Arlington High School - Indian Yearbook (Arlington, MA)

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THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION iron bar. Grasping it tightly in his hand, he smashed it into the very heart of the piano. As his mind left him, he grew wilder and like a fiend, he tore, shattered, and splintered the once beau- tiful piano into a pile of worthless wood. Suddenly lie stopped, and knelt rigid beside the wreck. Slowly his hand slipped forward, and from the centre of the ruins, he drew a musty bag. The bag! Once more Graham’s mind returned, and again lu thought back forty years. The bag had not gone out the window as he suspected, but had fallen in be- hind the keys of the uncompleted piano. A hammering at the door started him from his trance. Wild thoughts entered his mind. The police had come to take him back, but he would not go. He would die first. Outside, Mr. Brandon and Mr. Howe were conversing with two officers. “We have been trying to get in for fifteen minutes,” said Howe, excitedly. “We were told at the prison, that he is here. Graham is ignorant of the fact that his innocence w‘as proved when Ward confessed murdering Wheeler and throwing the blame on Graham.” The door was down in a trice and the quartette rushed into the room. Half-way they stopped horror-stricken, for over the wrecked piano-frame with a dagger in his breast, lay the lifeless form of Donald Graham. Stanley Troy, ' 25. Winning Honorable Mention in The B oston Traveler Short Story Contest for High School Students of New England An Amateur Detective Ezra Lamkin, a six weeks’ resident of pew York City, earning thirty dol- lars a week, came across an advertise- ment, in a cheap magazine which read: WONDERFUL OFFER ! ! IF YOU ARE NOT EARNING ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS A WEEK, clip the coupon below and send it to us, enclosing twenty-five dollars. We will send you without further payment, the wonderful book, Detectives and, Their Work, HOW to Become a Detective. You will be enrolled in the great KETCH UM AND KILLUM DETEC- TIVE AGENCY! Consider the rewards you will receive in bringing criminals to justice. Do not hesitate! Clip the coupon at onqe. We shall only be able to keep this remarkable offer open for a short time. After reading this advertisement, Ezra filled out the coupon and sent it with a money order. In due time he received a badge with the word DE- TECTIVE inscribed on it, and the two books. Then was he proud. He, Ezra Lamkin, out of six and one half millions of people in New York City, he had been chosen and enrolled in the great Ketchnm and Killum Detective Agency. Then he studied the newspaper to see if he could find something to do as a detective, and lo! just what he was looking for, he found. He read : VALUABLE RING MISSING! A very valuable ring consisting of seven three-quarter carat diamonds, eight one and one-half carat diamonds, and a five carat emerald, was stolen from Mr. H. Gordon Willis’ collection

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THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION ; he did nothing but call for her in his delirium. The warden once more interrupted his tjain of thoughts, as, embracing Graham, he led him from the cell. Graham a few hours later stood in- side the house he had once called home. From the hall, he entered the parlor, and then, like a man seeing a phantom, he passed his hand over his face as if unwilling to believe what his eyes told him. His gaze rested on a beautiful mahogany piano, which stood at the opposite side of the room. He stag- gered forward until he was able to touch the wood, and read the name of the manufacturer on front. lie stared long and hard at the names Brandon and Howe, which stood out so beauti- fully in gold letters. Suddenly, with a curse on his lips, he picked up a large vase which stood near and hurled it into the names that seemed to mock and scorn him. For fifteen years, Donald Graham had worked for Brandon and Howe, one of the largest piano concerns ever es- tablished. Graham was a very effi- cient worker, and when lie asked a favor of his employers, they gratified his wish. He was to be married in a few months, and he wished to make all of the beau- tiful piano he would present his wife. A few days before his marriage an in- cident happened which changed the rest of Graham’s life. One day, while he was out varnishing some boards to complete the upper sec tion of the piano, Robert Wheeler, the paymaster, entered his room with a bag containing a large sum of money be- longing to the concern. He had hardly entered the room when he received a terrbile blow on the head, which rendered him unconscious. At this moment, Graham returned, and seeing the state of affairs, he rushed at the stranger. Grabbing the bag from him, Graham threw it over his head, and then rushed at his opponent. By this time Wheeler had regained con- sciousness, and had staggered to his feet. The intruder seeing his danger, pulled a pistol from his pocket and tired at Wheeler, who fell with a bullet above his heart. Graham now ran for- ward. The stranger dodged and hit him on the head with the gun as he passed. All went black before Graham as he fell headlong at the feet of Wheeler. When he came to himself he became aware that he was handcuffed, and, to his astonishment and dismay, was ad- dressed as the murderer of Robert Wheeler. At the trial everything was against him. He told his story to no avail, lie had been found lying beside Wheeler with the gun in his hand. Wheeler had died with Graham’s name on his lips. When asked about the bag, he told them that he had thrown it in the direction of the window. A search below the window revealed no bag, and now he was looked upon all the more as the guilty party. The verdict was guilty, and Donald Graham was sent to prison for a term of forty years. Brandon knew that Graham had made the piano for Myra, so be com- pleted it and sent it to her. As Graham looked at it now it brought the memories back ever clearer in his mind. He glared once more at the names Brandon and Howe on front. The names seemed to mock him. Had not both men convicted and condemned him? All within him turned to hate as he thought of this. How could he live with this as a constant reminder of all he wished to forget? He would find a way. Beside the fire-place stood a heavy

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s THE ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION of antiques, which was on display at his home last evening. The ring be- longed to the Borgia period. Flint utul Skinner ' s Detective Agency arrested George Hanson in connection with the robbery, although they did not get the ring which, it is thought is in the pos- session of one of his accomplices. After reading this article, Ezra went to the police station for more informa- tion. There, he saw a modishly dressed young lady whose plaintive voice Avas saying to the desk sergeant, “But lie ' s innocent, can’t you understand? My brother couldn ' t do such a thing and he wouldn’t anyway. Even when he is proved innocent ” ‘‘I’m sorry, Miss Hanson, but your brother will have to stay in jail until his trial.” The young lady turned and walked slowly out. She walked so slowly that Ketch um and Kill inn ' s representative had a good look at her. She was good looking, indeed to Ezra’s eyes she seemed to be ihe prettiest girl he had ever seen. She went out the door and he followed her, forgetting what he had come for. As she went down the street, she sobbed to herself, “If T only had some one to help me.” Although she had said it to herself, Ezra heard it, and stepping up to her, he said, “I’ll help you if I can, I’m a representative of the Ketchum, and Killum Detective Agency, and I’ll show you mv badge, in a more secluded place.” Miss Caroline Hanson turned to Ezra and sobbed, “Oh, will you, oh, thank you so much.” After properly introducing himself, Miss Hanson having been inspired with confidence, invited him to accompany her to her home where they could talk over the case. At her home Miss Hanson said, “I think I know who stole the ring. His name is Fuller and he is in the business of making cheap, artificial diamonds, etc. He has been suspected before, of crimes, but he has always been able to prove an alibi. With your help we might be able to catch him with the goods. I know he was at the exhibi- tion of Mr. Willis’ antiques and it’s (piite possible that he may be the thief. At any rate we might visit his house tomorrow. What do you think about it?” “Well, personally, I think it sounds quite plausible and I’m willing to call on him, with you, tomorrow. Let us hope we’ll get the ring back,” was Ezra’s reply. The next day they set out by taxi, to a certain address in the Columbia Heights section of Brooklyn. Here, after dismissing the taxi they went up the steps of a brown stone dwelling. In answer to Ezra’s ringing the door- bell a man of about forty years of age opened the door. “Mr. Fuller,” said Miss Hanson, “I wish to speak with you.” “Step in,” came the reply. All three went into a living room. “Mr. Fuller, I think it was you who stole the Willis ring. I want to search vour house for it.” “No! by thunder! you can’t search my house, neither can anybody else.” At this point Ezra said, “I ' m from the Ketchum and Killum Detective Agency, at this point the huge nickeled star was shown, “and I’m going to help search this house.” As he began his search, Mr. Fuller sprang at him to prevent his doing this, and a lively fight ensued, in the course of which a potted plant was knocked over and broken, and at the end of which, Mr. Fuller was knocked senseless by falling against the piano. While Ezra was tying him up. Miss