Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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the hitch-hiker UGH 1+'E1,'1' A I,1'r'1'L1-1 HUNGRY so he walked into a lunch stand beside the gas station. He sat down at the short counter next to at guy he tigured was the driver of the trailer-truck parked outside. They were the only customers. A young waitress was washing dishes in an enamel pan of soapy gra.y water. He'd heard these truck drivers didn 't. pick up riders on account of the insurance companies. But what the hell, there's no harm in trying! Hugh slid a coffee cup, a crumpled napkin and a large jar of crusted mustard over to the other side of the counter. The truck driver was eating a plate of boiled frankfurters, beans and sauerkraut. Pushing the last shreds of sauerkraut into his mouth he ordered some apple pie and ice cream. Hugh followed with his order in a tone of voice he thought sounded a lot like the driver. Heh, will you give me a hamburg and a coke? Neither the waitress nor the driver paid much attention. The driver would be leaving any minute. Hot day, iSlllt it?,' The driver, almost through his pie and ice cream, glanced at Hugh. Yeah, it is. Utloin' through to Montreal? Yeah What time you hope to get there? Tomorrow morning, maybe. Pretty heavy load, I guess. The driver picked up his coffee. It was cold, so he ordered another cup. Don't suppose you could give me a lift? ssN0-3? I could drive if you get tired. I've driven one of those jobs before, he lied. It's against company rules. I can 't give nobody a lift. How much is this? The waitress answered, Eighty-tive cents, took his 2152 bill, rang up 00.85 on the cash register, and gave him his change. She noticed he left her a 15 cent tip. The driver gulped down his coffee and went out, letting in half a dozen flies as he opened and slammed the screen door. Hugh was served his slightly burned hamburg. Do you want fountain or bottle coke? Hugh looked up from his hamburg. She wasn't bad looking at all. He hadn't noticed her much before. Bottle, please . . . thanks . . . you like workin' here? The waitress picked up his 22 cents and answered, t'Not. bad . She went out into the back room returning in a moment with a loaf of bread and a package of hot dog buns. llugh decided she wasn't so good looking after all. Her hair looked dyed. Ile took thc last swig of the coke and walked out. The sun was too bloody hot. He looked around for some shade. There was a farm house with some trees hanging over the road about a quarter of a mile away. Twenty

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Joe and his wife stood at the door of their cabin. The trees seemed to he drinking in the cool darkness after the hot fall day. It was a good night for the barn dance. Just then William pulled up smoothly in the big black Packard to take them to the dance. Joe was looking forward to this danre. It would be like old times. The barn had some red and yellow lights hung on posts around the cleared circle where the people were dancing. Further back some hay hung from eriss- cross racks. A reaper threw a grotesque shadow on the near wall. The other wallsand the roof were in darkness. It was hot and noisy and Joe was a bit drunk so he wandered to the door to get some fresh air. He shivered slightly as the cool air touched him. Joe had a feeling that this had happened before only last time he had been enjoying himself. The music inside turned to jazz. Joe looked up at the stars and wondered. A. lNI.icDoNALo. bluebottle Heavy sluggish fly, Fussing in the windou' frame. Stumbling as though doped, Confused by glass. You stop and preen The loathsome f'urrine.w.s Of that black body. Your presence is unclean. Hurrying in uncertainty, Jloring erratically, llncleauness is your soul,- The devil have you. You retrace smutty trarlfx Of your ouru making: Then stop again and twitch, Fall down To the bottom of my urindou' Where you buzz And thump the glass In disgusting helplessness. You go away Your going rleanses me. But coming lmelf You are begun again. You will go ou. until I hill you: Stupidity lilorlus your escape. .Veither said nor Cruel ls the killing of' you, For you lfnou' no feeling. cillll yet you live. I shall let it be, For you are part of me. IJUNCAN CAMERON. Nineteen

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It might be easier to get a ride at the gas station, so he stayed there. The truck was still parked on the shoulder of the highway and Hugh could see the driver's feet propped up at the open window of the cab. One car was at the gas pumps. There looked to be about six kids in the back seat. Not much chance for a ride. If Hugh was a truck driver he'd give a guy a lift and let the company go fly a kite. He kicked a pebble across the asphalt highway and walked out to the centre to see what was coming. There was a car about two miles down the road. It turned out to he a 1938 Ford with a. home-made two-wheeled trailer dragging along behind. There were three 100-lb. bags of chicken feed in the trailer. The driver wore Big B brand overalls and a dust- colored fedora. Hugh was about to give the farmer a dirty look for passing him up when he noticed the driver was pointing to the farm house where he eventually turned in. Hugh kicked another pebble across the road and again walked out to the centre. Nothing was coming. He followed the narrow streams of soft tar about 100 yards toward the farmhouse and then came back. The car with the six kids in it pulled away. Hugh went over to the mechanic. Much traffic these days? Not too heavyf, Never seems to be very heavy about this time of day though, does it? Oh, just not many people on the road today. Goin' to Montrealtlm Yeah, hope to. Vfhy don it you ask the driver over there for a lift T? IK KK li ll Already did. They dou't pick up riders. CA I guess the insurance companies won't let 'emf' XVith that the mechanic went around to the back of the station and started tinkering with a motorcycle. Hugh went in for another coke. He shoved a nickel into the juke box and pressed down a chromium lever. The truck outside started up. It roared. whined and slowly lumbered off' the shoulder on to the highway. Two cars went past. Hugh drank the coke but didn 't wait to hear the rest of Doin' Vfhat Comes Naturally . He couldn't afford to miss a ride. Two more cars and a small blue truck passed by without picking him up. Then a car stopped. It was a new Chrysler with a Connecticut license plate. The driver was listening to a ball game. Hop in, son. NVhat's your name? Hugh Dennison. Thanks for stopping. I've had quite a time getting a ride. How far are you going? I hope to be in Montreal about midnight. That is, if the roads in Quebec aren 't any worse than this. You a ball fan '? If the Yankees win this game they're a sure thing for the pennant . . . The big Chrysler passed the farm house, passed the small blue truck, passed the cars that had passed Hugh and it passed the trailer truck. Hugh gave the driver a long, superior look. Jeez, he was glad he didn 't get a ride in the damn truck. JACK Rurnnaroao. Twenty-one