University High School - Cub Yearbook (Oakland, CA)

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THE RAT By Rose If G II 'll bell s tolled . , through the mist that en- ved ' veloped the Sl0Wly-1I1OV- i ing square-rigger, Tus- carora, as Mfhe Rat, her execu- tive, slunk from the bridge and si- lently made his way aft. A cold sweat broke forth upon tl1e fore- headof Patty Shanahan, and he laid a big hand upon the sleeve of his chattering young companion at the wheel with the swift command, 'glunk that gab, boy, till I give you the word 1 New and uninitiated, with an effort, the youngster restrained ut- terance of the eager questions crowding to his lips. Wfliat was this man, this c1'eature, the very sight of whom he had seen bring an expression of horror to the face of even this seasoned tar? VVhat fearful things had he done or might he dog why should all shud- der in his presence? O n e d a y aboard and al- ready the boy had felt a pos- itive sensation F of disgust, re- pulsion, reluc- t a n t l y a c- knowle d g e d fear pulsate throu gh o ll t his senses at t he m er e proximity of the s p y in g officer as he had brushed Segure by him under the bridge. It was the boy's first trick at the lee-wheel. He had thrilled at the thought of it earlier in the even- ing, but now, so active a hold had the insidious Rat,' taken upon the boys imagination, that even the novelty of a mid-watch trick at the wheel with Patty paled beside it. As soon as he could tear his fas- cinated gaze from the rapidly dis- appearing figure, his bright eyes, eagerly expectant, fastened them- selves to the tense form of the big fellow at the weather-wheel, waiting for some sign of relaxa- tion. Several moments passed, none was evident, he ventured to speak. I say, Pattyf, but once again the hand of the big seaman silenced him. 'cPipe down, Johnny. lNIum's the word aboard this packet if you of the brigln Eyes glued to the compass, Patty's f ace still s h o n e W h i t e a n d strained in the light of the binnacle. B r i g b e hanged! That guy has the gang of you bluffed. VVho or what is he, anyway T ' want to keep clear ll V

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P AWAKE AT LAST! A surplus in the coffers of the student body of University high school! For the first time in many se- mesters, the regular allowance of the numerous organizations as given them by the student body treasury did not have to be cut down to the minimum. W h at is our present wealth due to? It is gen- erally agreed that this con- goooiw dition is the 0 result of bet- te r or aniza- tion dill the K Q' part of both faculty and student of fi- cials. N ever be- fore have the various insti- tutions joined together to form what is now known as the finance commission. This group is at present composed of the commissioner of finance, the commissioner of girls affairs, the student body president, the busi- ness managers of the Daily U-N-I and Cub T1'acks, the commissioner of publicity and the faculty treas- urer, as well as the advisor of our publications system. This semester a. new system of selling student body cards. which are one of the mainstays of sup- port, and U-N-I cards was intro- duced by this commission. During the campaign, which lasted a week the ninety salesman made it possi- ble for individuals to secure their cards by means of personal inter- vi e w s and such. As a result, m o r e t h a n eleven hundred stu- d e n t b o d y cards w e r e sold by the end of th e first quarter. This is th e highest quota K5 that has ever QD jf been reached U so early in the semester. f JL? A new slo- W gan was intro- 0 duced by the commissioner of girls af- fairs, Dorothy Hays, who went into every one of the girls clubs with the message, UFirst you are a member of the student body and then you are a member of a clubf' Un the eve of our recent Student Body night, the big entertainment of the term, at which a great deal of the school revenue is secured, rain fell peacefully over this re- gion, not only making the streets wet and disagreeable, but dampen- QContinued on Page 481 10

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VVho knows?,' Patty,s breath was beginning to come more freely but his voice was still cautious. Now let me give you a tip, Johnny. The less you know about that guy and his doin's, the better chance you got for makin' a ratin' this cruise. He leaves us at Quan- tanamo Bay for Merrimac, thank God, and until then hold fast to all you gotln 'Wvho knowsf' repeated the boy blankly, utterly disregarding Pat- ty's fatherly little sermon. Well, why? Does nobody know him ?', No! This mystery stuff is just what he's tryin, to get away with, and the whole gang, fore and aft, is pretty well bluffed. You see, kid, with that sneaky, slippery way of his and the power of a first luf f ,H he finds it easy to persecute the crowd under him. I could tell you tales that would shiver your timbers, that would-but I better get a hitch on myself. He slam- med f our into the brig this morn- ing before breakfast for less than were doin' now. Brig! For talking! Are you denied the right of speech?H Speech! H---, no! Speak all you bloody well please, but don't say nothin'! Remember, kid, youire never safe. 'The Rat? is always close by. Even if you can't see him l1e's there and don't you forget it. You wonit get hauled before the mast for talkini. He'll prove somethin' else against you, but if he's got an earful of this-well -itas you an, me for the dungeon deep. But that's enough of your chew-the-rag. Keep your lamps on the binnacle. You'll not get another croak out of me F' After several fruitless attempts to continue the conversation, Johnny relapsed into a thoughtful silence. He was disappointed in Patty, miserably disappointed. A Weather-beaten, hairy-chested, old Seaman, veteran of half-a-dozen wars, and in mortal terror of his superior officer. What kind of bravery was that? Johnny couldn't realize that it was not principally terror of what the first lieutenant could do that made even himself falthough he wouldn't admit itj shudder, but the horrible sugges- tion of everything creepy, slimy, evil, that lurked in every line of the '6Rat,s', supple, skinny body. Johnny was young, enthusiastic. He thought that determination and courage could overcome any obsta- cle. Of that inward recoil of the soul that the mind cannot govern he knew nothing. Physical fear was the only fear he could imagine, and so far the tried to tell himself J this Rafi had inspired in him nothing more than a vague disgust. But no-he would be honest with himself. This man had in- spired in him something more than disgust-interest. A boy with J ohnny's education could not ac- cept the current superstition that the Tuscarora's executive was something other than man. He could not then accept the fact that this much reviled creature was en- tirely devoid of even that spark of good that he had been taught ex- isted in every human soul. Re- pellent, he acknowledged him, but 12