University of Toronto Schools - Twig Yearbook (Toronto, Ontario Canada)

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THE TIVIG A Play In One Act Cast Brown-a stationmaster. Thompson Q Sullivan j Two members of the crew of a freight train A police sergeant. Two police constables. V travellers. QThe curtain rises on the interior of a small village railway station in Western Ontario. The time is about 2 a.m- The door to the platform is in the back wall left. On the side wall left is the ticket window and a door into the office. In centre stage right are two waiting-room benches placed fac- ing each other and running at right angles to the audience. There is a radio on a stand in corner. Downstage right Brown, the stationmaster, is seated in his private chair, which he considers more in keeping with the dignity of his odficial position than the common benches, reading a newspaper. Thompson is standing at the open door to the platform looking irritably at his watch from time to time. He is rather good-look- ing, and is dressed in a gray overcoat and bowler hat. Sullivan, who can only be described as low-browish and rather dumb in appearance, is sitting on one of the benches reading a detective magazine. He is wearinga somewhat shabby brown over- coat and gray fedora. At his feet are two large suitcases. j Thomp.-Stationmaster, how late is this train? We've been waiting half an hour now! Brown.-Two hours. Thomp.-Two hours! And what in the world are We supposed to do while we're waiting? Brown CHe always speaks slowly and laz- ilyj.-Well, your friend seems to be solving the entertainment problem easily enough. Thomp--Huh! He lives on that rubbish. Always has two or three in his pocket. Personally I can't read these cheap magazines. Even though I am Amer- ican, I have some respect for English. Sull.-Aw, quit grousin'! No sense gettin' steamed up just because you've got to wait a couple of hours. Thomp.-By the way, since we are going to be together for some time, we might as well introduce ourselves. My-er- friend's name is Sullivan. Mine is Thompson. Brown.-Glad to know you, Mr. Thomp- son, Mr. Sullivan- Brown is my name. I'm inclined to side with you, Mr. Sullivan. About those detective maga- zines, I mean. I find them very enter- taining, particularly in a dull town like this where nothing much happens. Along with the papers they help to pass the time. Thomp.-Raining again. Dash it, what's keeping that train? Brown Qcomfortablyj.-Well, the company can't guarantee its trains to be on time, you know, especially in soupy weather like this. American, you say you are, sir? I didn't know we had any visitors in town. Sull.-Heck, we aren't visitors. We- Thomp. fquicklyj.-No, the fact is we were driving through from Chicago, and our car broke down just as we were leaving this village. The local garage man tells us that it will take a day or more to repair the damage, and we must be in Montreal to-morrow night. Brown.-Well, that's too bad. You were almost out of the town eh? Then you must have come past the station here. The road passes right outside. What kind of car is it?

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THE T WIG much abridged version. The Seven Pil- lars, is a colourful, candid, and critical account of the Aram Revolt. It gets its name from the text in Proverbs, Wisdom hath built a house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars. Of the book itself, the best idea is given by the New York Times Book Review: Its style has the grace of sound scholar- ship, displaying a notable command of Eng- lish prose. lts vividness and realism make it almost cruel. It is the record of great deeds, and the presentation of the soul of a land, and a people, and the soul of a manfi ln September, l925, he was allowed to rejoin the Air Force, and in December, l926, was sent overseas to the Indian Frontier. But his service there lasted little over two years, for some American news- papers discovered him, and published their information. This produced lurid charges by Soviet Russia that Colonel Lawrence was spying in Afghanistan as the agent of British lmperialism in a vast conspiracy against the Soviet. Consequently he was sent back to England win l929. To prevent similar charges, his movements were very much restricted, so that when his term ex- pired early in l935, he was glad to retire from the Air Force. He settled down in a little cottage in Wessex, and prepared to enjoy his life of freedom. One evening, whwile he was speeding along at his usual rate on his motor-cycle, it skidded, and he was thrown violently on to the highway. Never regaining conscious- ness, he died shortly after 8.00 a.m. on Sunday, lVlay 19th, l935, at the age of forty-six. It is a great misfortune for the British Empire that such a sincere, fearless. and capable man should have been killed at a time when he Was so badly needed. ln 56 these days, a man who abhors all dishonest dealings is invaluable, a man who has the courage of his convictions, and who will attempt to perform them at any cost to him- self, is one that England can ill afford to lose. His admired friend and commander, Lord Allenby, has summed up Lawrence in the following words: He was valued comrade. His co- operation was marked by the utmost loyalty, and I never had anything but praise for his work, which, indeed, was invaluable throughout the campaign. He has left to us who knew and admired him, a beloved memory, and to all his countrymen, an example of a life Well spent in service. To no man could a more glorious tribute be paid. u IE. l Tfjia 5 Q' z .a , E. ,Fa E1 f n- .-:ff sf,---seg: . if P .:- r.mV': 3 il, r 55 ill i Mali yi,ggiii't...5Tii-1-iililgfji:' , 4 ,. 'emi 1 ,gif M., 531 , ir r F r lf . Fi We- '::5,,faiiiasg--r,. f 6 1 ,i ,2I....l-risk!!!-,i.1s,,IJ I, ef: i 4,1 ,r ,.gl,,1sL5Jw'5 gI:..1.:fl. X ,f ' - 'Zz 'gg- , if :-!'.L .q'u.f4Z'.,,f- .itfz ll X .XA - ,Z 1 .t 04.7 fl, f -- X .fgfefiy -iffifffss.iliasszrsw f-,.'-qw. W:,g,.:-g- - Ei-s if 4-' gi' ll itgzs'ii2ii::z2ta:wa1 amps-'W--1-5 -A W ttitlnw ' 1 naw-i5:iii2f1E5f'mi1'fN:Hi is rfiir '-:n'1YV! W l -:'iEE:::ll il ww- ,. ---sw. --,--, I Mi ii....-...1--i.,,,r-.---,hw ,',,,I.,,, Vt- I-V, - 4 . .unuuu i , -l:.m 5..fi.- E!m.a.h., ., 5533-,if , Wu, ill f mr -'mi ll ix, ' ff-1 Jiliiiillvif if - nm Eggs , i-.fir-Il Eigjgg li, l -is 1 ' so - Lb- fri!! iii---We

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T H E T W I G Thomp. l cw ether, A Buick sedan. Brown--Yes, there's no doubt of it. I re- Sull. f g '- A Chev. coupe. member once-fHere the radio an- Brown fpuzzledb.-Pardon? Thomp.-Sullivan's quite right for once. it is a Chev. I had it confused with my last car. Sull. Qirrelevantlyj.-Gosh, Chief, you ought to read this magazine! Here's a swell story. I'm only at page twenty and there've been three murders and six robberies already! Thomp.-Sullivan, you disgust me. Brown.-Oh, I think you take it too seri- ously, sir! They're line for giving law-abiding people like us some excite- ment. Thomp.-I am not a believer in such vicarious experience. Oh, I wish that train would come! Brown.-Of course, sir, as a railway man it's hardly my place to suggest this. but if you are in such a hurry why don't you take a bus or a taxi? Thomp.-But there's no-I mean, is there a bus service here? Surely not at this time of night- Brown.-That is stupid of me sir. You're right of course. This night job seems to make me very dense sometimes. But there's still the taxi, sir. Thomp.-Well, as for that, Brown, I've no desire to ride a hundred miles in a leaky, uncomfortable old wreck such as they usually call a taxi in places like this. Brown.-I guess there's something in that too, sir. QHe goes to small radio in corner and turns it on.j Can't get anything but a lot of noisy jazz at this time, I suppose, but it may cut out the sound of that rain. It's making me sleepy. fDance music is heardj Great invention, radio. It's almost as good as detective stories for bringing excitement to small places like this, sir! fThis remark addressed to Sul- livan.j Sull. fwithout looking upj.-Yeah. nouncer breaks in.j Announ.-Ladies and gentlemen, the Toronto Police Force asks all who hear this announcement, particularly those living in Western Ontario to be on the watch for two men who, several hours ago, made a substantial haul of jewelry and silverware from the home of one of our prominent citizens. They made a successful escape from the city, and are thought to be heading for the U.S. border. One of the men is said to be rather short, wearing a brown overcoat and gray fedora hat. The other is of medium height, wear- ing a gray overcoat and bowler hat. No further description is available. Thank you. QDance music fades in again. For reasons which should be obvious, the two travellers seem to be slightly ill at easej Brown.-Well, well, it's astonishing what some of these crooks get away with nowadays, isn't it? Thomp.-Oh, I suppose there have always been and always will be people like that. fHeartiIy, and in a more friendly tone than beforej I hope, Mr. Brown, that this is not a very typical example of the excellent climate which I have heard exists in this part of Canada? Brown.-No, no, of course it isn't. You should see something much better in a couple of days- Sull. Capparently just becoming con- scious.j-Oh, but that's no good. We won't be here in a couple of days. We- Thomp.-Shut up! fto Brownj Pardon the digression, but my friend sometimes becomes a little bit confused when he attempts to speak too much. What he undoubtedly meant to explain was this, after the transaction of our busi- ness in Montreal to-morrow, we are proceeding directly to New York. Therefore, our visit to your beautiful