Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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14- THE SENIOR .MAGNET A Happy Ending FANNIE FBLDSTEIN Betty Endicott walked into the library, slumped disconsolately into the easy chair and sat gazing at the book lined walls 'fMammy,l' she call- ed, 'fhas the mail arrived yet T' 'fYes, Miss Betty, honeyf' drawlled the cheerful looking negro woman who appeared at the door, I put it on the desk, and she stood there look- ing fondly at the girl dressed in riding togs. About five feet, four inches, she was with a school girl complex- ion that was the envy of her social companions. Expressive brown eyes, black curly hair and her two even rows of pearly teeth describe the girl. Betty glanced at the several enve- lopes there, all very apparently per- sonal correspondence, and frowned. Mammy darlingf' she said ser- iously, wif that check does not soon appear, we will have to go on a diet, for lack of necessary finance. f'Lawsy, Miss Betty, you couldn't go on a diet, lau.ghed Mammy, Hyou all wouldn't be just right if you be- gan to get thin. You know when Miss Smith comes down from New York, she always wishes that she was just right like you aref, 'fWell, if she would diet a little, answered Betty, Hit would improve her appearance, but there would be a great deal of a difference between that sort of a diet and starving. Well, I guess I'll have to write to Mr. Cadman and ask him to attend to this, in fact, she continued, I think, I'll wire him. - Shortly afterward she appeared in a chic gray ensemble suit, hat and gloves, and her roadster matched in color perfectly, that when she stepped on the gas, as she was fond of doing, one could hardly distinguish the driv- er from the car in the gray streak that literally flew dowln the road. f'Why, Jack Forrester! she ex- claimedas she stopped at the tele- graph office. Hello, Bettyf' greeted a tall clean cut and very good looking young fel- low, What's all the rush about 7' Nothing in particular, Jack, I just have to send a telegram, but tell me, when did you arrive and why haven't I heard from you ? I just arrived on business and was going to call you immediately. You see that was even more impor- tant than my business reasonf, How nicel Wait until I send this telegram and then we can talk. You see,H she continued teasingly, my whole life depends on thisf' 'fWell, wfell, you might tell an old friend all about it, after all I didn't spend a number of years studying law for nothing, even if I did spend a lot of my time, pursuing a certain co-ed. You see Bettyf, he explained, f'You were so popular and there was so much competitionf' But he grew more and more serious as Betty explained that the dividends from the stocks, in which her father had almost his entire fortune, had been delayed several times lately, and that this month's check had not ar- rived at all. Not only that, but in looking up the papers in the book en- closed safe, she found that some of them were missing. Betty insisted that no one could possibly have found the safe and that she herself must have mislaid them. But Jack was afraid that someone had taken them and asked to see the safe. Of course lVIammy was above sus- picion and so perhaps were the two

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THE SENIOR JWAGNET 13 him no questions but brought him food and then sent him to bed. The next morning, Jim told his mother what had happened and then went to town to telegraph for a col- lege friend to come at once. As he entered the telegraph office, he came face to face with a man who always pretended to be his father's friend but whom Jim instinctively distrusted. He was short and fat with a red face and small eyes almost hidden by thick rolls of fat. As his glance fell on the young man, he started back in hor- rorg his face became white and a green circle appeared around his mouth. He pushed past the young man with lowered head and went quickly into the street. Jim glanced after him surprised. A sudden thought struck him, and instead of sending the telegram, he followed the man at a distance. Then he made his second startling discovery of the morning. Some one else was follow- ing Harry Cratty. The man looked familiar but before he could ascertain who it was, the man disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him. Much disturbed by his discovery, he followed Cratty to his office, and then returned to where he had left his horse and started home. He had ridden several miles when he heard the sound of galloping hoof beats behind him. Thinking that it might be one of the outlaws, he reined his horse to the side of the roadbehind a clump of bushes, and drawing a pistol, waited. As the rider drew near, he recognized the man as the one who had followed Cratty, and a moment later he saw that it was none other than his chum Bill Blake, whom he was going to tele- graph. WVith a shout of joy, he spur- red his horse out on to the trail caus- ing Bill's horse to rear and buck. VVhen he finally got him quieted, Bill exclaimed, l say, old fellow, what's the big idea of riding out like a wild Indian and frightening a fellow out of his wits! Jim laughed heartily, for he knew that it would take more than that to frighten his friend. Then suddenly, his face soberedg and he explained the happenings of the last few days. Bill nodded quietly when he had fin- ished. Yes, l know, and I think your sus- picions about Cratty are correct. I'm down here looking after him myself and unless I'm greatly mistaken, we'll find him at a certain little cabin up in these hills tonight and then we will call on him to account for himself. just now, we had better get busy so we can give them a warm receptionfl The night was dark, and the men rode quietly up the trail looking more like ghosts than men. The utter silence with which they rode, except when one accidently struck his rille against something and cursed softly, was appalling. Presently at a word from their leader, they halted and leaving their horses with two of the men, crept up the trail. Soon, a dark bulk loomed in front of them. The men surrounded the cabin and waited. Jim and Bill stole close to the cabin and waited and listened. 'AWell, you all know what you arc to do nowf' they heard the voice of Cratty say, HTom, you take Dick and Jack and get that counterfeit money across the mountains. The rest of you kill young Montgomeryf any place and any way you canf, When the men came out of the cabin, they were greeted with the words f'Hands up and were quickly handcuffed. A few days later, Jim had the satisfaction of hearing the judge pronounce life sentence on Cratty for murder, attempted murder, and for passing counterfeit money.

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ll THE SENIOR .MAGNET 15 negro servants, but someone had taken those papers, so .lack searched Betty's personal property, but no papers were found. As it was almost impossible for anyone to have taken the papers, Jack offered to stop and see Mr. Cadman when he went north and so the matter was dropped and they enjoyed his stay thoroughly. When Jack entered Mr. Cadmanls home in Philadelphia, it was suppose- ly a friendly visit. Mr. Cadman had been a very good friend of Mr. Endi- cott and Betty trusted hirnimplicitly. Jack was informed that Mr. Cadman was expected home in a fewi moments and he was asked to wait in the library. Jack began to look around the library while waiting for Mr. Cad- man to return and while crossing the room, he accidently bumped the cor- ner of the desk chair with his foot and much to his surprise a small drawer appeared miraculously from the seat of the chair. As Jack was abou.t to shut the drawer, he noticed Betty's name on the uppermost paper, and as the name of the company was the same as that of the firm which Betty's missing papers were from, Jack took them, and sure enough they were apparently the missing papers. just then Mr. Cadman drove up the drive-way. Jack put the papers in his pocket and closed the secret draw- er. When Mr. Cadman entered the room, Jack was reading the daily newspaper. Because of Betty's trust in Mr. Cadman, Jack was utterably surpris- ed when Cadman politely refused to do anything about the delayed check, because of the missing papers. 'fKnowing her servants as you do Mr. Cadman from your frequent trips down there, do you believe the servants might be responsible for the papers disappearing ? No, Mr. Forrester, replied Cad- man, I do not, Mammy is trusted implicity and l hardly think the other two have the necessary intelligencefl Then he ushered Jack to the door. While Jack got home, he sent sev- eral wires and called personally to see some men connected with a cer- tain stock company. He settled him- self to wait for the answer. At Jack's suggestion, Betty made Tom, the town outcast, confess to stealing the papers for Mr. Cadman who had offered him a certain amount of money. Betty did not want Mr. Cadman punished for he probably would never want to do that sort of thing again. Then Jack arranged to have a plane to take him south so that he might explain personally just wfhy it was necessary for Betty to become Mrs. Jack Forrester. Jack thought that he could explain matters satis- factorily and evidently he succeeded, for twlo months later Betty went home with him as Mrs. Jack For- rester.