Arlington High School - Indian Yearbook (Arlington, MA)

Page 14 text:

io THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION know how long I crouched there wait ing, hut it seemed ages before I saw one man hurst out of the stable, snatch the covering from the headlights of the waiting car, and rush it away at full speed. Trembling with excitement, 1 sat there on the floor, feeling that some terrible mystery was being enacted be- fore me, and waiting for the next scene. Perhaps a half-hour later, the same big auto dashed up to the stable, and this time, without hesitation, its occupants got out and bolted headlong into the building. I did not have to wait long this time before the great stable doors swung back, and a huddled group of men appeared, bearing in their midst a long, black figure, draped with a cloth. This burden they placed carefully in the tonneau of their car, got in them- selves, and drove noiselessly away. When they had gone, I slipped, with a gasp, to the floor, whence I had risen in my excitement. There had been a murder! A horrible murder! One of the first two men had been killed, and his murderer had rushed off to get ac- complices to help him get the body away. Possibly they might suspect that 1 had been watching, and would come back any minute to silence me! Good gracious ! I must be prepared ! All these thoughts, and more, ran wild- ly through my head, and I'm rather ashamed to say that 1 spent the rest of the night seated on the top step of the stairs, with father's old cavalry saber across my knees. 1 must have slept towards morning, for 1 awoke to the sound of a latch-key rattling in tin lock. My tirsi bewil- dered thought was that Hie murderers had returned, and 1 sprang up, tripped over the saber, and fell headlong into the arms of my brother, who, coming over from college to spend Sunday, had just opened the front door. Hello, sis! he said. What's all the excitement ? Then, seeing the sabre on the stairs: Been having a lit- tle fencing match all to yourself? I longed to tell him my tale, but Jim is a great tease, and 1 was a little afraid that he would say I had been dreaming, so I put him off by asking about the outcome of a football match which had been held the day before be tween the Seniors and Juniors of his college. At the words, Jimmy grinned an ex pansive grin. “Dont’ know anythin: about it. I wasn't there, he said. Not there! I exclaimed, in amaze ment. Why, you're the very best man on the Senior team. That's what the Juniors evidently thought,” he chuckled. Sis. if you won't tell a word of this to anyone, I'll explain. I was kidnapped. Mercy ! I breathed in heartfelt sym- pathy. Oh, it wasn't gypsies, he said, laughing. You see, night before last, a crowd of the Juniors invited me to a feed that they were going to have in one of the fellow's rooms. I ought to have suspected something then, but l was flattered to think that the children wanted me, and went along as inno- cently as a lamb. Well, we’d eaten, and as we were drinking toasts, and so forth, suddenly out went the lights! 1 felt a woolly blanket wrapped around me, and about ten fellows, I should say, on top of me. In half a shake they had, tied my hands and wrapped something around my neck and the lower part of my face, so that I couldn't yell. Then they found my cap, put it on my head, ami the whole bunch escorted me to an automobile that they had waiting at a side door. They bundled me into the tonneau, and as soon as the car was well under way. bandaged my eyes, so that T hadn't any idea which way we were going. I guess we travelled about half or three-quarters of an hour before the car stopped, and we all got out and went into a building. They made me sit down on the door, tied my feet, took the bandage off my eyes and scooted. A lien they’d gone I found that T was in a large, open room, with my hands and feet tied, and with a long rope

Page 13 text:

THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION 9 kitchen contains a wood stove, with a large oven, in which is baking a stuffed spare-rib of pork and a generous chicken pic. The children look forward to the cranberry sauce, sweet cucumber pickles, and currant jelly, as they are not served every day. Pies, cakes, plum pudding, nuts and raisins are all pro- vided for dessert. All the relatives have gathered here for the day. The young people rush off. with their skates, to the pond, while the older ones sit and talk of olden times. At last, to the delight of all, dinner is ready, and the long table is surrounded with happy faces. At dusk the kerosene lamps are light- ed, and all gather around ihe organ to sing old-time songs. Then both young and old play “blindman’s huff” and spin-the-cover,” until grandfather and grandmother come in with cider, apples and doughnuts 1913. Mother gets her family down to a nine o’c-Iock breakfast, chiefly prepared at the table by foe use of the elect it toaster and coffee percolator. The large turkey is placed to roast in the oven of the coal range. The veg- etables and pudding are steaming in the tireless cooker, and the gas range is ready for any quick cooking. The automobile is waiting to take a merry load to the football game. The guests for the day are college chums of the son and daughter. Now the game is over, and they take a spin on the boulevard before coming home. In spite of the cut glass, silver and hothouse flowers, the dinner seems, at first glance, very simple, as little food is on the table at one time. It is served in courses, beginning with grape-fruit and ending with fancy ices from the caterer’s, black coffee, and imported cheese. The young people, after leaving the dining room, turn on the electric light at the piano, sing the latest songs, and dance the alarming new dances to rag- time music, while the older people play bridge in the library. No one has remembered during the whole day ihe notice of the special Thanksgiving church service, or has even thought oi the true significance of the holiday. Julia Currier, M7. A TURKEY TROT. Down the way the couple flew, While many natives turned and gazed ; For such a sight in such a town Was one at which to be amazed. A dip, a hop, and on they sped. Pursuers in hot haste; And none too gently were they seized When homeward they were faced. A few harsh words, and then a blow. In garnished splendor now they lie; No more they’ll strut about the yard ; Hurrah! for turkev dinner’s nigh! T). B„ ’15. THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY STABLE. The clock chimed twelve slow, solemn strokes. I awoke from mv doze to find the fire out, the room cold, and a dreary wind whistling around the corners of the house. 1 had told mother that I wasn’t afraid to stay alone, and yet, somehow, 1 hated to go to bed; sfill — horrors! What was that? A bright light filled the room with a sectral glow for an instant, and then was gone. I ran to the window in time to see an automobile stop before an old, deserted stable, which stood a little way down the road from our house. Two men sprang out, one of them quickly throw- ing a robe over the glaring headlights which had startled me so. Yet I could still see that the men entered the old stable. An instant later a dim light flickered for a second inside, and then a blanket was hung at the window, blot ting out the tell-tale light. f dont

Page 15 text:

THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION i hitched to ray ankle and a stair-post, preventing my getting near enough to the door or windows to look out, or to call for help. 1 wasn't tied very tight- ly. and, though at first I was furious, I finally went to sleep. When I woke up it was daylight, and I was hungry; but the kids had left a bottle of water and some sandwiches on the floor beside me, so that was all right. But the more I thought about the game, and the prob- ability of those low-down -Juniors win- ning it, the madder I got, and I finally vowed that when they came after me I’d give them a good scare. I guess I must have gone to sleep again some time during the day, for if didn't seem such an awfully long time until dark, and then before a great while I heard the auto come up. 1 waited a minute, and then, just as 1 heard the door opening, I began to groan in the most sepulchral way. 1 tell you, they came over mighty quick to where I lay stretched out on the floor, and spoke to me, but I pretended not to know them, and just rolled my head from side to side, and cast up my eyes into the top of my head. Well, two more scared young gentlemen you never saw. They finally decided that one of them had better go for help, while the other stayed with me, so John Bur- dett dashed off in the car, and Tom I vers stayed with me. “It wasn’t long before the auto dashed up again, and John came in with my room-mate and a crowd of other Seniors. Poor Jack had evidently con- HONORABLE 1914. Shields Grace Moil Heroes Three Lois P . Nightingale A Novel Experience Frank Olson A Boy’s Thanksgiving Dreams, Amy E. Sehwamb 1915. The Enchanted Turkey. Mildred Bolster The End of a Perfect Day. Panline Clare Betty Gray’s Thanksgiving, Ruth Crosby A Midnight Feast Gretchen King- Catching Sharks R. Percv Johnson fessed the whole plot, and the Seniors were lighting into him in good shape, and threatening to1 go to Prexy with the story. I was still groaning and rolling, so they wrapped me np in a coat, carried me out, and laid me in the car as carefully as if I'd been cut-glass. All the way over the Juniors were apol- ogizing and grovelling, the Seniors threatening, and I putting in a few groans now and then ; and before we got to fhe college the Juniors had prom- ised that the game should be played over next Saturday, so the Seniors kindly consented not to go to Prexy, especially since I had managed to let them know that I was not half so nearly dead as I sounded. 1 quite brightened up when we got to my room, and after the badly scared and repentant Juniors had left us, was able to sit up the rest of the night and make plans with the fellows about giving the Juniors the worst licking of their lives next Satur- day. So now, you see, kid, why 1 wasn’t playing football yesterday.” I sank to fhe stairs with a gasp. “What’s the matter?” inquired the kidnapped James, making passes through the air with Hie sabre. “I really wasn't hurt any, so you needn’t worry about that.” “Nothing's the matter-,” I re] died, pet- tishly. “only you spent yesterday and last night under my very nose, in that old deserted stable down the road, and spoiled a perfectly good ‘horrible mur- der' mvsterv. vou horrid bov!” L. E. R„ ’14. MENTION LIST. 1916. The Cape Cod Canal. . . Stanwood Cook The Washington Irving High School, Gladys Middleton Autumn Oswald Banks 1917. The Oirl W ho W anted to be a Boy, Catherine Balser A Hallowe’en Forfeit Mertis Bank A Maple Sugar Camp. Dorothy Currier The Boat Race Nelson Gamester A River Trip Edna Holt