Plainfield High School - Hermiad Yearbook (Central Village, CT)

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THE Hmamgilfn fi I started springing the board again, but unfortunately lost my balance and fell pff. I started tumbling most ungracefully through the air with my feet arid arms outstretched like a frog. Finally I landed in a sitting position splashing water all over the spectators. Hitting the water at such a terrific rate of gpeed knocked every breath of air out of me. I was rescued by a life guard and, amid the boisterous laughing of the crowdg-Qwas carried ashore rubbing a badly bruised spot. PERCIVAL PlFFLEBERRY'S DIARY fAlfred Wilcox, Maxwell Wibberley, Esko Helander, 19355 CAN recall the incident as clearly as if it had happened yesterday, although many years have passed since then. I will try to narrate the story of the finding of the diary just as it happened. We were all sitting quietly in our playroom and were suddenly disturbed by a hoarse cry. We ran to our father to see what we had done wrong. Go up and clear out the attic before I give you a taste of the business end of a razor strap, you've been stalling long enough, he shouted. Up we ran to meditate as to what should be done about it. We very easily decided to clear out the attic, well knowing what the consequences would be. After shuffling and grunting for an hour we came to a corner that had been untouched for half a century by the looks of it. We had it all cleared out when I happened to look at the wall. We began to examine the funny markings that we saw there. Here is what they looked like: 4F -m RFK. At first we couldn't make anything out of it, but I hit upon the bright idea that they were directions for finding a treasure. We followed the wall for four feet and then turned right for two feet. There we were disappointed in finding a small box of broken marbles and a very old coat. However, we searched the pockets of the coat and found nothing but a piece of dirty crumpled paper. We gave exclamations of delight as we read the directions on how to find the treasure. My brother told me that he had heard of there being pirates around here about a hundred years ago. We sneaked out of the house without telling father and, loaded down with picks and shovels, we set out. The directions were very simple for a genuine pirate to give. We dug at the place designated and to our delight found a rusty box about a foot square. Hastily opening the box, we were a bit disappointed in the contents, to say the least. There were in the box two old coins, a box of rusty fish hooks, a brass doorknob, a few nuts and bolts, a rusty old toy pistol, and, last but not least, an old note book written in the form of a diary. We sat down and read it. This is the way it went. My diery. sattidy may 7 ft.

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6 THE HERMIAD the men, my suspicions were confirmed. I immediately surmised that the news of a chest of money had reached Tysa's ears. I knew also that it would only prove disastrous should we attempt to stop the men from coming aboard our ship. A chest full of money? I asked, very puzzled indeed. Yes, replied Dad. f'It contained money, counterfeit money. Counterfeit money? I asked. Where in the world did you get the money, Dad? Let me explain, Bob, replied Dad. The chest of counterfeit money belonged to a dear friend of mine back home. He asked me to deliver it to a cer- tain Chinaman who would be on hand to meet me when our ship reached China. I agreed to do so. He explained to me how the Chinese use the counterfeit money instead of real money to burn when a person dies. This money is supposed to keep the dead person well provided after death. I understand, Dad, I replied. My, but I'd hate to see Tysa Wong when she opens the chest and finds out that the money is only counterfeit. Quite right, Bob. That's why I wanted to get as far away from her ship as possible. You bet! I asserted with a grin. DOUBLE BACK FLIP O'MALLEY fHenry Morlock, 19351 NE day I went swimming down at Lake Adatash accompanied by my brother and his wife. They had never seen me swim before and were anxious to see if I was as good as I had been telling them. I demonstrated my ability by swimming 100 yards to the raft, using the Australian crawl. They soon joined me on the raft and asked me to dive for them. Now I was never very good at diving, but I was determined to make an impression on them one way or another. So I climbed up on the highest diving board which was fifty feet from the water. Looking down at my brother I shouted: Hey, Jack, what do you want me to do, a double back flip or a triple front Hip? Glancing up he replied: Let's see you do the double back flip. I turned around on the board and stretched my arms out trying to get into the right position. After springing the board for about five minutes, I looked down and to my surprise saw that the raft was covered with people who were stretching their necks to observe carefully the professional dive that I was about to make. Again I shouted to my brother: Hey, Jack, it's a little too windy for a double back flip: how will a jackknife dive be? I did not hear him answer, but a man with a loud voice shouted: Hurry up and do something. Our necks are getting stiff !

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8 THE HERMIAD Today we skiped skool and went down to the old swimmin hole for a swim we undressed and left our close in the bank an when Joe skinner pulled on his pantz a black snake flopped out of his pantz leg and went in his shoe. joe was aslzeered to dump the snake out so we left the shoe there and joe went home barefeeted we bofe got a licken for skippen skool and joe got a licken for loosen his shoe but we sneaket over and got it the next day. ' Sundy may 8 pt. i waked up this mornin urly as we were gonta hav a sundy skool piknick. everythin wooda been OK but somebodi put a dead fish in the teachers pokit and we d dint get started until Clarence Radcliffe Jones squealed as ushal. it Wuz Joe Skinner wot put the dead fish in his poket so he cuddent go on the piknick. well we finally got started. When we got there It started raining and enyway a dead frog was found on top of the sandwitches and the ice creme taisted like mustard and somebodi had put vinegar on the roast chicken and it propably had died of old age it Wuz so tuif. Enyway the piknick Wuz a flop and wuz the teacher mad O Boy. i didn't dare to go to sundy skool for a munth after that I Wuz so askeered he mite find out I did it or maybe joe Skinner squelled I don't now. . Mundi may 9th I waked up this mornin and noticed a funny smell in the room I thort a cat had crald down in the wal an died but I coulent find enythin. This afternoon i got a surprize when i took down the coat i had wore fishin three weeks ago and a flock of flies came out of the poket an with them came a terribul oder. I left the fish I had caut three weeks before in the poket and it had begun to go bad. well anyway I tooke the coat out and buried it and got a licken for loosen my coat. I didn dare tell ma. Toosday May 10ft. Me and Joe skinner went Fishen and cort 3 pikeral and a punkiriseed When We sat down to Eat I took my lunch out and found it was full of worms i had forgot about it and put the worms in the same poket with it but it didunt hert anythin. they hadn't got the Sanwigcs dirty so i jus Brushes ern off an they were all right. I got a licken for coming home so late with my Feet Wet They didunt now i went with Joe he lives in a shack by the Railroad traks and his father is alwiz drunk But jo-e is a good guy he cin swim good But mom sez that He is a Bad Boy. Q Wednesday May 11th. I liked Joe Skinner at school today and got a licken for it when I got home. THURSDAY MAY 12 ft. ' Me and Joe made up today Joe found a nickel in the road so i made out we hadent had a fite yestiday and we went down to the store an bort some Kandey. We went to look at our trap up in the woods we hadent looked at it since the week we found a skunk that had just been caught sow we took it down to the school and there is a nail in Back of the skool and ther we hung it up and skinned it When we got about half way through it begun to stink like everything and the teacher came out and said to Remove that carcass and that if we committed such an outrage again we would be Severly punished,