Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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THE MAGNET The Mystery of the Two Lockets, IOARDING a large steamer off the coast of Italy were a man and woman, looking longingly, with tear-stained eyes, toward the shore. With them were two small children, twins, a boy and a girl. Both of the children were shabbily dressed, but each had a locket and a fine, gold chain about its neck. Among the by-standers on the shore was the grandmother of the children, who was also weeping. At the marriage of her daughter, the mother of the children, she had disowned her because she had not married into a wealthy family. After the birth of the twins, and while they were under the care of a governess, the grandmother, feeling sorry for what she had done, but too haughty to repent, took the children to a photographer and had their pictures taken. She placed two of them in lockets, and kept one of each of them for herself. The parents never learned where the lockets came from. While on board the steamer, the father and mother both died and were buried in the ocean, leaving the children orphans and unknown to all the passengers. The boy and girl were well cared for, and toward the end of the voyage a wealthy widow took a kindly liking to little Jennie and decided to adopt her. After the landing of the ship, a home was sought for the little boy, and an old bachelor promised to take charge of him and help him on in the world until he should be able to care for himself. Anthony studied hard at school, and as a result of his determined efforts he worked his way into a military academy. Jennie’s foster mother, Mrs. Thorpe, sent her to private schools and then to an academy for music, as this was her only ambition. She was a most intimate friend of Lieutenant Hudson, one of the chief instructors at the academy which Anthony was attending. At the end of the school term a field rally was held by the students, and Mrs. Thorpe and Jennie received a most cordial invitation to attend. Anthony was a particular friend of Hudson’s, and it was only natural that he should be the first person introduced to Jennie after her arrival. She also met the rest of the student body, but her choice seemed to be for Anthony. While Mrs. Thorpe and Lieutenant Hudson were discussing interesting subjects in one place, Jennie and Anthony were becoming better acquainted with each other. Their friendship grew deeper in each letter that was received after that rally. In the course of a year Mrs. Thorpe was united in marriage to Lieutenant Hudson, and in this way Jennie and Anthony were brought into closer relation. Shortly after Mrs. Thorpe’s marriage, it was decided that Jennie should become a musician, and this could only be accomplished by sending her to Italy to study. Both Jennie and Anthony hated the thoughts of being separated so long, but before she left, they had received the promise from Jennie’s mother and father that they could be married shortly after her return. The night before her departure Anthony noticed the resemblance of her locket to the one he was wearing as a watch charm. They laughed at their old-fashioned pictures inside, but said they would never part with them as

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THE MAGNET 9 once and she will come in about two weeks.” The next day when the mail man came, he found a letter to be taken. The two weeks following were very busy ones for the Moores. The pleasant spare room, with its sunny east windows, was cleaned as thoroughly as if it had really been dirty, although it wasn’t at all. At last the great day came. Mr. Moore and Henry, their oldest son, drove to the station in the surrey to meet the doctor and the “boarder.” The doctor had thought it best for Mrs. Tucker not to go along for fear Anita would not let her go home. When they came in sight Mrs. Moore and Rose came out to the gate to meet them, while the younger children hung back, for they were bashful. They took her up to her room and, as she was very tired from the journey, she stayed in her room the rest of the day, and Rose carried her meals to her. As the next day was warm and bright, Anita ventured down stairs and, before she realized it, her curiosity had led her out into the yard. Some of the orchard trees were still a s mass of blossom and the lilacs were in bloom. Things were so beautiful that she could not stay inside and she was soon writing letters home and wanting them to come out to see how nice it was. So the day was set, and her parents and brother came. They were surprised to see how much good the few weeks had done her and what a different girl she seemed to be. Strange to say, her brother did not look at her all the time, but seemed very much interested in Rose. Anita was to stay several weeks longer, (much to Henry’s delight), so her brother promised to come back to see her often, thus surprising her parents. So it came about, through time, that Anita was willing to settle down in the country—with just enough city improvements to make it more convenient—and Rose to become a city lady. GLADYS KAMERER.

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THE MAGNET ii they had had them as long as they could remember. While Jennie was at school, a musical concert was given, in which she took a leading part. Jennie’s grandmother, an elderly lady by this time, but a great lover of music, came to the concert and at the sight of Jennie, noticed the similarity in looks, stature and voice to her own daughter. The next day the old woman came to the school to have a personal talk with Jennie. She asked her about her parents, and Jennie replied that she knew nothing except that she had been adopted by a wealthy lady when she was but a small child. The lady, still puzzled, asked to see Jennie’s jewelry, which the young lady was always proud to show, and to her surprise she saw the locket she had given Jennie twenty years ago. The grandmother then told her all; how she had disowned her daughter, had the pictures taken, and how sorry she was to see her daughter leave Italy, but that she was too haughty to repent. She then asked about her twin brother, and showed Jennie his picture, which Jennie immediately recalled to be the same as the one worn by Anthony in his watch charm. Jennie then told her grandmother everything about her engagement. While all this was happening, Anthony had finished his course in the academy and had received his position, when word came from Jennie that he should come to her at once. He did this, and, on comparing the pictures in their lockets with those of the grandmother’s, they found them to be identical. The first thing the old lady thought of after their reunion was her will, which she immediately had changed, and her vast fortune was equally divided between Jennie and Anthony. The excitement and joy of finding her daughter’s children killed the grandmother, and the two then returned to New York. When Mr. and Mrs. Hudson heard the entire story, they willingly took Anthony into their family circle, even if it did not come about by his marriage to their beloved daughter. MILDRED McFADDEN.