Townsend Harris High School - Crimson Gold Yearbook (Flushing, NY)

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,ex 4 l . Q 9 ggi 1 ,, 5 ' 93555 itil , U X m 'Q Ji S! . 3 . 4 Xi I ol. A M' Page Fifty-Eight taken place-in his own handwriting, too! People had been known to walk and talk in their sleep, but nobody had ever heard of a person writing a description of a dream while he was still asleep. No, such things never happened. It couldn't have been a dream. All the details of that event- ful evening came rushing back to him now-Shakespeare's appearance, the conversation, and then his mysterious departure. It sounded just a bit fool- ish in broad daylight, but here was positive proof of his belief that he had met and talked with Shakespeare! True, the document had not been signed by the immortal playwright, but it had been witnessed and ap- proved by him. The more joe thought about it, the firmer became his belief in the reality of the adventure. joe went to school that day wth a burning desire to make known his tremendous- ly important discovery about Shakes- peare-to benefit mankind-to show the world the errors it had made and, in general, to be an extremely desir- able member of society, one who had earned the respect and admiration of all his fellow human beings. joe took a quick glance at the clock and rushed out. He had barely enough time to get to school and was even on the verge of taking a taxi- so great was his need for haste. When he reached school, his excitement could hardly be controlled. Never- theless, he had to wait until the fifth hour, when he had English, to make his startling revelation. After what seemed like ages, two o'clock came around. He smiled inwardly as he walked into the room. Little did the students and the teacher know what a great surprise he had in store for them! As was expected, the instructor im- mediately began the work of testing his pupils' knowledge of Shakespeare. As was also expected, the students in- terpreted certain specified passages, repeating verbatim the explanations the instructor had given earlier in the term. Everything was fine. The in- structor was pleased because his stud- ents had so accurately mastered his teachings. The students were pleased because the instructor was pleased and was giving out tens quite freely. The period was nearly half gone, and as yet joe had not had opportunity to air his great discovery. He was fairly bursting with suppressed knowledge and wisdom. Twenty-five minutes to -twenty minutes to. It seemed as if he would never be recognized. Finally, he could stand it no longer. He must be heard! He jumped to his feet and shouted, NSTOP! You are all wrong. None of you know what you are talk- ing about! Only I know the truth, for Shakespeare told me himself last night. While the class sat and gaped at him with open-mouthed astonish- ment, he proceeded to unfold the amazing tale of his conversation with Shakespeare. Needless to say, they were in an uproar by the time he finished. A, veritable bedlam had broken out, only this time there was but one idiot-or so the class thought. At first joe's classmates had been taken aback at his dramatic interruption and his un- believable story, then their cries of astonishment were superseded by yells of derision. Each student was trying to outdo his neighbor in suggesting a suitable treatment for him. joe was terribly chagrined and dis- sappointed. He had not been hailed as a hero, as he had imagined. His coup de grace, the paper that Shakes- peare had been about to sign when he was called back to his eternal resting place by the milkman, had fallen upon deaf ears, for the class was now in open revolt. P In vain, joe tried to explain-point- ing to his paper with tears in his

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were a little harder, and lasted longerf' joe was all enthusiasm now, Oh, boy! just wait until my English teacher hears of this. l'll bet this is the greatest discovery in the field of literature since Adam started the vogue of eating apples to keep the doctor away! But how can I make them believe me, Bill? All this would seem so fantastic, so unreal, that no- body would place any faith in our revelation. XYfhy not write it down? sug- gested Shakespeare, and then I'll sign the statement. The skeptics could then compare the signature with those that have already been proven genuine, and so the truth of the mat- ter could be made known. Joe thought it was a great idea, and proceeded to write down the con- versation he had just had. !'How's that?'l he exclaimed, showing the finished work to his friend. That's fine! Shakespeare replied, !'l'll sign it now. just as he grasped the pen and pre- pared to affix his signature to the paper, the raucous sound of a milkman clattering down the street, rent the air. Shakespeare gave a short gasp. His body seemed to be gradually dis- solving into a thin mist. First his arms, then his legs disappeared and floated away. live got to go now, joe, he said. His voice had a strange, hollow, far away sound. His body still seemed to be disintegrating and now only his head and shoulders were left. Goodbye, joe. You know all we dead people must be back in our graves as soon as the cock crows. There aren't any cocks in the city so St. Peter decreed that the milkmen should be substituted. 'The milkman tolls the knell of part- ing nightf So long, joe. Good luck to you .... His voice trailed off into a faint whisper. joe was so entranced by this trans- formation that for a while he could do nothing but stare. Finally, he woke up and shouted, say, wait a minute, Bill, you forgot to sign the paper. Cant you wait just a second? It's so important! Hey, Bill! But Shakes- peare had now entirely disappeared, and Joe was left all alone in the room -alone with the memories of his dis- tinguished visitor. Joe then stumbled into bed, harboring very pleasant thoughts. He had spoken with Shakes- peare-said to be the greatest writer that ever lived. With his help he had made a discovery which was sure to cast a new light on the entire Elizabethan age and might revolution- ize the theatre, even the mode of liv- ing of the whole nation. Yes, it sure- ly was good night's work. joe's name would go down in history as the man who had ushered in a new era of culture and philosophy-who had discovered and righted grievous mis- takes of hundreds of years' standing. Perhaps he would become even more celebrated than Lindbergh! Perhaps. joe awoke from a sound sleep feel- ing very much refreshed. The silly dreams of the previous night had en- tirely vanished now. Yes, that was all it was, an idiotic nightmare. Joe dressed hurriedly-it seemed that he was always late. He surveyed the jumbled mass of books and papers on his desk. Some day he'd get real am- bitious and clean it all up. The first few books on the top of the heap went into his brief case, the next two or three into the bookcase .... Suddenly, a large sheet of yellow paper caught his eye. He was sure he had never seen that piece of paper before. He picked it up and read it hurriedly. Why it was a copy of his conversation with Shakespeare! The whole thing seemed like a far-off dream-a hazy mirage. Yet here was a written copy of everything that had A J1- E. '5' X U- a f J a ri! ! S 4 1. 2 y .lllfi .fig i . 9 W, i 01 f, ,1- ! I i ill! ,bk-J ' i ga l eff Q ll ! IDA l Page Fifty-Seven

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eyes. Then the bell, ever merciful, broke up the gathering which had threatened to end in a riot. The stud- ents filed out-still hurling epithets at joe. , He remained behind-trying to hold back the tears and to find consolation in the fact that they laughed at Co- lumbus, Robert Fulton, and the Wright Brothers, etc. The instruc- tor walked over to him and patted him gently on the head. You'd better go home and take a l-o-n-g rest, joe, Youive been studyng too hard lately, and your mind needs a complete vaca- tion. I'll see that your absence won't be counted against you, and in two or three weeks, you will feel like a new person .... T' joe exploded at this treatment. But Mr ......................... , I tell you it's really true. I'm not crazy, and I wasn't dreaming. I tell you I actu- ally Jaw Shakespeare and talked to him .... - F 'vt if , y at 1 iul -ga ,.,,i ji'-7' f ' 4 WW ! W ' f 9 - I W imsm - The instructor would hear no more of the whole disagreeable affair, and insisted on hustling joe home. Soon the doctor, the instructor and joe's par- ents succeeded, ostensibly, in convinc- ing him that the whole story had been the product of an overworked brain, but no one could 'explain the presence of the paper recording joe's conversa- tion with Shakespeare. THE END FRIENDSHIP 'Tis like a beam of golden sunshine, a thought divine and pure, Like some great and beauteous statue, bound forever to endure. It can ne'er be ought but godlike, for its very theme is love, 'Tis the base of all man's goodness, ,tis a gift sent from above. No one evil, no one malice, can destroy its binding ties, For the faith on which it's founded is eternal as the skies. It does not end wth brief life's ending, but goes on beyond the grave, 'Tis a spirit that is holy, a spirit that is brave. 'Tis like the greatest of all virtues, like a dewdrop shining bright, Like the solemn peace of morning, the embodiment. of right. 'Tis a beautiful bar of music, sounding sweet and clear, 'Tis a blessing of the holy gods-profound, complete, sincere. I I T S fa vit lille W3 ew ll 1324 P is i v. , 5.7 fl Qui - f V l W 'U in cg' 'xggv 3 G il . lv 24' . i Page Fifty-Nine