Cogswell Polytechnical College - Cogswell Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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THE coGswELL 47 But don't you think it would be lovely to live in that line big house? Dandy and Andy would like the hue big stable, l'm sure. Then we could have chickens and pigs and perhaps a lamb or two, couldn't we, Daddy, dear? asked Margie, patting her father's cheek as she always did when she wanted anything very much. That'll all be very line, daughterq but d'ye think yer know enough 'bout housework to take care o' that big house all by yerselI? Now for the first time Margies enthusiasm lagged. She hadn't thought of that. She sat still for a long time as if in deep thought, then she sud- denly brightened. I have an idea, Daddy, she burst out. XYhen I go back to school next year I'll make a special study of housekeeping, and when I come back I'll know all about it. 'llhen we can go right to the new house and every- thing will be Finefi All right, daughter. l'm willin' to have it that way if you are: but do ye think ye can learn that at school? lYhy to be sure I can. Lots of married women take special lessons at school. Very good, then. Then you really mean to buy that big house for the two of us to live in? lYon't that be fine! You will let nie have some chickens and pigs to take care of, won't you, Daddy? asked Margie. patting his cheek again. lYell, we'll see about those things later, said her father, very much amused by her chatter. Thompson's comin' back to-morrow to see about it, an' I suppose we'll be able to make an agreement that'll suit us both. USO we're really going to live in that Fine big house! It seems almost impossible, doesn't it?' asked Margie, dreamily. That's what it does. But it's the truth just the same, replied Mr. Lane with a smile. After they had been sitting silently and dreaming about their new home for some time, Mr. Lane suggested that they go to bed, for Margie must be tired from her long journey and he had to be in the corral early the next morning. Margie decided that the suggestion was a good one, so after saying Good night to each other they went to their own rooms and were soon fast asleep. About 7 o'eloek the next morning, after she had said Good-by to her father, and after she had performed her household duties, Margie Lane, dressed in a becoming tan riding suit and with a felt cowboy hat upon her head, started out for a long ride on her Indian pony, Dandy. After they had gallopecl along the road for some time, Margie decided to turn up Oak Road and look at the big house that was to be her own before very long, so she turned her' pony's head in that direction. Wfhen they arrived at the house. Margie thought she would like very much to enter the gate and peep through the shutters and look into the

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45 THE' COGSWELL Everything in the house seemed almost as she had left it a year ago, only when she cut the bread for dinner she noticed that her father had bought a new bread knife. After dinner Margie and her father sat on the narrow porch in front of their little house to watch the moon rise above Scraggy Mountain. Mr. Lane sat in his big armchair while Margie was perched on one of the arms. They sat silently for a long time, although Mr. Lane took his pipe out of his mouth as if to say something several times, but he always put it back again without uttering a syllable. Margie, who had watched him for some time, became curious, so she asked: I-Iave you something to tell me, Daddy ? lNal, said her father, stopping to take another puff at his pipe, ter tell the truth, daughter, I hevg but the trouble is I don't know how ter say it. 'fls it something nice, Daddyiv' Hlhfal, I should say it is.', lN7ell, then, please start right in and tell me all about it. lNal,', said the old man, puffing again and turning slightly in his chair, diye remember John Thompson, the man that lived about two miles up the Gak Road in that big red house?', The man whom the boys used to call 'Governorf and who always dressed in black? 'Ilhat's him. Oh, yes, I remember him. I-Ie used to spend his time writing stories, didn't he? Yes I f'But I thought that he had left this part of the country in order to go somewhere else to sell his stories. USO he did, but he come back th' other day to his ol' house again an' he come in to see me, too. VVhat did he have to say? asked Margie, becoming interested. lNal, it seems that he's sold his stories or poems, as he calls 'em now, out in California and he's made a heap o' money by 'em. Yes, said Margie, what else did he have to say? Now I'm a comin' to the point, daughter, replied Mr. Lane as he shook the ashes out of his pipe. Seem, as he's made so much money a sellin' his poems he wants to move away from here and go to California to live, so he wanted to know if I didn't want to buy his house. XNhat? I-Ie wanted you to buy that fine big red house out on the Qak Road? W7ouldn't it be wonderful to live there! Vlfhat did you tell him, Daddy?,' Margie asked all these questions with one breath, while all kinds of plans for a new home were running through her head. h I told him that I'd have to talk it over with you before I could tell him anything for sure.

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43 THE COGSWELL stable and chicken house. Accordingly she jumped off of Dandy and led him through the gate. She was not afraid of meeting anyone because her father had told her that Mr. Thompson had gone to Cheyenne on business and would not be back until that afternoon. As soon as she had closed the gate, Margie let Dandy wander about at his pleasure while she tried to peep through the shutters of the house. Finding that she could see nothing of the interior she walked around the building several times admiring the outside. There was really nothing much to admire about it, as it was no more than an ordinary farmhouse, such as one can see in any country town, but to the inhabitants of Cow Hollow it seemed a mansion. Now, thought Margie, as she had finished admiring the house for the time being, fill go and look at the rest of the place. The rest of the place consisted of a stable, a large chicken house and another rough building which Margie intended to use for the pigs and sheep she was going to have. To her utter disgust Margie found all of these buildings securely locked, so she walked around them and peeped through the knotholes and cracks of their walls. just as she was peeping through a knothole of the chicken house she heard a peculiar hissing sound, followed by a few soft thuds, and then she heard the hiss again. Margie usually was not easily frightened, but having been away for so long seemed to have made her timid and she was aware of the fact that she was trembling with fear. She was sure there could be no one around. She turned to look at the house. There it stood staring at her, making her feel all the more alone. There must be spirits here! This house must be haunted! Vlfhat shall I do? Wfhat shall I do P and Margie leaned against the building, weak with fear. Then, as Dandy appeared from behind the chicken house she seemed to have regained some of her strength, for she grabbed his bridle and led the astonished horse hurriedly through the back gate, fearing to go by the front of the house so closely again. Hurry, Dandy! VV'hat makes you so slow? Don't you know this house is haunted? Thus did Margie speak to Dandy as she pulled him through the gate, and, when she was in the saddle again, she cried: Hurry, Dandy! lNhat makes you so slow? Run as fast as you can, old boyf! Dandy, who was one of the fastest ponies in Cow Hollow, seemed to want to uphold his reputation, for he brought his mistress home in record- breaking time. Because the cows had not been brought down from Bulkhead, Mr. Lane had already returned home for the day. He was just entering the gate when he saw Margie and Dandy galloping down the road at a terrible speed. As she came very close to him he could see that something was wrong, So he ran toward her. She hardly waited for Dandy to come tosa stop when she jumped off and ran to her father, crying hysterically: Daddy, that