West High School - Occident Yearbook (Columbus, OH)

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THE. OCCIDENT 3 I at the doorpost for support. You were blufiingf' he shrieked, you- you?-H The gun dropped from his hand, and I called to him to follow me to the launch. But he only muttered incoher- ent sounds, and finally fell prone across the threshold. It was the first stage of the myste- rious death. I had taken several steps toward the cabin when the recollection of the frenzy that followed brought me to a quick stop. I was a badly scared man and I felt that I could be of no service worth the risk. I wanted to help and yet I burned with resentment against Rollins. I fought a battle with myself and my worse self won. The simple facts of the case are that I turned my back on Rollins and his cabin, and stumbled through the swamps toward the launch. In a short time I felt my pulse re- turning to something near the normal. My breathing become more regular and the assurance that my symptoms were nothing more than the effects of fear filled me with joy. But half way to the river my foot struck something softer than palmetto root. One straining glance and I leaped aside and fied madly from the prostrate form of Rol- lins's man Janvrin. It might have been two minutes or two hours later that I went back to the cabin, thoroughly drenched in the blessed formaldehyde. The light still burned in the cabin, but Rollins had gone, and his gun with him. ,F 'lf PF HF I have recentlv revisited the place after an interval of several months. Except that it is inhabited by wild life, Rollins's cabin has not been disturbed, and it is evident that he did not return. The idea is inevitable that in the agony of his last hours he retained will power enough to shoot himselfg but I have had the vicinity searched without results and it will probably never be known in which brown pool he sought release. Neither have I succeeded in obtain- ing a culture ofthe strange bacillus. They were probably called into brief existence by the ultra-violet rays and died when the rays had ceased. At all events the presence of wild creatures in the cabin would seem to show that it was no longer dangerous. The strangest thing of the whole case, however, is that I found no gold. I found ingots and scraps of a dull gray metal that was very heavy. What it was when it was yellow and glitter- ing, or what it is in its present state I don't presume to say. But it answers every chemical test for lead. MQW Uhr Hiram' sinh Biz wife MARIE OFFENBACHER, '15 In the Vicar of Wakefield Gold- smith has depicted a very entertaining picture of domestic life. The vicar and his wife, the chief characters, are very much alike. Each thot himself superior to everyone else, but in a different way. The pride of the vicar was spiritual, and because of this, he accomplished very little in his parish. His wife thot herself superior to others in a material way. She dressed herself and her daughters better than the people of the surrounding country and in every way endeavored to live beyond the means of the family. But this did not last long. They lost their fortune and became so involved that finally the vicar was com- mitted to the debtor's prison. Thus, the family lost its social position but the vicar, shorn of his self-righteousness and his family of their false pride, be- came an influence they never had been in the days of prosperity.

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3U THE OCCIDENT The dog didn't recover, I said doubtfully. It was coma, then frenzy, you know-then the end. Don't you think we ought to catch that fellow and do something for him? There's a medi- cine chest on the yacht that's pretty complete. But, objected Rollins, the trouble is, what to do? Formaldehyde, I suggested. We might spray him, and the cabin, too. It would be safer. , He's a mile away by this time, Rollins replied, dully. s But even as he spoke there came across the clearing such sounds of raging agony as I hope never to hear again. Rollins rushed to the door, and stared out into the night. The noise seemed to come from several points at once. Finally the terrible cries became fainter and died away in the distance among the cypresses. Rollins turned to me, his face twisted with horror. That's it! he said. It's the rays from those lamps. They've changed whatever microbe was in the air into something that attacks man. Good Heavens! I've been transmuting germs as well as metals, Carney. I sat down and stared at him, the fear of the unknown upon both cl' us. He wiped his forehead with a hand that trembled. I never dreamed-, he began, and stopped short. There was an abrupt change in his manner and a curious glint in his eyes. After all, he said, Hit will settle one thing. I asked what he meant. Didn't you hear what Janvrin said? The dog never bit him. It means that the accursed bacillus is air borne. It means that the cabin is full of them. It means that we're breath- ing countless millions of the-spores at this minute. The formaldehyde, I cried, and leaped to my feet in blind haste. The next moment I was sprawling on the cabin floor. He had been watching for the move and had cleverly thrown me when I tried to rush past him. When I regained my feet, he had the shotgun from the corner and was covering me. There's only one of us for that for- maldehyde, he said, when I cursed him. Get back there or I'll blow your roof off. There was a look in his eyes that told me he would do it, too. I sat down and swore at him foolishly, tried to argue, and cursed some more. I was com- pletely unstrung and the sense of that invisible foe permeating the cabin, that slew so swiftly and cruelly, finished me by depriving me of the power of speech. I said it would be a fight, whis- pered Rollins tersely. We'll stay here and see who's the stronger. The best man wins. His face was ghastly in its pallor. Huge beads of perspiration trickled down his forehead, and the muzzle of the gun wavered. But every time I stirred it ceased abruptly to waver, and I saw that at that distance he could not miss. He breathed in quick gasps. Was it imagination that made my throat burn and my own breath come tight and fast? Rollins laughed, a ter- rible, crackling laugh. I win, Carney, he cried hoarsely. It's got you. I can see it in your face. And I can stand it longer than you can. We waited, greedily watching each other for signs of weakness. Soon the trembling in his limbs compelled him to sit down, but he still covered me, resting the gun on the table. With a thrill of hope, I realized that he trem- bled more than I did. But I was afraid if he noticed it, he might shoot anyway. He was crazy enough. The blood was singing in my ears, and it was not diflicult to appear worse than I was. I simulated the tremors of the negro, and Rollins cried in triumph. I win! he cried again. He was suffering under the strain and I achieved further contortions in which I strove to imitate those of the wretched Janvrin. Rollins fell into the trap. He rose unsteadily, and in order to wipe his brow he laid the gun on the table. He snatched clumsily at it the next mo- ment, but before he could reach the door I had carried the wire screen away with me, and had gained the other side of the clearing. He swore at me horribly, clutching

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32 Tl-IE. OCCIDENT Elie Stair ihnuar Zlnuahrh EUGENE HENSEL Human nature is peculiar. Oh yes- we realize that this statement is as old as the hills and we are not expressing it as original information but as a preface to an adventure we intend to relate. The fact that man after having discovered a theory, always wishes to see it in practice, nas been attributed by scientists to human nature, since no other reason has been forthcoming. To this motive, then, it is safe to ascribe the sudden and unprecedented desire of the members of the Senior Class of West High to visit the State House. Previously to the budding of this de- sire in their young and gullible minds, the class had been groping about in the darkness cast upon them by their civics text books in a vain search for a gleam of understanding on the subject. Then, when at last the clouds of bewilderment rolled away and disclosed the Theory of Political Government in all its majesty and grandeur to their delighted souls, it is not strange that they should im- mediately wish to look upon the Prac- tice of Political Government. Accordingly, on one gloomy February afternoon, about forty members of the class under the delighted chaperonage of Miss Maltby, set out from the school for the large and imposing sandstone structure, located on the corner of Broad and High streets, wherein is en- closed the machinery of the state gov- ernment. Just as the little band stood before the huge gates of this temple of politics, several of the boys, actuated by an insane impulse, purchased some forty cents' worth of chewing gum, which they distributed among their eager fellow students, who began im- mediately to assimilate the same. As may be expected, this bovine display aroused greatest alarm on the part of Miss Maltby, who forthwith earnestly harrangued with them that gum chew- ing was uncivilized, silly, uncouth, pro- saic, etc., etc. fThe etc. covers a multi- tude of sins.J Doubtless she would have come off victorious in time had not the fact, that the erratic legislature might at any moment adjourn, com- pelled her to permit her wards to con- tinue their vulgar practice, though she added as a Parthian shot, that if any one mistook them for savage barba- rians it was not her fault. Once within the great portals, the first object which greeted the sight of the seekers for knowledge was a cuspi- dor. This would scarce be worthy of passing notice had not they afterwards found that this was but one of the many masculine ornaments which adorned the halls, landings, rooms and ante- rooms of the state's .Sanctum sanctorum. As they advanced, brass cuspidors to the right of them, to the left of them, to the front of them, shined and glist- ened. From such data, the Seniors log- ically reasoned that the state officials must be past masters in the art of ex- pectorating if not in the making of laws. though for the life of them they couldn't remember having read of any such qualification in their text-books. The next point of interest to them was the Law Library, in which are kept thousands of very unromantic and unimpassioned works of literature on the intricacies of law and government. A very polite gentleman attempted to explain the features of the department to the young seekers after knowledge, but in view of the fact that he had to keep one eye on Dorothy Holmes, who insisted on turning on all the lights in the room, and the other eye on Ruth Emmitt, who succeeded in emptying all the drinking water from the Water cooler in the corner, his attempt was somewhat of a failure. It was after- ward reported that this courteous Knight of the Library suffered a ner- vous breakdown the next day. We made no attempt to verify this report but we can see how such a thing might have been possible. From the library Miss Maltby led her brood to the Supreme Court room where five sedate jurists clad in black silk robes closely resembling kimonas,