Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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16 THE SENIOR MAGNET “How do you do,’’ the girl said in a soft, drawling voice. “Why, er—, poor Jim, that was certainly the voice,—the voice that had been haunting his dreams,—“Good evening,” he said. They chatted for quite a while about trivial things and all the while Jim watched their guest continually. Finally he could endure the suspense no longer and as his sister left the room to get sandwiches, he softly whistled a few notes from The Bohemian Girl.” The girl’s drawling voice, trembling now with laughter, interrupted him. “Oh, Jim, Jim. I thought you weren’t going to recognize me.” And then followed happy explanations of how he had tried to find her and how, now that he had found her,— well, that’s not for our ears, but those dainty pink ears of Miss Mary Eleanor Lee. -b.-h.-s.---- GHOSTS Georgia Allen I knocked sharply on the huge oaken door. I was exceedingly tired and cross after my long drive from the station over muddy roads. Again I knocked. This time the door was opened by an old gray-haired butler. “The nurse from Chicago,” I explained briefly. “Very well, miss.” He bowed. “This way if you please, miss.” He showed me to a large room on the second floor. This room joins that of your patient, Mrs. Foraker. She wished to see you as soon as possible after your arrival,' 'he said in his quavering, spiritless voice, as he heaped wood on the fire in the grate. “i’ll bring you a lunch, miss, you're cold and hungry. A more friendly expression came over his face as I smiled and thanked him. He soon returned and placed the tray on a small table near the fire and stood to attend me. I questioned him about mv patient. “1 was sent here on short notice, not knowing what ailed my patient. Mrs. Foraker is not seriously ill, is she ?” 1 asked. “She’s heart-broken since my master's death,” he answered, a trace of scorn in his little voice. I granced at him quickly and he held my glance with a kind of challenging look. Evidently this servant held no great love for his master’s wife. I did not question him further but told him I was ready to see my patient. Sitting in bed propped up by many cushions was a dark-complected woman of perhaps thirty-five. At my entrance she turned a searching look at me. “You’re the nurse? You’re name?” she questioned sharply. Joan Worth,” I said as patiently as I could although her manner antagonized me. If first impressions are lasting I’m afraid------ Throwing aside this anger and smiling a tolerant smile, I took up my duties. Dr, Burke, the family physician, called that evening. He greeted me warmly, hut I know his eyes were searching behind that twinkle.

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THE SENIOR MAGNET 15 pered. “And I think we had better be going or Nancy will be furious.’ “Just a minute my lady fair. he said, drawing her into a little alcove. “There's something I want to tell you before we start.” “Oh, Jim, now you are going to spoil it all. You know you promised me you wouldn’t propose again tonight, she remonstrated. Oh, so that other fellow wanted to marry her did he, he thought. Then aloud he said, “I’m not going to propose tonight. But to be serious Miss— er—Miss Gypsy, I have a confession to make and please don’t think too ill of me when you hear it. And as he drew off his mask, he said. You see I’m not the Jim that you expected. My name is James Morris and I very foolishly, in your eyes, I judge, let myself pretend to be your companion. Can’t yon forgive me? Really, I’m a very respectable sort of a fellow and not at all accustomed to presume upon the friendship of strange ladies.” Well, I might have known you were not Jim Hadley. You acted too sensibly. Hm, I reckon I'll forgive you for you’ve certainly given me a wonderful evening, she drawled in her slow, teasing voice. I know I shouldn’t, but it’s just for tonight and Jim would have been such a bore. You said your name was Morris. Are you any relation to Margaret Morris of Boston? “Just a little. I’m her brother! Do you know her?” he asked eagerly. “And won’t you tell me your name?” “Yes, I knew her slightly at school, she answered demurely, not designing to tell him they had roomed together their last year at school. “Now your name?” he begged. “No, sir, that's your punishment. You’ll never know my name. Isn’t that a severe penalty for deceiving me? But come, you must put me in a taxi now and send me to Nancy’s.” “Oh. please tell me your name,” he implored. “Never, sir, never,” she said as she stepped into the taxi. But he knew she was not angry for she gave him the most bewitching smile, as the car started off, that he had ever seen. “Thanks, my Bohemian Girl,” he called, for the most wonderful evening of my life. Jim walked back to his apartment with his head in the clouds, only to come down to earth with a bang at the thought that he didn’t know this wonderful girl’s name or where she lived or anything. “But, Jove, he said, “I’ll find her if it takes all the rest of my life.” The next (lav he decided he would go to Boston and try to find out from his sister who she was. “Oh, those eyes of her’s and what a dear soft voice she had.” He would never forget that voice. But, on second thought, he remembered his sister was out of town and wouldn’t be home for several weeks. Then one thing and another turned up until it was several months before he saw his sister and then it was she who wrote for him to come home. The letter said that a friend of her’s was visiting her and he must come and see her. for She was the most wonderful girl in the world.” “Wonderful, Jim scoffed. He knew who the most wonderful girl in the world was, but, well, that was just the rub, he didn’t know her. Never-the-less he went home, for he did want to see his sister about that Gypsy girl. He arrived quite late one evening and in the fitful gleam of the firelight he met his sister’s friend, Mary Lee.

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THE SENIOR MAGNET 17 Quite satisfied as to his patient's condition, he called me aside. “Miss Worth, come down to the library a few minutes, please.” A young man stood leaning against the mantle in the library as we entered. Dr. Burke presented him as Bryce For-aker. “Now, Miss Worth, he began as soon as we were seated, “I wish to explain a little about this case. Mrs. For-aker’s condition is merely a matter of nerves-------.” “And imaginations,” added Foraker. “I wrote to Dr. Stone, a very dear friend of mine, to send me a good nurse, one who could be trusted.” Dr. Burke went on without apparent notice of the interruption. “I ordered a nurse for Mrs. Foraker, not because she needed one, but because I want you to help Bryce, he motioned to the young man staring intently into the fire, “and me.” I wondered what I was to do. Whether I was to aid in some dire plot cr--------. The doctor interrupted m y thoughts. “For three years Bryce Foraker has been with a party of explorers in the Arctic regions.” The doctor’s voice sounded like that of one who had repeated the story many times and knew it work for word. All the while he kept his eyes on my face. fie heard of his father’s death while on his way home, but nothing of the fact that his father, Captain Foraker, had remarried. “The woman, he disliked the moment he saw her; her hysterical grief-----.” I noticed that Dr. Burke had a habit of not finishing his sentences. “The captain's pet hobby was the collection of beautiful pearls, and an- other was the building of his tomb back of the garden. The story of these, his hobbies appeared about a year ago in a Chicago newspaper.” “I remember reading that article in the Tribune,” I said. “At one time I had been a reporter for that paper.” “In this step, he made a grave mistake. He brought before the eyes of the public, especially the crook world—. You may wonder what bearing this may have on your duties, but the fact is we suspect Mrs. Foraker. We are planning to verify our suspicions.” “I warned my friend after the publication of that article that someone might attempt to steal the pearls. He then built a safe in the tomb or rather the vault and placed them in it. The tomb was then sealed and was not opened until his death. “How or when the Captain met this woman I don't know or how she learned the hiding place of the pearls. He died just three weeks after his marriage. “The day after my friend was buried I saw her enter the tomb. She was supposed to be in bed overcome with grief. Since then I have had the place secretly watched and she has been seen there several times. So far she has been unable to find the safe. I am the only one who knows where it is and the combination. He paused a moment in his narration, his eyes clouded. “Oh, how could anyone go in there!” I exclaimed, my voice not altogether steady. “You don’t have nerves do you?” Mr. Foraker interjected rudely. This was the first time he had shown any sign of having heard what was said. “No,” I answered quietly. Somehow 1 did not at all resent his remark. Parker, the butler, entered, saying that Mrs. Foraker wanted me at once.