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

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THE eoosWELL 49 house is haunted! Haunted, l say! We can't live there. Well stay here in this little old shack. XYl1y we'll be killed if we go there to live! For goodness sake, daughter, don't take on so. ll don't know what you're talking about. Come here and tell me your trouble, and her dum- founded father led her to the porch. After Margie had told her story in tits and starts, her father sat silent for awhile with a puzzled expression on his face, when suddenly he re- marked: You say you heard a hissing sound, followed by some light thirds? Yes, replied Margie. lt sounded like-well-I can hardly explain it, but it sounded like a horses sneeze. VA horse's sneeze! said Mr. Lane, wrinkling' his forehead. .-Xnd where was Dandy all this time? 'lVhy, I don't know: but he just came around fl'o1t'i in back of the chicken house when- Why. Daddy l and here Margie became hysterical with laughter, what a fool l've been! 'llhat hissing sound, followed by those thuds, was only my poor innocent Dandy sniliing' around the back of the chicken house! Irma li.XIlRS. 'l-l. 1 he Snrivtg Burglar 'Here is a telegram for you, -lack. :Xt this moment Bud, the office boy, hurled the sealed envelope on top of the desk. Confound you, Bud. llihy don't you look what you're doing? lkfith these words, Jack angrily tossed the telegram to one side and prepared to remove the ink-stains from the report sheet. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. ,lack Riley, bookkeeper for Reckfall Bros., was busy balancing up the days reports. His coat was off, his sleeves rolled up, and a large cowboy hat was tilted on the back of his head. His arms and face were severely tanned, and he looked as though he had lived in the tropics all his life. He was an extremely good looking young fellow, with soft, affectionate eyes, and a mouth which would curve into the most winning of smiles. XtVith a bang he closed the ledger, put things in order, and then swung around in his swivel chair until he faced the open window. He lazily put his feet on a near-by table, filled his .rose colored meerschaum pipe, and read several short stories from a monthly magazine. By this time, it was four thirty and lack, after glancing at the Big Ben which stood on his desk, grabbed his hat and coat and dashed for the door. Then he wheeled suddenly and snatched' the hereto- fore forgotten telegram off the desk and fairly flew down the street. He opened the telegram while he was running, and, as he read, he slackened

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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

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50 THE COGSWELL the Governor want of him? his pace until he stopped entirely. Wfhat did That was the question that puzzled jack's mind as he hastened to catch the five two for New York. I The ride took just an hour, and jack found himself in the heart of New York. He jumped into a taxi and drove to the Leland Club where he was to dine with the governor. I-Ie waited several moments in the lobby, and then a grey-headed gentleman walked toward him with out- stretched hand. He was dressed in taultless style and had a most polished air about him. He was rather bald, rather red, and, though a handsome, well-made man, too stern and pompous in appearance to be prepossessing. f'XNe11, jack my boy, it is indeed a pleasure to see you. But you're looking thin. Wforking hard, I suppose ? UNO. About the same as usual. You look troubled, jack. You're wondering why I sent for you. VVell, letls go down and get a bite to eat first and then-prepare yourself for the worstf' and the governor laughed heartily. They finished a simple dinner, and sat at the table enjoying an after dinner cigar. At last the governor broke silence by saying, jack, are you still in love with Eleanor? A As jack merely blushed and did not answer, the governor continued, You don't see so much of her since you have been working out of town, do you ? No, I donlt, but you see- I-Iow would you like to work under me, jack? I should like nothing better, governor, but what could I do? jack, no doubt you have read of all these burglaries in New York ? Yes . W7ell, they must stop, and the governor emphasized this by bringing his hand down on the table with a bang. Nine burglaries inside of a month is surely a record. The police are baffled, and something must be done. Last night we gave a party and during the frivolity we were robbed oi two thousand dollars' worth of jewelry. I was talking to your god-father this morning and he told me you were the boy who could bring this man to justice. I'll pay you three hundred dollars a month, and if you get the thief you'll receive the reward of fifty thousand dollars offered by the Metropolitan Insurance Company. jack hesitated only a moment. He did not see why he shouldn't accept the offer, as it was a hundred and fifty dollars increase per month. Eleanor would surely be pleased, and he could marry her sooner for her father would not permit the marriage on a hundred and fifty a month. He would be pleasing the governor, the best friend he had had in the world since his father's death. f'Governor, I'll accept. ' The governor grasped his outstretched hand. God bless you. i UHGOOCI-by, governor. Iill do all in my power to bring that man to justice. No! Not even 'Eleanor shall stand in my way. Xkfith these words, he hurried out of the room.