Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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THE VOYAGE UR 29 0 STORY 0 0nce in the Life of Every Student by EINVABD G. IVIACK owARDs THE END or THE FIRST SEMESTER at Walla Walla College the ex- citement that prevailed found itself not without reason. Only two short days were left before the autumn hop and dates of any description were not in abundance. Slowly realizing this, I decided to get busy and investigate my prospects. After having spent nearly two dollars on telephone calls I concluded that there was a bad slump on the date market. Finally in despair I went to see my old friend Sam Baker. Although Sam was a pudgy, little fellow he seemed to have a way with the girls. Sure, he said, when I approached him on the subject, Why didn't you ask me sooner? I've got just the girl for you. She's a friend of my sister's and really a swell kid at heart. Say, that's fine, boy, you're certainly a life saver. But wait a minute, how about a description of her and what's her name? I'd better call her up right away and get this thing settled. Oh that's simple, her name's Cookie, she's about my height, blonde and quite popular. just call Podunk four, two hundred and ask for Cookie, Cookie Webster. By the time I reached the phone booth it was rather late and somewhere between fifteen and twenty studes had beat me to it, After an hour had passed it was almost my turn. The suspense was rather nerve racking, I was nervous as a young kitten when it was my turn to use the phone. Before commencing I assured myself everything would be alright at any rate I read her name at least four times to the telephone operator and then tried to put my quarter in the nickel slot. Seconds passed which seemed like hours before I fully realized I was speaking to Cookies mother and not Cookie. h'Oh, I'm awfully sorry to have pulled you out of bed, Mrs. Webster. I mean I'm sorry I didn't pull you out sooner, that is . . . of course . . . has your daughter got a mother? No, no is your daughters mother home? Oh you'll get Cookie right away. Well that's too bad . . . it's fine. No I didn't mean the weather. It wasn't long before my prospective date answered the phone and what a beautiful voice that girl had. I swallowed my gum and managed to say hello a few times without any results. Hello, is that you. Cookie? Oh it is, well that's too bad. I'm Roger Buchanan, a friend of Sam Bakers What do you mean you never heard of him, he's got a sister or something, who knows you. Well that's fine, now we're through the preliminaries how would you like to come to the fall dance with me? Yeh this Friday. Fine! I'll call for you at eightfthirty, soflongf' Eightfthirty was approaching a little too fast to suit my convenience and to make matters worse it was one of those formal affairs. As is to be expected I forgot my white tie and then lost my studs under the bed. The final blow came when my pal, Rus Lloyd, informed me he had promised his girl a

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28 THE VOYAGE UR 0 SHORT STORY 0 The Intruder by ALBERT INIBLANII OR TNVO DAYS a terrific gale had been lashing the North Atlantic, sweep- ing down from the north to the Straits of Belle Isle. In the distance a great Arctic owl flew heavily along, worn out from flying since he had been blown out to sea the day before, hundreds of miles to the northward. For an instant he seemed to glide motionless, as though his energy was spent and he was going to sink down into the icy waters below, then recovering he quickened his pace, as if for the first time he had discerned the barren coast of Labrador, far away on his right. It was nearly dusk when he finally winged his way over the shore and alighted in a large cedar, a little way inland. Tired out he fell asleep. It was night when the great snowy visitor awakened and viewed his unfamiliar surroundings through famished eyes. He stared around for some time at the strange green world, unable to comprehend the change that had come over his snowy home. Then realizing his hunger, he glided down from the cedar and seized an unsuspecting mouse in his talons. One mouse, how' ever, was hardly sufficient for the huge owl, and only served to whet his appetite to a dangerous degreeg hence, mounting on snowy pinions, he glided over the silent woods. Suddenly a great bundle of sticks in a treeftop attracted his attention and he wheeled around and glided over to it. It proved to be a nest and sitting on some eggs was a large bird with a long, snakey neck and spearflike bill. The heron, for so it proved to be, uttered a hoarse cry and before the owl realized it, that spearflike bill pierced his shoulder and ploughed through the downy feathers to the bone. Mad with pain and hunger the owl mounted into the air and drove at the heron with talons outspread. The heron was quick and lunged out with her snakey neck but the owl, quicker yet, swerved aside and dug his talons into the heron's neck, cutting through the bird's jugular vein. Then, with great rending strokes of his hooked beak, the great owl began to devour the luckless bird. Gorging himself on female heron, the Arctic owl failed to keep a sharp look out and did not see the heron's mate, flying with neck outstretched to the nest. The owl did not turn till he heard a rush of wings and an angry hiss as the male heron rushed at him to avenge the death of his mate. Too late he raised his dangerous hooked beak. Before he could spring into the air, the heron's bill caught him and struck deep through his breast to his heart. He fell back into the nest-dead, with the blood fast dyeing his snowy plumage. His body grew cold, cold like the Arctic, and the wind ruffled his feathers like a flurry of snow. The intruder was gone.

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3 O 'TH E VOYAGE UR corsage of orchids for the dance. And what are we going to use to pay. our hotel bill? I asked. I'm no piker, the sky's the limit, and we'll wash dishes all day. Only an hour late we arrived at Cookie's house. As usual I had to interview the whole family before I even saw the girl. Eventually she ap' pearedg a rather woefbegone looking girl wearing a small, ridiculousflooking, green hat with a long, orange feather stuck on top of it. Then it dawned on me that something was wrong, before I could say anything she broke the silence by asking me why I was late, why I looked so uncomfortable and above all why I didn't tell her it was a formal dance. I started to explain myself in a most awkward fashion and at the same time I figured I was making an awful fool of myself. Cookie saw my difficulty and decided to help out by making some remark about waiting around while she got ready all over again and concluded by telling me to discuss politics with her father, she was sure he wouldn't mind. About an hour later she was ready and we were on our way to the dance. Rus' girl was very thoughtful and sweetly reminded us of the promised orchids. We stopped at the first, likelyflooking, flower shop. Rus and I entered a little cautiously, having learned from past experience that it was too expensive to bring a girl into any place like this. How much are these corsages with orchids? I inquired. You can get a cheap one for three dollars, said the florist, But if you want something nice it will cost you five. That's just fine, old man, and how would you like to buy some rat poison? I pulled out an old calling card and presented it to him. Any time you're out our way look us up and we'll give you a sample. With that I barged out of the store almost dragging Rus behind me. When we got in the car Cookie asked a lot of questions and wanted to know when she was going to get her corsage. I had to think fast, so I told her we were having them sent to the college. I know she didn't believe me, but it was a good story and I was stuck with it. Some two and a half hours late we arrived at the dance, having just missed the supper and over half of the dancing. As soon as we were on the dance floor Cookie wanted to meet the headmaster claiming she had always wanted to call a headmaster by his Hrst name. I told her it wasn't quite the thing to do but it didnlt help matters any. It wasn't long before she spotted him and asked Is that him, the little fellow over there in the corner? I nodded and the first thing I knew she had me in the reception line. Pardon me, sir, I said rather quietly, I would like to introduce you to .... But Cookie was gone and I felt, and probably looked, quite foolish. Excuse me sir, I said rather awkwardly. I seem to have lost something so if you'll excuse me I'll go and look for itf- After which I wandered over to the door, as nonchalantly as possible, and made a hasty exit. A half an hour had passed and still no girl. Some of the gang were beginning to make wise cracks about how nice it was to be single and all that stuff. Having composed myself to the best of my ability I decided to make the best of it and returned to the party. The band was playing the Big Apple but no one was dancing, they were all standing around the orchestra