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

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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 -

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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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20 ' or'easte12 and went to VVelshburg, where she changed cars, for he was afraid D-r. King might intercept her there. His action was a wise one, for they hail not sat in the little station long until Alice gave a little gasp and her eyes became fixed on the doorway. There stood Dr. King, but he lingered only a moment after john discovered him and then he disappeared into the darkness. To our wonder, Brother John never married Miss Alice, although I'm sure he loved her. About twenty years af- ter this happened I revisited Hillsboro. our family having moved from there af short time after the Hinckles left. I learned this, to my surprise, concern- ing our old friends, the Hinckles. A room had been found under their home, containing a counterfeiting set com- plete. The mystery of the mammoth hammer that had puzzled the town- folk with its thump, thump, thump had been solved. It seemed that the old Dr. Hinckle, with Dr. King as an accomplice, had been counterfeiting money in this un- derground room. The two quarreled and Dr. King threatened to betray the old man unless Miss Alice married him. Hillsboro people were astonished to hear that the Hinckles who had won the respect and trust of everyone in the town, were counterfeiters, al- though they believed that Alice had not been a confederate in the crime, but was in reality the pure, sweet girl she seemed to be. Whether the wicked- ness of her family blasted the happi- ness she and John had planned we never knew. Thus ended daddy's mystery story, which both girls pronounced to be a corker. Lobo HARRY C. HOLMES. The scene is in a cozy lounging room of the Bachelor's Lure, a haven for self-satisfied male creatures. As we enter the room, clouded with to- bacco smoke, our curiosity is aroused by the domestic appearance of those present. One and all are drawn close around a man and a wolf-like dog. The appearance of the biped de- mands no special mention, since he is an ordinary specimen of his genus, but the quadruped, dozing at his feet, commands our undivided attention. He- is massive of frame, muscular of thigh and shoulder, and the symmetry of toti corporis is par excellence. Upon closer observation we perceive that the ani- mal's hazel-brown hide is perforated with ugly scars of past fights. At this point our inquisitive ears pick up the master's story. Yes, boys, Lobo has stayed by me through thick and thin. i As he speaks he caresses the glossy head of the dog at his feet. I Then he continues: I shan't for- get the winter when he and I bunked in our trapping cabin on Black Cat Mountain. It set in snowing 'long about middle of February and by first of March the mountainsides were blanketed with ten feet of snow. Trap- ping promised to be very fruitful. One morning, with a biting temper- ature, I set out to visit some traps which were baited for wolf. On these trips Lobo was staked outside the cabin door, for no wild animals will bother traps scented by a domestic dog. My luck wasn't laudible that morning. The, catch consisted of one lean wolf and several worthless varmints. There remained one trap to investigate, of which I had taken special pains in the setting. On drawing nearer to the lit- tle gully where the trap lay hidden, a queer, instinctive sensation warned me to be cautious. Then, when a few paces away, the undergrowth around seemed verily to spring from its root- ing, and out of the thicket charged a gigantic grizzly bear, At a glance I saw his the leg wh this boi vel wa ly C to l der hea ter Fra vain gin trei spii thrc ribl ove nea wa: thii pro hav fori for crie deli of eve kep teri tun