gra- ciously discharged.n There was only one thing Moses wanted to do, re- turn to Pleasantville. His white hair and slow speech wcu1dn't stop him from getting a job in Mr. Mc Lewy's store, though it did every- whereuelse, On Moses went like a slowing up, jerky locomotive. Here he was on the last lap to Pleasantville. As he staggered into the Main Street, he felt a change. The cars still whizzed by like zephre trains. They had never done that in Pleasantville. 'Could you tell me how to get to Mc Leevy's General Store, please sir?' nNever heard of that. There isn't any such place in Pleasant- vi1le.u These seemed to be the answers to all his inquiries as he crept thru the thriving city of P1easantville.' If they had looked closer, they would have seen tears making awkward paths down his withered, dusty face.