Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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bombers joined the scouts again, and the victorious fleet proceeded homeward. Suddenly, without warning, seven German Fokker tri- planes came diving out of the clouds with the speed of a falling meteor. Rapidly the Nieuports closed in to protect theii ' charges, but in spite of thetr haste the enemy claimed a bomber and a scout, which fell earthward out of control of their bevioldered navigators. As the Fokkers pulled out of their mad dive, they climbed to seek a position under the Candrons. The audacious aviators in the Nieuports, eager to avenge the death of their comrades, each singled out an antagonist, and a fast and furious melee ensued. Dodging, climbing, diving, looping, sideshipping, and banking — the precarious contestants used every trick and manoeuver that they knew to try to outwit their foes. The observers in the rear cockpits of the remaining Candrons were effectively using their Lewis machine guns as two Fokkers had been welcomed by a deadly leaden hail of bullets as they became too friendly. These two aeroplanes slipped into oblivion as the spirited combat continued. Soon after this a Candron, imable to out-manoeuver its agile adversary, was set ablaze by a burst of incendiary bullets from the mouth of a Span- dau machine gun. Leaving a long, black trail of smoke, the plane spun like a fiery comet to its destruction somewhere in Germany. Another Fokker was accounted for as one of its wing sections collapsed, the result of a strenuous power dive. It fell like a plummet. The last German to meet disaster was caught unaware between the deadly cross-fire of two barking Vickers. With a dying effort he squeezed the trigger of his Spandau machine gun and luckily shat- tered the whirling propeller of the nearest Nieuport. Al- though the intrepid Frenchman had his aeroplane under control, he was forced to land in enemy territory. With four members of its squadron down, the Germans saw defeat; hence, they withdrew from the combat and flew deeper into their country, while the less unfortunate allies re- organized and headed for home. After a continuous flight of four hours and one-half the remaining bullet-riddled war machines, with tanks almost dry, grounded on the friendly terra firma of their home base. Little did the reading public realize when they read the newspapers a few days later, the real cause of the German retreat that took place the following day. John Pindlay, ' 31. HONESTY BEFORE REWARD Cora! Yes, mother, a rather feeble voice answered. Get up! You know it ' s six forty-five and I shan ' t call you again. Cora ' s mother closed the bedroom door with a bang and went down the stairs to prepare breakfast. After her foot- steps had died away, Cora rising on one elbow, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and looked with amazement around the room. Is today Saturday? Do I work this afternoon? Do I have school today? All these questions flew through her mind at once. Finally, she realized that today she was to take that impor- tant history test. The history teacher offered a gold medal as a reward for the pupil receiving the highest mark. Cora, who was a good student in history, had earnestly studied for a week previous to the examination in order that she might have a good chance at receiving the medal. All the important dates which she thought might be asked in the examination, Cora repeated to herself on the v ay to school. In the locker-room all the girls said that they were relying on her to win the reward for the girls. Certainly, she mustn ' t let Claude Sergeant, who thought himself the best student in the class, win the honor. If he did, the boys would feel quite superior to the girls; if she won it, the girls would have a great triumph over the boys. Each girl assured her that she could do better than Claude, who boasted much about his historical knowledge and, in truth, wasn ' t as smart as he pretended to he. While walking to her home-room, Cora met Claude. Good Morning, he said, with a sarcastic look on his face. Do you think you ' ll try for the history medal? You ' re about the only clever girl in our class. Yes, I ' m going to try, she answered. Poor Cora was so excited that she could say no more. She continued to walk toward her home-room because she feared she would burst into tears if she continued talking to her opponent. Of the eight questions Cora answered correctly the first seven. Then she glanced at the eighth. Why hadn ' t she reviewed all the Articles in the Constitution? She should have known that at least one question would be devoted to that important document. Her girl-chum, Helen, who sat one seat behind her noticed Cora sit erect and act puzzled after reading the eighth question. Although Helen could not answer the first questions she could answer the eighth. She wrote the answer on a piece of paper and handed it to Cora, who read the note, and then tore it into pieces. Only one more min- ute before the papers would be collected! She started to copy the answer, but drew a heavy line through it because her conscience bothered her. Someone seemed to be saying to her, Cheat! Cheat! At the close of school, Claude Sergeant was announced as winner for ability in American History. Everyone ex- cept Cora congratulated him; she could not bear to face him again. Instead of walking home from school with her friends, as she usually did, Cora waited until all had gone. Then, alone, she started for home. Suddenly she heard some one call, Cora, may I speak to you a moment? She thought she recognized the voice; then slowly she turned. Claude was only a few steps behind her. Yes, you may, she said in a low voice. Cora, I — I, he stammered, I ' ve come to ask you to forgive me for the way I treated you this morning. I ' m sorry. I saw Helen pass you the answer to the last ques- tion. Not knowing the answer to it, I leaned across the aisle and read the note. Quickly I copied it so that I might have a good chance at winning the medal; at the time, I did not realize the dishonest act that I was committing — my only thought was to receive the medal. Later I saw you destroy the note which you might have copied and thereby win the reward. You deserve congratulations. All the honor that I received this morning rightfully belongs to you. You knew better than to sacrifice your honor for a gold medal. Honesty comes before reward, always. After finishing this sentence Claude ' s voice failed him. Cora was so surprised that for a minute she could not re- member where she was, or to whom she was speaking. She

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JELECTROPOLIS By Otfrid Von Hanstein Otfrid Von Hanstein is now recognized as one of the foremost of the scientific writers of Germany, perhaps of the world. He has written many excellent scientific stories of interplanetary travel. In a story, a Mr. Schmidt, a German, inherits the form- ulas and the inventions of the hero of a previous work. He has also bought an enormous tract of land from the Austra- lian government. On this land are located subterranean rivers which provide him with power, and enormous depos- its of gold and radium which provide him with wealth. He has a great desire to set up an independent empire and his ambitions are almost successful when the Aus- tralian government declares war. His plans are nipped in the bud, but something more ghastly and disastrous oc- curs and makes a definite change in affairs. The book is convincingly wi-itten; the illustrations are pleasing; and the lover of good scientific fiction will find a veritable horde of proved and possible inventions, which will stimulate his (or her) imagination and provide entertain- ment of a truly educational nature. Herbert A. Buttrick, ' 33 THE CLUB-FOOTED PANTHER Hungry, hungry, always hungry, why should she, a club- footed panther, be handicapped with a litter of panther kittens in the lair on the steep sides of old Bald-faced Mountain? She had been born a club-foot — always only the scraps of food had been left to her, while her great mother made several attempts to kill her; but she had survived, and now full grown she suffered more than before. Several attempts at coveys of grouse; a long tedious stalking of rabbits, then to miss, embittered her greatly. So, as the sim began to disperse the mist, she loped de- jectedly homeward to her fuzzy kittens. What was that delicious odor the wind brought to her nostrils? A herd of deer with a stately buck as leader were slowly making their way up the mountain. The path they were taking would cause them to pass under a huge rock overhanging the trail. The panther with fresh hopes, cautiously circled the herd and made a tedious ascent of the huge piece of granite. There she crouched, her thin sides heaving, while she slowly flexed and unfiexed her cruel curving claws. The herd drew closer, closer, till they were within easy springing distance. The great cat was motionless, her nervous agitation only expressing itself in the lashing of her tail. Suddenly, with an ear-piercing shriek which paralyzed the herd with fear, she sprang; her curving forepaws slashed a young doe ' s jugular, while her one good hindpaw ripped and tore its flank. The doe dropped, wallowing in her own blood. By this time the rest of the herd had disappeared, and with a few growls of feline joy and contentment, the panther pro- ceeded to gorge herself. When her hunger had been satisfied, she slung the re- mains over her tawny shoulder and set off for her den, where five rapacious kittens awaited her homecoming. Thomas Gleason, ' 33. A BOMBING ATTACK Nestled in a secluded wood a few kilometers north of the picturesque French town of Bar-le-Duc in the Verdun sector, lay the aerodrome of the 45th Aerial Pursuit and Bombardment Escadrille. Long, shiny fingers of Septem- ber sunlight penetrating the few openings in the heavily clouded sky have bathed the country-side in a semi-darkness light. While a group of jovial French and American air men partake of a hasty breakfast, their helpful mechanics groom their winged charges to prepare them for a long flight. This early morning activity came as a result of a brief dispatch received from Headquarters the previous night. The dispatch stated that in order to meet with success in an allied infantry drive that was to be launched the following day, a fleet of bombers and pursuit planes from this aerodrome were to annihilate the German ' s source 01 munitions — the enormous munition arsenal situated in Magdeburg, Germany. This assignment was to be no easy task, as Magdeburg was an air distance of approximately two hundred kilometers behind the enemy lines. In order for the bomber ' s target to be discernible, the attack must take place in broad daylight. To assure the heavy, slow, and awkward bombers as much safety as possible, three patrols of the best fighting machines at the front were to act as a bodyguard for them. Ten minutes before the hour of departure, the restless aviators clambered into the cockpits of their war planes to await the signal from their leader. Mechanics carefully loaded six one-hundred pound explosives on the bomb racks of each one of the huge Candron Bombers. Exactly on the appointed hour the leader of the expedi- tion gave the departure signal by waving a small, white flag. Simultaneously, the nine Nieuport scouts roared down the dirt runway, bounded into the air, and were soon gain- ing altitude over the aerodrome. As soon as the last pur- suit plane left the ground, the five heavily laden bombers slowly lumbered down the field to a take-off. They gath- ered into a flying V formation at an altitude of eleven hundred feet as three battle planes took a position above them, and the other two patrols flew on either side. Just before crossing the French front lines the aerial armada climbed up through a hole in the low lying clouds. At six thousand feet elevation they again resumed a hori- zontal flight toward the Rhine River valley. Below them as far as the eye could see stretched an almost solid layer of fluffy clouds like an Arctic ice field. After flying by compass for almost two hours, they received a fleeting glimpse of the winding Rhine. Within fifteen minutes after leaving this river, the formidable air fieet was cruising over its objective, and as yet. it had met with no interference. Breaking formation, the air men dove their machines down, down through the damp clouds. While the Nieuports hovered above, the Candrons swooped until their altimeters registered five hundred feet. The German ground defense now became active, and anti- aircraft shells exploded on all sides of the invaders. Peer- ing through telescopic bomb sights, the pilots in the Can- drons let their missiles of destruction descend. Inside of ten minutes the three thousand pounds of explosives from the five bombers had reduced the once proud arsenal to a blazing heap of debris. Workmen that appeared as if they were insects scampered in all directions from the inferno of fire and death. Their task successfully completed, the

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tried to speak, but her voice had left her. He reached for lier hand, and placed something in it saying, Keep this, — it ' s yours. Through a mist of tears she looked into her hand where Claude had placed the beautiful medal. Into her ears came the echo of Claude ' s words, Honesty before reward, always. Grace A. Grant, ' 31. THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ All Quiet on the Western Front was written by Erich Maria Remarque. In the German schools the teachers were telling the pupils what a grand and glorious thing it was to forfeit ones life for the good of his country. Gradually, as the boys grew up, they went to training schools. A cer- tain group of fellows (about whom the book is written) hon- estly and earnestly strove to be in the real army. A great war broke out. All of these boys went. They were driven al- most insane by the noise of the shells bursting, the blood- curdling screams of the bodies of men with legs, arms, faces, and other parts of them blown to pieces. One of these lads died as the result of having his face blown to shreds. Gradually the comrades separated. Some were not even identified; others were found, but too late. One of the boys while creeping over the barbed wire was hit by a shell. When the smoke and dust rose, all that was left were two bloody hands clinging to the wire. Parts of human beings were scattered over the dreaded fields of death. One of the boys had a leave of a few days. He went eagerly home to find everyone talking about the soldiers. Only those who had been out on those dreaded fields would or could realize what agony it was. Thus he returned to his port. More of his comrades had gone. Now only one was left. The rest of the men in the company were young boys, hardly out of their cradles, as the book expresses it. The tragic fate of most of these young men was the result of fear. At last one of the boys in the group was left, and his death ended the horrible story. Until I read this book I had no idea of the ghastliness of the World War. I had seen pictures, read other books, and heard stories, but never did they leave me with the feeling I felt after reading this book — a sensation of awed horror and deep thinking. I could almost feel and hear that war. Previous to reading the story, I had visited the land of that great disaster; and with that picture in my eyes, and those descriptions in my mind, it left me speech- less. Wilbur Burnham, ' 31. WITH BYRD AT THE SOUTH POLE The motion picture entitled, With Byrd at the South Pole, was one of the outstanding pictures of the year be- cause of the truth it revealed about the Antarctic Regions, the thrilling adventures of Byrd and his companions, and many of their narrow escapes when death was often nigh. When they arrived at Little America, the incident that impressed me most was the very quick, strong way they buUt their snowhuts to house the men. Tunnels connected these huts, and the tunnels were formed by their boxes of pro- visions covered with snow. Soon the long night came upon them, and about every twenty-four hours a group of men would go out and explore to see if changes of the ice were taking place. Later, Byrd and a group of other men were walking along the side of the ice. The ice caved in and one man fell with it, but was miraculously saved from the icy waters by his companions. There were many Penguins in that region, and the peculiar thing about them was that they were afraid neither of the men nor the dogs, but would walk bravely up to both. Of course the most prominent feature of the film was the flight over the Pole. A motion picture photographer ac- companied Byrd on this trip, and he kept his machine busy during the flight. The films developed so well that the movie audience gets an excellent idea of how that part of the world looks. Many feet of film were used during the entire trip and, when shown on the screen, they make a graphic picture that is extremely interesting and well worth going to see. Frederick Hurley, ' 34. IMPRESSIONS OF A CATHEDRAL We have travelled many weary miles to visit and admire this mighty masterpiece of man, erected as a token of his love and perseverence of a Greater One. We view with awe, as we approach, the great height and breadth and speech- repelling hugeness of the magnificent structure. At the same time we do not fail to perceive the unending beauty of line and construction; the delicacy and finesse of every curve, niche, and pinnacle. Advancing to the broad steps we may more easily define the numerous beautiful sculptural works above and beside the tall doors. A venerable appearing monk confronts us, and with a smile bids us enter and follow him. We turn to the right and enter the main body and auditorium of the cathedral. At first we blink in the shadowy interior, vaguely lighted by candles along the walls and the colorful, leaded window above the entrance. Far, far beyond and above us we discern the twinkle of many candles about the altar. The monk traverses in and about the many passageways threading the sides and walls of the auditorium and cloisters, pointing to the statues and busts of great men and martyrs to the early Christian re- ligion. Everything is deathly quiet except for our pad- ded footfalls echoing and reechoing from wall to wall, finally ceasing in some distant part of the building. A faintly musty odor is noticeable at all times. At last we dare to look above at the great beams and woodwork forming an arch directly above the center aisle. How very insignificant we feel inside this immeasureably wonderful structure! As we approach the altar we pass by an engraved stone telling us that underneath lie the bones of a great knight of an early century. The altar has several statues of The Virgin in fiawless white marble about the array of candles. Thus we have passed many hours, gazing at the grandeur and colossal beauty about us. One thought still remains with us: if there are men who can erect such mam- moth, beautiful places of worship to a Creator out of their love, faith, and respect for Him, how can there be those among us that disbelieve in One so Worthy? Bernard Ayer, ' 32.