Madera Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Madera, CA)

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20 THE PURPLE AND WHITE pressed his opinion as to the mental de- ficiency of the one who made this ar- rangement and prudently made it more safe by storing in it several bales of cotton and a spring mattress, so if it was ever left open and anyone descending the stairs fell into it, the consequence would not be so serious. Fritz had often thought how fine it would be to wait until a burglar had gotten half way up the stairs, raise the door by a rope from above and frighten the burg- lars by a great noise so he would fall into it on uis retreat. All'this came to him now and, in spite of his shaking knees, he found a rope, climbed down stairs and fastened it to the huge staple in the door, and climbing up, returned-to the place directly above the lower landing and tied the other end to the-bannister, having put a stick under the door to prevent the auto- matic latch from catching. But how was he to scare them back? He solved the difficulty by tying a long piece of binding twine to one of the lower of a pile of tubs, boilers, pans and other articles of tinware, which had been piled dangerously high at the head of the stairs. With the two ropes in his hand he took his stand directly above the foot of the stairs. In-a few minutes he saw two shadowy figures steal slowly up the stairs. With his heart beating fast and his knees quaking faster, he gavé a puli on the rope from the door that brought it wide open and gave a mighty tug on the cord connected with the pile of tinware. The two burglars fled in haste from the thund- ering avalanche of tinwaré launched on them. One followed the other into the vault and Fritz dropped the rope, the door closing with a bang. Fritz ran triumphantly down the stairs and hurriedly ran an old and unused safe onto the door of the vault. Then in a high Swedish treble he piped down a knot hole, ‘‘You had better not break through mit der door or the safe will fall and you will get smashed. Maybe so it will break through anyway and you will get smashed into jelly, -But I hope it don’t,” he added-reflectively, “for hinges and doors costs money. I go now for der policeman.”’ He at once proceeded to run for ‘“‘der policeman,’’ who was, however, only a town ‘marshal. The door did not “smash through” and fifteen minutes later two very much dis- gusted burglars were lifted out of the vault. Fritz is now a young man and has com- plete charge of the store for his father has always considered it safe to trust the boy who defended the store so well from burg- lars. The Manager. I. Who is it that the captain asks, When will we have a game? Who knows there is not one in sight, But’s hopeful just the same? Who must write the many letters To every town we know, Fill ’em with big sounding things, Which he knows isn’t so? The Manager. Ti, Who is the one to whom, They so secretly confess, “O, please put off the game a weex, Then I’ll have my fine new dress?’ Or who is carefully drawn aside, To hear this other plea, I want to hunt tomorrow, Postpone the game for me? The Manager. III. Who must face the majestic faculty, Each time their honors meet, And beg his team’s good recognition, So humbly at their feet? Who is held tq answer For all that’s said and done; When the team’s away from home, Who is the responsible one? The Manager,

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THE’: PURPLE AND WHITE 19 Part II. Now there was in the land of far Japan An ancient prophecy, That Tokyo should ne’er yield to a foe Until this strange thing should be, Till the wildwood itself should leave the land And move across the sea.: And now up spak ye high prieste, Hi Yangtze Kiang “O trouble is coming, I know, I am sure this means for our native land Unutterable woe, For in the year nineteen hunded and ten Like Josephus of long ago, I saw a comet, shaped like a jack knife Hanging over Tokyo. So now unto me is perfectly plain The meaning of this prophecy, For Trueman Wood is the wildest Wood That ever mine eye did see. (Here ends ye part second. ) Part II. And so Admiral Ring and General Wood Sailed in haste to the land of Japan, Like a football team in a forward pass Through the enemy’s warships they ran. And they crashed right into the enemy’s ships And they scattered them left and right Until every Japanese ship was sunk But they had a most terrible fight. And then they sailed down upon Tokyo And inspired the Japs with dread, For it sent the cold chills up and down their backs “'o see our flag overhead. Now Bill Ring and his men have to Tokyo gone, With a touchdown a down and a down, For they went through the Japs in a flying wedge ‘ 4 ateaichtway did capture the town. And they moored their ships upon the sand And did fight right furiouslie Till they. drove all the Japanese off the land Into the Yellow Sea. (Here ends ye ballad.) An Experience With A Burglar. LINTON MONTANYA Fritz Hanson’s father owned a store in a little town on the T. P. W. The Hanson family lived in the rooms over the store. Although the town was not large the store brought much trade, for the country around was a prosperous farming and dairying district. On this particular evening Fritz was at home alone, for his father had gone to Chicago on a business trip and his mother had gone too, for she needed the outing as a change from the dull routine of store work . All of the other Hanson children had gone to various friends who lived in the viiage, to stay during their parents’ absence, Fritz had locked up the store and had gone up stairs for the night. It was with many misgivings that he prepared to spend the night alone. As he was fumbling for matches to light the lamp he heard voices in the alley behind the store. When he went to the back window and listened, he found that the sound came from two disreputable looking men who were plan- ning to put into immediate execution a carefully planned burglary of the store that very night. : “The coast is clear,’ said one. ““There isn’t one of those Hanson brats that’s got spunk enough to stay alone over night.’’ This made Fritz furious and he thought fast. There came to his mind a plan which he had often thought of for stopping burg- lars, At the foot of the stairs was a door, like a cellar door, opening from the floor, and underneath this was a deep brick vault, used for coal by some former occupant of the building. Mr. Hanson had often ex- : MbA ve “yf

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THE PURPLE AND ' WHITE 21 IV. Who must face the Executive Committee, And ask for coin, so meek, When the treasury’s low and empty, And steadily growing weak? Who is it gets no honors, Nor thanks for what he’s tried or done, To whom a scheduled game Is more worry than it is fun? The Manager. V. Who set those ill-fated dates, That brought such Saturday storms, That made apparent each player’s temper, In various different forms, But who knows ’way down in his heart, His power to allay all their cries, Just get a game away from home, And up to him they’ll all turn their eyes, The Manager. The Lost Door Key F ANNE NOBLE It was a dark night with the stars shin- ing and reflecting on the snow. Marjory was a tall, dark girl with merry, brown eyes and rosy cheeks. Her mother was dead, and also her father, consequert- ly she was left alone with the excep- tion of a maiden aunt—and a very maiden- ly aunt at that. This night she had gone to a party at a girl friend’s a few miles from her own home. Her aunt had told her to return early, about half past twelve, and she would find the key under the door mat; at the game time she had told Marjory to make the least noise possible for she (aunt) was easily awakened. At the party everything was at its best, and refreshments were being served when Marjory glanced at the clock and saw that it was actually twenty-five minutes to one. She told her escort, Jack, and some of the girls about it, but they said that for the sake of manners, she should wait and take leave of the hostess properly. She knew that it was wrong for her to remain longer, and that she really ought to go home, yet she finally decided to stay. At just half-past one, fully an hour after the time she promised to return, she got into Jack’s sleigh and was carried swiftly off, : When they arrived at her home Jack helped her out and she bade him good- night. As he started to go she called after him, saying, “Oh Jack! the key is not here, what shall I do?” After tying the horse, he came to help her. They turned the mat, lit matches and looked in cracks, and under. doors and windows, but still no key. Jack advised her to ring the bell, but she answered that every night, her aunt or- dered the maid to disconnect the bell rope because it bothered auntie. So there they stood, both pictures of despair. After many moments they de- cided that Jack should help her in the window after breaking it. Then she could steal quietly up stairs and to bed. Marjory crept softly and slowly down the hall as far as the stair-way. Then to her astonishment and dismay, she saw a faint light shining through the keyhole of the kitchen door. She thought of burglars at once for there had been several burglaries in town recently. She stood terrified for an instant, then flew back to the window to call Jack, who was just about to untie his horse. He hurried to the window and she whispered to him, ‘Oh Jack, there are burglars in the kitchen. What on earth shall I do? We must be very careful not to awaken auntie.” “Never mind Marjory,’ exclaimed Jack, “We'll fix it all right. First I’ll peek in and see what they look like. Then won’t we fix t hem though, for being so rude as to scare a lady.” “All well enough, Mr. Jack, for you to pretend to be so brave,” said Marjory, “‘but you can’t fool me. You are just as scared as I am.”’