Analy High School - Azalea Yearbook (Sebastopol, CA)

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By Emil Paulson Third Prize HAT is this?” ' inquired Prank of the postmaster as the last package was handed to him and which prov¬ ed to be a very heavy one. “THAT,” answered the postmaster, “is the monthly wages for the men of the C. D. B. R. R.” “Oh, that’s so. I had almost forgotten that today was the 30th,” replied Frank as he proceeded to put the money in a safe place aboard the “Monsit.” At the time, the “Monsit” was one of the largest airships in that part of the country and was a large craft. She car¬ ried the evening mail from Harrisburgh, a town of south¬ western Canada, to Wilmot, a distance of about 150 miles northward. The “Monsit” carried a crew of nine men, five of which sorted the mail, while one attended to the wireless and made observations, two looked after the engines, and the other, Frank Bennot, was the pilot. After leaving Harrisburgh about forty miles behind them the “Monsit” started to cross a very fertile stretch of coun¬ try covered for miles around with forest. To their right and a few miles in front of them could be seen a small river which twined in and out among the hills on its way to the sea. As they were drawing near the river Frank discerned a small black speck coming towards them in the distance. The speck soon grew larger and Frank knew that it was another aeroplane. He did not pay much attention to it until the wireless operator informed him that they had wired the “Monsit” to stop. “Ask them what they want,” said Frank. When the wireless man left him Frank looked closely at the approaching aeroplane. He saw that it resembled a po lice ship, but he could see that her men were not in the uni¬ form worn by the police of that time. The wireless man returned and told Frank that the answer was, “None of your business. If you don’t stop at once we ( 18 )

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angry face above frightened her. And why did that hind leg pain so dreadfully and drag so helplessly? Slowly and pain¬ fully she walked toward the thicket by the stream; crushed in body and spirit, she sought a hidden place. There alone and dying, the mystery of birth took place. Vainly Bijou tried to care for the four little brown puppies, which in their eager desire to live, hurt her so cruelly. Her strength was fast failing, her little heart fast wearing itself out. The parents soon found that the baby was safe, and on righting the cradle found the large snake. In vain they call¬ ed and seal died for poor Bijou but their calls were unanswer ed. Two days later they found the hidden spot and five lit¬ tle stiff bodies. In summer’s warm and leafy month of June, When Blythe birds carol gavly in the trees; Then do the sweet hours flit by all too soon When lightly we are fanned by fragrant trees, And when the drowsy murmur of the bees, The air pervades and lulls us to repose; Then doth earth’s beauty in our eyes increase. Nor care, nor sorrow, in our glad hea rts grow, Nature’s power, the joy of living on our being flows. —H. O. ’12. ( 17 )

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shall fire on you.” “What do they mean?” asked Frank, getting a little angry at receiving such an answer. ‘‘You know we have about six thousand dollars on board for the men at Wilmot. I think that they must have heard of it. But we miust act quickly. What do you intend to do?” ‘‘They look as though they were desperate men all right,” said Frank, ‘‘but I do not intend to give in to them that easy. Tell the engine men to stand by the engines and the rest to be ready with their guns and we will try to oiuitrun them.” Their enemies soon saw their intention and started to fire at them, purposely missing them in order to scare the men of the Monsit.” Seeing that they would not give in they aimed directly at the ship. After they had fired a few shots tl e% got the range and then some of the bullets commenced to come uncomfortably close. The men of the “Monsit” an¬ swered them, but neither side did much harm. The wireless man then sent to Harrisburgh for help. When it commenced to look as though it would be a race 1 01 life between the two, a shot from the black ship struck the ‘‘Monsit” carrying away her wireless apparatus and a part of the ship itself. Frank knew that the ship could not last long now, so he called one of the men to him and told him to get out one of the parachutes. He then asked for a volunteer to take the money to earth by means of the para¬ chute. Several were willing and finally Frank selected Jim Craig, the wireless opera.tor, to perform the dangerous feat, because he knew that Jim had a quick mind. ‘‘Get into the paiachute and when we are directly over the river we will let you drop.” A moment later the cord was cut and the para¬ chute shot through the air like a bullet for about two hundred feet, then it opened and dropped easily to the water. Those in the black aeroplane did not see the trick that had been play¬ ed on them, not even firing at the parachute, although it would have been hard to hit being so small. When Frank saw that the black ship was still following them lie knew that the money at least was safe. After landing in the water Jim swam to within ten feet of the shore and there deposited the money. The next mo¬ ment he saw the “ Monsit ” being boarded by the men of the black ship. Finding that they had been fooled and suspecting the rea¬ ds )