Somerset Academy - Athenaeum Yearbook (Athens, ME)

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LITERARY plane in a small bay on the southwest side of the island. All went well for a few days and I had found where most of the ore lay. However, on the fifth day, as we were doing some last minute recon- noitering, all at once, out of the foliage charged 18 savage, bloodthirsty natives. One after an- other I fired my last six bullets and six of the can- nibals lay dead, to no avail, faithful Eatimup and I couldn't get ahead in the battle. We were taken to the native village and put in a hut to await our fate. Then Eatimup started groaning, Me got heap big ache. Last time me feelum this way was time me eatum baloney. All cannibals get heap sick if swallow baloneyf' Next morning we were awakened and dragged to a Hre over which hung a huge pot. When I learned that they were going to stew me, I got angry. In fact, I was boiling. I told them off. I reminded them how sweet, kind, and wonderful I was. The chief then interrupted and said, Ugh, too much. We not eat you if you last man on earth, begonef' On our way home Eatimup remarked, It heap- good for us that you full of baloneyf' I never did learn what he meant. I guess he just didn't ap- preciate my great speech to the chief. VVELDON FRENCH '53 lt Should Hove Worked As I was reading the daily paper, an article caught my eye and I stared in disbelief. A movie star coming to Athens! And believe it or not, it was Clark Cable, my one and only heart throb. I quickly read the article and noticed that he would be at a party three days away, but how could I stand a chance against Marion Tuttle and Pearl Small, the town belles! In dismay I went up to the attic and sat down by the window where I often spend my time when I am troubled. I was glancing around the room when suddenly I saw an old, dusty book. Curiously I picked it up. I was startled when I read the title, Modern Witchcraft. I was about to put it back when a sudden thought came to me. The Love Potion! Could it be in there? Quickly I looked through the index, there it was. IO Turning to the indicated page, I quickly found the recipe: 1 rotten egg, well beaten 1 cup stagnant water 5 cat claws, well ground 1 spear of hair from a person's head Boil at midnight and chant these words, I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish I'd get the Wish I wish tonight. With horror I closed the book and sat down, but my mind kept wandering back to it and soon I was making plans. Luck was with mel I had found an old rotten egg behind the barn only the day before. There was an old well in a vacant lot nearby, it was said to be stagnant. A neigh- bor's cat had been run over recently and was buried across the road, and my hair is always plentiful. I took the rest of the day to get these ingredi- ents togetherg but by nightfall I was ready. I went upstairs to my room and waited until 11230. Quietly I crept downstairs and found an old kettle. When the clock struck 12, the mixture was boiling and I started chanting, I wish I may, I wish I might, I wish I'd get the wish I wish tonight. Quickly I bottled the liquid and went back to bed to dream about the party. I got ready for my venture early and slipped out before' anyone saw me. My luck was still with me when I arrived at the party. A girl who was to be a waitress was sick and I was asked to take her place. Mr. Cable sat next to my table so it was easy to slip some of my concoction into his tea. I waited around, but nothing happened and to my disappointment Mr. Cable didn't even notice me. As soon as possible I left in dismay and hurried to the attic to read the recipe over again. I was ready to give up when I saw a small note at the bottom of the page. I read, This potion will not work if mixed -with tea leaves. In disgust I went to bed and decided, that once and for all, I was through with men. BEVERLY FINNEMORE '55 Christy: Elwood is an awful flirt. I wouldn't trust him too far. Marguerite: Huh, I wouldn't trust him too near.

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LITERARY off the enemy until reinforcements arrived. I climbed into the cockpit fully aware of the dangers that confronted me. It would be one against about 16 or I7 of the enemy. The fact that I was the only plane on our side helped because now I could shoot at anything and feel quite sure it wasn't a friendly plane. I started the battle by shooting down six of my foes before they discovered where I was. After this the going was a little tough and the most I got at a time were three. The fight lasted about an hour. During that time I shot down or crip- pled I3 enemy planes and sent the rest home in rather swift departure. Upon landing I was rushed before the big boss who begged that I keep the battle secret as he might lose his job if it got around that all but one of his planes were laid up at one time. Being the modest fellow that I am, I consented to his plan without hesita- tion. It is for this reason that the newspapers never published my daring feat. NORISIAN FINNEMORE '53 My Neighbor's Radio My neighbor has the oddest and noisiest radio that ever was manufactured. The make, I be- lieve, is Philco, but that means nothing. I know of many Philco radios and none of these could ever equal, say nothing of surpassing, my neigh- bor's radio. It is the funniest contraption I have ever seen. It has no buttons to turn it off or on, it has no volume knob to turn it up or downg it is always going full blast, and worst of all it never breaks down like other radios do. I got up at seven on Monday morning to find that radio blaring away at top volume. I didn't like this very well as I couldnit enjoy my break- fast with that horrible noise going on across the street. About noon I was nearly fed up so I cut the antenna wire off close to the radio, thinking the thing would stop playing, but much to my sur- prise it played all the louder. So I went back home to think up a new way to stop this menace which was plaguing the neighborhood. After many false starts I finally went to the gentleman's house to ask him if he would please make less noise. When I knocked, nobody an- swered. After rapping on every window and nearly breaking down the front door, I discovered he wasn't at home, he had left on a week's vaca- tion and had forgotten to turn the radio off. ROBERT POLAND '53 My Unforgettable Moment When I was three years old, I was playing on the floor with my year and a half old brother, when there came a knock on the door. I had just recently acquired the habit of answering the door, so before my mother could get there, I ran over and opened it myself. I just stood and looked, for there in front of me stood the small- est, queerest man I had ever seen. He was only about three feet tall, all dressed in a black tuxe- do and a tall black hat. His face was very shiny and he had a big mouth. He was so terrible looking that I ran screaming to my mother for protection. When safely attached to her skirt, I peeked out to see if the man was still there. Much to my surprise, out from behind the door came father laughing. He picked up the monstrosity and by this time I could see that my little man was nothing more than a large doll dressed as Charlie McCarthy. GERALDINE Mrsnou '52 Escape from the Cannibals One day several years ago I was asked by a government agency to explore a tropical island in the South Pacific. The purpose was to locate a great quantity of minerals which were necessary in the production of the atomic bomb. The United States wanted to secure these minerals before Russia, and despite the natives who were savage cannibals and head-hunters. I packed my bag and took off for the island which cannot be named because it is a govern- ment secret. Accompanying me was a native guide, an ex-cannibal named Eatimup who was civilized. At the edge of civilization loo miles from our destination, we engaged a small single- engine plane for the rest of the trip. I landed the 9

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LITERARY The Peter Piper Pickle Company The Peter Piper Pickle Company was started back in 1776 by old Peter Piper who set up the pickle business in an old shack on his farm in Lexington, Alaska. At that time he was 16 years old, and every year, generation after generation, it grew to be the world's largest pickle company. The company is now run by Peter Piper XXIV who has over zoo pickle factories and is a multi- billionaire. The company puts pickles up in ten-gallon cans, because when people buy a big jar of Peter Piper pickles, they would always want the largest one, so they sell all their pickles in ten-gallon cans. All Peter Piper pickles are imported from Si- beria and preserved in moth balls until they get to the United States, where they are taken by ox-cart to the Peter Piper pickle factory for manufacture. So why don't you try the small, economy, ten- gallon jar today? ROBERT HAYDEN '54 Woodland Voices Mother Nature created many wonders in the woods which change as the seasons come and go. In the spring while the ground is still damp, one can walk along almost noiselessly over soft mossy carpets listening to the birds chirp happi- ly as they go about building new homes. Scamp ering through the trees the squirrels and chip- munks can be heard chattering back and forth. Breezes threading their way through tender leaves hum an unpitched tune, while the sound of soft ripples in the brook may mean a young doe is quietly drinking nearby. Everywhere is sensed the new awakening in Nature's realm. Have you ever sat in silence on a blanket of needles among the pines on a warm summer day and watched little insects appear as they go about making the most of a short life? An ant scurries over the root of a tree, heading for a planned des- tination. Up the bark of the same tree works a small green worm, inch by inch. The only sound is the buzz of flies or the whine of an occasional mosquito. All is at peace with the world and a more restful atmosphere cannot be found. Fall is the noisiest time of the year. The leaves of the trees rustle as they fall to the ground in a multicolored shower. A deer, startled from its evening feeding, crashes off to safe haunts. Heard from beech to oak the steady jabber of the chipmunks can only mean that winter is hard by and time has come to hoard for long cold months. The whole forest world is ablaze in all its gay and boisterous parade. Tempus fugitf' A quiet has descended over hill and valley. ln one great sweep, overnight, an invisible band has erased the autumn splen- dor and color has given way to the purity of snow white. The hibernating animals have set- tled down to sleep and keep warm. The birds have long since left for sunnier climes. Only a huge white Snowshoe rabbit or stray mouse ven- tures abroad to view the silent winter wonderland. Yes, Mother Nature has provided for us an ever-changing panorama of sights and sounds that can never be duplicated by man. One has only to penetrate the deep woods to find a tran- quillity needed to heal the wounds of a hectic and chaotic world. MADELYN FARRIN '52 A Trip to the Moon It is the day of June 1, 1965, when the moon is closest to the earth and we are ready to start on man's first flight in outer space. The name of the rocket ship is The Great Dragon and it is the largest ship of its kind. Accompanyingrme on this trip to the moon are Dr. Carroll Hall, radio operator Delmar Barker, ccrpilot Douglas Farrin, Pvt. Eldon French and Pvt. Larry Butter- field, while I will be pilot and the one in full charge of the trip. We are taking plenty of oxy- gen, fuel, food, water and warm clothing. It is now ten o'clock in the morning, we in- struct someone to set off the rockets. There is a terrific roar, and I am set back in my seat so hard that l don't realize how fast we are going. Ar- riving outside of the gravitational region of the earth, I shut the motors off and coast the rest ,of the way to the moon at about the speed of light. U