San Ramon Valley High School - Kernel Yearbook (Danville, CA)

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G Have you ever seen that place, gables and tall chimney pots and spires, black against a bloody sky and that great weeping willow forming a lacy screen to its aging walls? Rising from the shrub- by mass about it, almost unreal but for a light filtering through a blinded window. Yes, there's something about it I can't explain. You remember I told you about Mr. Hemme over there in Hemme Park and the San Ramon Harlens. Well, Hem e's son Clar- ence was to be married to Helena Harlen, and August Hemme built the place as a fit home for the chil- dren of the two wealthy pioneer families. No ex- pense was spared in the making, the best archi- tects and builders were hired and Mr. Homme him- self superintended the planting of the grounds. There were great stock and carriage barns construc- ted and the ideal farm mansion was presented to the happy couple as the wedding party swept up the curving drive to the door. But play-boy, rich man's son Clem couldn't make a husband for pio- neer Helena. Nothing was said, she just went heme. Soon after this August Hemme failed in his im ense water project down in Arizona, and though there were other things that might be blamed, that finished him. The Hemme's lest everthing. Clarence was good-hearted, but he hadn't his father's business head and without his allow- ance I guess he died in the poor-house. You see the house reflects the tragedy and sorrows and misfortunes of its master. Perhaps Helena and Clem still laugh and love in those patterned shadows, -

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F7 ' .7 REVENGE g We had been together at Harvard but had ex- perienced no companionship there. In fact, we had been enemies almost from the first day, Hall was in those days, a small, thin, nervous type of man, who, with his associates, perfectly epitomized the English dandy. Perhaps it was that fact which in- stilled in me the contempt of him. Behind him were years of well-bred English ancestors each of whom had, as time wore on and family wealth accumulated, found it entirely unnecessary to expend his physical and mental energies in the accumulation of money, and this petted namby- pamby was the result. This alone was enough to sanction extreme disgust but the fact that he had a yellow streak justified actual hatred. He was always very clever in concealing his weakness and the ordinary person not coming in actual daily contact with him would never have suspected it. He was an unmistakeable cheat. Belonging to an old crowd, I was in a position to injure him socially, and at every possible opp- ortunity could not resist the temptation to do sox Thus within several months we became bitter en- emies. As the years dragged onward and that brief interval of Harvard days became more deeply en- meshed in the long ago, I had heard from time to time the tales of success and woe concerning my former school-mates, and occasionally someone would mention Hall's name. After years of playing the shiftless man about town, practically devoid of cares and responsibilities, he had now settled down to the gratification of his hobby of collect- ing precious jewels! In the fall of 1928 we returned from Egypt and were busily engaged in adjusting ourselves to running water at anytime of day or night, efficient hotel service, and digestible food, when Hall's card reached us. Uwill you and your wife lunch with me tomorrow at 1:30 p.m., at my Have hotel? Will engage private dining room. something that may interest you.N Thoroughly sur- prised, I carried it to my wife, and together we commented on it. Assured that it must be some- thing of extreme importance I hastily scribbled, f ,4-4