Siskiyou Union High School - White and Gold Yearbook (Weed, CA)

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MIRAN DA FIRST PLACE STORY If a flame is to gro-o-w there must be a glo-o-ow, to open each-- Turn off that radio, Mirandalv Ah, Pa, what do you want me to do, sit and twiddle my thumbs? If I can't go out, tonight, I don,t see why I can't play the radio. To each his own, to each his own, and my own is yo-0-ouf' For the last time, Miranda, turn of that radio! I'm trying to read my paper and all I can hear is some darn fool groaning about a rose in the rain. And I mean right nowf' Oh, all right, Pa. You just don't care if you are ruining my life. And now that my life is positively being ruined, you won't even let me do little ordinary things like playing the radiof' , Now, Miranda, we wonlt start that over again. Nobody's ruining your life. I told you if you went to that game last night, you couldn't go out tonight. And I don't want to hear another word about it. Go get your homework and get busy on it. I did it in study-hallf' All of it? Yes. .1 Quiet reigns. Mr. West tries to get his eveningls enjoyment out of his paper, and Miranda lies sprawled tragically on the sofa just staring at the silent radio and thinking her own private thoughts. The phone rings! Miranda makes a wild leap for it, but her father gets to it first. Hello-Who?-No, this is Mr. West.', Turning to Miranda who is waiting impatient- ly, he says, Here, I guess this is for youg one of your girl friends. Hi-Buzz-yeah-Oh, nothing-A C, what did you get?-D, for gosh sakes. I copied from you. Oh! Buzz, yes-No, I'm positive, and what am I going to do?--He just can't do this to me! He made the date with me first. I wouldn't mind if it was any girl but that Lottie Evans! By this time Miranda, carrying the phone with her, has sunk into her father's arm chair. Mr. West now tries the sofa. He arranges the pillows which Miranda had piled on the floor and settles down with his paper, which for some odd reason is beginning to lose its interest. The conversation of which Mr. West hears only one side fbut that is plentyj con- tinues. 'But, Buzz, taking her 'to the'game' after all+What was she wearing anyway?- that awful green thing--Well, I just don't see what some girls have that fascinate men so-Yes, Buzz, I know, I'm just simply desperate-I've just got to go to the dance to- night. After all, he made the date a week ago. Don't you think he'll keep it?-But, Buzz, the terrible thing is Pa says I can't go out!-No, he really means it-Parents can be so cruellv At this point Mr. West frowns at his paper but continues reading. But, Buzz, you know I bought that new dress--Yes, that really smooth one. Oh! Isn't life just too rugged-I just know he won't come, but if he does, I've got to tell him I can't go-What?-the dress? Of course not, silly. What would I have it on for? I just know he w0n't come, so why get it all mussed up? just to think that that simply divine dress will hang in my closet foreverf' Mr. West puts down his paper and looks at Miranda quite sternly, Can,t you hang up on Buzz and give me some peace and quiet? Buzz, Pa is getting difficult as usual. Listen, though, go to that dance with loc and have fun. And poison Lottie's coke if you can-Oh! Buzz, you're nuts, I just know he wonlt come-Bye now. Miranda moves slowly out of Mr. West,s chair and starts for the stairs. She is the picture of utter despair. Mr. West, after regaining his favorite position, calls Miranda. He obviously has a lot to say but only says a little of it because he knows Miranda won't be listening. All Mr. West says is, You can go out tonight. 23

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every person for an average home, and the necessities of a life of security. But, because of political complications and a number of people unwilling to contribute their time and effort for so just a cause, production and distribution are hindered. Points like these must be considered and altered. A country can survive economically only when exports and imports are balanced. A country cannot .produce everything it needs, but then again it cannot depend entirely on its imports. Production is the key to a prosperous world. With proper production and distribution we can go a long way toward world prosperity. FRITZ ELLICKSON '47, Yreka High School. WORLD PRGSPERITY THRQUGH PRODUC-l-IGN HONORABLE MENTION ESSAY In the world today there is more unrest and turmoil between nations than there was just preceding the last war. It seems that men have not yet ironed out their economic prob- lems. These problems are really quite basic in nature. Each man, woman and child is fight- ing for food, shelter and necessities of life. In some countries these problems of the liveli- hood of the people are very serious. But whether our country is as sorely concerned in this matter or not, the situation is obviously one for the whole world to face because it directly affects world prosperity. The problem, as we see it, is really one of lagging production. Industries are not produc- ing at a fair rate, transportation is behind, and consequently trade is slowed up. To promote foreign exchange, and thus preserve our markets, is more important at the moment than signing the peace treaties. International trade is essential to fostering good will among all countries and peoples because trade connects the world by means of an economic life- line from country to country. Trust and friendship come only when the stomachs of the people are full. Thus industry must produce. Goods must be plentiful, for how else can international trade be encouraged? Exchange of goods and ideas must be maintained in a steady stream among nations. To do this, obstacles in the way of production must be removed. New paths can be opened for research and development of needed ideas. Conservation of raw materials can be practiced so that the supply will be constant for the factories. Strikes and tie-ups can be kept at a minimum in the industries. Jurisdictional disputes should be outlawed as a means of eliminating unnecessary work stoppage. Collective bargaining should be used as much as is possible in settlement of labor-management problems. If we fail in this, men will die, countries become impoverished, and war will result. War means atomic war and destruction of mankind. For further proof of the imperative need for production, we have only to look at the war-ravished countries such as Germany and Japan. Throughout the war production of arms and munitions was kept up in these countries. These goods were useful only in de- struction, and they reaped the people no harvest in wool and grain. For a people must have something to exchange with another people for their goods. A country goes bankrupt if it just pays out money for imports and has no income from its exports. The working man today is Worth as much to a nation as all its gold and wealth. Together labor and capital can produce. Wealth alone can buy for only a limited amount of time. Soon it will lose its value, for money is only a medium of exchange. And the working man alone cannot produce without capital backing him. Thus labor and capital throughout the world must cooperate for unity and prosperity, because production is their responsibility. NANCY WATKINS '47, McCloud High School. 22

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Oh, Pa, not reallyli' I've changed my mind. After all, a ruined life is a pretty terrible thing to have on one's conscigncef' Gee, if only he would come now. I'd better get ready. Miranda plants a big kiss on her father,s forehead and sails out of the room. She is nearly halfway up the stairs .doing two at a time, when a series of thumps, rattles, knocks, and squeaks followed by a loud blast on a somewhat ancient horn, announces the arrival of the Boy Friend. Miranda retraces her steps, this time doing three in a leap, and after opening the front door, shouts, Hi! Dan-the old car sounds pretty smooth tonight-Yeah, be ready in a minute, just gotta comb my hair. And believe it or not, Miranda, wearing the new dress, is seated beside Dan in his old Ford on her way to the dance in about ten minutes. Just shows what a girl can do when she's desperate enough fand young enoughj. NANCY WATK1Ns '47, McCloud High School. THE MURDERER'S SIDE SECOND PLACE STORY I, as you have probably guessed from the title, am a murderer. I am going to cell you of my exploits. First, I must tell you the motive, since all murderers have motive of one type or another. My rich relative on my Mother's second cousin's Great G'randfather's side by marriage has a will which he will change if I and the other two hundred and twenty heirs don't mend our ways. Because, you see, we're all a nasty lot. Something must be done about this. So comes murder. First, I thought of a big party -naturally at his place. Then while all the relatives are in the main hall leering at each other, I slink silently up the stairs fmurderers always slinkj. I then proceed to beat his brains out with a poker. The next step is to divert suspicion from myself. The best way to do this is to make myself number one suspect, because everyone knows the main suspects never commits the murder, except' this once of course. So I strew my personal effects about the corps, includ- ing my wallet, my handkerchief, etc. Then I leave to join the others. Now is the time to start worrying. Oh, not about the police, they never catch their murderer in murder stories, but about the hero. The main trouble is that I don't know who he is. It,s as bad as the hero trying to find who the murderer is. After a murder in a mansion, everyone stays around to see who will be murdered next. So to keep the story moving, I killed a few more people for various reasons. Now the hero is getting hot on my trail. I know this because this is approximately where he does in all murder mysteries. Though I admit this isn't much of a mystery. By the way, by this time I have discovered who the hero is. None other than Ulysses Upperbottom of the Van Snaif Upperbottoms. Since I know who he is, he must know who I am. So he calmly assembles the congre- gation and proceeds to tell them how I committed the murder. How did he know? Well, he took out the drain beneath the sink where I had washed the blood off my hands and found my fingerprints on the blood. I then pull out my gun, which I had concealed under my toupe, and say with a snarl, Yes, I did it, and I'm glad, GLAD! The police who have been waiting outside the door all this time break it down fthey havenlt learned to use doorknobs yetj and catch me red- handed. Subsequently I am dragged off to jail. And here I am. Just for killing an old geezer who evicted widows and orphans from their flats, foreclosed mortgages, and made faces at babies. The world is much better off without him. That's gratitude for you. i CREIGHTON WHITE, Junior, Yreka High School. 24