Indecision·...

One day little Ollver, who was five y ears old, was visiting bls grandparents while his mother was shoppi ng H is grandmother came by and saw blm looking desperately, tlrst at the stairs, then down tbe hall.

"W hat 's the matter" she sald.

He than whispe red something softly In her ea r

"There 's one just down the hall," she answered.

"

Th ere's aJso one upstairs," he said, "but I can't decide which."

"You better decide quick," abe replied.

" I will," be said.

Ten minutes later Oliver waa sitting on the steps wh en his grandm other again walked by

"Well, did you decide?" she asked

"First I decided to go upstairs ," he sai d , "but then I thought 1t would be qui cker to go down the llall. So I started "He stopped and looked up "But It waa too late."

• • •

Twenty-tive years later Ollie was on his way to an Important business meeting downtown All of t he streets were c rowded and be was in a hurry. He came to an Intersection, and on both co rn e rs the r e were parking lots. Which

one should be go to? He stop to decide The ca r s b ehin d screec h ed to a stop with t horns blowing and irate drl yelling. Whew! He thought, ting out, I've gotta.' be taster that, almost got hit; almost dl get a parking place.

Just then he remembered; was late! He hurried to the ner and waited tor the light change. He saw the opposite I turn yellow so he started ac Then be saw the car trying make It across before the 11 changed. He stopped he sb go back but he must make to that. meeting. These thou raced th r ough his mind In a ond ; It took the car one-ha lf ond to cross the Intersection.

b)' Karen Kozak Grade12

Tbe a tWn esa gaped and in llm1tless array:

Blind mortals toutng on a treadmill, bumtng Jo)' away; A surging wave of breaks cra.sh:lng, dullAnd solemn, starlike tears faithlessly, before the lull. Emotions rage 1n vatn, mortals waste their breath Denying the fud.Uty of and the lnflnlty ot deatb.

THE MTND, THE CLOCK , AND THE SWIM OF LIFE

by Hugb Abrahanu!on

Grade 10

(The: following euay it reprinted from tbe Omaha World Herald wbcre it appeared u a winning entry in the weddy "Owonumty for young writer's" eonte<t.)

The sky was stlll dark as my alarm clock unnounced that it was time to get up. My drowsy braJn noted that a thin piece ot syutbetic fabric was remarkably successful at keeping out the cold, and I was sorely tempted to burrow deeper Into the warm comfort of my blanket. But this was my fourteenth birthday, the day 1 bad anticipated tor so l ong. Today had to be special so I put on my most cheerful mood and forced myself to get out of my bed.

I must have made quite a clatter u 1 uhed, for the admonishments that came from members of my family f'ftOinded me that not everyone wanted to be peppy at aix o'doclc in the morrung. I dressed quiclcly and ,.ent tO the kitchen to fix my small and unbalanced breakfast, wh•eh consisted of th" usual toast and milk. There, tO my happy surp rise, I found a miniature mountain o£ IJoxes on the table. Pcreh.-d on the highest of thcte was a dainty gold ring whieh uplured my attention. It wat an antique that my c:olltctor mother Ud found. Its one larae

Mone wu my birthstone, and its settin¥ was I had been with my mother when Abe had seen ;,, but the memory of It bad bidden in some obscure corner or my mind until It had been thu$ brought forth. t slipped the ring onto my finger and irn · patiently waited for my tnrdy s;ster before txplorin& the of the boxes. My hnul was composed oi items that I hrd needed, and when 1 left for school. I was wearing or using alo>ost all of them. began the fiut day of my fifteenth year in a most enjoyallle manner

The c:by was mueh the oame as every other

OIChool day. I groaned at geometry and t<tum· bled through a Frmc:h te<t. But as it prothe c:by seemed to acknowledKe 1n a •DtaU ...-ay that this my birthday. 1 did well in English, the lehool lunc:b was unu.sally good. and the ehoir presented an enjoyable rendition of "Oklahoma." /1.1 a whole, it was a rather good day, and I went home with a bnd cold but with hlah

•J>iriL•. Or= there, 1 was joined by my family In the sharing or the blessings or my btrthclay. ln the good mood that I ,. detrr· mirwd to ket!p. I was bdpful to all 'D-7 cef'>led this (as they aec:ef'>l all of my ac:tions) in the way that only prt, That night we ate dinner at a restanrant wltcre 1 panicularly enjoyell the foOd. M a finishing touch, 1 re«iYed a totally unex· peeted c:akt!. Later that evcnina, I climbed into bed with the pleasant asauranc:e that my cold " "oul<l k«p me a-..-ay from 5cllool the next day.

1 lay m my eave of warmth for a long time but found iltat I could not fleep. So I applied my m1nd to dec:ide what made a birthday &O important. It wun't the ring that waa t" inlcling at my bedside; nor was 1t the money and presents I bad re«h-ed from my relativet. What was that 1 h3d aurv1ved fourteen years in this cold, miserable but oil, 10 wonderful world. What mattered was that somehow my moilter, with auistMee from my father, a little help from some doctora, nnd a big boost frotn God, had performed a mlr11cle on a blinardly c:by in November fourteen years ago. lly some my. eterious proc:esa ahc had molded life .• alJ. powerful, evtr-<Oming Ltfe. Jt was a acra,.n y, red bit of Life:, to be sure, but its very exiStcntc made it as 11tli)OM11nt as the earth 11Mlf. .l'clr in this or any Othff world, Life: is IM moving forc:e.

The ligaments bend but a r e stingy to my interest.

I am, lik e a hand on a clock, always reaching ror the minute.

And, upon attaining the whim, The next minute beckons me Would that release tiom my restlessness satisfy!

1 want to run on a bill, then, exbausted. So much, I want to swim untU all t he water has passed under my band.

To r ead, but to know everythingeverything.

My mind, In intense will, wlll absorb everything always reaching tor the mJnute many clubs are there In HIJh ? are they What do lbey do? Wbo lt!le.lletl• :. The p11J110se or •pawulon l "to fosrer a IIIMif't'!otantllng o f chol"l\1 hJ JW\lor RJgh s tude nt ..._, If h t> Is ub l e to pass Oftloor : Nancy Eaton , Randall viceFrecl Onrgett, seereOirl• H opkJns ·MnrUyn Nopllblldty ; Hteve Bac h.cnbe.rg• Maybt'rry, Ubrnrlans.

When I have all of that kno wledge Then I want To Oy, cut the atr at speeds that never are as swift aa my tbought.

Or read In book• ever less Than J want, Or awlm, or run on a bill tn a race but my mind Ia tuter than my feet.

Bu t then, the second band on a watch, as it traces and plans each minute, is faster than the minute band, as it Ia always reaching ror the next minute.

"'hm I shall .chien woman· "-i fcor W1thm mr I will han tltc PQWet of Clod • th power to c:rnte Lift'.

Daria F:. Cord es Is the spon-

Clab: Under the leaderelllr. Al vin Gloor, Math club - to any member of Junior WHS Jr. High Merching to the Top lty S. J Johnson "'fte major purpose of this lfltll•adi)D Ia to perpetuate an ud explore topics of com- t o re. Officers: Larry CalswcU, pre& l dcnt; Fred Ingersall v1ce· preRid cnt; 1\lld Douglas Smith. tr<'tt'<orer. Sponsor: 1\lr. EmJl " ' 1clnu.

Y-Toens: For girls only! "To provide useful actlvtties for the Junior high girls and give all an equal chance to w9rk." Officers: Sally Cockle, president; Julie Klopp, vice-president; Pam Ey· den, secretary; Bev Butterfield. treasurer; Laura Graham, 7th grade points: Barb Stein, 8th grade points; Micki Freed, 9tb grade points; Ruth Saunders, publicity; and Nancy Eaton, devotions.

Congratulati ons to the 8th grade team that placed second In the Louisville tournament! T e am members: Roger Anderson, Dan Brown, David DeBnse, Jon Elliott, Leland Fisher, Roger Herr ing, Bradley Hill, David Hungerford, David Larkin, Phil Mumma, Gordon Nealy, Steve Snodgrass, John Thomas. Steve Tyler, and Bob Urosevlch.

Well"Most of the students tool that their college preparation here at Westside was very satisfactory," commented Mr. Karl Pecht, guidance director. He made this observation after attending the Principal-Freshmen Conference at Nebraska U, March 16.