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

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J .VY Yi My alarm, however, was unappreciated for Hall said, WHad you noticed the bronze statue before the window over there? It is Cand he named a famous heroj a very life-like statue. It has a fear provoking trick of reflecting itself in the face of that mantel clock if the drapes blow back. Several months later with unconcern we read of Hall's death in the obituary column of the London Times. Our unconcern soon turned to be- wilderment because within a short time we were requested to be present at the reading of his will. At this reading the fact came that the deceased had been a very ill man for the past year and had known for four months that the end was very near. His physician verified this statement and delivered a lengthy discourse as to the nature of his ailment The discovery was also made that we were the heirs to the golden box. My wife was delighted with it and valued it above any of our other unique poss- essions, seeming to connect some good luck charms with our inheritance of the box. My only concern was an eternal, WWhy?H ' ' So it was five months later when we talked of touring Africa she insisted on taking it with us. She would listen to no arguments. She had made up her mind and nothing could ever change it. My wife is like that.--So the box went with us. In our attempt to get as far away from civil- ization as possible we procured a miserable native hut within the boundaries of the jungle. The neces sary articles were packed in on the backs of natives, and within a month or so, we were comfortable es- tablished, Cespecially for Africab. Our househald equipment consisted of two cots, two soap boxes, two sauce pans, a skillet, a comb, a staff of five big black natives and one golden box. From the very first we had trouble with the servants. No sooner had we unpacked and arranged our few possessions than the first staff deserted, with the exception of one, and he, too, seemed to be uneasy. He seemed more intelligent than the others and spoke a few words of English. He was a great favorite with my wife who called him Stipo. He seemed to fit unquestionably at the head of each new staff of servants. After repeated disruptions in our household by constant change of servants, Alice took it

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9 W Wwe shall be delighted,N across the back and hand- ed it to the waiting messenger boy. , It is not our habit to be punctual but that day our curiosity prompted our punctuality. I, was, however, not fully prepared for the shock I received. The man who met us, although younger than I, seemed years older. His eyes, sunken in their sockets seemed to speak of loneliness and failure to succeed, and I actually found myself pitying him. But when with a sneering laugh, he explained to my wife that we had been at school together, the hatred for him I had experienced in those far away days, again surged up within me and flowed through every vein. The mere formalities over, the conversation shifted to other subjects. He had heard about us and our wanderings a good many times and had been looking forward to meeting us. It was not until we had nearly finished dessert that he spoke of his reason for calling us. A few months before, while traveling he had picked up a very fine hobby specimen and he had been eager to show it to some one who would app- reciate so beautiful a thing. We sat back easily lulled by the monotony of his voice, absorbing his personality which seemed to sap vibrancy from the jewels which he described. . As we drained our coffee cups he hastily arose to return shortly with a golden box about six in- ches square, set with rubies, emeralds, and several large diamonds. If we had suffered from any leth- argy before, we were certainly alert now. It was magnificent. We had commented upon it for some moments, when I chanced to glance upward to the mantel above the fireplace at the timepiece. There, reflected, in the glass of the dial, I was startled to see the smooth, dark face of a man. For some reason I could not locate the position of the face within the room, and with no explanation, rose hastily from my chair. I slowly circled that room and as I reached the window I felt a little draft from behind the heavy, velvet drapes. I suddenly drew aside those drapes, to see the window, which open- ed out on to a balcony slowly closing. There was no one there! By this time the other occupants of thc room were thoroughly aroused.

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57 W upon herself to question Stipog a long tongue weary- ing and unsuccessful process. A One evening, several months later, we were abrupt ly aroused by the muffled beat of the tom-tom and the piercing wails of human voices in the distance. It was Alice who again enlightened me. Stipo had made her understnad in his few English words, that this was the brief interval when all of savage Africa laid aside its barbarous hunting habits to worship at the feet of its many gods. Hours seemed heaped on hours before the monotonous rhythm of their dance brought them nearer our hut. With their coming we became aware of the sickening odor of burning flesh which came in nauseating waves through the thin walls of the hut. Feeling strangely ill we sought refuge on the beaten mud and thatch square before the hut. But it was heavier there. At last as though drugged we dropped to the ground to sit huddled in an agony of nausea from which there was no escape. A Some hours later we arose to go inside. The air was clearer and the odor less noticeable. As we neared the doorway something new issued forth, causing a stinging sensation in our nostrils. The odor was entirely different, as was the giddy feeling that it produced. Something was wrong! I lit a match to discover that the whole room had been thoroughly ransacked. In one corner I stumbled over a small object, and upon a closer investigation, I identified it as an incense burner from hence - curled a smoke, the fumes of which filled the room. Quickly extinguishing it, I opened the small case on a box near by which so far had enclosed the golden box. It was gone: There was a slight draft then which caused the tiny flare of the match to waver and go out, leaving us in total blackness. I fumbled for another match, and upon lighting it touched it to the wick of the small oil lamp which was near-by. Alice screamed and pointed to- ward the opposite corner. There lay the crumpled figure of a man, the smooth, dark skin across his chest stained with blood. In horror I recognized the smooth and bronze face that had been reflected in the clock dail. Stipo had disappeared! From one of the servants that remained we