Leominster High School - Magnet Yearbook (Leominster, MA)

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8 THE MAGNET a noise. Tommy stood still a moment, but as the noise was not repeated, he again took up his search for the door. The minute he moved the noise began again. By this time Tommy was thoroughly frightened. It was so dark, and what could that noise be? He decided to sit still a while and see if the noise was repeated. How Tommy passed the rest of the night he never could tell. Every time he moved that awful, creaking, noise began again. When he sat still it stopped, but the moment he moved it began again. Some of the time he sat breathless with terror, and then, gaining courage, he would move around, only to have the creaking sound start once more. After an interminably long time the car began to grow lighter and sun- beams filtered throngh the cracks. Soon Tommy could see the faint out- lines of the door. Having located it, he mustered his courage and went toward it. To his surprise he found that the noise seemed to have gone with the coming of the light. Opening the door with difficulty, Tommy jumped out of the car and started for home. When he arrived there he found that his father and mother had searched the neighborhood for him and reported to the police that he was lost. After explaining as best he could, Tommy decided to go to bed and finish his sleep. Next afternoon, he met his friends on the corner. ‘‘ Aw, you got lost yesterday, didn’t you?” was the question which greeted him. “Course not! Say you fellows must have thought I was going to hide all night. I waited for you to come until I got sick of it and then I went home.” This was Tommy’s explanation to his friends. He probably would have been very indignant if any one had explained the queer noise he had heard as the working of an over excited imagination. RuTH THOMPSON, ’17. An Old Sailor’s Story 66 AVE I ever had any interesting or exciting adventures during my thirty years at sea? Yes,I had one that would answer that question admirably. “Tt was ten or twelve years ago, when I was captain of the Kingbird, a two-masted fishing schooner. We had had fair luck and were off the coast of Maine. That morning four of the men—there were eleven in all—were out in a dory, about a mile away. Twas somewhere near ten o’clock when one of the men on board came running up to me and pointed out an object some four hundred yards away. I took a look through my glass and could hardly believe my eyes. There was a stove-pipe, about six inches in diameter and a foot out of water, heading directly for us at seven knots an hour. It came steadily on until a hundred and fifty yards away, when that pipe began actually to grow un- til it was five feet out of water. Now my men weren’t a superstitious lot; but, when that pipe began to come right out of the water, every man, except

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THE MAGNET 7 A Night in a Freight Train ab I BETCHA I can hide somewhere and you fellows won't be able to find me if you hunt all night.” The speaker was nine-year-old Tommy Gray. It was Friday after- noon and a group of small boys, tired after the afternoon’s game of ball, were sitting on the street curb, resting, when this bomb was thrown into their midst. “ Betcha we can,” was the instant reply from the fellows. “Willing to prove it?” was Tommy’s next remark. “Sure,” was the reply. “ All right. You wait here for about five minutes while I get hid and then you come and find me.” Tommy started briskly off and soon disappeared from sight. He hastened on toward the railroad tracks, which were not faraway. Suddenly breaking into a run he made straight for a freight car which was on the tracks. On reaching his destination, Tommy went into the farthest corner of the car, where he lay down on some meal sacks which were scattered about. One of these he drew over his body to fool his companions if they should look into the car. For ten minutes he lay there extremely alert to the least sound. Then, as nothing happened, his body relaxed and he sank back on to-the sacks which made a soft bed. Suddenly he became alert again. Footsteps were coming his way. He lay very still. Then he heard voices. As he listened Tommy suddenly recognized the voice of one of the railroad men who had repeatedly told the boys to keep out of empty cars. This man seemed to have a grudge against them and took every opportunity he could to punish them, no matter how small the offense. Tommy shrank closer into the blackness of the car. The men had now come close to the car door and Tommy almost stopped breathing. His enemy, however, without looking into the car pulled the door shut. Tommy breathed more freely as the footsteps retreated. Finally silence once more descended upon him. He lay thinking. He giggled as he thought of his companions looking for him in their old hiding places. When they didn’t find him in Mrs. O’Brien’s cellar, or in the empty barrel back of the store, where would they look for him? Tommy was really tired after the ball game, so lulled by the thoughts of the vain searchings of his companions and feeling very comfortable where he lay, he fell asleep. Hours later he awoke with a start. Everything was extremely dark Where was he? Then he remembered. He was hiding, but how late must it be? Tommy rose stiffly from his pile of sacks and moved toward the car door. He felt for a handle but all seemed smooth. He moved from one end of the car to the other searching for the door, when suddenly he heard

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THE MAGNET 9 the mate and myself, scooted below like a crowd of frightened Chinamen. I don’t blame them; I would have gone myself if I hadn't felt it my duty, as captain, to stay on deck. I suppose the mate felt as if he ought to stick with me. I spoke to him and we went into the wheelhouse. “ Pretty soon the thing stopped moving and a foot more of pipe grew up. Then a big round box, which was hitched on to the bottom of the pipe, appeared. This box was about six feet across and six feet tall. Next, under the box, came a big, black, oval thing about seventy-fiv e feet long and ten feet across. It looked like the back of a whale, but I knew it wasn't, because a whale doesn’t have a pilot-house and funnel amidships. Besides, this thing didn’t have any dorsal fin. Honestly, I was scared stiff. Suddenly I heard a bang from the after hatch which I recognized as Jim Stevens’ double-barreled shotgun. I waited, not knowing whether to expect a bark, grunt, or squeal from the thing on our starboard bow. I half ex- pected to see it flop up on the deck and sink us. It never moved. I waited for what seemed an hour. Then suddenly a cover on the top of the box opened and out popped a man’s head. You could have knocked me over with a feather. The man looked at us a minute ‘and then hollered out through a megaphone, ‘ Ship ahoy!’ ‘Ahoy yourself,’ I cried back. ‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’ “ U. S. submarine Dolphin, Lieut. Kendall. We are on our trial trips, but our compass broke and I don t know whether we are heading for Europe or Africa. Have you an extra compass I could buy?’ “T replied that I had, and so, taking four of my men, who by this time had gotten over the scare, I rowed over to the submarine with the compass. When IJ arrived there, I started to ask him some questions, but he only said, ‘Sorry, but I can’t answer any question.’ He took the compass, paid me for it, closed the cover to the box, and by the time we reached the schooner the submarine, with the exception of the foot of the pipe, was submerged, and making off at seven knots an hour.” EDWARD Knapp, ’18. The Wreck 6¢ UT where is the station?” inquired the Judge. ‘Ain't none, boss, Dis heah’s jes a crossing. Train’s about due now; you-all won’t hab long fer to wait. Thanky, sah; good-by.”’ The Judge picked up his gun-case and grip and walked toward his two companions, waiting on the platform a few yards away. Silhouetted against the moonlight they made him think of the number ten, for Mr. Appleton was tall and erect and the little Doctor short and circular. The Judge stopped beside them and dropped his baggage on the platform. He and his two companions had been on an unsuccessful hunting trip and were not in a very good frame of mind. The darkey who had led them to the crossing was right, for they had not been waiting five minutes when the train rumbled in. Once seated