Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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THE SENIOR MAGNET 29 struck him. I'll go back to the store and get the fellers to come and help me arrest these robbers. I’ll put that sweet salesman in the shade.” No sooner said than done, and Ezra ran back to Smith’s store as fast he he could. When he entered the store, he was greeted by a heavy cloud of tobacco smoke. Peering through the haze, he soon discerned about twelve men lounging around the stove. Some were smoking; and some, chewing. The latter were real experts in that line, for they could spit, with unerring aim, into the coal bucket that stood near the stove. Say, fellers,” exclaimed Ezra, I’ve caught the guys that robbed the Clarksburg Bank. They’re down at Cumming’s Woods. Let’s hurry so’s we can catch them. I couldn’t tackle them alone for they may be armed.” The farmers jumped to their feet and hastily put on their gloves and coats. Ezra stole a triumphant glance behind the counter where Juliette stood. Apparantly, the excitement had reached her jaws, for she was chewing and cracking her gum at breakneck speed. The farmers, led by Ezra, ran to the woods. Two of them watched the Ford while the rest hid behind the trees. There were the robbers in the act of covering the mysterious package with earth. They were talking in low tones as if afraid of being overheard. By a little straining, Ezra and his posse could hear everything. No one will ever find it here,” said he of the ulster and hat. No,” answered the other, as he threw the last shovelful of ground into the hole. By golly,” he continued, I could never rest with that around, but now we have a big load off our minds.” Upon hearing these words, Ezra turned triumphantly to his comrades and whispered, I guess that doesn’t sound suspicious, eh? Listen to those fellers talk. It’s all clear now; they couldn’t rest with the money around, so they came here to bury it till the robbery should be forgotten. After them, fellers!” The last words he shouted. The two robbers turned and fled to their waiting automobile but were stopped unceremoniously by the two farmers left to guard it. No use trying to get away,” said Ezra. You’re caught and we’re going to keep you.” I suppose so,” suddenly answered one of the robbers. But say! How the dickens did you find out about it? We thought that we were getting away with it pretty well.” In the meantime, some of the farmers had dug up the package. Bring that to Smith’s store,” commanded Ezra. On their way back to the store, wonderful visions began to take form in Ezra’s brain. He would get the reward ($5,000) offered for the capture of the robbers and have a detective’s office in New York. He saw a beautiful bungalow in Atlantic City. There upon the porch sat the incomparable Juliette complacently chewing gum. Best of all, the blonde salesman would be defeated.

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28 THE SENIOR MAGNET ..... ■- - - ------------------------------------------------- A Rural Romance Catherine Marinaro THERE’S that pesky salesman talking to my Juliette again; he’d better look out, or he’ll get in trouble.” The speaker was a tall, awkward youth arrayed in a policeman’s uniform and adorned with a shining badge which bore the inscription, Riverside Chief of Police.” He stood on the street opposite Smith’s General Store. The young man in question was of the blonde variety. He wore a tiny mustache and enormous shell-rimmed glasses. He held his hat in his hand, and his hair was pasted close to his head in the latest approved fashion. Around his shining flaxen locks hovered faint odors of cheap perfume. Juliette, the heroine of our story, was a girl who perpetually chewed chewing gum. She was apparently a profound student of perpetual motion, which doctrine she carried out by her moving jaws. Riverside was a thriving little village inhabited mostly by farmers. Besides a general store and a blacksmith’s shop, Riverside boasted a moving picture house; but the thing of which Riverside was proudest was The Rural Weekly,” published by Old Man Barry.” The Rural Weekly” was a paper of papers and was not afraid to say what it wanted to say. Ezra Jones, the police force,” used to pace up and down in front of Smith’s General Store; and whenever Juliette would stop chewing long enough to bestow a smile upon him, he felt perfectly happy. But since the advent of the blonde salesman, when Ezra hove in sight, she kept on chewing complacently. In the evening, Ezra often sat on Smith’s porch and mused, Oh, that some bold burglar would break into the store; wouldn’t I show him! I’d make a name for myself, and then the blonde salesman would be defeated!” One cold winter night as Ezra was going home, he saw a Ford automobile stop at the edge of a dark wood. Gosh,” he muttered, something doing here! I better hide behind that tree and see what happens.” Two men stepped out of the automobile. From the light which the car gave, Ezra could see that both men had their coat collars turned up. One wore an ulster and a hat; the other a mackinaw and a cap. Jingo!” exclaimed the police force,” in a soft voice, those guys are dressed just like the fellers that robbed the Clarksville Bank. And now they’re taking a pick and shovel from the automobile. A package, too. I see how it is; I’ll bet they want to hide the money for a while to throw off suspicion. But I’m onto their game; they don’t know that I read the Police Gazette and that I’ve read about many cases which were like this. Here’s the chance for me to do something.” Ezra revolved the circumstances in his mind. Suddenly, a brilliant idea

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30 THE SENIOR MAGNET The news of the capture of the robbers had spread rapidly, and when Ezra arrived at the store, it was full of curious people. As the posse and their victims filed into the lighted building Ezra recognized the robbers. They were two boarders of the village hotel. This is the last thing I should have expected you to do,” said Ezra. The two prisoners hung their heads in shame; and one of them answered, You would have done the same thing if you had been in our pre- ' dicament. But surely you don’t mean to make such a great fuss over a little thing like that, do you? We will make up for the loss, you can tell.” Shut up!” roared the police force.” Don’t try to bribe me; I know my business.” The package was now carefully laid upon the counter, and Ezra proceeded to open it. All was excitement. There before them lay the proof of the robbers’ guilt. There’s the money, folks,” exclaimed Ezra. At the word money, both the prisoners started with surprise and one of them exclaimed, The money— what do you mean? There must be a mistake; there is no—” Shut up!” again roared the police force.” Didn’t I tell you to keep quiet a while ago?” Before opening the bag, Ezra glanced with an air of ownership at Juliette, who in the excitement, wonderful to relate, forgot to chew her chewing gum. Ezra thought that she seemed well pleased with him. The force’s hopes were indeed high as he lifted the bag; but suddenly, his face blanched. Surely,” he thought, this isn’t money. It’s too light!” He quickly recovered himself, for he remembered that the stolen money was all in bank notes. He thrust his hand into the bag and pulled out-a dead poodle. Since that eventful night, Riverside has a new police force. Juliette ran away with the blonde salesman. The story is now history in Riverside. The two men suspected as robbers were two youths spending their vacation in the little town. They were nervous wrecks and had come to Riverside to recuperate. Their landlady owned a poodle which got on their nerves by being continually in the way. It became so unbearable that they held a council of war. It was decided that the poodle must die; and so, it came about that Ezra caught them burying it. Ezra naturally mistook them for robbers; but, alas, it proved his undoing!