Page Six

PSEU continued . . .

didn’t live to
lived in a
they fool—

of course
gcthar Each group
separate box. which
ishly called, “home". Believe it
or not, some of the ’llttle
girl elves had come to Fseu lust

they

to catch one Of the little b0} lelves The town bcgan to take on that I dnn't like team Sports, but

elves, and needless to say. some
of them weren't very sl‘lircesy
iul for the little boy elves were
aware of their plans and success»
tuiiy evaded them for yea-
Therefore, when the spring rains
brought new little girl elves
down the mountain side, many
of the older girl, elves were
jealous. This partially explains
the plan that the little girl elves
trudcrs”. You see. , , but I'm
The big day
All of the el s gatheied beside
the river bank In the distance
they could hear the roar of the
swollen waters rushing down the
valley. No one spoke The air
was hushed and quiet with e. »
pectatioii it was one of the few
big moments in Pseu. One might
say that the situation was pi'cga
nanf. indeed it was about the

only time the word was used ln‘mal'c hold, until on this partic-jbmng

Pseu.

Then from around the henclibrond daylight. and no one IIO"(locsnlt mm“ anythmg; nothing

the first wave of little elves ai»
rived, high on the crest of the
flood. The elders reached out
with long poles
these little people from the
water and set them on dry land.

It was a pitiful sight to see alll

of these small, inexperienced
water dripping off their clothes
and a very solefiil expression on
their faces. But the elders paid
no attention to them until all
of the elves had been fished from
the river. Then they herded
them into a large box, gave
them their preliminary instruc-
tion‘and sent them home to bed.
The next morning the coun-
cil began-lo carry out its plans.
The older girl-elves decided that
some of these younger girl-elves
some too attractive to the boy
elves, (although this wasn't true
ch y were no more than a group
of thy faces), and set up a de—
g'larnourization plan. It worked
like this: All of the new girl—
élves were forced to tie their
rigs behind their backs in a
ry unattractive manner and
they could not wear stardust in
their hair, which they believed
cicada them more attractive to
the boy elves. Actually they had
defeated their own purpose for
the-boy elves had come to ex-’
poet all girl elves to wear the
star dust as a mattop of course
and they only frowned upon
those who didn’t. But such. - re
the follies of the elves and need
not concern us fur‘thcrh
Thé total effect of this st t.
“53'; was that the boy clvés paid
‘ {more attention to thé new
'grl elves than they did to the
oldér' ones and the plan was
doomed to failure becausé then
no anc went out with the boy
elves!
The boy

elves were more

clever. They weren't trying tot

reach a goal. They were simply
out to prove to the young elves
that they were vastly. inferior
to thémselves. it seems they suf-

tered under a delusion that any-

one who had stayed in the vil-
lage for a year or more was
vastly superior and wiser than
any of the newcomers. How this
myth started no one seemed to
know but it was almost unlvera
sally believed among the cider
elvesv

If these younger elves did not
obey the rules set by their el-
ders, they were compelled to
walk across a bed of thistles
which caused momentary dlSr
comfort to their feet. This ritual
took place once a week. A meets
ing was called and the list of
offenders was read by one of
the eldest elves. Then each new
elf, in turn, walked across the
thistle bed, while the othci.
stood» around and laughed. Act-
ually, it wasn't very funny, but
then in Fseu thin - rarely were.

This was the process that pera
sisted down through the years
in Pseu, Each new class had
their wings tied behind their
back and walked once a week
across the thistle bed. But as

elves standing around with thel

SCARLET AND BLACK

time went on the .sy stem hccanic
‘mole and more complex. New
rules and new punishments were
invented to occupy some of the
duller minds in the community

The council would spend days onl

;end inventing new devices to
inflict on llcxl year's crop of

a different appearance. The
streets were dirty and maliv of
the houses were untidy b >
the people were so occupiedwi

h

>1hillking up new schemes that

they didn't have time for the
more menial and be esome tasks
or tlic day, The system of self
,proieetion that had been so ins
lgeniously devised earlier began
to fall nto dead).

the town unnoticed.

Then. the inevitable day ar-
rived. Thc ogre who lived in
a cave on the side of tho mouil»
ltain came down into the small
ltown. Always beforc the elves
kept a watchful eye on the cave.
ll he should venture out they
lwould sound the alarm and the
itowiispcople would shower him
l\\'ith rocks until he ietreatcd
"back into the darkness. But
inow he had become more and
he ventured out in

lilfn' (lay

‘llctd him,
He descended the SldC of (he
‘mountaln until he was now

and snared‘itandins in the “ﬁddle ”f theistorles and the contest is always

small Village, Anfl with one
gigantic puff he blew the en
‘tire village and all of its i .
lhabitanls against the side of thn
mountain Satisfied with his
decd; he slowly rcclimbed the
mountain and retreated once
more ,into his cave.

If you are unfortunate enough
to stumble upon such a moun-
tain in your travels, you may
lencoiintcr this ogre; and if the
spring rains are heavy enough
you may be swept down the
moun in side into a small
clearing. in this clearing one
rebuilt hut stands alone. And,
if you look very closely you
may catch a glimpse of one
small elf who lives there all
alone. He rarely leaves the
cabin because of the ogre. You
see, he only has one leg . . .

HURDLE cahtinued . . .

then after awhile, l began to
see it, too. They didn't do one
darn thing together anymore.
Dad would come home from the
office, and then after supper
either go out or spend the rest
of the evening in the library
alone.

He was on a lot of sports-
men's committees , and things
like that. i guess he still is. But
anyway, people were always
coming up to mom and saying
that she must be proud to have
a husband who was so active in
the YMCA and their athletic
programs and stuff like that.

i guess it just proves how far
wrong some people can be.

1 don‘t know, but if i ever
'get married. I‘ll try to make
things a lot different than they
are in our family. I'll make the
family my main interest, that’s
for sure. What 1 mean is that,
sure other things are important,
but i want to be positive that
making my family happy comes
first. Maybe you know what
llin trying to say.

You self, in our family, every.
body seems to have just drifted
apart. It’s a terrible thing to
watch happen and have happen
to you, i suppose that it's kind
of like being caught in the war
without your gas mask on and
being able to do nothing but
breathe in the gas and then die

When i saw what was hap-
pening to our family, I just
didn't want to sit back. And
that's when i got this crazy idea
about track. Somehow i thought
that mom and dad would get
back together again if they had
seine place that they'd almost
what 1 Wall

mean. any v,

i were in track meets they'd
almost have to come to see me,
lbeing my pat-cuts and cl'crya
thing.

Now I‘m not bragging, but her
hip good at sports is no great
:effort for me. Actually. i just
comc from an athletic lam

You know, some people are

 

More aiio
. l
drew Up to deal With these “W more travelers entered and lottljust about everybody docs: may

have to be together You know]

actually what I mean is that ill

some are motor
imm'ohs But hell, i‘ve always
1bcen pretty do. i liked l'HlItl'
:line, too, theie‘s a real science
tie it, you know, and a guy can
really get u lot of satisfaction
out or doing it well.

Another thing. too;

‘ oi'fllilaled and

it's not

I've always liked to accomplish
{something all by myself. i like
,to have the whole responsibility
for winning or losing resting on
line so that's why 1 liked track,

I can get along darn good in
groups and stuff likc that, but
i don’t know, I’ve always just
liked being alone a lot of the
‘ﬁlllc. i never went in for boy
scouts andsuininer camps like

lbc something's wrong with me,
lhut i don't think so. i think
it‘s important for a follow to
get to rely on himself Actually,
team spirit is important, too;
you know I play football and
basketball But all the coaches
and camp counselors and stuil
seem to overdo it and practical-
ly insist that everyone belongs
to one, big happy famil- To
hell with famili al\\\\ ,
Let's see, 1 or. toll ng about
a good liui-dler; but
actually, being a good one

lelse turns out better-
than it was before
write books of grc t

or worse
Sure, they
sports

ivei-y tense and finally the hero
wins and everybody lives hap—
pily ever after and nobody has
any problems. Well, forget that
ikiild of stories; its one hell or
a lie.

You see, last spring 1 was the
hero and I won the biggest race:
in the state and sure, I got a
medal for doing it and a write-
lup in The star, but nobody
lived happily ever after. You
see, my parents got divorced
about two weeks after that meet.

it was a nice, orderly divorce,
the kind that's supposed to up-
set the children the least, And
‘Kay and i didn't get especially
lupset either or make a scene.
That's the hell of being grown
up; you can't cry and throw a
tantrum. You just have to bear
up under anything and all
that’s allowed is to be sorry as
hell.

But before 1 knew all this,
‘1 really knocked myself out at
ltrack. winning was a real obses-
sion svith me because 1 thought
that if i won, mom and dad
would come to watch me. They'd
comp together, i mean.

Actually I should have
known’ better than to be such

a kid about (be whole thing.

Kay warned me all along not

to be too "hopeful or to do-
.pend llpqll track meets for
mjrzclés, not 1 guess I know
now that if Gyro people are

married and that they . aren't

hapfn (hat way, nobody can

change tbé state ola'ffairs éx:

um, ‘lhey themselves and

maybe evén if the wanted to
. changé it, they can't, I like to
think ﬂu: ,dad and mom
I would have liked to have‘ been
happy together again,

That's why it kills inc so
much when I'm somewheic,
,where they used to be together.
,and instead of both of themj
there's only mom or dad there
with someone else. This fall
when we were piayi g football,
mom used to come to the games
alone and dad would come once
lin awhile with another lady,
,He introduced me to her one
,of those times and I saw them,
:both talking to mom, too. i,
can't really hate this other latlvri
ll guess, because she was kind
of nice, not patronizing or tool
sweet or anything. But hell,

 

 

when i first saw them at the
game and mom alone, i prac—

SPECIAL

SHORT

l
l
l

lll(C

bawlcd a

tlcallv baby.

Sometimes this _l(lca of acting

like an adult gets to be too
much for me.

Btlt anyway, 1 guess that‘s all
over and mom sets 1 should just
start building my life from now
and forget what has happened
But I (loil'i. know. llaollv, she's
been so nice about everything
and was pretty concerned when
i told her that I didn't think 1
could go out for track this
spring. 1 hate to be such a
nuisance and all, i mean being
such a worry

Actually, all this attention
I’ve been getting about mv knee
condition and not going out for
track makes me kind of nor-
vous Since it's not really swola
ion and since there doesn‘t
seem to be any cartilage broken
oi anything, Halley, the coach.
kccps pressuring inc about it,
He can’t seem to understand
that i just can‘t hit it enough
to hurdle anything.

fine day last week was

really a hell of a mess. He

had brought me (lawn to the
track after school—to watch
the other guys work out, he
said. I guess he thinks that

I'm just imagining an injury

and that i can hurdle if I
really want to. lie set up some

hurdles aiul then said casual-

ly, “Come on, Chuck, let’s get
over a string of these."

All the guys were standing
around watching me and i was
a little teed off about that, too
You see. everybody seems to
have the idea that guys who
are really interested and mike
jous to go 0th for any sport
just don‘t have injuries. it

‘seems to me that it's about time

some of these guys get the idea
out of their heads that track is
so important and that I'm misss
ing .so much.

So, anyway, Halley said,
“Lel’s see you do soine.hurd-
ling, Chuck.”

It kind of threw me off bal-
ance to think that he actually
thought l was fooling all along
and could do it. But i figured
that if he had to be shown, rd
show him.

“All right," I said. “But i
don't have any shoes. have,
your feet are just about as big
as mine; lel's see your track
shoes."

While Dave was getting his
shoes from the field house, Hal~
iey was kind of measuring me,
i guess you'd say. \

"OK, Chuck. 1 don't expect
you to set any records today, i
just want To see you got over
a few of them. You know what
to do. One thing though, the
track. is kind of wet, so watch
out for slipping,"

Dave was back in a minute
with the shoes and while i was
putting them on, Halley must
have given all the guys one
of his “get the hell out of here
and get some work done looks,"
because they all left. They left
just Halley and me there.

i started out by hmbering up
my legs a little With some
calisthenics and it was kind of

funny, because i could do thenil
l without my knee bothering me,

i said. “OK, I‘m ready. Do
you want me to try now?"

Halley nodded and I started
off.

It was funny. but i actually
got over the first hurdle. Dur-
ing that split second 1 had the
funniest sensation as if I'd been
kidding myself all along. 0f
coui ~, i didn't llavc any of
my idol lorin back, but I did
get over it i was just taking
off lor the second one when my
right foot slipped in the models
and i fell lace first into the
hurdle.

Halley

PRICES

storied swearing the

FULL SUNDAY DINNERS

f and
l
i

ORDERS

HOTEL MONROE COFFEE SHOP

December 3, I954

lminutc that happened but i
ldidn't even hear what he was
lsayiiig because right vhcn i
slipped the pain started hitting
my knee again and i couldn't
do much but just lie there,
sprawled over the“ hurdle,

”Come on. Chuck, get up It‘s
too bad you slipped there This
track is really in one hell of a
lmass. But you were doing great
until then. Let try it again."

“Look, llalie; I said, "Can’t
you see that i tried? its no
good. How many times do-I
have to tell you that i just
can't do it."

Halley just ignored me and
answered. “Now you listen hci-e,
!Chuck. there's nothing wrong
with your knee. Do you undei»
standl It‘s all in your mind.
There's no reason why ou
can't beat your oivn last yen -
record, so let's stop this fooling
around.”

He was
grabbed my
to shake me.
I 1 don't know why, but just
then, i almost started to cry.
i hated the sport and every
thing- I'll ever connected with
it and I wanted to be left
alone. But there llnliey was,
glaring at me with his iiieic-
big, blue eyes and pushing his
lace into mine. Getting up anil
out or his grip, I started to
say, “You can go to hell." Bill.
i didn't and instead just stood
there, watching my foot in its
borrowed track shoe dig a
hole in the cintlers.

I guess that Halley realized
then that he'd kind of lost his
head because he put his hand
on my shoulder, gently I mean,
‘and said, ,“l’m sorry, Chuck i
didn’t mean to yell at you that
way. it's justiwell, it's just that
i hate to see you this way. Let’s
just forget that this happened.
All right?”

I didn‘t say anything, so l—lal—
ley started to talk again. i
guess that he was really sorry
that he'd brought me out there
at all because he was trying to
he so darn nice to me and was
just talking nice. not aboutany—
thing in particular, I felt soriy
for him and wished that l hadn’t
put him- in that position.

Then he said, "Chuck, what's
the trouble?" “Aren't you llapa
py this year?”

i didn‘t know what to answer.
but without meaning anything
that a guy can put his finger
on and talk about, 1 said, “may—
be not, Mr. Halley."

"I don’t know what it is,
chuck, You can tell me if you
want to ,but otherwise just
forget it. The thing i i think
that your mental attiude has
something to do with your knee
condition.‘ What do ‘you \think
about that?" p '

I didn’t say .anyihlilg and he
looked kind of bewildered and
then started, “You,shou]d try
to be happier, Chuck. You've
always liked track and you‘ve
,becn onc of the best boys l‘v'e
:ever coached. Don't you think
you want to give yourself
another/try at the hurdles?

n, what do you say?“

and
ling

pretty ang ~i
shoulder,

 

Come 0
l looked up to answer, but i
was ail-aid that I'd scream out
,thai. I'm only a sixteen year old
boy and that my parents are
‘divoi'ccd and that I don't want
to run in another track meet.
:But in lhc end I didn't say
anything because I knew that
lhc'd only be embarrassed and
{wouldn't understand a word of
it
l
‘ Complete

l Optical
Service

Eyes Examined
Lenses Ground
Glasses Repaired

E J. Jensen,

0.1).
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835 Broad St.

 

