Conflagration At College Portals

Even a small fire at the College is an event in the generally drab intramural life of students in September. Luckily "Salient" had given one of its men an hour off to attend a lecture, and he happened to be right on the spot. Here is his report.

You know the atmosphere in a lecture room five minutes to the hour? In A2 last Tuesday, It could not only be felt, but smelt. Unrest increased, until a cry "Professor, This is getting serious!" brought the gracious concession "I'll give you two minutes to save your lives."

Some of the curious looked in the kitchen door of the "cat."

"Any fires down here?"

"No, don't think so."

"We could smell burning from up above."

"We've only had the callphont on."

"Oh well, seems Ok. Certainly can't smell anything here bar food."

"Of course, there's a small car on fire outside the window. It's been burning some time."

Keen again, they trotted outside. There was the little car burning all right, just under our window. There were about fifteen students there too. And do you think they were just standing around watching it? You're right, they were.

The new arrivals got to work—it wasn't much of a fire really—and were soon reinforced by the arrival of a shiny fire engine, siren and all. A few minutes later a radio-equipped car appeared full of police, who started writing things down in their notebooks. A suitable anticlimax to the whole business will be provided if this is published in "Salient."