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

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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

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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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1- -' - f- ' ' ' 3:3-. -:La ..-:-2-g .512692-spew:was-2gi3gg5:geQEL:eiQ:s-Qiimgoj-EQQQQ-igig?.g1iEgiEi 2fS?5:EQnigl5fsLIfgZ-,'lggv-ff.,r-f, P. -'lilifp-1::..: L: -Eg-',-fy . f . , .I ., .Y . . , , ,N ,, ,. np had inckle, ze, had iis un- lrreled ay the fd him. ied to d won one in 's, al- iad not le, but jirl she Jicked- happi- ed we story, J be a Junked :k Cat ' 'long y first were . Trap- ul. emper- : traps 1 these ile the ls will :ic dog. arning. n wolf There ate, of in the the lit- lden, a ned me a few around s root- rged a 3 I saw or' easter' 21 his predicament. The spiked jaws of the trap were clutching one of his hind legs. Behind him trailed a log, to which was fastened the trap. Although this impeded his progress somewhat, he bore down upon me with surprising velocity.. Danger of being overtaken was my last thought, but when a good- ly distance in the lead I turned my head to see my pursuer. My foot caught un- der a vine and my body was thrown heavily to the ground. When I at- tempted to rise, my ankle cracked. Frantically I strove to stand, but in vain. My ankle was fractured. Drag- ging the helpless leg along, I sought a tree as a means of escape. Then my spirit froze within me, for, threshing through the undergrowth, uttering ter- rible gutteral grunts, the beast was overtaking me. At last he came so near that it seemed. that his hot breath was singeing my neck. I shuddered, thinking of the gruesome death ap- proaching. In one more leap he would have towered above me, when a hairy form shot out of the bushes straight for the bear's throat. It was Lobo. I cried like a baby over the miraculous deliverance. Then there ensued one of the most terrible- battles I have ever witnessed. Lobo's wolf instinct kept him out of the reach of those terrible armed paws. At every oppor- tunity he would rush if close to the reared beast, tearing a strip from the black hide. The bear soon showed sign of weakening. This encouraged bolder tactics on the part of the wolf- dog. Once, when the aggressed ani- mal seemed to be exhausted, the dog charged in his very face. My head grew dizzy, for the murderous arm had suddenly awakened from its coma and found its mark upon Lobois unpro- tected body. The bleeding dog lay as if he were dead. Now the frenzied beast sought my destruction. With a sickening sureness of his prey, he wabbled towards me. I drew my hunt- ing knife, determined to die fighting. Then a rustle behind the murderer made him hesitate. That pause saved my life. I could have touched him when he stopped. Yes, I was fainting. My head throbbed, my ankle burned. I remember hearing a blood-curdling growl, accompanied by a sharp report of a rifle, then, darkness. VVhen I regained consciousness,.I found myself in a cabin of a hunter. He explained how he had heard the struggle between the- two beasts, also how he killed the bear, but the one thing he told me that I shall never forget was this: When he discovered me prostrate on the ground, Lobo had crawled to my side and was vainly trying to revive me, although his own noble body was mangled and tornf, Gy ' 4 Z ' w f W J I f 0 f .M . W W ,, , M 4 W Jwfmifrfmrr ,V Q W X 1 f 4 'aw ,, Z g 'f,,,,, 7 ff. lx f ,,i f f I6 ff f fa, 7f W . 4 I ,ZW af .R ' Zllwfffqf-J Hague- ' assa- ., nh. f X B-.1-E15-arg ' -'V T - ' ' '??3?H'5-1' -13E' fm:t'i-E? z 5