Carteret Academy - Carteret Yearbook (Orange, NJ)

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24 THE CARTERET I Went to the telephone and called my bank. Yes, ....,. this is the bank, ...... What do you want? ...... To cancel payment on a check? . . . . . .Certainly,. . . . . . . . To whom is it payable?. . . . . . What is that? .... . . John Caseworthy?. . - - . . All right,. . . . . . Certainly, . . . . . Good-bye I That was that. The next thing I did was to send the writer of each of the two letters a telegram, asking what they had said in their letters. I also asked them to hurry, as I was waiting for a reply. The first I re- ceived was from Chicago. It ran like this: 'fLetter was to inform you of portrait counterfeiter. Selling por- traits of Washington, supposed to be Gilbert's. Do not buy any. Signed: James R. Dyke, of the Dyke Art Galleries. A few minutes later I received another from San Francisco. It read as follows: Man by the name of Sidney Martin selling Gilbert's Washington. Fake, can tell by the nose. Don't buy. Signed: Thomas H. Pittley, of the San Francisco Art Galleries. After receiving them, I Went to my bank. I found that Caseworthy had presented my check, but had been refused payment on it. On in- quiring how he had taken the news, it seemed that he had been quite sur- prised but had gone out of the bank without saying anything. Neither Mr. Sidney Martin, James Humphrey, Cas he called him- self in Chicagoj, nor Mr. John Caseworthy has been heard of since. But I don't care. I have a perfectly good picture of Washington, even if it isn't by Gilbert. And I didn't pay a cent for it either. On writing to the librarian of Congress later, I found out that he had never heard of any such person, under any of his various names. MAKING GOOD I By Gilbert C. Fonda-2nd Prize Carteret Short Story Contest. Robert Tilford, jr., was a spoiled boy, according to the verdict of the Tilford's neighbors and Robert's teachers. He was not inherently a bad boy, but over-indulgent parents, too much money and too little religious training had, at the tender age of sixteen, combined to make Robert a selfish, inconsiderate boy. Robert Tilford, Sr., had been so engrossed with business that his son's shortcomings had not impressed him, until, one fine day, he was called on the telephone to come to Police Headquarters to give bail for Robert, who had been arrested for driving his father's car without per- mission or license, and failing to stop after running down a little child. It required all of the standing and influence of the Tilford family to keep Robert from a long jail sentence.

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THE CARTERET 23 You,re lucky to-get such a good portrait so cheap, he added. I was very much pleased with myself and considered it very lucky that I should have found such a great portrait. ' At the appointed hour Caseworthy appeared, and I told him of my decision. As we sat talking over the qualities of the picture, I noticed something very queer about the nose. Mr, Washington never had a nose like that, I thought, as I moved to examine the peculiarity. As soon as I moved, the strangeness disappeared and the nose seemed perfect. Caseworthy noticed that I saw something and asked me what it was. 'The nose seemed a little queer, but I guess it was only an optical illusion, I answered. Right away he changed the subject and seemed more or less fidgety. However, I took no notice of this at the time, and began to look for my check book, which seemed to have been misplaced. Here we were interrupted by the ollice boy, who came in to deliver the morning mail. The pile was carelessly put down and it started to slide off the desk. Without looking straight at it, I caught and put it where it belonged. While doing this, I recognized the envelopes of two firms I was acquainted with. They were both art galleries. One in Chicago, and the other in San Francisco. When the boy had closed the door, I resumed the search for my check-book. I found it in a table drawer behind my desk. I wrote out the check and gave it to Mr. Caseworthy. He thanked me very much and took his leave. What a very nice old gentleman, I thought, as I turned around to look at the picture. Again the nose looked strangely out of proportion. But the instant I moved, it seemed all right once more, and I couldn't for the life of me, catch the sight again, although I thought I did once while I was moving about the room. Then I remembered how nervous Mr. Caseworthy had been after I told him about the nose. I began wondering. All at once I didn't like Mr. Caseworthy nearly as much as I had. Puzzled, I sat down to glance over the mail. Right away I noticed that the two letters I had noted before were missing. I knew that no one had been in the room except Mr. Caseworthy and myself. I knew that I hadn't touched them, and I knew that letters do not run away. But what could Mr. Caseworthy have wanted with those letters? And why those two, especially? I was quite sure one of them had a special delivery stamp on itg so it at least must have been important. I began to dislike hir. Caseworthy very much.

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THE CARTERET 25 Although Robert escaped punishment at the hands of the law, his father, now fully aware of Robert's Waywardness, lost no time in consulting with the Captain of a sailing vessel about signing up Robert as ordinary seaman for his return voyage. This sailing vessel was bound for several ports in South America. Robert's father expected his son to go to Buenos Aires and return, for he thought that the hardships of such a trip would knock the nonsense out of his perverse son. The day of Robert's departure came, and the poor boy left home, friends and all. He now felt sorry for all his misbehavior, but it was too late. , For many days, the vessel experienced fine weather on the long voyage to Rio de Janeiro, but the favorable weather did not last. lt was during one of the most severe storms that Robert had his first taste of hardship. Now, for the first time, he realized what a soft life he had had at home. After this experience, Robert decided to disembark at Rio de Janeiro. At last, the small vessel reached Rio de Janeiro, after a very hard and perilous voyage. Robert was glad to get off that craft, but he was never more homesick in his life. He missed his father and the others at home. There he was, down in South America, with very little money, for his father had given him only a small amount, as he thought he would remain on the schooner for the entire voyage. Robert's grief was much added to when the schooner that he had made the voyage in set sail again, leaving his friendless. Robert was now left entirely on his own resources. As he had very little money, there was but one thing for him to do, a.nd that was to work. Robert had never before had to earn a cent. Every- thing had been given to himg and, as a consequence, he did not know how hard it was to make a living. Robert's first job was in a general store on the outskirts of Rio. This work he found drudgery, and soon gave it up. After this, he drifted from one job to another, for he could not adjust him- self to the hardships every job seemed to hold. Robert came of a fine family and inherited many of their good quali- ties, but he certainly had been ruined by his lax bringing up. In spite of all this, however, Robert had inherent ability which only adversity could bring out. One day, while he was strolling aimlessly about, his eyes rested on a discarded newspaper printed in English. As he glanced over it, he saw, to his horror and amazement, that the schooner which had brought him from America had been wrecked in a bad storm, with the loss of its entire crew. This sorrow added to his homesickness and loneliness, for he pictured his father's feelings on learning of the disaster, since he might believe Robert to have been on board the vessel.