Grass Valley High School - Stray Leaves Yearbook (Grass Valley, CA)

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The Last Blast A True Story of the Discovery of the Empire Mine. About seventy years ago, several years after gold had been discovered in California, a man by the name of Kenneth came to California to make his fortune. Much to his disappointment, however, he found that practically all the loose gold in California had been taken, and that now the involved process of gold mining was the necessitated possibility. As I have said, Kenneth was disappointed. Nevertheless, he wandered around the district where Grass Valley is now located, in the hope that maybe he could find one of those fabulously rich pockets that he had so often heard about. He was disappointed, inasmuch as he had not realized his dreams. In the course of his wanderings, however, he discovered a vein of quartz. As a last resort, Kenneth decided that here his fortune hung, that here he would find gold, or he would die in the attempt! VVith this determinationhe spent his few remaining dollars in supplies- food, clothing, tools and dynamite-and started to work following up his quartz vein. He worked steadily for six months, At the end of this time his clothing needed renewing, his food wasnearly gone, his dynamite had run so low that only one more blasting could ,possibly be made, and still he had not found one gratifying speck of gold. W . What's the use? groaned Kenneth discouraged, I'm a ruined man. VVith that he prepared the last charge of dynamite. I-Ie lit the' fuse and sat dejected by, watching it burn. In five minutes all was over. The next day transient miners came upon Kennetlfs mine. A little investi- gation disclosed the tragedy which was not ,an uncommon one for disappointed gold seekers, but what interested the miners most was the rich gold ore that lay scattered around, the result of that last blast. From this beginning sprang one of the richest gold mines in all California. But, oh, how little can man fathom what is beneath the next shovelful-- what the next blast will disclose! Alfred Kramm, '27. Just Yellow Yellow. Yes, he was, and the disgrace of the whole Forty-fourth regi- ment, which was located in the heart of the Sahara, doing its best to protect the trading caravans from the ruthless treatment and raidings of the desert tribes. Lloyd Hammel was charged with murder in France. He had run away from justice to Africa, where he had been taken in by the captain of the 4-4R. France. It was hard for him. I-Ie was in constant danger of being detected as a wanted man and he was of a nervous disposition. One day his name wascalled for fighting the lines outside the fortress which was to be attacked in a few days. Instead of stepping out one pace and saying, Here, sir, he just fainted in the line. He was carried off by some soldier while the captain cursed violently under his breath. Since that day he had been termed yellow, Buteout in that great sand plain a streak of yellow can soon turn white. In about two months' time he had so many charges against him that he was thrown into a prison to be shot at 12 :3O the next day, In the meantime the captain had word that he and his regiment were needed at a place four 31

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The Adventures of a eeee' Stream A I started from a cold spring away PUBLJC4 LIBRARY up in the lofty Sierras. I believe I N -wx X- . L heard some one say that I originated gi-: Q I at the Gold Mountain spring, near ? E Gold Lake, so you see my birthplace 5 ig is in Plumas County. 7 3 My youth was very happy. playing I I+ among the rocks. tumbling, jumping, H and playing hide-and-go-seek with the I fishes and grasses. All this time I was B growing stronger and stronger, for 5 9' E 5 from each spring or snowbank that I E I gl passed. I gathered more strength. E I I Qi Like all other streams, I just could E I L Q Y T I not stay at home and play forever. I il ' - C ,lj 5 iiffdl yearned to do things, great things for ' -l the unconquerable world. So with Li.. these my constant thoughts, I bade sheltering grasses and ni o u n t a in s good-bye and kissed each fish and frog as I passed down the great mountain sides, through valleys andmgrassy meadows, to my destiny. I met many strange objects as I traveled, I crossed under bridges, heard automobiles. Such strange things they are with their puffing and running. One almost ran into me. It would have, if I hadn't been frightened and jumped away from its crushing wheels. This exercise was making me grow and I became really quite grown up and able to care for myself. One day in early afternoon I was drifting along with my eyes half closed. listening to the birds sing, when I ran plump into a great big person almost like myself. I was so terribly frightened and afraid. I asked him who he was. In a great thundering voice he said he was Bowman Dam, and informed me that I was his captive. At this I became more frightened and I'm sure he could see me shaking. I wished I'd never left home. BOVVI'11311,S Dam had a castle of great magnitude inclosed in a wall, which wasto keep us, his captives,-and I met a lot of other poor little streams like myself who were kept from leaving without his consent. He promised if we were good he might in time let us out to water the fields of Nevada County. The fishes here were too large to play with. They made me feel little and insignificant. Even the turtles were cross and unplayful. Thus I became cramped and lazy, not being able to move about and exercise freely. I tried to stay close to the wall, but was often pushed away by some greedy stream in the hope of securing freedom. I just behaved beautifully and did everything I was commanded to do and became quite a trusted captive. But one dark night I slipped around to the gate and with great effort climbed over it. I jumped and, oh! I did think I'd never reach the earth. I landed in a great heap and I was sure for a minute I had broken my bones to pieces. But after lying still for awhile I gathered myself together and ran away from Bowmaifs Dam. I'm positive I was never missed, as there were so many other captives. The next day I found I had run into an irrigation ditch and was on my way to see Nevada County. From what little I gathered on the way through the villages I was most interested in all I was to see and in what I might do for the world. Wfith my destiny on its way and fate being so kind I am sure I will accomplish great things for some farmer in the county, Reva johnson, '27. 30

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miles away. in a little town the Arabs had frequently been raiding. They left the next morning. taking all the firearms except one machine gun and two belts of ammunition. Lloyd heard them go. He swore at them till the air turned blue. The guard soon fell asleep outside the prison door and soon Lloyd was busy trying to find out how he could escape. First, he tried the door. It was securely locked and would not move. Next, he went to the window. a wide opening barred by six steel bars of some thickness. Wfhile standing there he noticed that some of the bricks were loose. A sudden thrill went through him. He could escape and be free. He soon had three bars loose. so that he could crawl through. Below him was a thirty foot drop. He scanned the wall eagerly to find some way to get down. The only thing he could see was a flagpole from which flew .the French flag. A desperate idea came to him. He could jump to the flagpole and then slide to the ground. He paused for one moment and then with a mighty spring caught hold of the pole. and in doing so he tore the flag almost in half. He soon reached the ground only to be startled by a rapid fire of rifles. He listened for a minute and then realized what had happened. The regi- ment must have been trapped on its return from the city. They were cornered in a small valley and would soon be annihilated by the rapid Ere of the Arabs. He must save them at all cost, but how? His eyes rested on the machine gun. He quickly mounted it and set it in working condition. He could see the ambush about fifteen hundred yards from the fortress. He trained the gun and turned the crank, a rapid fire issued and the Arabs soon fled. Lloyd was saved. It was 12:29 and he was still living when, ping! a bullet hit him in the head. He fell across the gun dead. The sentence was fulfilled by an Arab run- ning away from the fire of the regiment, which had now been freed and had broken through the Arabian lines. The regiment soon returned to the fort to see who had saved them from the destruction of the Arabs. A little later the remains of Lloyd Hammel were enclosed in a magnifi- cent coffnn draped in the French tricolor. The captain observed the'tear in the Hag and admitting a curse said, Fd like to lay my hands on the devil who tore that flag. The corpse seemed to move, or it may have been the wind blowing through the folds of the standard of France. Henry Goudge. '30. Dawn A streak of gray in the dull blue sky A cloud that is split as it passes by. A rosy tinge, then a yellow light, A fireball of glory bursts on the sight. A haze o'erspreading the vast extent Of purple trees in the dawn wind bent. The light suffusing the freshened earth, And another day is given birth. - A ' Helen Lobecker, '2S. 32