Originally Published in 1945

At 7:00 on the night of October 31 (that's right, it was Halloween), an incident which might have proved tragic for Calvin's beau-tiful Hekman Memorial Library oc-curred. Had it not been for a brave and level-headed member of the Thes-pian Club, a mass of ash might mark the spot where the lovely architectural masterpiece now stands.

No one knows whether a match of a prankster or a live cigarette stub of a passerby was responsible, but the fact remains that at the above hour the shrubbery bordering the approach to the library was aflame. A passing woman noticed the blaze and seeing lights in the Administration Building, dashed hurriedly to the school. Mak-ing her way to the source of sounding voices, she burst in on the play cast who was busy rehearsing, un-aware of the excitement. Her ani-mated announcement that the campus was afire caused a mad dash in the general direction of the front door. From there the weird glow arising from the southeast corner of the block could be discerned and the hurried rush continued. After scram-bling down the steps, and vaulting the railing which surrounds the lawn. the various members of the cast ar-rived upon the scene. But they were empty-handed; nothing had they with which to combat the flames.

Suddenly a shout was heard and that noble young man, Milo Burr Lipscomb, appeared, dragging a fire extinguisher behind him. With great enjoyment and utter abandon said fellow inverted said instrument, and succeeded in gaining control over the tricky hose only after each of his companions had been thoroughly sprayed by the jet of fluid issuing from it. However, ``Mike's'' use of the extinguisher proved very effec-tive, for the blaze was soon doused. Though the bushes had a slightly ``carbonized'' appearance, they looked as if they might survive.

An anti-climax to this little episode was furnished by the arrival of a clanging fire engine. Evidently some-one had turned in an alarm. The fire-men were in a good humor--despite the many false alarms occurring on a Halloween night. They thanked the Thespian members for their effi-cient work and clamored back to their hook and ladder.

I. V. D.