West Paris High School - Nautilus Yearbook (West Paris, ME)

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Bill could hear the men climbing aboard the other ship, his guard also went away. Picking up a chair he heaved it at the porthole. There was a shattering of glass and improvised wooden bars. Taking a short run he leaped for the high porthole and slipped through into the ocean ten feet below. He took a piece d' wet rope from his pocket. With the aid of his life belt Bill swan to the other ship. Stretching out the rope as far as possible he wound it round and round the other shipfs propeller then swam bad: to his own ship. Quickly climbing aboard by means of a net he found himself in the doorway of the pilot's cabin. He grabbed tm wheel and stepped up the throttle. There was the pulsing of the engines as the great ship slowly started forward.- A shout went1p from the other ship but of course with the many feet of half inch rope around the propeller it wouldn't move. ' Running to the radio room he met with stiff opposition in tlfe form of a billy club descending towards his head. Bill ducked ani let him have an uppercut to the jaw. Using his own small know- ledgg of dot-dits he sent the two ships' positions to the Coast Guar . One hour later Bill Winters was in the Water Front P5l1C6 Station calmly reading a newspaper. nBy the way,n said the desk 5er5e3nt, Uwhat kind of crooks were those anyway?U WThey were smugglers.U nwhat did they smuggle.n nThey robbed freighters, then smuggled the goods into South America.n NDid you get a reward for uncovering them?n Noh sure,N he said sarcasticallyf HI got a ticket to appear in court for parking in front of a fire hydrant,n QSStU6Q7dQZy Francis Slattery '49 ff QQ, X ': f? farm- Q .1---Tr' ,J A l' ' :Et 5mYffhlU' 2: Ijjy? Q' J Rf KA. 'Q fdixs f:ed5'fi' 'NQT K --X. wwf, x

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It was close to midnight when Laine arrived at Andre's home, but the light was still burning in his study window. He carefulb' opened the window aid silently entered. The startled teacher looked up to seo who it was but Laine kept well in the shadows, for he was taking no chances. Maybe if the man knew who he was h wouldn't tell him anything. Laine's arm went around the French- man's neck and his other pushed a shive into his ribs. His angry voice broke the silence. WI got a note here, and if you don't read it I'll twist this knim into your hide.n UL-e-let, let me see it,N came the reply. Laine released the hold he had on the manfs neck and reached into his pocket, his eyes glistened, at last after so many days of waiting he would know. The light soon vanished, he broke into a cold sweat as he dug frantically through his pockets. The mes- sage was gone. Vaino Oja '47 BEJNGJ A DETEC',VJVE DOESNT MY Detective Bill Winters stalked out of the Water Front Police Station and headed swiftly for Pier 15. The cold, darkness and knowledge of the coming storm put a gloomy effect in the atmos- phere. Only ten thirty at night? It already seemed much later. A slight S7ad0W broke the constant glow from the foglight of an incoming ship, A dull thud was heard, padded footsteps along the wooden docxs, then silence. Bill Winters came to with a splitting headache. The floor seemed to rock and roll beneath his feet. nHuh,N Ee said to himself, NI must be in some kind of a cel- lar.n Voices could be heard overhead. nYeah,n said one voice, nbut we can't do that with these smallarms, boss.n A nYou don't think so eh! Don't worry, the old pirates did it with just swordsg we ought to take this one with rif1es.n uOkay, boss, but Ifm still skeptical,u nRemember, 12:50 tomorrow night.n - Then Bill understood. The floor beneath him really was roll ing. he was on a ship whose officers were planning piracy. It was twelve o'clock the night after Bill's capture. He could hear the clanking aboard another ship which seemed very close. The throttle of Bill's ship was opened up and it moved swiftly forward. Suddenly the firing of guns was heard and the ship slackened its speed.

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WHY E-,IUMAN NfNY!.J5QE WILL E:3'i.'EVEQN'I' A UTO?1fX It seems hardly possible for a Utopia ever to be established on this earth. Experiments have been tried by the hundreds but all have failed and I believe they will go on failing. Even though we all have our dreams of what we wish the country and the world were like, no one is genius enough to map out a plan which will be successful simply because the factors necessary to make a Utopia go adainst human nature, Take, for example, our own small community, we can easily se what an improvement there would be if everyone would fix up his home, keep himself neat and clean, take advantage of what ever educational program is offered and at least try to earn a decent living. But no, there are, and there always will be those fpeople who want everything handed to them onta silver platter-and are nd willing to move a single muscle to help themselves. They are more content to go on merely existing rather than what we conside- living even when it means poverty, filth and ignorance. In my idea of a Utopia everyone would have an opportunity fa' education beyond high school in the field for which he is most suited. This might be provided for by higher taxes from citizens but again there are the people who fe,l they can not afford and will not want to pay the necessary additional amount. Consequently a group of powerful politicians will scheme and work until ' they pass a law to combat this tax and certainly in a Utopia we can nd: take away man's right to voice his opinion in the government. Naturally there would be no wars or strikes but once more we have to face the fact that there will continue to be some worth- less puppet who has an insane lust to rule the world. The rright to strike is a vital part of our constitution and the privilege should never be abolished. Therefore, as long as there are dis- satisfied workers there will be strikes. Many will say the remedy for this is to keep the workers satisfied but this is easier said than done--and I doubt if it ever can be done. - These are only a few of the many examples and perhaps it sounds as though I wrre a pessimist and have no faith in human be ings. This is not true but when there are 140,000,000 people in only one country of the world and with each one thinking differ- ently, wanting different things, each with a separate idea of wha: is right and what is wrong, how can we ever establish a Utopia, As long as people are what they are today I feel certain we will never be able to bring about the dream of millions, Rachel Dunham '47