Ione High School - Nugget Yearbook (Ione, CA)

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mised to unite with the Grovers, for he had some great losses along the cattle line, due to cattle thieves. The next day proved to be a busy one for the Grover ranch hands. It was found that it would be necessary to drive the cattle over the divide and into a new watershed. Everything went splendidly that year. The ranches of the vicinity had not been bothered by Holt. Many of them began to believe that he had left the country. Some of the more thoughtful ones merely shook their heads and said that he was simply waiting a while and would make a 'big haul' when they least expected it. , The winter passed with nothing exciting, save that Harlan and Elsie became more fond of each other than ever before. Then came spring and along with it the spring Round Up . This was very important as all the calves must be branded and the strays must be brought in for market. The day for the round up was set and everyone waited and prepared for it. The day arrived at last. Horses were saddled and off they went. By evening they returned with what cattle they could find. Many of the calves were reported missing and some of the brands had been tampered with. With this discovery Harlan started to see the rest of the ranches. They reported the same trouble and some of them were very indignant. lt was not a hard matter for Harlan to convince them that the logical thing to do would be to band together and capture the rustlers. The men met the next day at Grover's to start their journey. Harlan, who was considered as experienced a cowpunchcr as any of them was chosen leader. There was a desperate crowd of men under his comand and woe be the cattle rustler who should come within their sight. It was first decided to make for Rocky Gulch, as it was the most likely place to find the theives. There was but one pass through which to enter this canyon and the settlers believed it to be heavily guarded. The ranchers had never seen Holt, but from the description they had of him they thought they could tell him in a moment. As they descended into the canyon a lone rider came out of the brush, at the same time inquiring their mission. lt's none of your business , shouted Jud Lawson. lt happens to be some of my business , replied the unknown, this is my land and if you don't leave immediately l shall have the law after you. A great deal you think of the law, Holt, the way you've been rustling cattle lately , interrupted Harlan, you know what becomes of cattle rustlers in this country . Whatl exploded Holt who was taken completely by surprise. He never dreamed of being detected with the disguise he had made. You heard what l said, returned Harlan. l gues you'll have to give up now. l give up now? questioned Holt, say boy, l never give up. He con- tinued, Do you know that l have twice as many men as you have, stationed in this brush ready to fire at your first move to molest me? I happen to know that you haven't a man in that brush, replied Harlan. He had called Holt's bluff and he knew it by the surprised look on the rustler's face. I see you have the upper hand , whined Holt, but you ought to give me a chance to fight it out in the open where both sides have a fair chance. Yes, a lot you thought about fair chance when you stole our cattle, said Lawson, you ought to be glad that we're going to turn you over to the law instead of having a necktie party with you . Holt was taken with the settlers and duly convicted by law. When Holt Page Twenty

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A HALLOWEEN PARTY About twenty-five'young people in a certain town were looking forward to Hallowe'en Eve with great pleasure. The people had planned to give a certain girl a surprise party on Halloween night. This girl was not liked very well among the others so they were going to give her a surprise party and play all kinds of tricks on her and make her do things they knew she would not like to do as she was so modest or stuck up as they called it. So after planning everything for about two weeks Hallowe'en Eve finally came. At eight o'clock they all met at a certain place and then went from there to the home of the girl. She lived about two miles out of town. When they arrived at the house they couldn't see any lights so they opened the door and walked into the room. lt was pitch dark and they could just hear a faint noise coming from some place in the room. They managed to find a flash light which one of the boys happened to have. They turned it on and be- hold , there stood an object which every one knows as a ghost. He looked to be about eight feet tall. They were so frightened they dropped the flash light and there they all stood in the dark. The ghost was making all kinds of noises and started to run after them. They were too frightened to get into their machines so all started to run to town. They ran two miles. lt seemed to them as if it were about six miles. They all reached their homes safely but wondering how it had all happened and especially on that night. The next day they went out to get their machines and the brother of the girl they were going to give the party for came out to meet them and told them how it all happened. They found out all about it and also learned that the girl's brother had been the ghost. So they decided whenever they gave another party it would not be a surprise. DORIS AMICK '23. 'F -QF -15 GROVER VALLEY Just as the sun was setting behind the purple hills Harlan Grover came riding into the old farmhouse. One could tell at a glance that the old house had seen better days, but at that time it meant a great deal to Harlan. lt was that little place he called Home . He had been riding in the far corners of the Grover range and he knew he was late for supper as the well known supper bell had sounded quite a while previous. The old lantern light had been hung on the back porch by his thought- ful mother, but Harlan's thoughts were not of home. He was thinking of the cattle on the ranges. After unsaddling the horse he turned it in the pasture and rushed suddenly in the house. Say Dad, the water holes are dried up and the cattle are without water. l don't expect it to rain for another month yet. Whatl exclaimed the elder Grover, why I was to all the watering places yesterday and they were brimming over . So you told me , replied Harlan, 'ibut l noticed footprints around each hole and it wouldn't surprise me if they were made by Holt's men from Rocky Gulch. They are probably trying to draw our attention to that section of the range while they start rustling on the far side . The only way l see to stop that band of cattle thieves is to get Jud Lawson and his men to unite with us and go after Holt's gang, drawled Grover. l believe l'll go over and see them to-night, replied Harlan. He had a two fold purpose in going to Lawson that night. The first and most important reason to him was to see Elsie Lawson, and secondly he would talk to Jud and present to him his father's proposition. Harlan had been paying quite a bit of attention to Elsie lately and he began to think that she really liked him. He had a very pleasant evening at the Lawson's. Jud pro- Pagc Nineteen

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was gone the gang had no leader to drive them on, so with him went the cattle rustling days. Everything was pleasant in the valley again. One evening Jud Lawson returned home and after much considering he muttered, Young Grover sure is a fine boy. So he is, father, replied Elsie, and we'rs to be married as soon as the parson arrives from Stony Creek. You sure have picked a dandy, replied her father. I Two days later the parson arrived and the wedding was put on in good sty e. From that day on everyone was happy in Grover Valley , as it came to he known. .. THERON McCUEN. OUR FACULTY Oh, listen to me, ye powers that be: And I will a story tell Of that which we call the faculty, They who taught us our lessons so well. One is tall and one is small, Another quite slender is she: The other is just and helpful to all, And all are as kind as can be. You never a better group could find, Than this faculty held by the tie , Of their mutual interest always in mind, Of the lone Union High. MILDRED F OLMER Page Twenty-one