Stockton High School - Guard and Tackle Yearbook (Stockton, CA)

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:lair 1' 1 7- 7 Y rr I' W 1-I l: I 1151- -7 - I I I I I I I I I :4g:ig1p1p.-. LI I I E I I I il I I I I I I sl: :: iz ,, DEAD fFirst Prize Literary Productionl l'm dead-so they say-been dead for a year-dead and forgotten. And this is the anniversary. Anniversary? Yes, for it was the happiest day of my life-the happiest day in the forty-odd years I spent on earth-years of toil and hardship for old King Gold. We had come down in the rush of forty-nine, Bill and I, and struck it rich. But where we had mined the gold, we placed instead our youth. Yes, we threw our youth into a grave. The years had been a mad rush, a delirious pursuit, a frantic struggle for possession: and finally came success, Strange-now that I think of it-that we hu- mans called that success, for instead of coming off victor, I was a slave held in unrelenting bondage by Gold. I don't seem to be able to remember yet just how it happened, but Bill and I had been fighting over the gold. Oh! yes-we had been drinking-drinking heavily-and, as we became more angry, Bill knocked me over the head with the empty bottle. I remember that he leaned over me, and, not hearing the faint beat of my heart, concluded I was dead. He had always had a fear of ghosts, and so, grab- bing up the gold from the table, he left without a backward -V . n1n11ri:+x: :iz Y :I Ili!-1 J: look. In another moment it seemed as if I were following him, a malignant spirit, restless and haunting. Yet I was still here too. The pain in my head ceased, and a strange feeling of lightness came over me. I suppose I must have died then, for I seemed to be looking down on that bleeding body that was I-and yet was notl Day after day passed, and that lay there in the swel- tering heat, and my dog, dear faithful old creature, finding me dead, lay his head on my breast. But the cat, that I had so petted and fondled, made repeated attempts to suck my bloodg while the dog, guarding me, would growl at her in warning. The door of the hut had latched as Bill closed it, and the poor creatures, unable to escape, lay down to die. The dog, becoming weaker through long days of hunger and thirst, finally died, and the cat watching and planning for the time when he would go, crawled feverishly to where I lay. I looked-and all this I saw-I did not seem to care. It was only interesting to watch her eat. Other days passed, and two prospectors seeing that the cabin was uninhabited, broke down the door andi-there were my bones scattered about the floor, and the cat sitting crouched on my skull. -Katherine Hart. ' 21. 4- W .., -:Y 1 7::i:1 1 1 7: 1:7 7::- - W 5: 31,

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+11...Q.I-14145.-q1..1..1g,.-......1,,.1..1 1 ... .. 1 1 .- 1 1 1 1 .-3 THE PRACTICAL WAY By Albert Campbell QSecond Prize Literary Productionj Bill Williams was the most practical man l ever knew. l have known many people, but Bill has them all looking like visionaries and day-clreamers when it comes to being practical. l-le was practical even in his choice of lady com- panions, which is a point where a great many young fellows fall down. Of course you can see for yourself how sane and sensible a choice of a girl l made, and, as for Bill-, well, l'll tell you how Bill went about choosing a girl to love and provide for until death do us part. ln the first place, as soon as he had passed his eigh- teenth birthday, he began to look around him for a lady- love. As he wanted his girl to be absolutely irreproachable in character, he hunted in our church first. There are some fine girls in our church. l am in a position to know. One Sunday morning after church, Bill started off home with a certain girl. The next Sunday he sat with her in church. The Sunday after that he was with another girl. That did not surprise me. All fellows have two or three loves before they settle on one for life. Bill went home that Sunday with his second girl, and sat with her the Sunday after. The next week he had still a different girl. The cam- paign was now being noticed by the old women of the church, and Bill was seriously discussed at the next Sewing Circle meeting, which was held at my home. .41...1W.-uimiuiqu-nigig-.....,-11.10.-qqin.-n.-.lui 1 -. 1 1 .- -.gig-gg -rl: zzmf:--:fn , ::-an :ln :-an-1 If ::11n1n:u-an-au1un1l1su1u1n1l1l0 But Bill kept it up until he had kept two weeks' com- pany with every girl in the church, including mine. None of us could understand it. l had heard that curiosity killed a cat, but l was not a catg so l decided to risk my life and ask him what his idea was. l got an earful when l did ap- proach him on the subject. Approach him on the sub- ject is the phrasing for it, but l really approached him on the sidewalk. Bill, l began, there shouldn't be any secrets between friends, should there? No, he replied. Well, l continued, if it's any of my business, why have you been keeping company with so many different girls? Well, you see it's like this, Al. l'll have to marry one of them some clay, won't I? l didn't see why one should have to marry, but l agreed that a man would be a fool not to marry a good girl if he had the chance. Well then, he continued, l want to find out all l can about them, so l'll know what kind of a girl l want. And weren't you satisfied with any of the girls in our church? l demanded. if n No. Why? Well, the first one made too many eyes. She was a vamp. :I-1 :fl-on .2 :gi-ne 1 gp--Q11 gp-u-I-ll--u--siitiillll-'U'-U9