Erskine Academy - Pinnacle Yearbook (South China, ME)

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L P 7 THE PINNACLE 5 a century. Now the time has come for me to bring forth my secret, that I have so carefully guarded all these years. Behind the upper left hand corner of my gold frame you will find a tiny spring. Press this and-3' Bang! a door slammed in the library. Duke Grosvenor rubbed his eyes, the Blue Boy was no longer beside him but was smiling down on him from his frame, as unconcerned as ever. Grosvenor felt very strange. He recalled every word of the Blue Boy's story. Could it be that the long forgotten treasure had been revealed to him in such a miraculous manner and was at that moment concealed behind the painting? It was a foolish affair of course, but he would look just the same. He slowly rose from his chair and moved it before the fire. Stepping onto this he reached up to the left hand corner of the gold frame. He could scarcely believe himself on seeing a tiny spring concealed there. He pressed this and the Blue Boy moved slowly aside, revealing a small door in the wall. This proved very hard to open as it had remained closed for years, but Grosvenor succeeded at last. The door swung open revealing a large cavity in the wall. Here were laid many bags, rotting with age. As Grosvenor picked up one of these the bottom dropped out. What a sight! Diamonds, rubies and other prec- ious stones came rolling out, glittering in the firelight. The Blue Boy has saved my home and happiness, murmured Duke Grosvenor as he lifted shining eyes to the smiling face on the canvas. DOROTHY FARNSWORTH, '23. WEAVER'S UTILITY SATCHEL. When the train came into Hilton from New York, one summer day, a passenger stepped off. He took his satchel and valise and went over to the restaurant across from the station where he had dinner and 'checked his baggage. The casual observer saw a young man of about twenty-five years of age, tall and well built, with light hair and steel-grey eyes. He looked like a young man just out of college, but Ned Weaver had a past, and one that had been full of strange happenings. X X Ned Weaver was a crook, whom the New York authorities had been trying to get for some years. He was not a com- mon person but of the highest class. He was a safe breaker. Many a corporation's safe had been blown open, the contents taken and not a clue left. The police of nearly every large city in the state of New York were anxious to get their hands on him, but it was useless. They at last ap- pealed to Washington, and Detective His- ler, the shrewdest man in the Secret Ser- vice had been sent. Weaver's last job at Albany had not been done so smoothly as the others and Hisler's suspicions had been fastened on him. Weaver decided to take a rest from his labors and incidently to throw Hisler off his track. Therefore on the advice of a friend, he bought a ticket for Hilton, Iowa. After a good meal, he walked out of the restaurant and sauntered down the main street to look over the city, that was to be his for a time. Hilton was a small 'city with a popula- tion of about fifteen 'thousand with sev- eral industries located on the Messon river, and on the direct railroad line to San Francisco. Weaver walked leisurely through the streets, and, turning a corner, came face to face with a young girl. She was of medium height, dark cornplexioned, large, soft brown eyes and a clear skin. Weaver caught his breath. He had seen many pretty girls, but not one had inter- ested him as this one did. He was too well bred to turn and stare after her, but he did want to know who she was. He looked around and seeing a young boy, went over to him and asked who she was. The boy replied that she was Flor- ence Curtis, and after this information, held out his hand. Weaver understood and taking out a handful of pennies dealt them out one by one, asking questions in the meanwhile. When his stock of pennies had gone, he

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THE X ' TT PINNACLE Wf W f K 3 '-' 65 ffl: Three generations had sought for it with po avail.

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8 THE PINNACLE found ,out that the girl was the daughter of John H. Curtis, president of the Hilton Trust Company, one of the wealthiest men in town, and of much infiuence, but best of all, that the young lady was unmarried. Weaver completed his tour of the town, and when he turned back, he had made up his mind that Hilton was not such a bad place after all, and that he would stay for a time, at least. In order to do this he must find work to avoid suspicion. At the end of the Week he had made ar- rangements to settle down. He bought out a well established shoe store, retained the same manager, and to the residents of Hilton he looked like aI successful, young business man who had decided to locate there. Two years later Hilton was pleased to see in the local paper the announcement of the engagement of Miss Florence Curtis, daughter of John H. Curtis, banker, to Edward Weaver, a popular and rising busi- ness man of the town. A week before the wedding, Weaver told his future wife that he was going to St. Louis to buy a wedding present and to settle up some business affairs. He took his satchel, which had not been opened during his residence, in the city. Mr. Curtis' married daughter and his two children, little girls of about five, were visiting at this time. The Trust Company had just installed a new lock on their large safe. It was a time lock of the lat- est design, and Mr. Curtis was anxious to show the family how it worked. They all went down to the bank and to escort Weaver to his train. The door of the safe was opened and unnoticed, one of the little girls went in and the door closed behind her. The others hearing this, turned around horrified. The safe couldn't be opened until the next morning, having a time lock on it, and no one but the experts in Chicago couldqopen it. This would take a long time and the child would smother. Florence begged her lover to do some- thing. He hesitated but a moment. Tak- ing ofi' his coat, he rolled up his sleeves and opened his satchel. It contained the T, best set of burglar tools in the country. He was going to give them to a pal of his in St. Louis. He arranged each bit of steel as it was to be used, and started on the safe. In ten minutes he had the safe open and the child came out unharmed. Unnoticed, during this time, a short, middle aged man had stepped into the doorway, and had watched the proceedings. When he Was through, Weaver looked 'toward the door and with a start, recog- nized Hisler of the Secret Service. He knew that he was caught and fairly, too. Weaver walked up to Hisler and hold- ing out his arms, said, Well, HiS1e1', here I am. Hisler, with a trace of a smile on his lips, looked Weaver over and replied, Why, man, what are you talking about? I don't know you, and with this he turned and walked out. ABRAM GLASER, '22. THE SOPHOMORE'S LAMENT. O, why did Caesar build that bridge? Why did he cross the Rhine? If he'd only had an aeroplane, 'Twould save me lots of time. At any rate 'twas not required To tell just how he made it, In four short words he could have said In iiumine pontem fecit. ll If I could only have the chance Of doing what I wanted, Pd take and cross out lots of things That have us Sophomore: haunted. The second periphrastic:-whiz! From Caesar's book I'd sever, The supine and the gerund, too, I'd put away forever. And when I'd finished all my task I'd pass this weighty law, All indirect discourse to be skipped In CAESAR'S GALLIC WAR. W. C.