Thomaston High School - Sea Breeze Yearbook (Thomaston, ME)

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THE SEA BREEZE Looking suddenly up, Stanley Holton, who had been walking aimlessly along, found himself before a large building which had incribed over its doorway, St. Alban's Hospital. A thought struck him. He almost laughed aloud. What a joke ! How very fitting! Since he had lived and was on the eve of re- tirement from that former life, why not give himself in order that a less fortunate being might be given one more chance to make up for what he had lost? Still laughing as though the joke was the most amusing he had ever heard, Stanley Holton mounted the steps of St.Alban's. Not long after, he stood before a doctor, Are you quite sure you are willing to undergo this, Mr. Holton? Quite sure, doctor. I know it's a bit irregular. It's really only a whim of mine, but I've always satisfied every one. This is my last whim and- Yes, yes? Plainly the doc- tor was not intereste-d in the personal side of the situation. You are a healthy man, Mr. Holton. This patient seems to have no relatives or friends. So if you are ready-this way please. PK: Pk Il? ASlowly and struggling, Stan- ley Holton tried to pull himself out of the abyss in which he had sunk. He thought he was still roaming through Africa. Under his feet was the wet, sweet grass of the jungle. Far off he could hear the trumpeting of the wild elephant. He smelt again the smoke of the fire around which the natives gathered to tell tales of superstition. And then it had come-that from which he had never recovered, that which had come to him night after night to cause him to wake up in a clammy sweat, unable to close his eyes for hours after. The desert! Those hours and hours alone on the desert! Without food, without shelter, without donkey or camel, and- worst of all-without water! He would always remember it-stumbling, groping under the glaring sun-sometimes en- .eloped in flying sand-skin dry as dust, and the sensation of thorns in his throat. The heat of the sand burned through his boots. His smarting eyes, blind- ed by the sun, played tricks on him. He thought he saw the blue of the river near him. Panting, praying, he had stag- gered to it and--it was not there! Farther off it lay, tan- talizing and mocking him. And the man who had caused this! The man John Adam, who had been his partner. A sneaky long-faced fellow. He had of- fered to cast his lot with Stan- ley Holton's and indifferently the latter had agreed. Then there had come about that mat- ter of rubies which they had found in a native village. From then on, John Adam had only half-'veiled his hatred for his fPage 161

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F!!! i i E3 .EJEQ LITERARY !+x. J-PK. .-dl JM . 'FW' xf'r ' .- Q MM J-I-LJ-I-KQQJ-X-K. 1-l-YQ!-by THE BLO0D EXCHANGE Stanley Holton stared straight before him with eyes that did not see the busy traflic hurrying by. Instead he saw a small, white house, lofty trees shading it, and the fields stretching out on either side. Imagine me there!,' he groaned to himself. Spending the rest of my life in that out-of- the-way place, a worthy and peace-loving citizen. Ugh. Then he shrugged his shoulders and sighed. But I must do it. I'm getting too old to tramp around Africa the way I have been doing. The sooner I face the fact, the better. Besides, there's that book I must write and- His meditations were inter- rupted by a conversation taking place near him. A young man, wearing a taxi-driver's cap and leaning out of the window of his automobile, was saying to the girl who had eagerly hasten- ed to the side of the car, Have they been Working you hard, honey? Oh, St. Alban's isn't bad, replied the girl. But that old man you picked up yesterday and brought there is going to pass out if he doesnit get an- other blood transfusion. The poor guy looked as though he needed plenty. Well, anyway, he's too far gone now, I guess. But come on, Bill. I've only two hours. Let's get goin'. And the girl stepped into the car and was sped away, leaving Stanley Hol- ton with her words ringing in his ears. 1 St. Albanis-a hospital, no doubt, and in it some poor wretch who had been picked up out of kindness of a young taxi-driver. Life had probably not been over kind to the sick man, while to Stanley Holton it had given everything he had wished for. QPage 153

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THE SEA BREEZE partner. What a fool Stanley Holton had been to leave the donkeys and supplies with him. When he had returned they had vanished. Then ha-d that night- mare trip across the desert be- gun. When he had been almost ready to give up, help had come. Two years later he had en- countered John Adam. Word- lessly, but with deadly intent, he had sprung at him, knife in hand. Some on-lookers had separated them, but not before the knife had bit deep, and John Adam had been carried away, blood dripping from his back and shoulder. Stanley Holton now lived the scene over again, and relished it. Awake, Mr. Holton? 'asked the doctor bending over him. Blinking, Stanley Holton said, How's he doing? Doin' fine,', the doctor as- sured him. Who is he anyway? Someone by the name of John Adam, D. Brennan, '31. A MUDERN FAIRY TALE .. ..i- Polly was one of those calm young things who detest staying at home, even to dance by the radio or entertain the boy- friend by the light of a thickly shaded lamp. And she could hardly keep from passing right out when her step-mother posi- tively made her promise to stay in one night a week at least. For cryin' out loud! Did she think a girl wanted to stay at home ALL the time? Now Polly had the misfortune to be a step-daughter whose step-mother was very jealous. Polly didn't begrudge her this, for why shouldn't she be jealous of Polly when her own daughter was so dumb-looking and out- of-date? And yet it was Sadie's own insistence on old-time cus- toms that kept her daughter in such a state. Poor Lithua. She was SO old-fashioned. She never had any of the cute little sport dresses Polly could fash- ion for herself. She was forced to wear drab clothes, very digni- fled and innocent of the frills and ruffles which help to make a girl cute. Her feet were encased in sensi- blei' shoes, an oxford of very low heel. And her hair! It was pulled straight back, laying all the little tendrils which were brave enough to curl, flat, and a huge pug was coiled high up on the back of her head! Lithua -barely twenty and looking like a positive old maid! But Polly never stood for such non- sense, and why should Lithua? If she would only develop a sense of independence such as Polly had! QPage 17j