Reading Memorial High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Reading, MA)

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CHRISTMAS 19 3 9 ing deck and at the same time heave the shining coal into the hungry maw of the firebox with such precision and regularity as he did. Finally Eddie turned from watching the untiring efforts of the fireman and the ceaseless vigilance of Bill to gaze at the flying scenery. As the wrecker had a clear track to the accident, there was no slackening of speed at any time. Towns flipped past with the same surprising suddenness with which farmhouses and barns tore by. There was not much to be glimpsed except snow and grim, bare trees; never¬ theless, it was heaven to Eddie just to be able to ride on a locomotive. If the men only knew how much this sort of job meant to him and how much he loved rail¬ roads, perhaps they wouldn’t ride him as they did. But how w ' ere they ever to find out? If he tried to tell them, they’d only laugh at him all the more. Anyway, maybe mere might be something he could do tonight to show mem. Maybe if he worked hard enough, they’d—but mok, here they were almost at the wreck. Sure enough, just one more curve, and then .... What a mess! The engine, a huge Texas type, was nearest to them, wallowing in the right of way like a great hog. Although its fires had been killed, escaping steam hissed gently from its sides making it sound more like a prehistoric monster than a modern locomotive t here, too, in the glare of the floodlights of the salvage train which had already arrived were the cars, some fifteen of them lying in almost impossible positions, piled upon each other and scattered all over the land¬ scape as though tossed about by a playful giant. Clear¬ ing up of the dreadful havoc had begun; already a good deal of work w ith the cars had been accomplished. But now wdth the arrival of the two locomotive cranes which were in Bill’s train, the most important job, that of lift¬ ing the derailed engine, would be accomplished in short order. As Bill brought the train to a stop, the work gang, including Eddie, piled out, eager to get their w ' ork done and return to their homes. From then on for four long weary hours Eddie sweated, strained, and swore; those tedious hours w r ere a nightmare, not horrible, but long to be remembered for their seeming endlessness. Heav¬ ing, lifting, pushing, crawling around under cars, shout ing orders, obeying commands—finally it all came to an end. At last the battered locomotive rested on it; own drivers, secure again upon newly laid rails. B this time, also, the lighter crane had accomplished it task, that of clearing up the cars which had been de¬ railed with the locomotive. I lie last car had bee i either set again on the rails or dumped bodily onto i Hat car. Waiting for the signal to start back, men every¬ where were resting and relaxing for a moment befoi packing up to return home. So it was with Eddie; bu. as he sat on a keg recuperating from his arduous labor his fertile mind was active, extremely so! There ha! been considerable discussion during the work concern¬ ing whether the wreck was accidental or whether sabo¬ tage had been the cause. Finally, however, the argu¬ ment had ended with the consensus of opinion that it was very probable, in view of the circumstances, that it had been caused by someone’s tampering with the rails, but that the person who had done it would be far away by now. Even as the argument had been closed, how¬ ever, Eddie’s mind was working, trying to reason out just what he would have done had he been the criminal. l ow he was still pondering this problem, his eyes star¬ ing moodily ahead. Suddenly their attention was caught and riveted to one spot. On the outskirts of the crowd which had gathered to watch the crew ' work, in fact quite a distance from the wreck, standing in the dark¬ ness surrounding the sphere of light thrown by the floodlights, there stood a dark, overcoated figure. The fellow’s sinister appearance was emphasized by his turned-up collar and his black slouch hat pulled down so as to cover his face. An alarming suspicion popped into Eddie’s mind; here, without a doubt, was the crimi¬ nal himself, returned to view his handiwork. Why else would he take such elaborate precautions against being seen? Certainly, that was it! Immediately a daring plan formulated itself in the boy’s brain. Why, if he could capture this fellow, not only would the other men respect him, but there also was the chance of the railroad’s giving him a better job! Trying to appear nonchalant, Eddie w ' alked slowly off until he was beyond the range of the lights. Then quickly he struck off the right of way down a slight embank ment to the left. This little gully he was in would conceal him until he was within about fifty feet of his quarry; from then on it would make little differ¬ ence. As rapidly and as silently as possible, Eddie W ' orked his way close up to the man, so close in fact that he could hear, through the clear night air which was absolutely still except for the hissing of the air- pumps and the subdued murmur of the crew’s voices, the mutterings of the person he intended to capture. Eddie paused a minute, resting a bit in order to get his breath before he charged. The man in the slouched hat was definitely mumbling to himself. Eddie couldn t catch the words, because they were smothered by the man’s coat collar. For a second he wondered to him¬ self if perhaps, after all, it wouldn’t be best to go back and tel l the men about it and let them do the capturing. Maybe this was a lunatic. But no! He had started it; now he would finish it. Lest he should weaken again. Eddie stood up, let out a shout of help to the crew, and dived for the man. For the next ten seconds Eddie didn ' t reall know what happened. The air seemed to be full of flying snow r , elbows, and feet. Twice his opponent got the upper hand, but each time Eddie somehow, by dint of pure grit, wriggled out of the man ' s grasp and on top again. Finally Eddie got breath enough to shout again for help. With this, the man astride whom he was sit¬ ting stopped resisting him. Instead of struggling, he lav there face down in the snow, his whole body shak¬ ing. “Oh, had enough, eh?” gritted Eddie through his Eleven

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THE PIONEER »• mosquito in Buzzville. And to top it all off, he had a red and orange striped bow tied around his thorax, ft was so becoming to him. It just made me feel weak all over. But he didn’t even notice me. Well, right there and then I made up my mind that Miss Clementina Stinger had a job on her tarsi, and I vowed that before I finished with Willie Swat, I’d make him notice me. However, I suddenly realized that all the Willie Swats in Buzzville couldn’t take away the hungry ache in my abdomen. I flitted away from the green leaf and started forth to seek nourishment in the great world beyond. 1 was just in the midst of thinking hard as to what my supper would be when my antennae picked up the most won¬ derful odor. I flew in the direction of the smell, and as it grew stronger and stronger, I realized that a great treat was in store for me. I never realized, though, just how great it would be. The smell was coming from an enormous, moving creature called a human being. What a funny thing it was! I nearly split my bazal segment laughing at it. Still, it was ferocious looking. But I was brave, and besides, it smelled delicious. I cautiously lighted upon it. What a surprise I got! It was just like wading through a forest; I could hardly keep my balance. But a Stinger always gets her man! At last I struggled through the obstruction on the out¬ side of the human being and started on my supper. The reward I received more than repayed me. Did it taste good! It was so nice to plunge my beak into this crea¬ ture and draw forth a nice red oozy substance. I’d never tasted anything like it before. (Milk—ugh!) But do you know that selfish creature, instead of letting me have a nice supper, picked up part of himself and threw it at me. Whew! It was a good thing I saw it coming or I wouldn’t be here now. (Oh dear, I wish I weren’t!) That red substance tasted so good that I followed the creature in hopes of getting a bigger meal. That was my mistake! I’ll curse that human being as long as l live. (Only I’m afraid that won’t be long.) The strangest thing had happened—-the air had suddenly become very different. I began to get wor¬ ried and said to myself, “Human being or no human being, Clementina, you’re getting back to Buzzville fast. I was crazy to think it was that easy, though, for I flew awhile and then ran smack into a hard wall. I flew in all directions but I couldn’t escape. I was caught! That old human being had done this to me just because I was looking for a decent meal. Well, I showed him! I flew at him with all the vim and vigor of a true Stinger and dug my beak into him as hard as 1 could. But it didn ' t seem to do any good this time. He just ignored me as Willie Swat had done. He didn’t even try to fight back. Maybe he knew it wouldn’t do any good anyway. By this time I was all in from my attack, so I flew to an object and lit there in order to get rested up a bit. It wasn’t by any means as nice a resting place as the green leaf, this was hard and slip¬ pery. Then, too, there wasn’t any Willie Swat buzzing around that I could make eyes at. However, it served its appointed purpose, and I did feel better after I had rested for awhile. This being the first time I’d really stopped to rest, it was the first chance I’d had to do some thinking. I was thinking about what an exciting life I was leading, and that it really was much more fun being an adult than it had been being a larva or a pupa. I was think¬ ing about the delightful meal I had had from that human being. Then I decided that when I escaped (if I ever did), I’d go right back to Buzzville and tell everyone about my adventures. I was just thinking that that would be the way I’d make Willie Swat notice me when, all of a sudden, I lost my balance and fell right fer- plunk into this pool of milk. And all the flying I can do will never get me out. It’s such a shame, for I’m so beautiful, and—glug! Evelyn Comey A QUIET CHRISTMAS EVE Wooo! Wooo! Wooo! The round house whistle echoed through the hills around Macy, a division point on the Vermont Midland Railroad, shattering the peace of the calm Christmas Eve. As the last reverberations died away into the distance, the vicinity of the railroad yards about the wrecking train became electrified with activity. It was as if some one had suddenly thrown a master switch. People rushed hither and thither, shout¬ ing commands, answering questions, and making a gen¬ eral hullabaloo. “700 piled up at Northfield; bad mess!’’ was on everyone’s lips. “And on Christmas Eve, for Pete’s sake, and us with the night off,” cried one worker to the world in general. Gradually, how¬ ever, out of the hustle and bustle men began to work systematically, and, recovering from surprise and drowsiness, to bring order out of chaos. At last all preparations were somehow completed; the powerful locomotive was coupled to the wrecker, and its train and the men, with the exception of a small group beside the engine, were on board. This group consisted of the yardmaster, the wrecking boss, the en¬ gineer, Bill Jenkins, and one of the work gang, Eddie Somers, a light haired young fellow clad in worn hut serviceable denims. As the knot of men broke up, the latter nervously cleared his throat and asked a question of Bill, to which the engineer replied, “We-ell, we’re not supposed to let anyone ride in the cab, but since you’re working on this road, I don’t see why I shouldn’t let you this once. Climb up there and hurry up! There’s the highball.” Almost before he fully realized the fact, Eddie was perched on the fireman’s box, cau¬ tioned to sit still and keep out of the way. Slowly the engine eased out onto the main line, rolling through clattering switches and gaining momen¬ tum with every turn of the drivers. Louder and louder the exhaust barked, pounding, pounding, pounding un¬ til the sheer rhythm of it seemed to make Eddie’s pulse heat in time. Jolting, jarring, slamming, the cab swayed back and forth with the rolling of the engine until it seemed impossible for the fireman to stand on the pitch- Ten

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THE PIONEER teeth. “Well, you just lie right there until they get here.” Then to show the other men where he was, “Here, Bill, over here!” Within a few seconds the crew reached him and helped him to his feet. “There he is, your trainwrecker. Better help him up; he’s crying, I guess.” “Nice work, kid!” praised Bill. “You ought to get a reward for this. The railroad will probably give one, too. You know—ye gods, it’s the Super.” Eddie suddenly felt very sick, as though someone had unexpectedly kicked him in the stomach. The divi¬ sion superintendent! There went the respect, the re¬ ward, and the job all at once. The Super could actually have him put in jail for assault and battery. Golly. With these and other self-reproaching thoughts, Eddie berated himself. If he had only known. But maybe it wasn’t too late to save his job even now. While the Super’s attention was on the group of men from the train, Eddie tried to edge away toward the track. The men wouldn’t tell on him, and perhaps—His thoughts were interrupted; the Super was calling him back to take his medicine. Well, he’d show them he could take it. Some day he’d make those wise guys wipe the grins off their faces. “And now, young man, I want to make an example of you. (Eddie’s heart began to sink.) Your’s was a very foolhardy trick which had almost disastrous effects on me. You should consider yourself lucky that at the moment I could see the humorous side of the affair and laugh—-which incidentally, I was doing, not crying as you supposed. But now to get back to the point: you did jump on me. (By now Eddie’s heart had sunk completely.) In the first place, we officials saw fit to examine the wreck before we sent for the wrecking crews. As you men guessed, this mess was caused by someone’s tampering with the track, someone who, in¬ cidentally, has long since been picked up by the State Troopers. However, the reason I wish to make an ex¬ ample of this young man is to show the difference be¬ tween his vigilance and your negligence. (For the first time Eddie looked up, wondering if he had misunder¬ stood.) Although it was prompted by a justifiable de¬ sire to get home on Christmas Eve, it was still negli¬ gence. Out of all you men this lad was the only one to perceive my suspicious character and to have imagina¬ tion enough to find a way to effect my capture. He was the only one to worry at all about catching the culprit. (Eddie took his turn at grinning.) Although there is no reward out for my apprehension, Eddie, I still feel that you deserve some token of our appreciation of your wideawake attitude. Therefore, I want you to report to the office in the morning; we can always find a better place for one who really deserves it. Now I see that you’re almost overcome by my munificence, so I’ll leave before you faint on me. Goodnight, all. Merry Christ- mas. He strode away toward the engine. Every tongue seemed to be tied, but it was Eddie who first regained control of his: “Who says there isn’t any Santa Claus?” John Hilchey ADVENTURE IN THE ATLANTIC “Mr. Trotsky?” I looked up, very much surprised. Why shouldn’t I be? No one knew what my name was. Why, I had boarded this ship under the name of John Livinsky. My hand slipped up to my shoulder holster, but no, it would be of no use to resist, since I was on the high seas and could not possibly overcome all hands on an ocean liner. “Mr. Trotsky!” The voice rang out again. The first time it had had a questioning note in it; this time it was one of command. I immediately came to my senses and recognized that the man who was speaking to me was the captain of the vessel. I straightened up and answered, “Yes, sir.” “You are Michael Trotsky, are you not?” “Yes, sir, I am.” I noticed that in his hand he held a radiogram. “Michael Trotsky, I place you under arrest by or¬ der of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation. You shall be placed on board a homecoming ship on arrival at the British Isles. It will be of no avail to resist.” However, my thoughts were not of resistance now that I fully realized what his orders were. I was com¬ pletely stunned. All my work in America was destroy¬ ed. The information which I had obtained would never reach Russia. To be sure, many would not consider my occupation an honorable one, but I was and still am a patriotic citizen of Russia. I had been sent to America as a spy to secure information concerning the United States Navy. In the course of my actions, a government official had been shot, through no fault of mine. Yet, I was being sought for that very killing. Here I was, scarcely a day out on the ocean, with home and family taking up the greater part of my thoughts. Now I was to be sent to my death. The captain spoke again. “As you are on the high seas and cannot possibly escape, I give you the freedom of the ship for the rest of the voyage. You shall be treated as any other passenger until we come in sight of the Irish coast.” This was an extremely unusual procedure, for I was known to be a criminal. However, I believe that this man realized my position. He knew that the mind of a spy is not that of a hardened criminal. A gangster has no respect for anyone and breaks any law that he has a notion to break, but a spy has just one goal in view—to get information. In the course of securing it. he may break a law or two, but as soon as his job is finished, he is once more a law-abiding citizen. I thank¬ ed the captain kindly and resigned myself to my fate. In the course of the next few days, I received nu¬ merous invitations from the captain to attend dinner and other social functions with him. 1 accepted these without hesitation and became well acquainted with T welve