Franklin High School - Molecule Yearbook (Franklin, VT)

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lc . THE MURDER OF MISS BLUE It was a warn day in the latter part of May - a perfect day for a baseball game Everyone was looking forward to the la st game or the season, scheduled for three o'clock that afternoon - Shadyside versus Kingston. That afternoon when Janes was going dovm the stairs, heading for the baseball field, ho saw Frank, a rival shortstop , talking to his (Janes' c )girl ; and he also sav; him hand her ocnct ing , probably his wallet,to keep until after the game, Janes was jealous of Frank , • and war coon seen combing hin out because of that little incident. Frank only laughed and told hin to think nothing of it. as I previously mentione I,Janos and Frank were rival short- stops for Shadyaide High School. For this reason and James's jealousy they never were very good friends. When the gone started Frank was playing short , while Janes sat on the bench. Early in the game,how- ever, when Frank was hit on the ankle by a swift ba.ll and had to be taken out of the game, Janes took hi3 place. In th.; last of the ninth, with the tying and winning runs ort bases, Janes walked up to bat. He could see everyone making a great fuss over Frank because he had hurt his ankle on the playing field. James thought that if he could drive in those runs he would get some atten- tion too. Janos, hovcvr, didn't drive in the runs, but he did walk to''land the s aede ? After a few extra in.ings .Shadyside beat Kingston with a score of eight to seven. The next day Mis a Blue, the geometry teacher was very kind to the boys because they had played so hard the day before. Instead of making them go to the blackboard and draw geometric figures, she went herself, asking questions on the proofs . Miss Blue was an elderly , gosd-naturod woman. Her hair had streaks of white, and her face was somewhat wrinkled by the years; but, nevertheless,there was a twinkling in her eyes , ohe had a smile for all. Miss Blue was nervous and had a habit of chewing the end of her pencil, pen, or whatever she might bo writing with. diftcr scho 1 everyone left but James, Nancy, Frank, and Tom- my. Frank went into Miss Blue's room to pick out a book to read, for the library was at the back of Miss Blue's room too, while the others were playing games in the main rocm. Suddendly, in the midst of joy anl laughter, the merry-makers hoard a terrifying scream. It cone from Miss Blue's room. They all jumped to their feet and hurried toward the s aund. As they entered Miss Blue's room they found her lying on the floor near her desk; and Frank stoid there,staring down at her . The 1-etor, who was summoned immediately, examined Miss Blue and announced hat she had been poisoned. They questioned Frank and found that Miss

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and has become widely known to musit lovers. WCAX, a radio station of Burlington, Vermont, has broadcast the Saturday evening concert for some years, This concert consists of the all state orchestra and nixed chorus On Friday evening the all stato band has its concert. Mr. Marble, a very young looking nan for his early sixties has listened, for 'several years, to the concerts. So this year he decided that he would go to see as well as hear the concert at first hand. Thus,when Saturday night came, Mr. Marble found himself progressing in- to the auditorium along with the crowd, as he didn't hurry abai t get- ting his ticket the only thing he ’ able to buy was a rush seat ticket. The rush seats were the bleachers which ran the length of the auditorium on either side. As he walked down the aisle, looking all the while for a vacant seat, he finally spotted one on the last bleacher, which was right next to the stage Well , he thought, I couldn't be any luckier about getting a reserved: seat. Then he maneuvered himself up to the vacant spot and sat patiently to wait for the concert to begin. When theJcurtains of the stage opened he could see very distinctly the members in tin orchestra. Feeling very contented, he listened to the first two selections which the orchestra played. After a big ap- plause had subsided, the conductor of the chorus took his stand and gave a motion for the singers to arise. Suddendly everyone around him stood up. So he stood up too, only to realize that no one except tho boys of the chorus were standing and that he was sitting among the performers themselves. Feeling ashamed and shocked, he sat down, partly frpn weakness and ment?.l disorders that we re creeping upon him. Not knowing how to got out, he remained through the two pieces which the boys sang, all the while trying to gather himself together.When finally their singing was over tho orchestra cone forth with more music, nearly putting him to sleep. Then the girls sang out in bril- liant feminine melody. But this peace wasn't to l?.st long. Next, both th boys and the girls of the chorus arose to sing; and Mr. Marble, by this time,.judged he would be relieved by a different seating plan. Realizing that the plank directly in front of him was vacant,he started 3lowly to maneuver himself to the edge , where he let himself down to the floor. Then he clawled behind tie bleachers to the hack of the room. From here Mr. Marble, with comfort of mind, took in the beautiful = ight of tie chorus and orchestra of both boys an A girls from call over the state of Vermont. The boys wore suits while the girls had on long evening iressea, ranging through all colors of th. rainbow. The violinists were'seated across the front of tte stage; so when they played the harmonious movement of their arms was an amazing sight to 3CC. x Next year it would be a reserve scat fer him. Sally Gates

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11. Blue, feeling thirsty, had asked hin for cone water, which he had. brought her. Frank woe arrested, because he had supposedly poisoned Miss Blue, Janes felt that Frank was not guilty and , even though they were such bitter rivals, he decided to help Frank all ho could. He wondered who would have wanted to kill Miss Blue, Everyone liked her. He - fait quite cure that it must have been Tonny, licc, or Nancy - they being the only oncs£ besides Miss Blue, Frank, and him- self; who were in the building at the tine of tie death. Searching for a motive, he ran through the names of the suspects. First he took JJLice. She doesn't have any grudges against anybne as far as I know, he thought. She liked Miss Blue, and was a very good friend of both Frank and himself. Next he took Nancy. Nancy ,too, liked Frank, but that wouldn't make her want to kill Miss Blue. Finally he took Tonny• He was a quiet fellow who never seemed to have any en- emies, but ho could have had some secret quarrels. After running through the names previously mentioned without finding a clue, James hit uoon an idea. It was a long chance but it might work. The scheme was to call together the suspects,and tell then ho knew who the guilty party was but ho would give hin another chance to confess. This he did; then he dismissed them, after having announced that he knew who the murderer was and would name him in the morning. That night after James had gone to bod he still thought of the murder. Then he heard a faint squeak of his bedroom door. he lav tense in the dark , waiting. This visit had been expected. Su Hendly a moonbeam lit the room, and its light gleamed from a long pointed knifopoisod ever him. He reached up, grabbed his assailant'c wrist, and twisted. His opponent, screaming in pain, dropped the knife, James snapped on the lights, and to his surprise the murderer was a girl. t was Nancy. Why did you do it? demanded James. I didn't mean to kill anyone, far less Miss Blue',1 sobbed Nancy shakily. Tell log Just how it happened, urged James. Well, began Nancy, you know that Frank and I are real good friends, or I should saw 'were' good friends before -ALice cane along. During the game yesterday I put a weak, slow acting,poison in the chalk, not strong enough to injure fatally. I didir t know then that when a larsc quantity of cold water was added the wSak poison became deadly. That poison was meant for Alice, I didn't intend to kill her, but only to scare her a little and punish her for stealing Frank. How did you know that Alice would get the poison, not some- one else? questioned Janes,