Walker High School - Pepper Pot Yearbook (Simsbury, CT)

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The Cuckoo Clock IN The hearT of The Black Region of Germany lived a quainf old man and his grand- son Karl. Herr Schneiderlink, for so he was called by The simple foresf folk, was a clock maker by craff and a beffer one could noT be found for miles around. His specialfy was cuckoo clocks and every one said Thaf a house wiThouT a Schneiderlink clock was like a bird wiThouT wings. So skillfully were his clocks made Thaf They never seemed To gef ouT of order. Every year aT Dusseldorf, The nearesf village, a greaT fair was held aT EasTer Time. Every one who was able To go was There, and for a week The village Throbbed To The noise of The overcrowded bazaars and shops. The crowning evenT of The fair was The Cuckoo clock conTesT, The winner of which received Two Thousand marks, and his clock was given The honor of being placed in The duke's library. OT course, every clock maker was anxious To have his clock win, and each spenf a greaf deal of Time Trying To make his The besf. Herr Schneiderlink had been working on his for almosf Three years because The design was so complex, and he had noT enfered The conTesT for Two years, To gave money and concenTraTe everyfhing on This one clock. This clock was his prize. He seemed To have carved his very soul info iT, Every liTTle scroll and decorafion radiaTed The love and skill of a masfer craffsman in his work. The clock carved ouT of dark wood was abouf Two feeT high and nearly as wide. On The Top There was a gablelike proiecTion ThaT was carved in an inTricaTe design of leaves and berries and pine cones, all inTerwoven. AT The firsf quarfer sfroke a cuckoo peeped ouf from The lower righf hand corner and cooed cheerily ancl on The half hour one appeared in each corner which seemed To carry on a bird con- versafion. so realisfic were Their voices. On The Three quarfer sTroke a Third cuckoo poked his head ouT from The carving on Top To add his song To The ofhers. AT every hour he appeared alone, This Time all of him on a liTTle carved branch and fluffered his wings. BuT grander by far Than all This was whaT happened following The cuckoo's appearance aT Twelve o'clock. Suddenly Two concealed panels above4The face flew open, revealing a revolving plafform ThaT slid ouT bearing carved figures represenfing ST. Nicholas and his sleigh and reindeers driving around. Accompanying This from The inside of The clock came The sound of a music box playing STille NachT. BUT I musf noT forgeT To describe The face of This remarkable clock. IT was square, wiTh The numbers and rim of inlaid mofher-of-pearl. The Two hands were silver arrows and all around The face was The mosf beaufiful carving. The pendulum was a long Thin piece of wood wifh an oak leaf ThaT slid up and down To regulaTe The speed, and The four weighfs were carved wooden pine cones filled wifh lead. ln facf. nofhing could have been more complefe and yeT delicafe in spiTe of ifs size. One evening a few weeks before The fesfival Herr Schneiderlink was puTTing a few finishing Touches on his masTerpiece in The old shed where he kepf iT hidden. Here he smoofhed a leaf and There rounded a Tiny berry Thaf was noT perfecf. JusT as he was confemplafing his work of arT he heard Karl banging on The door. 99

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bofhered fo look al fhese he would have found Them all fo be aboul' Sam Jaffe. beginning wifh fhe yellowecl worn ones abouf a baby boy found on fhe orphanage sfeps and fhe prizes fhis boy received in high school. fo fhe more recenf ones abouf his campaign for counfy commissioner. As fhe woman sfumbled along she could be heard befween sobs, moaning over and over lo herself - My son, my son. Beffy Balch Why Realize life when you're living: Try fo undersland and feel The fhoughfs of fhose around you, For spirif alone is real. Life is an unanswered quesfion. Which ambifion and youfh defy, A bond befween 'rhe ages- The infinife queslion - Why? Be conscious for a momenf: Be sfill and comprehend Thal if fhe quesfion were answered. We'd lose efernify in man. Emily Hecfor Democracy Each fo his own opinion: The mind is clear and free. A While fhoughfs fly by on highways To greaf and open slcyways, Where all souls hold communion ln blessed liberfy. Mary Louise Klipsfein 98

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Good evening, Grandfafherf' he cried. embracing The old man Tenderly. l iusT saw The firsT sign of Spring on The way home from school: The liTTle sTream has grown so ThaT iT is difficulf To cross wiThouT falling. The snow musT be melTing in The mounfains, and soon There will be fishing and a holiday and above all The fesTivaI. I know we will win The prize wiTh your clock. Nobody's could be so good. Oh Grand- fafher. iT's iusT The mosT beauTiful clock ThaT was ever made! And when we have The Two Thousand marks, we can move To The village. and you can have a big shop and sell all The clocks. I know people will wanT To buy Them when They see how wonderful The prize clock is. Can I make iT work? Please, GrandfaTher, iusT once: only ST. Nick and his sleigh. When The duke sees ThaT . . . TuT. my boy, noT so fasT. You know ThaT for The pasT Three years Herr Schnap- Telheim has had The prize clock, and who knows, he may have iT again This year. We can only waiT and hope. Meanwhile, help me varnish This liTTle parT here. IT is The only Thing ThaT needs To be done. They worked busily for half an hour puTTing on The finishing Touches and Then GrandfaTher said. Now iT's Time for supper. LeT's lock up The shed so no one can geT in. All righT, answered Karl, as he puT away his Tools. LeT's celebraTe TonighT and have some apfelkuchen in honor of The clock. They shuT The door and locked iT wiThouT any ThoughT of someone's Trying To geT in The half open window. As soon as The door of The coTTage slammed shuT, a sTealThy figure sTole ouT from behind a ThickeT and affer a glance around To verify his soIiTude, he climbed noiselessly Through The open window. Ah, said FriTz Schnapfelheim. To himself, for ThaT is who iT was, now I can make a skeTch of The old fool's clock and copy iT for my own. My skilled workmen and apprenTices can fashion an exacT replica by EasTer Time wiTh so many men working aT once. Won'T he be surprised when he geTs There and finds a duplicafe of his clock? Ha! I-Ia! Never say a Schnapfelheim has no wiTs. l'II fool him and his silly boy, I will! So saying, he quickly drew a picTure of The beaufiful clock. nofing carefully The precise deTails. Then wiTh a crafTy look he quickly climbed ouT of The window and hurried away Through The woods. LiTTle realizing The fraud ThaT was Taking place, Grandfafher and Karl were having a merry dinner inside Their cozy coTTage. You should have seen me aT school Today. said Karl befween moufhfuls of bread and milk, when I was Telling ThaT our clock was The besT one. ThaT liTTle fresh Schnapfelheim boy sTarTed To fighT me and argue and I hiT him a good one. You should see his black eye! KarI, said Herr Schneiderlink seriously, I Told you never To menfion The clock. noT even how wonderful you ThoughT iT was. Now The li++Ie Schnapfelheim boy will Tell his faTher ThaT you hiT him. and There will be no end of Trouble. Don'T worry. GrandfaTherg whaT can he do To us? We are safe from his iealousy and he wouIdn'T dare To harm The clock. IO0