Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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THE LAUREL 15 window blow inward, and a shadowy form enter and lower the window. Anthony, edging along the wall to the light switch, bumped into a chair. Although the noise was hardly audible, just as the lights came on Brent saw the form swiftly climb the stairs and enter a room. Looking' at the window, he saw caught beneath it a tiny piece of black cloth and said to Anthony, It 's the same as the man wore we saw at the window. just as Anthony bent to look at it, the lights went out. They have pulled the main switch, he cried and ran for the door just as the Thing , as they had named the huge spider, emerged. Anthony, knowing that he could not stop in time to avoid a colli- sion, almost cried out as he remembered those horrible clutches. Suddenly a black clad arm grasped him around his waist. He felt himself raised in the air and placed on the stairs. Then the shadowy form dis- appeared. Looking. he saw the Thing approach- ing Brent who was back to it and cried, Look out, Doug, it 's behind you. With a bound Doug cleared the library table and was beside Anthony. All right, he cried, let 's go, and started up the stairs three at a time. Gaining the ,top they looked down and saw the Thing laboriously climbing after them. Without second thought they raced along the long hall and descended the back stairs, which led to the kitchen, continued through it, waking old Tom, the colored servant, and opened the door to the dining room where they were astonished to see the large light flicker and gain its full power. Brent started to speak when Anthony grasped his arm and pointed to the switch which they had left behind them. As they advanced into the room, he saw a black cold arm grasp around the edge of the door, find the switch and turn off the light. In. the darkness they sensed that the arm was being followed by a body and that a long arm was beckoning them to follow. As though in a trance they obeyed. The unknown mounted the stairs and continued along the corridor to the room of Anthony and opened the door. The light streaming forth into their faces blinded them for a short time and forced them to turn their eyes away. When they again looked into the room they both shud- dered. For lying on the floor was the form of a man and bending over him was a short, thick-set man clad in a dark grey uniform of a strange type, whose iron-grey beard and hair were matted and clotted with dried blood. While they watched, they saw this strange person slowly drop to his hands and knees and with teeth bared like some fero- cious animal advance.to the still form on the floor. A door slammed, both Douglas and Anthony jumped, while the strange in- truder slowly turned and fastened strong, gleaming green eyes on them, and slowly approached them with a peculiar, spider- like motion. Anthony and Douglas stood rooted to the Hoor, having neither the strength or will power to move. They stood there, growing sleepy and their vision hazy, while that strange monster drew slowly nearer and nearer them. When but a few feet away, he rose to his feet and stretched long, talon-like hands to within a foot of their throats, teetered back and forth, and was just gathering himself to spring at them, when a black clad arm was thrust between their heads. This arm was headed by a short-nosed, ugly looking automatic pistol which was discharged point blank into that horrible face. Douglas and Anthony, thus aroused from the stupor into which they had fallen, turned only to be confronted by the same black clad, ghost-like person, when a hand slowly ascended and snatched the mask from the face of the black clad man.

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14 THE LAUREL eyelids showed signs of life. Douglas made a jump for the telephone. Chief of Police? Yes. Douglas Brent at the Van Dyke residence. Anthony Van Dyke was attacked and nearly killed, thirteen minutes past two. All right, good-bye. It was the following morning at the Van Dyke home in a sunny bedroom. Anthony lay unconscious in bed. His face challenged the pillow for whiteness, and the covers did not sufiiciently cover his neck to hide the bluish black marks on it. Over him hovered a doctor, while in the background stood Brent. The doctor finally spoke, say- ing, His assailant has superhuman strength and claws like hands. They were more than claws, they were talons, said Brent, but their owner was no human. As the day drew to a close Anthony re- gained consciousness but not his full senses. He still seemed to be under some magnetic force which tended to make him slightly hysterical. At eight o'clock, however, to all appear- ances he was normal. When Brent ques- tioned him concerning his experiences he shivered visibly and almost moaning sank deeper into his chair while his face turned a sickly yellow. This might be disgusting to ordinary eyes, but it only served to soften Brent's heart towards the big, good- natured athlete and aroused his pity to such an extent that he refrained from asking further questions. This for him was an exceptionally hard task, for he knew that no other fellow of his acquaintance had greater natural courage than Anthony. Then, as though by mutual consent, they both dozed off to sleep. Four hours later they were awakened by the sound of a banging window blind. Glancing at the window from which the sound came, they saw a face surmounted by a soft felt hat, the crown of which fitted like a skull cap. The soft roll brim, turned up away from the face, revealed a black mask of the same material as the shirt and cape which covered the shoulders. As if reading their thoughts, there was a slight movement and a similar black arm rose, from which extended a white hand in strong contrast to the black, and a long foretinger crossed the mask at the point where the lips were hidden, and the figure slowly immerged into the shadows. As Douglas turned to Anthony he saw a different Anthony. This time his jaw muscles were set and there was the fire of determination in his eyes as he said softly, That fellow got my goat at first, and now I will be on the lookout for him and give him a run for his money. I don't hold the intercollegiate boxing championship for nothing. After that for a strained half hour neither of them said anything. Anthony at last broke the silence by ringing for a servant and ordering coffee to keep them awake. Brent, however, realized it was for the purpose of quieting their nerves. Another half hour passed, and the silence was again broken by the striking of a large clock proclaiming the end of the first hour of a new day. After that things were not so quiet. Anthony, watching Brent, saw him stiffen and grip the arms of his chair. Then Brent asked, Did any of the servants have the night off, Tony? A No, answered Tony. Why? Because I felt a draft on the back of my neck, and I don't know who would be coming in at this time of night. Neither do I, Doug. Let 's find out who it was. - They both arose and entered a darkened room from which the stairs ascended to the floor above. Suddenly Douglas felt his arm gripped and heard Anthony whisper, Listen. Thus they stood and listened for a sound. A faint creaking reached their ears, and Brent muttered, They are going up- stairs. ' Standing there they saw the curtains of a

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16 THE LAUREL There stood revealed to them a tall, broad, well built body topped with a fine head and a face that was almost boyish with ex- tremely black deep-set eyes and black hair. It had to be done, he said, it was the only way out. Well, said Doug, always thinking of the other fellow, let 's see what he did to that poor chap in there. I 'm afraid, said the strange inter- loper, that he did not damage him much. Why not? inquired Anthony. Because it 's a dummy, answered their uninvited guest. Now that that is over, who is the dead man and who are you? asked the suspi- cious Brent. First, I'll tell you about myself, was the answer. I'm james Donnovan of the United States Secret Service and that, indicating the dead man, is Horatio Bento, the great natural scientist, who has been missing for the past eight months. While studying the origin of the huge spiders of South Africa, he was bitten by one, which drove him insane with pain and worked on his mind to such an extent that he believed himself one. He would go smashing and spitting through his cell for he had been placed in an insane asylum. He would reach for the warden with those claw-like hands whenever he came to touch him. Day before yesterday, for it 's after two now, he got away and disappeared. I was given the job when the chief of police got your friend's message. I decided that Bento would know that he had not finished you and would return to do so tonight. Therefore I put the dummy in your hall and trusted to luck that because of his in- tense state of insanity, multiplied by his failure to kill you last night, he would not see the difference and he did not. Tonight I thought my plan would fall through be- cause the lights were on and he could see you so I turned them off. Thanks awfully, old man, said Tony. I want you to come up to dinner tomor- row, and I know about the cloth now be- cause there is a hole in your sleeve, and now I am going to try to get some good old-fashioned sleep. Good-night. Harry Huf, 28. ' .l...1l. CHAMPIONS RIDAY was the day of the big game. It was to be between the Falmouth High School and the Pocasset School. The Pocasset School was a well known private school for boys. Pocasset had been the State champion in basketball the year be- fore. This year the High School had deter- mined to win. Each school had won every game it had played and now the day was drawing nearer when the two teams would fight for the final victory in the Falmouth gymnasium. Each team was practicing very hard, especially the High School team. It seemed as the time for the game drew nearer that everything was going against them. Their coach had pneumonia and the best player, Tom Moore besides spraining his wrist was now ill and unable to practice. Friday night, the 13th, came and the Po- casset boys arrived with their cheers and boasts. The game was called at eight o'clock, but at seven the huge gymnasium was almost full and more people came pouring in. Almost all the High School students were already there and the cheer-leader was waving his arms wildly about, the hall fairly shaking with the cheers. Across the hall the cheers were answered by the Pocasset boys who had come with their team. From seven until eight the contest was by cheers, each school trying to outcry the other. Five minutes of eight came and the op- posing team came on the floor and began to shoot for baskets. At a nearby house another battle was raging. Tom Moore declared that if he