Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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24 THE CHIMES I was scra]) ' ng up an extra larg ' e handful when niy eye ' s were attracted Iw a white forn.i which I mistook for that of a caterpillar. I never had seen so white a caterpillar and so I examined it more carefully. To my astonishment I found that it had four tinv leg ' s and a pair of beautiful little eyes which were watching- me carefully from beside a stem of moss. I w as delighted beyond words, for it was none other than a tiny newt, •hich I had ahvays wished to see. It w as about an inch and one-half long and had a diameter of about three-sixteenths of an inch. Its upper half w as a rich reddish brown and its under side pure wdiite. Both its ur] er and lower sides were covered with a mucous pe- culiar to the batrachian group. Its legs were very short in comparison with its body and tapered towards the body rather than away. It had four dainty toes on its front feet and five on its hind feet. The tail, which I thought would be long, was stubby and I w as led to think that it must have been broken off, but later a new tail grew. The eyes of this newt, I think, excelled in beauty any gem I had ever seen. They were go d around the edges which spark- led with a jet black center like a true gem. As the newt did not move, I gave it a slight tap on the end of its tail. It gave a leap fully eight times its own length and started on the most ridiculous amble that ever Avas staged. Eirst it advanced the front leg and the hind leg on the other side, then just the reverse. During this walk its long body, similar to a w easel ' s, and its tail wiggled in unison. I put it is a ball of moss and, forgetting every- thing, ran home. I secured the most beautiful ma3-onnaise bottle I could find and placed the newt and moss in it. Then I added a little water and put the whole on my desk. There I added a little water an4 put the whole on my desk. There Mr. Newt stayed until the first of September and in- creased in wisdom and stature upon a diet of air and good- ness-knows- what. One might have asked how this little amphibian could live over three months with nothing to eat. I certainly did not intend that it should starve and so I caught a number of plant lice and small ant ' s and put them in its jar. 1 do not know whether the newt disliked this bill of fare or found

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THE CHIMES 23 MY FRIEND THE MINUTE NEWT Charles Colman, ' 32 One balmy day late last May, lured to my log ' retreat, I di ' scovered to my great surprise that the borers, beetles and what-not in their bewitching agony of spring ' fever had wrought such vengeance on the chinking of the cabin in their mad rush for the open that they must have forgotten completely to shut the doors to their winter homes. In truth, glowing shafts of life-giving sunlight flooded thru several slits and formed patches of gold on the rough floor. I was not angry with these insects; I was really glad they had filled my cabin with holes. I know how they felt on that glorious day when all the world was waking up and re- birth was everywhere. And I was glad to go down by the bubbling brook to gather the cool moist moss once more to the cheerful tune of the old man in the brook who seemed to bubble out his peace like one bursting over with joy. I lifted the bulky moss basket from its nail and swung it over my shoulder. Then I wound my way to the brook along the path which was shaded by fresh leaves and bord- ered with dainty hairbells and pure white anemones. A tiny grass snake wiggled lazily away. Approaching a more shaded section, I encountered a swarm of pine flies, who lit on my neck and arms in buzz- ing clusters. But there is one thing about the pine flies which I like, and that is that they are very easy to kill. Whether it is because they have a yellow streak down their back or that the warmth of their favorite weather makes them slow to move as it does me, I cannot say. Upon arriving at the top of the hill overlooking the brook, I could hear the old man of the brook mumbling to himself, and in a few minutes I was on the good old bridge. I no- ticed that the cowslips were well gone by anjrl the skunk cabbage was fully knee-high. Just appearing at the surface of the water two fat spatter-dock buds could be seen. Having arrived at the brook and having taken a slight rest, (it was getting uncomfortably warm) I proceeded to gather the moss (the reindeer moss) which grew in large spongy patches on the banks of the brook.

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THE CHIMES 25 that its mouth would not open wide enough to get them within. But the fact remains that there was no perceptible loss of life among- the bugs. However, the newt seemed to thrive so well that I concluded it must have eaten some min- ute food which could not be distinguished by the naked eye. I changed the moss every two weeks so that it might get a fresh supply of its invisible food. The newt actu- ally grew a half -inch tail during its stay with me. The little fellow was great company at my desk. Some- times I would be led to think that it had escaped it blended so well with the moss, but after a closer examination T would discover it peeping out at me, its long neck arched up like a cobra ready to strike. When I took it from th glass and deposited it on my arm, it would start a race for the concealment of my arm sleeve and often made me burst out laughing with its comical gait. I was deeply moved when one day I looked for the little fellow and found it dead for I had associated many happy memories with it. A DESCRIPTION June Hundrickson, ' 34 Slower fell the feathery flakes, calmer blew the tempes- tuous winds, gradually the storm clouds broke, and then a bright silvery moon sailed majestially past the storm-lined clouds up to her celestial abqde in the wintry sky. In the shimmering rays, the tall gaunt trees stood darkly silhou- etted against the crystal white blanket of snow which had so recently fallen. The wind, still howling , swept through their leafless branches, causing their shadows to look like a spectre host, come from some gloomy underworld to in- vade the now serene and tranquil earth. Off in a distance only the occasional howl of a lone dog broke the — yes, ghastly silence. But the once radiant, shining moon is per- ceptibly waning. Her duty is done for awhile. It is now the reign of the golden sun.