Amador County High School - Skip Yearbook (Sutter Creek, CA)

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GILT EDGE CAUTION The moon was slowly rising over a small cabin at Sutter's Mill. As it shed its beams on the tiny porch of the cabin. three men could be seen seated in heavy straight-back chairs. One known as Buck, was sprawled in a tilted chair sleep- ing. The other two, Nelson and Tim, were smoking their pipes and looking down toward the old mill, occasionally asking a question of each other. Well, sighed Nelson, better known to his friends as Guy, for they Hgured that Guy meant leader and they knew that Nelson was surely a leader and favorite, summer's comin' and here we are sittin' here like as if we were planted. I say, Tim, can't you kick Buck and wake him up. How can any- body think with all that noise and racket going on. At that, out went Tim's foot and Buck straightened up with a good-natured groan. Wake up, Buck, he called, here comes Mort and Tony. This looks like old times to me. Old times, said Mort, with a smile, as he seated himself on the top step, can you ever forget the times we five have had togther? Do you remember the time old Algiers Fredericks--, began Tony. You mean, can we ever forget the time, interrupted Buck, who was by this time wide awake. Hold on, returned Tony, with a quick smile. How do you know what I am going to say? Yes, said Buck. it was wrong of me, we have done so much to the poor old fellow. This brought back a laugh from the other three, for they too were thinking of the many tricks and embarrassing postions they had caused the old doctor to fall into. One story led to another and soon the boys Cfor over-grown boys was the only name that could be applied to themj were living again the days that had passed ten years before. lt's a shame, said Guy as he nibbled the end oif a plug of tobacco and passed what was left to the others, that we are getting old and lazy. Why, just think, it's been six years since we went in different directions, and now that we are together again, why let such an opportunity slip by? It just seems to me that all we do is get up and go to work, then come back and go to bed. Wllat pleasure are we getting out of life? Wouldn't Sutter's Mill run along just as well if we spent a little time doing something beside work, eat and sleep? Why. this place is .running over with fun if only we would start something. Take, for instance, that Chinese camp up there on that ridge. Think of the tricks we could play on them and the fun we would have with those Chinamen. l'l'wemy-twul

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HOW THE POPPY CAME TO CALIFORNIA - N a rugged little village on the outskirts of Pekin, lived an old Chinese gold seeker named Chang Low. Fortune always failed him in his hunt for gold, so he diverted his time in combining different flower seeds, trying in some way to perfect a golden flower. After many years of toil he ip finally perfected a golden flower, of which no one had ever L5 seen before. His great joy over the discovery of the flower brought on an unbalanced state of mind, at which he went around mumbling half aloud to himself. In this way the secret scattered abroad. After the flower quit blooming he put the seeds into a treasure box. Two Japanese spies, hearing his mumblings, one night broke into his little hut and stole the treasure box. The next day they sailed for Japan. When they reached Japan they confided their secret to a beautiful Japanese girl named Lily. One night the Japanese spies began to quarrel over the treasure box, which ended in them killing one another. Lily was so frightened that she took the treasure box and went aboard her father's fishing Vessel. The vessel had been on the ocean for three months, when one morning, they awoke to find it on the rocks near the coast of California. But in those days they knew nothing of California because this continent had not yet been discovered. The ship was sinking fast and they had no life boats to get ashore in. Lily, knowing that they would not be saved, took the treasure box and threw it into the ocean. The tide carried the box and washed it ashore. The box had been broken open by the tide beating it against the rocks and the seeds fell out upon the beach. The wind took the seeds up and carried them over the land. Where the Wind blew these seeds a beautiful golden flower grew up. Each season more and more bloomed, until now the whole state of California is covered with them. -Olive Hoskins. I'l'wCnty-onel

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They would wish they were safe in China. You, Buck, are fond of the Chinese, why don't you make a suggestion? Why rub it in, Guy? You know I would rather ownia lap-dog than get anywheres near one of those bloomin' yellow men. As for me, count me absent on any tricks with those kind of fellows. l'll have no gun stuck in my face by one of them, said Buck. Good suggestion, said Tim, displaying his ear-tO-Car grin. 'iWhy before we get through with those Chinamen they'll wish they were farther away than China. Couldn't be better, spoke up Tony, did you fellows know that we are going to have a day off next Wednesday? Yep! The boss is having two or three men come up from Sacramento to look over the machinery and see if they can locate the cause of all this trouble we have been having lately. As I said before, the lay of the land is perfect. I overheard a couple of the inmates of that cabin up there on the ridge and if I know anything at all, they are going to blast some rocks out down there next to the mill and run some water down there to cultivate that place down there just below the big bend. Now all this is going to take place Wednesday morning, so about daybreak we'll just roam over there and pull out their fuse, then we'll hide and watch the fun. What say, you boys? You sure are there, when it comes to using that button on top of your shoulders, Tony, put in Guy, but let me make another suggestion. Why not fill a barrel with sand and put just enough powder at the end of their fuse to scatter the sand, then watch their faces? Boys, it couldn't be better, sang out Mort, the day is set for Wednesday, but now while we can let's steal forty winks, or 'Sutter's Mill don't look so grand early tomorrow morning. They all parted with good-nights and a doubtful look on Buck's face. There was little sleep in the Chinese camp that night, for plans were con- siderably different than the five men had imagined. Long after the lamps had all.been put out in the other cabins, the Chinamen sat before a small rough table talking. It's all fixed, spoke the leader, we'll be out of the country by that time, and anyway aren't we to have a day off Wednesday? Who will suspect us? Nobody, of course. Now, I'll tell you fellows what to do. l'll write a letter and you, Yon, take it over and put it on the chief's desk. No danger there because the chief is down at the mill at ive o'clock. You, Ki, will touch off the fuse and we will be waiting nearby with the horses and will be ten miles away before the men around here even know what happened. Don't you under- stand? They all think that we are going to make a dam for our supposed to l'l'wenty-lhreeil