Eureka High School - Sequoia Yearbook (Eureka, CA)

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THE SEQUOIA soon after she was married. I have often wondered since wl1at became of her. U Captain. Maxfli' It was the young Indian girl, her eyes gleaming with supressed feeling, That was my motther! So Hllaptain Mac found the child of the little Owahra, whom he had rescued i11 earlier days. he Mysterious Cave. By E. D., 'os. Several years ago I, with ai party of seven or eight, was staying at a summer resort high up in the mountains in the southern part of this State. From tl1e hotel a line view of the surroundinug country could be obtained, and at first. we were content to sit there and admire the beautiful scenery. For the t.wo or three days we had been there, we had watched al brick-red blot on the green background of the hillside at a distance across the river, and had wondered as to what it could be. NVe had just reaclied the con- clusion that it was a bank o-f wild California poppies when an old man at the hotel told us that it was a bank of red earth overhanging the mouth of a mysterious cave which none had en tered for years. He also sa.id that near this cave wa.s on old rcservior which had, years before, furnished the motive power for an old mill and a mine, long since abandoned. Wie had never seen such a, reservoir, and witl1 the mystery of the cave adding just a tinge of adventure to the trip, we all wished to make a jour- ney to the place. The following morning bright and early we started off. NVe knew tl1a.t it would be necessary for us to arrive at the carve as soon, as possible, because about noon t.he heat became so great that one could hard- ly endure it. It. was a beautiful mornring, the dew shone o-n the grass, the little birds sang in the tall poplars by the roadside, chipmunks were gaily cliattering in the thickets, and frequently a cotton-tail wo-uld look inquisi- tively at us before darting into the ta.ll grass at the roadside. All na- ture seemed t.o have donned festal robes for our special entertainmeinrt. After at pleasant walk of a couple of hours we reached the reservoir. To us, who had never seen such a sight before, it was very beautiful. The -sun gla.n-oed on the glass-smooth surface, nearly blinding us. The tall trees on the bank, the beautiful flowers at our feet, the ripple of a little stream flowing into the reservoir, all made the scene oinfe of almost perfect beauty. But not even the beauties of this perfect morning could drive the mys-

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THE sEQUo1A fr11111 her eyes! Ah, there w11s the l111use, there NVRIS1 her lll0t1l01' illlXlllllS1y Sllilillllg hier eyes for il QJQll1111J1St? of t11e ll'1ll1'l11lllg' l'1lllll1'01l. Tlfe lll'01llf,iI' 11is1111pe11.1'-1-'11 f1-11111 t11e 1l0'0l'XYily 111111 21 llltlllllillf 111ter three shots were tired ill 1'11pi11 Sl1I't'USS'l0ll. Annie knew XV1lil1 it 111e1111t: it w11s t11e signal for helpg 1 lilllfillll M1111- wo1111l 111-111' it-111111 11lllS lllt'01l0l'lLll11.V thinking s11e l'l'11l'll'l'11 t11e lllllll'-S1011 111111 fell wit11 the 11111f-ti11is111e11 words, ncillltil-lll Alili'-till? 111t111l1lS-11NY2111ll'2llu lint 1itt1eUw1l111 11, where NVHS she? The little girl, l'l'2lZ0l1 with f02ll', blinclly 1-l111lNVt't1 her sisters w11o were 21.11'P21t1. S11e 11-021111 the 11u1l 'itlllllli 1111111111 of t11e plll'Slllllg l1111i1111sg she threw 11-111-11 her 11e1111 111111 put forth 1111 1li'I'Sl1l21ll strength. Sl1e w11si11 the 1ie11l, t11e rough, stnhhy iiel1l. The 1'11111s hurt her feet. 111111111 sh-e 1111 it? A111111--E-1iz1111et11-w111it- She s1i1111e11 1111.11 fell. U11 1'11111e the lIltl1il1lS. T'lll'I 0 were Illillly l'lll'1iS i11 t11e I11-11leJ11 blow, il s1:1'e11111, 1111111 tl1e 1itt11- U1Vil11ll 2l knew no more. As il2lI1112llll Mae 1111111 11is lll0ll, il l t1'l1St'll l1y the first shot, 02111110 Plllllllllg down the 11i1lsi11e, t11'ey s11w t11e 1111te1l bl 4NY1l for111s 1'11pi111y 111lv11111'i11g to- NV211l t1 t11e 11011S1l'. Une volley 111111 the Cl!-XVZ11l'I11'V I1l411illlS 1 0fI'0il11l't1 to their t12l1'1i 11i11i11g p1111-es 11111o111g the t1111 1'e11wo11-11s. fi112lIll'lll,L2f f0W21l'1l the 2111111111 6111111121111 3111131 s11w S0'1ll'l'f1ll1l,1I 1yi11g llllllt'I' 21 111-1111 of 11111-ks. l111sti1y tearing 21151110 the I'0'I'1iS, t11e bo1ly of the little 1111112111 girl WZIS1 exposed, the skull S1llZlS1lt'11, the f11.1-e 10111 111111 l1lee11i11g, 1'1l'll 111111y, to 1111 21IDp02l1'2l.lll'PS, lifeless. Gently 1ifte11, she was l'ill'I'll- tl to the 1l01lSt', 111111 then fl'llllPl'1y l'21Tl'l tl for, she s1'1w1y 1 04'0V0'l'Ptl. S11e grew up to live 11. long 111111 11s1-ful life, ev1e11t.n1111y lllilI'l'ylIlg.f one of 6112111121111B121.l'.SH boys I' I' I' 'I' 'I' 'I' 41' lt w11s j'l'1ll S 111ter, t11e I1111i1111s were only past Il10lll01'lPS, 111111 the peo- ple no 10Il.gJft'I' t11e11 for their lives: 6402111121111 M111 ' was 1111 11111 1111111 IIOXV, a1111 st.ill 1iv1-11 i11tl1e valley where 11e 111111 seen P'il1'l1Pl' serviee. Ill t11e ev- enings, sitti11g i11 t11e twilight before the blazing fire, 11e 1ove11 to re1'11ll S4'l'lM'S of 11is l'211'1y life i11 t11e eonnty. llis g1'111111-1'11i1111'e11 1ill'l'XV l1is 1i0IltlIl4'SS for sto1'y-te11i11g, 111111 on t11is I1i11'1lt'1ll2111' eyening 1'111111111'e11 for tl nxew story. The 112111121111 w1'ink1e11 his 111'0NV-XV1l211' S1l0'll1l1 11e tell 11l01ll? Ah yes, he 111111 it, uUW1'Z11'2l.N A1111 so, sitti11g i11 t11e tirelight, f'f 11pt11i11 3121011 1191211941 t11e story of the little 11111111.11 lllilltl, f1XV2l11l 1l. l'lVt 1'LV01Ilt' w11s 2111S0'l'bl't1 i11 t11e story, s11 lIlllt'1l i11te1'este11, in fart, that no 1111e l11011l'l't1 the young 1111111111 girl, 1111111 1ivi11g wit11 t11e filllllly. Seated i11 t11e S1l21t10XV, she too w11s 1iste11i11g. 'l'l1e story l'Ilt14'41, the l'1ll1t11'l'll g11ze1l flltlllglllfllllj' into t11e tire, saying Ilhflllllgj e111'l1 one busy wit11 their own t11o11g11ts. The In11i1111 girl, however, 10511111112 forw11r11 l'Xlll't'12l1lf1j', XVZIS gazing intently 11t 1 1-21111121111 31211211 'l'I1e 11111 lllilll IIl1lSl 1 tlltllltl, lt SPOIIIS S1l't1llg,.f0Q I lost sight of the 1'hil11

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THE SEQUOIA tl-ry of the cave fl'0lll our lnillds. Following a llllljj disllsed path we tllrlled a sharp llltlltl alld stopped ill frollt of the cave. 'llhe ballk of red earth, probably the lIlil.l li of some land-slide ill f0l'lll0l' years, was a little higher up the hillside. All 2l1'0lllltlill'0tlil1'li l'llil'2lllt't' to the cave grew the little red flowers which some ill the party called Indian Fire l'll0XV8l'S', tthey seelll to take the place of the llettle wllicll grows ill' the northern part of the Statej. 'Phe birds seelned to welcollle us hither. A red-top wood- pecker was pounding on 21,11 old Slltlg' near by, 21,1111 on a fallen log near the llltlllill of the cave a, y0ll0XV-lltlllllllll-QI' was lN'tlilllgJ,' illl lIldllSl'1'l0'l1S tattoo. We all clustered around the mouth of the cave, alnd of course sonle wanted to go ill. T'here was a lfight inside, the ligllt of day, which filtered ill fllI'0llQ'll Zlll old shaft fllilf had been Slllllil-'ll lllftl the cave. Roldly we en- tered. For a little way all wa.s beautiful, the delicate lllilltlllll-llilll' fern tnot the tive-tillgered fern wllich one calls lllaid-ell-llair ill Hlllllblblflfl lilled the sides of the cave, tllick IIIOSSPS spread a. soft carpet ullderfoot, tlllll al small wllite iiower, 'KSlll00tllllg' stars, seelned to giv-e oft' light in the Sfllllll- 4l2ll'lillt'SS of the cave. But as we followed the main tunnel we suddenly turned a sharp' bend. All the beauty was gone from the portion of the cave beyond this bend. Large bowlders lined Olll' way, sllarp rocks hung down from the low top of the cave, it became so dark tllat we had to ligllt candles to see our way, and the llllg-0, spider-like crickets would drop fI 0lll the top tlllltl sides upon Olll' faces Zllltl heads. After we had advallced several lllllltll t tl yards someone discovered a side tunnel wllicll brallclled off to the left, tllltl as it ll1 0+llllSlt'tl lll01'9 lllyS- tel-y than the lllillll tunnel, SOIIIQ' entered it, while the rest l'0'lIl2l-lllllfl ollt- side to await the result of their investigations. They had not been gone long when one of them littered a ery of ZIIIIHZCIII-Ollf, 111111 all CZIHIC hurrying back, their faces stralngely pale, saying flltlf they had made il- horrible dis- covery. I, witll a few other adventurous spirits, entered to see what they had found. There, before me, in a, niclle ill the rock, sat the skeleton of at Illtlll, his cloftlles., rapidly decaying in tllat damp place, hallgillg in shreds fl'0Ill his tleshless body, his hands and feet in chains. Near it on the rocks lay a IDilI't'llII1l0llf, yellow witll age. One of the llltlll stepped up to examine the body, illlltl picking up- the parchment read it flll'0llg'll. Tlhen at the so- licitation of sollle of the more curious IllClIlb0l'S of the party, he read it aloud. It proved to be a will Ill2ld0 Ollf in favor of a t'0l'iIll.Il Mary Ellisworth and gave her all the rights to a certain Glenn lllille. Une of the members of the party wllo knew the girl well, said tllat she resided ill the neighboring town' of Ylllllfl Zllltl tllat she was tllen living witll her llllt'lP, her father llaving disappeared very mysteriously about twelve years before, and her motller having died soon afterwards.