Charlotte High School - Witan Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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T H E W I T A N into a near by tree, the white cover still hiding it. Johnny and Miss Warner, thinking it could not get down from the tree very quickly, hurried down the stairs, out of doors, and around the house to the tree in which the object had landed. But there was nothing to be seen except the white cover hanging on high on one of the lower branches. During the next two weeks things disappeared a t different intervals. First, a bracelet belonging to Miss Warner; then, brooms and dustpans, pails, mops, articles of clothing from clothes lines» and other numerous articles. No one had been close enough to see what the “thing” really looked like and no one, although he wouldn't admit it, was quite willing to hunt for it and solve the mystery. Then, one night between six and seven, Johnny and one of the neigh- bor boys were strolling along discuss- ing the events of the day and hap- pened to pass Dr. Brown’s old barn, which had not been in use for several years. Just as they were going to pass on, Johnny spied something bright in the grass near a broken window of the old barn, and, stooping, he picked up a bracelet. It was the one that Miss Warner had said dis- appeared mysteriously a week ago. It suddenly came to him that the old barn was involved in the mystery in some way or another, and he hurried- ly published the news. In less than «an hour, the whole vil- lage, it seemed, armed with knives, revolvers, pitchforks, shovels and axes, surounded the barn and made ready to investigate. Johnny was chosen to open the bain door while the others rushed in; so Johnny crept softly up to the door, unlocked the padlock and threw open the doors. The crowd stepped forward and held their breath. At first, they couldn’t make out anything, hut as their eyes grew accustomed to the dim light of the darkened barn, they saw a dark form lying in the corner on a pile of old hay. Revolvers were drawn, shovels and other weapons raised, and the crowd pressed forward into the barn. Johnny, being at the head, reached the darkened corner first and at one glance he shouted, ‘it's a monkey!” Sure enough, the frightened animal was a monkey It was caught and examined. Around its neck they found a leather collar on which were de- scribed the words: Jip, trick monkey of Bamum’s Circus.” Ida Diehl, ’31. 13

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THE WITAN THE MYSTERY SOLVED There was a great stir in the little town of Williamsville. Neighbors gossiped over back fences; children hurried home from school to reach the safety of their homes; even the owners of stores or business buildings in the town put extra padlocks on the doors and locked their valuables in safes. Things were mysteriously dis- appearing from the people's homes, yards and clothes lines! No one knew where the things had gone or what had made them go until one night, about a week after the first thing had disappeared. Mrs. Grayson, the wealthiest old lady in the town, had been suddenly wakened in the middle of the night by a great up- roar of screeching and squawking of chickens. She had gone to the win- dow immediately to see what was the matter and, just as she looked out, a dark object appeared at the small window of the chicken coop. The window was open and, as the object passed through, it turned and closed the window, then it sailed right through the trees with a chicken un- der each wing, as Mrs. Grayson ex- plained the next day. Being near- sighted, she was unable to describe the object, but she was sure that it had several long legs or wings and a long, narrow tail that curled at the end. The next day, when examining the chicken-coop, the neighbors found five chickens dead and two missing. It must have been a hawk,” one of the neighbors suggested. “But how could it open the window?” old lady Gray- son asked excitedly, “and, I’m not sure whether it flew or jumped; I was too scared to notice. This made it more of a mystery than ever. Johnny Green, old lady Grayson’s nephew, scoffed at it all, saying that she was “seeing things,” but the very next evening, when he was sitting un- der the magnolia tree with his future wife, something behind snatched his hut off his head. He, thinking it was one of the fellows playing a joke on him, didn’t make any sign that he knew the hat was gone. But, upon glancing upward a little later, he saw his hat hanging on the end of the top branch of a nearby tree. But this wasn’t all—the hat was pinned on with a large safety pin! After this, nothing happened for a few flays beyond thp disappearance of more chickens, or pies set out to cool. The village people had given it up as a bad job and stopped hunting for the mysterious object. Then, one night (it always seemed to come at night), Miss Warner, Johnny Green’s future wife, called him on the telephone and told him to come over as fast as he could. Some- thing was in her room! Johnny hurriedly backed his Ford car out of the driveway and drove to Miss Warner's home. She happened to be alone that evening, as her par- ents had gone to visit friends in a distant town. Being lonesome, she had decided to go to bed early and, upon opening the door of her bed- room and switching on the light, she jumped back in surprise There was something in her bed! Not stopping to look again, she had dashed down to the telephone and called Johnny; then ran out on the porch to wait for him. He reached her home in two minutes and found her wringing her hands and glancing fearfully over her shoulder. She quickly explained why she had called him so hurriedly, and they crept up the stairs quietly. Armed with a small revolver, John- ny carefully opened the bedroom door. Just then. Miss Warner in her nerv- ousness, knocked over a small stand near the head of the stairs and it tumbled and thumped to the bottom, making such a noise as to wake up the thing” on the bed. As Johnny opened the door, the object jumped up from the bed, entirely covered by the white cover that it had crawled under. Johnny dashed in the room and pulled out his revolver, but the object quick- ly jumped through the open window 14

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THE WIT A N TWILIGHT MOODS Twilight pinned two brilliant stars Into her fragrant silvery hair, Put all her pets to bed and then She locked her western door with care. H. Reddy. 30. NIGHT SONG The moon shone down from the heav- ens And lighted the earth below, When out of the peace came a lullaby, A sound that wus sweet and low. The waving branches of the trees, The gentle sighing of the breeze, The sweet perfume of flowered trees, Sing on spring. Then as the days go fast away, The blossoms turn from white to gray. And gently, gently drop away In the spring. I heard the patter of the rain Upon the broken window pane; The chirp of birds came to my ear, After the storm the sky will clear. Twas the voice of a happy young The trees are mother Singing her babe to sleep; She ssing of a Christmas long ago, When shepherds watched o’er their sheep. Her voice was an echo of sweetness, Her words, an inspiration As she sang of the Babe who is now the King Of a great and glorious nation. Soon the air was still again, Her babe in dreamland lay; She placed him gently in the crib And tiptoed softlv away. M. Haley, 30. GO SLOW The C. H. S. committee, As all we students know, Is trying hard to find a way To make us all go slow . When some one descends the wrong • pair of stairs, That makes the officers frown That they must tell you more than once Which pair of stairs to go up or down. Now all of us should try to find. Or at least you ought to know. That when the halls are crowded The least we can do is go slow. Marian Du Val, 7A-2. green with foliage, The grass is wet with dew, The pussy-willows burst their buds, I want a new dress too. Let the wild winds blow And the clouds hang low, Every winter has passed; No storm con last. It is spring. God keeps in His care The soul that can dare, The note of good cheer The Father holds dear, For tis spring. Florence Sparks, 30. A GIFT God gave you, sweetheart, Two corals from the sea. These were thy lips. A murmuring mystery. And then Ho took Two stars from out the sky, And heaven dreamed its dream Within thine eyes. God gave you, sweetheart, A gift beyond compare. This thy heart, In all its beauty rare. Then let me kneel So humbly at thy feet, For love has made Life’s miracle complete. A. Dale P. G., '28. 10