The Pen Parader
"THE PEN PARADER"
Vol. 7, May 1955
Published by the English Department
Ottawa High School, Ottawa, Kansas
Below are the writings, by members of the OHS sophomore class in 1955 that were selected for publication in "The Pen Parader" for May of 1955. The sophomore class in 1955 was the OHS
Class of 1957.
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WHY? By Deanna Albright
Third Place -- Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 3
Do you ever wonder
What makes you so glad?
What makes you act happy
And then feel so sad.
Do you ever wonder
What makes people smile?
Why some people linger
To talk for a while?
Do you ever wonder
Why some people hate?
What makes them so jealous,
What determines their fate?
Do you ever wonder
Why people get mad?
What makes them so nervous?
Why are some people bad?
Do you ever wonder
Why someone is shy?
Why they are that way?
Do you know why?
If I knew why,
I wouldn't ask you,
Do you know the answers,
Or are you stumped too?
MY CARBy Jack Graffham
Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 4
I've got an antique car
A '29 to be correct,
It's a good one on the inside;
But on the outside it's a wreck.
The Ford will go 30 miles per hour,
And that's pretty fast,
I drive out on a country road;
And find I'm out of gas.
I find a good big mud hole
On a dark and rainy day,
And wonder if I can get stuck
In my Ford Model "A."
As I get into the middle,
My wheels start to spin;
I might as well junk my car,
'Cause look at the mess I'm in.
MAN VERSUS MOUSEBy Mike Shaughnessy
Third Place--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 5
As Larry, my cousin, and I entered the bedroom of my grandfather's house, a gray blur streaked across the floor and under the bed. Within a second our reflexes were working and thus started a terrific chase.
Two energetic boys rushed for the bed. I crawled under and began looking for our little intruder. Looking up, I saw two little beady eyes staring back. I gave a yell and flew out backwards. Just then the little gray blur streaked across the floor, slid around the corner, and
darted for the other bedroom.
We skidded to a stop just as the blur went into the closet. We opened the door and peaked in, but there was not any light in the closet. I quickly secured a flashlight and went to work. We looked in every corner in the place with no results. Finally the light flashed on a piece of loose tin near the floor. A little worm-like tail was twitching back and forth from under the tin. An immediate plan was produced. I would guard the door while daredevil Larry pulled the tail out.
He pulled the tail, but the mouse got away, darted under the door, and scurried to the other bedroom again.
As we tore into the room we saw the little blur streaking for some clothes. We dived for the clothes and lifted them up. Out fell the mouse. Away he darted for the third and last time. This time he went out the right door and he was heading for the freedom of the great outdoors.
Once again the mouse had won.
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HOPELESS by Marilyn Irwin
Honorable Mention--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 5
On one of those days, uninteresting and boring summer days, my friend Nancy and I decided to do something interesting. The problem was--what could we do?
Suddenly I had a brainstorm!
"Let's cook supper. We can ask your folks over to eat with my folks and really make this a big deal!"
"Wonderful! Let's get to work."
First we planned the menu. We decided after forty-five minutes of hard study to have chicken, potatoes, gravy, salad and corn. Dessert would be cake and ice cream.
Eagerly, we began our little project. First, fry the chicken.
"Nancy, how do you fry a chicken?"
"I don't know. I thought you knew."
"Marilyn, it says, 'Cream the shortening.' What does that mean?"
"Look it up in the dictionary! While you are looking, look for a recipe for gravy."
"What shall I put in the salad?"
We really had that kitchen in an uproar.
Then Nancy turned from her burned and lumpy cake icing and said, "Let's junk this mess and fix some nice peanut butter sandwiches for our folks. I'm sure they would not eat this even if they could."
Wholeheartedly I agreed, as two sadder but wiser girls began to clean up the kitchen on a dull, uninteresting, boring summer afternoon."
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AT CHURCHBy Joan Miller
Second Place--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, 1955, Page 5
A lonely heart and a quiet country church belong to each other. Nowhere else can one collect his thoughts, ambitions and cares into one organized desire and feel that someone is on his side. Many people come to church for this reason. But there are some who come, not to offer thanks, but only to show off a new hat or just to be able to tell their friends that they went.
But what about those other people who come to church -- the ones who come to offer thanks. Notice the little girl kneeling by her daddy. She came to church to say in her lisping, childish way that she was sorry that God ran out of baby girls but that the new baby brother would be accepted anyway.
Can you see the little old lady in the third pew, kneeling proudly beside the tall, rather handsome young man with an array of ribbons across his chest? Ask her why she came to church. She'd answer something like this: "My son just returned home from overseas yesterday. He came to church, too. We wanted to say, Thank you, God.' " And if you look closely, you will notice tears in her eyes.
Notice also the young women to the left of you. She's offering thanks for an operation that saved her sight.
All these people come to God's home for one purpose -- to thank God for benefits received.
Going to church give you a feeling of being near to someone who knows how you feel during every moment of your life. It is a wonderful feeling--a feeling of hope, satisfaction and love mingled together into perfect peace.
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THE BUM WITH A PURPLE HEARTBy Pat Burgess
First Place--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 6
He fell --- and came up fighting,
Though he knew his time had come,
He recalled before the battle
When he's been just a bum.
Not fit to be a citizen,
Unfit to be around,
But, now he fought to help a land,
That might be freedom bound.
God, bless that Unknown Soldier
He fought, --peace to impart.
He helped us win our freedom,
And died --with a Purple Heart.
THE DECISIONBy Jim Corcoran
First Place--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 7
I really wanted to, but everybody said I would be sorry if I did. Being quite confused by this well-meant advice, I didn't know what to do. After several months of deep concentration, I summoned up all my courage and, after school one night, I forced myself to go downtown to the "place”. As I walked in, I saw several other helpless victims waiting for their turns. As I entered, a deep silence greeted me, broken only by a buzzing sound, and occasionally, a snip, snip, snip. I sat down on a bench on one side of the room to wait for my turn. I tried to read a magazine, but my mind kept wandering to the warnings I had received. The longer I waited, the more worried I became; and as my turn approached, I broke out into a cold sweat. My time finally came and I bravely got into the chair. At this moment, I almost backed out; but I had decided to, and I would! I calmly said to the man, "I want a flat top”.
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THE AUTOMOBILE RIDEBy Marlene Carey
Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May 1955, Page 8
The automobile seems to go
Rather jerky, but I don't know
if my father will last much longer.
He doesn't seem to be getting stronger.
He doesn't say much but sinks down lower,
And hollers for me to go much slower.
I tell him that I'm just creeping,
The car in front! Its brakes are screeching!
But it's too late for me to stop!
And now the car will go to a shop.
THE COTTONWOOD By Charlene Wells
Second Place--Sophomore English
Vol. 7, May, 1955, Page 9
A tall and stately sentinel
Beside a sleepy stream;
The cottonwood is standing guard
While woodland creatures dream.
And when across the eastern sky
The dawn begins to break,
The cottonwood's still watching
As the forest starts to wake.
Many hours come and go,
The sun is climbing high;
Life's busy 'round the cottonwood
As the morning hurries by.
By afternoon the pace slows down,
For the day is hot and long;
The stream flows by the cottonwood
Singing a lazy song.
Purple ribbons 'cross the sky
Show that the day is done;
All hurry to find a place to rest
Before the light is gone.
Now the night is dark and still;
Peace on all does creep,
The woodland knows the cottonwood's
Still watching while it sleeps.
REGRETBy Pat Burgess
Sophomore English
Vol. 7, 1955, Page 11
A spark of indignation,
And then the cutting blow;
An unkind word is spoken,
Then friendship has to go.
Regret alone comes after,
You're sorry for it now;
You won't share the laughter now,
It is lost with the row.
Yes, often times we falter,
And nearly lost our stride;
And forget the rules of life
That we used to abide.