Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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P. H. S “The following evening she once again set out for her ac- customed place of meeting. The sun was shining brightly. Soon a setting sun tinted the sky and the ledge with its glorious hues. In turn, the moon and the stars one by one came out to lend their light beams to the darkened world. Still the young maiden did not return. “The moon crept higher in the sky, and the old chieftain awoke, startled from his afternoon nap, and inquired for his daughter. “‘Not here? Then ’tis true,’ he moaned. T had a dream. In my vision she jumped from the ledge into the arms of her young Pamunkey brave and he took her far, far away’.” When the legend was finished there was a momentary si- lence, a sigh, the shuffling of feet and changing of positions among the guests as they one by one came back to Afton from the region of the unreal. -o- By the Ocean By Margaret Watkins Like little boys in snowy caps Who laugh and run all day, The white caps toss their little heads, And beckon the sands to play. Like hoary-headed gentlemen Who bow their heads to pray, The bigger waves seem quite content To let the youngsters play. J Page twenty-three

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' The JVlissile “The chief loved his daughter and was proud of her, but now that he was getting old, he was worried because there was no son to succeed him. “One day he called his people together and said, ‘I have gravely considered the fact that I have no son to succeed me. Now, it is my desire, to select him that is fleetest of foot, quick- est of eye, keenest of mind, the noblest from among you, to be the husband of my daughter, and to be my successor.’ “Then he selected from their midst a tall, handsome youth who possessed those qualities which he most desired. Calling his daughter forth, he bade her make obeisance to her future husband. “But she, kneeling at his feet, said, ‘Oh, my father, that I cannot do. My heart is given to another. One evening, as I was strolling through the forests I met a handsome youth of another tribe, a Pamunkey. I have met him every evening since on yonder ledge. I am pledged to him.’ “The entire village was at once angry with the maiden who had dared be thus presumptuous, but her father, seemingly graver than before, quieted them. “ ‘My people,’ he spoke, ‘my daughter shall be treated fairly. This evening, our youth will meet in my daughter’s place the young Pamunkey warrior. He will explain everything, and then they will fight until death. My daughter will be the bride of him who conquers.’ “That afternoon when the youth went to the ledge the village gathered itself together to await the outcome of the com- bat. The chief’s daughter sat by her father’s side, erect, silent, betraying no emotion, but alert to be the first to catch the foot- fall of him who should come. “Soon after nightfall, the youth returned to the village, weary but victorious. A cheer went up from the people as he recounted his experience to them ; how he fought for two hours by the sun, and had finally succeeded in casting his opponent over the ledge. “The chief’s daughter still sat silent and erect, and still she betrayed no emotion. When the old chieftain at length turn- ed his attention to her, she said, ‘I would have you grant me one request. Allow me to go to the ledge tomorrow for one last farewell.’ “Her father, answering, said, ‘It is well,’ Page twenty -two

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“ The Jylissile Sea Gulls By John Prichard REMEMBER them flocking about the docks before the departure of the ship, flying diagnonally, zig-zig, and every other conceivable way. They made peculiar cracked sounds while searching for their food around the hull. Colored like the spray, some with a dash of blue, others as gray as the beard of an old mariner, the gulls would rest on the water until their breath required they move off in some other direction. They follow the ship, leaving the port, and cling in its wake far out to sea, relentless, pursuing, the thought of food upper- most in their minds. If the prey is a large passenger liner they will hover to her across the Atlantic to Liverpool, or along the shores of our continent to Panama, there to be joined by others of their kind ... all in the search of food. On studying one from close range I noticed in his eyes a peculiar expression as if vexed by his surroundings. Was he not better than any of his mates or those foolish beings who stood upon the decks of his prey, now and then casting him a sidelong glance? His eyes hold the secret of many sea trage- dies not written in the annals of the nations. Locked in this bird’s heart, perhaps, is the tale of the fate of Nungesser and Coli and others victim to that same dreadful end. Everything a gull can say is bound to a hoarse croak emanating from his smooth beak like a warning. Is it true, as the old sea legend runs, that he is the spirit of an old mariner preferring the sea to paradise? The gull’s whole life is anchored to a scrambling for food. The more food the wealthier he is. Is his life so much unlike the wealth-drunk financial magnates of our large cities? Neither is content with sufficient or over-sufficient means. They must have more and more. So from the ends of the earth the gulls come and go ... . all in the quest of food. Page twenty-four