Northeast High School - Nor Easter Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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13 OF' QHSTQIZ' when he could speak, and he advanced toward the spot where the ghost had been. There on the floor was a pool of blood! Then from the doorway came a'flood of light and the appari- tion appeared again, moaning and drip- ping blood. And in the light that sur- rounded it the boys could see that the figure was headlessf The moaning rose to a wail and the words, I want my headi' rang through the house. Each wall echoed the horrible cry and every corner seemed to shelter mov- ing, creeping spirits. The ghost glided forward and as it did so, its white and crimson draperies caught against a table. The garments were pulled aside and our quaking bravers saw a man's foot protrude from beneath the lifted folds. john and Sam rushed forward, and the ghost, turning to flee stumbled and fell. Instantly our heroes were upon the prostrate figure. They tore off the draperies and brought to view the form of an old, dwarfish man. He snarled and struggled, but the boys held fast to him and marched him away at the point of their guns. With marvelous courage, now that they were dealing with flesh and blood, John and Sam hurried their prisoner to the sheriff's home, where they pounded loudly upon the door. A cross-examination of the prisoner gave the sheriff no information, so he immediately .organized a posse and hastened to raid the haunted house of Hoo-doo Hollow. Six men, fleeing in every direction, were captured and the posse found in an adjacent room of the cave, below the house, quantities of illicit liquor. The liquor was de- stroyed and the captives were sent to prison, convicted of bootlegging. Today, the haunted house is simply a forlorn, deserted little cabin. The mystery concerning it is dispelled, thanks to the unparalleled brave-ry of Sam and john, who enjoy to this day a fine reputation for bravery. The Hillsboro Mystery P DORIS McMILLAN.i I There's no story that appeals to me as much as a story of mystery and T believe there was never a mystery story that appealed to me as much as that one! exclaimed Peggy, as she and Virginia entered the house. They were returning from a movie show. Now, Peg, do you really consider it better than those Conan Doyle- stor- ies you are forever raving about? Well, maybe it wasn't as gripping as some of his, but the way that young fellow solved the mystery of the haunted church and caught the bank robbers was wonderful. W3S11,t Char- les Ray perfect, too? You know, daddy, Charles Ray played the part of the young man who discovered the robber's den under the church and the tunnels leading up to the town bank. Daddy had been perusing his evening UGWSPZIPCIB but Peggy's enthusiasm. had called his attention from it. In a few minutes he had heard the story from beginning to end. When Peggy had finished, for Peggy did all the talking, as usual, Virginia being a very quiet girl and possessing none of her sister's boyish pep and enthusiasm, their father acknowledged that the show must have been splendid and regretted that he had not accompanied them. Your story has brought to my mind a real story which I know, that I think will rival yours in mystery, Dr. johnson presently said. It was not late, so both of the girls threw themselves down on the big divan by the fireplace to hear daddy's mystery story. I lived, when a boy, in Hillsboro, Illinois, he began. f'Wl1e1i I was about seven years old, the by seen mo aw: out thu thrc able han mui gro whr mer way the as i ing thee wit and the gan in c in t mer 1 4 eng. Hin soci Hin why he l midi HH 1 had Hill: as l prol: see her KKI oftei ciou time bega hom CIC their the W to m just thro-

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t, but .y he ln to show ne of VC Ol other quiet ecret. J 'tell 'k on ed to ardy- n the giving .d the .cord- icoth- tried 5, the 'ugglf 'edom iunce, gh the .nesse gilte at be if the ' have yow gne- to I yow g and e did :io at ne so lifly yow iw of- gnable from ipani- vnken .eth it is the host, g lil Olaf QHSIQIT 17 but trewely yow do at the ende. The host is a man of your condicioun, and the fact yow did ne describe hem wolde be a resour why yow wolden beene hem. ' Praising and esteeming yow for the lifly concom in men and in nature wich me loven as yow, with re-- doutynge alway. - Your reder, FLETA HARRALL. The Haunted House in Hoo-doo Hollow VVILLIAM PHILLIPS About two miles from the town of Glump Ridge, Ihlissouri, there may be found, even today, a small, one room, weather-beaten house tucked away beneath a hanging boulder in what is known as Hoo-doo Hollow. For many years the respectable citizens of Glump Ridge had shunned the region of Hoo-doo Hollow as though it were the harbor of some terrible plague. Even the small boys knew the entire history of the house in the Hollow, and anyone who ventured into the house was commonly believed to be hoo- dooedf' It seems that two men, strangers to the people of Glump Ridge, had built and occupied the shanty. These men had never shown the slightest inclination toward be- coming acquainted with the town peo- ple. One night the two strangers had galloped away on horseback, leaving a trail of blood in the hollow. Some of the people of Glump Ridge had found, several days later, the body of a child in the shanty. The body was badly mutilated and blood was freely distributedabout the house. The body was buried and from that time, the ghost of a child was generally known to inhabit Hoo-doo Hollow. It was on a june night in the year of 1920 that two adventuresome boys, John and Sam, went to the haunted house on a dare, to discover the ghost. Armed with rifles, they arrived before dark and proceeded to explore the house from garret to cellar. The gar- ret contained some empty, broken bot- tles, a few old newspapers, some bed- ding, and a quantity of cob-webs. The one room of the shanty contained one window, one door, a few pieces of furniture and a ladder to the attic. A hole in one corner of the floor gave access to a cave, dugout to serve as a cellar. As the cave was very dark, the boys gave it a hasty glance and returned to the cabinis one room. Let's fix our bed in this corner, suggested John. I think we'd better sit up tonight, replied Sam. Of course, I'm not afraid, or anything like that, but how could we see the ghost if we were asleep? john had no answer to this, so the boys sat down on the doorstep. Dark- ness descended and the silence was un- broken, save by the chirping of the crickets and the twittering of the birds. Time passed and greater quiet descended. John stirred slightly, as if about to rise, when a low, wailing sob broke the silence. Sam clutched Iohn's knee and together they listened, while goose-flesh crept out on their sun-- burned arms. The sobbing grew louder and seemed to come from the room from behind them, painfully they turned their heads and saw at the top of the ladder leading to the attic, the white form of a child. The apparition held a candle in its hand, and before the boys could withdraw their eyes, the ghost began to descend the ladder. Now our two brave heroes could see blood dribbling over the child's white garment. Nearer and nearer came the figure and Iohn, the braver of the two dventurers felt for his box of 21 '- v ' matches. Instantly the figure was gone I Pooh! we imagined it,', said John.

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- ' 1 jf Q, Ag., fi.. , .... .Hs .. . ., . .,... , , . it the irched guns. ' that blood, 'isoner they isoner so he ie and use of ing in nd the om of ntities as de- ent to simply The pelled, ery of .is day In a story Peggy tll the a very of her lsiasm, it the id and panied y mind that I y, Dr. e girls ie big laddy's lsboro, old, Off QEISIC-Elf' 19 the people of the town were puzzled by a curious noise every night. It seemed to be the pounding of a main- moth hammer. Many nights I lay awake, my body tense, nearly terrified out of my wits as the thump, thump, thump of that hammer reverberated through the still night. No one seemed able to detect the working place of the hammer. The noise often sounded muffled, as if it wasgfrom under ground. Many times strange men, who, I was told, were government men, came to Hillsboro. These al- ways created much excitement among the village people, for, as long as they were in Hillsboro, the pound- ing of the hammer was not heard. Yet these men always left after a few days, without having solved the fmystery, and immediately after their departure the thump, thump of the hammer be- gan and the older people would live in curiosity and little boys like myself in terror until the next time govern- ment men paid Hillsboro a visit. At this time my brother John was engaged to Miss Alice Hinckle. The Hinckles stood very high in Hillsboro. society and were rather wealthy. Dr. Hinckle' had once been the foremost physician in Montgomery county, but he had now retired, and Dr. King, a middle-aged man, who was known as an old friend of the Hincklefamily, had taken up Dr. Hinckle's practice. Hillsboro society had not accepted him as kindly as Mrs. Hinckle expected, probably because she early let people see her eagerness for Dr. King and her daughter Alice to be together. I played over at the Hinckle's house often. Wandering through the spa- cious home afforded me a great pas- time. I loved Miss Alice, but I soon began to hate Dr. King, who made his home with the Hinckles. One day, when I was playing in their library, I pulled the divan from the wall in search of a lost ball. There. to my amazement, I found a little door just large enough for a body to P2155 through. Child-like, I opened it. FYO111 this door a narrow stairway led down and down. Rays of a faint light flick- ered.up to where I stood. Although I was just a little fellow, I knew that the Hinckle house was not known to have a basement under it as ours had, and so, full of curiosity, I thrust my head through the door. At that instant Vliss Alice rushed into the roomg her face was ghastly as she snatched me from that door. She scolded me se- verely and told me to go home. As l left I heard Dr. King, in a menacing tone, upbraiding Miss Alice for -being careless. She was sobbing. This near- ly broke my heart and from that day .I considered Dr. King a villain. It was some time later that the Hinckles very suddenly announced that they were leaving Hillsboro. Miss .Xlice remained for a time with a lady friend. The night preceding that of her departure. she took brother john into her confidence, telling him that her mother wished her to marry Dr. King before she left Hillsboro, and had practically left her to his mercyg he was to come the next night for his answer, and she felt forced to say yesp the reason she could not divulge. John went the following evening to take Alice to the station. He had not been at the house long until Dr. King walked unannounced into the room where he was waiting for Alice. 'How-do-you-do, Dr. King? Wliat do you want?' john pointedly asked him. 'HI am looking for Miss Alice, if it is any of your business, sir.' With these words he started past john. 'Well, I'll make it my business, sir! You will have to encounter this if you attempt to enter that door.' John then revealed his revolver. He had come prepared for trouble. The lady of the house then entered and interfered. 'Let's not have any trouble, boysf she said. ' With a sneer, Dr. King left the room. . I ' john took the train with Miss Alice -,. -- ... -, Vw . ya . 2'--: ze:-.Qt-,ELEia..f,gh-if-5.T MA- ,.. ...gi-..-4 . -..... ----------?--- 4 -if -