Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School - Echoes Yearbook (Peterborough, Ontario Canada)

Page 79 text:

30 Queer TAntics of 'lightning IGHTNING performs many strange tricks-but not all the capers at- tributed to it are true. For example. it does not make bare circles of earth o11 grass, known as fairy rings. nor does it impress the images of leaves, trees. and ferns on the human skin of persons it has struck. Lightning does not hit the earth in the form of one solid thunder-bolt or flash, but in many-somewhat like tl1e alternating current of the 0l'tlll121l'y house tlectricity. YYhen lightning strikes sandy soil, it forms a tube of glass-the sand being melted by the tremendous heat of the charge. Some of these tubes have been known to be as long as twenty-five feet. very rough on the outside and highly polished on the inside. These tubes are always twisted and branched like trees. Vthen lightning strikes a house. it sometimes takes a very strange course. Yet lightning hardly ever strikes the same place twice. It has been known to cu1'e blindness, paralysis, dumbness, a11d rheu- matism. It has been known to undress persons whom it has struck. A fact of interest to farmers is that. with each bolt of lightning, nitrogen Zlllll ammonia are produced and are ll1'0Llgl1t down with the rains, fo1'ming fertilizers to enrich the soil. In Indo-China where lightning is very frequent. the fertilizers brought down in this way are valued at 3Q0,000.0UU yearly. Some other pranks of lightning have been the carrying away of two maids' knitting needles as they sat in their rock- ing chairs beside the tire: and the carry- ing away of a girl's scissors as she was cutting out a dress. After the flash the girl found herself sitting on the sewing machine, which had bmn badly bent. A farmer was o11e day carrying a pitchfork over his shoulder and happened to be struck by lightning: he was nnharmed but thc pitchfork was ruined. Yvhen a tree is struck by lightning it splits into a thousand pieces. The reason is that the great amount of heat gener- Ciba 'Echccs ated by the electricity turns the sap of the tree to steam and causes it to explode. About thirty-five years ago two men xx ere hunting in the township of Burleigh. A storm came up and they sought shelter under a tree. Lightning struck the tree and killed one of the men. He was placed in a wagon and taken to his home. On arrival tl1e survivor called to the wife of the deceased to come out and see what he had 'for her the must have been a fellow from away backl. Following the interview the lucky fellow was asked how he happened to escape. He said. tVell. it came pretty fast, but I was a little faster and. by crackyl I dodged it. H. CTIIOATIC, III Ind. Arts. + Y 4 Gbe 'floppy 'lane IExpress The first train leaves at six p.m. For the land where the Poppy blows The Mother is the Engineer. And the passenger laughs and crows. The Palace Car is the KIother's arms. The whistle a low sweet strain, The passenger winks and blinks and nods And goes to sleep on the train. At eight p.m. the next train starts For the Poppy Land afar. lhe summons clear lalls on the ear 'itll aboard for the sleeping ear. Hut. 'Wvhat is the fare to Poppy Land? I hope it is not too dear. The fare is this4a hug and a kiss And it's paid to the Engineer. I petition Him who children took Un His knee in kindness great. Take charge. I pray. of the trains each day That leave at six and eight. Keep charge of the passengers, thus I pray. For to me they are very dear. And especially reward. 0 gracious Lord. The gentle Engineer. JEAN D13 BIAIO, IIA Com.

Page 78 text:

ner 2 ' Y' . fx 1 -4 if , ' , '2.' 1. Z 'I' A .fp ax if tl Z fj . R f ' ,, 'iiif-5-f' 951' 1 . x Ash , 4 . -, vi 5, img mb. .. :I A., Q, .W N - t 6 f Y ,, Q' 1 H Q o HJ .. . .. . , Inzfi-.i.-?Z'7 z 3 : r.,.' .i .' It -H qt .. is at HERONRY NEAR PETERBOROUGII REMEMBER THE BIRDS Remember the birds when their food's hard to find - In winter these words keep fresh in your mind. Don't grudge them their share-on us each depends: Let us treasure with c-are our wee feathered friends. Remember the birds -I shall quote it again.. Let it sink deep in memory, there to remain. In hard. zero weather, don't fail in your part, Remember the birds with 11 generous heart. PIELEN DEL,xH.fxYE. HI Com. , V : tiff: 1 Q flf il', V , ' .2iJ Qw. ii 2 ' 2' M-4 -,155-Q-K:-,Q ng. --V. I 5 'ii 'RS' E'a5f 1 if Y ' 'A . Ms E .fig 5 .f I - '-- 1.-' f gf-. ,,f at 4 -f, ci v ,f Mx ,Q e Ng ,5

Page 80 text:

Ebel-g Ecbocs 31 llvan 'lippalov FIRST PRIZE I. ONCE upon a time in a Russian village lived a peasant named Ivan Ippalov. Ivan ought indeed to have been a happy peasant. He had a fine farm which always gave him fifty bushels to the acre, a beautiful wife named Tana: and, best of all, two fine sons named Boris and Igor. But Ivan was not happyg he wanted to be rich. Ivan got his chance one day when a certain rich man visited the village. Fat and insolent, but always on the watch for any good opportunity of increasing his wealth, this man soon got his eye on Ivan, and, finding he had a little hard-earned money saved up, easily persuaded' him to leave the village and try his fortune in the city, and there the rich man helped Ivan. He was sly and clever, and knew the ways of the' city dwellers: soon Ivan was astonished to see how his money increased. In a word, Ivan became rich, and the rich man became richer, until finally one day Ivan said: Now I am rich as I ever desire to be. I have all the money I ever dreamed of. I am going back to our vil- lage to show those silly peasants how rich I have become. Thereupon the rich man said farewell to him, and begged him to remember always if he met a man who had money to invest, to send the man to him. As soon as Ivan had gone, he rubbed his hands and said: What a fool! How lucky for him it was that I decided using him would be more profit- able than robbingf' But Ivan did not hear this. He was on his way home. When the villagers heard that Ivan was returning they were indeed happy: the village had not been the same while he was away. Hurrah! they cried. Good old Ivan is coming back. Now we shall have happy times together again! But alas! VVhen Ivan returned they found he was no longer the same. He had found more than gold in the city: he had become proud and overbearing, haughty and scornful. He had forgotten that at heart he was only a peasant, and he was no sooner back in the village than he began to loathe its inhabitants and their customs. Away, you boors, he cried. make way for a man with some brains. Bring me food and drink, and don't look so stupid! When the old people of the vil- lage came in to- welcome him, Ivan quickly told them to scatter. f'Can't you see I am tired? ' he shouted. And when the aged inn-keeper ran up to shake hands with him, Ivan roughly threw him his coat. saying: See no harm comes to it, or I will make trouble for you! Then were the villagers shocked! For a while they could scarcely believe t.heir ears. Ah! they sighed, we ought to known it. He is no longer our old Ivan. have He has become like the first rich man. He has no more use for such as we 5' Soon Ivan built a great house above the village on a high forested hill. Here he dwelt in splendour and wealth, entertain- ing rich friends from far-off cities, who never failed to make fun of the poor vil- lage folk, fun in which Ivan often joined. This made the old people of the village very bitter. Ah! Ivan Ippalovlu they cried, you had better be careful, for trouble will surely fall upon you one of these days. Everyone, however, in the house on the hill was not happy. Poor Tana and her sons were sorry to see Ivan foolishly. They still loved the simple village folk and felt out of place among Ivan's rich friends. They tried to persuade him, but he only asked: Are you, too, as stupid as they? act so II. One day, suddenly a11d unexpectedly, the Hrst great storm of the cold Russian winter swept down from the north and almost buried the village under its great drifts. The villagers were in desperate straits. Not expecting winter for some time to come, they had neglected their supplies of fuel and provisions, and as a result many were on the verge of starvation and freezing. The strong grew weak. The weak died. Then in hasty consultation the peas- ants gathered together to try and save Cflontinued on page 345