Fryeburg Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Fryeburg, ME)

Page 27 text:

THE ACADEMY BELL 25 THE DEATH OF JIM Mc-KAY ' Out on the burning wastes of the Arizona desert, where the sun shone down with merciless heat, there walked the figure of a man with his burro. As he trudged along, he seemefl to be near exhaustion. His skin was hidden beneath the alkali dust which coated his features, while his tongue was swollen and his mouth hung open, caked with dust. The burro, more dead than alive, seemed to move in a trance. An hour passed, then suddenly the man dropped as in a faint. The burro stopped and stood lazily waving its ears as if to keep 05 some insect. Hours later, when the sun was gone and darkness reigned, the figure on the sand moved, dragged itself to a sitting posture, then to its feet. As you saw him in the half light, he showed himself to be Jim McKay, a prospector who had come to the desert, unknown, two years before. He was perhaps sixty years of age. His clothes, which hung torn and soiled, made him look like the hermit of some child's story-book. Finding the burro near, he approached it and took the Winchester from its scabbard on the left side of the animal. I-Ie then shot the burro and, going away a short distance, sat down. Next, from the pocket of his shirt he took a pencil, notebook, and the photograph of a beautiful girl of about eighteen. This done, he sat for a long time looking at the photograph. After placing the picture beside him he took the notebook and wrote for some time. Then putting the pencil and notebook back into the pocket, he took the rifle, pressed the muzzle to his temple, picked up the photograph, and pulled the trigger. As that shot rang out across the desert, the spirit of Jim McKay passed into the great beyondg and all was still. F. A. BAssETT, '30. THE DISCOVERY OF COLD IN CALIFORNIA AND THE R E SULTS With the close of the Mexican War in 1848 came the desire of the men from the Middle West to go as far as

Page 26 text:

241 THE ACADEMY BELL himself she was the girl he wanted to take around and to wear his pin. At the half he left the fellows and walking over to Connie-pulling her a bit away from the rest said, Good game-Connie-may I walk over with you tonight ? Connie's heart almost stopped. Thanks-yes, if you'd like too, she answered very low. The rest of the game passed-Jean Oliver watched her idol play well-almost brilliantly-and later saw Foster Blake, her male hero, take Connie home. Tears came into her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. Shouldn't Connie have the best? That night Connie came into Jean's room for a moment and said, Jean dear, I played for you tonight as well as I could. If I hadn't known you were with me-all the time- I couldnlt have done as well as I did. And she kissed the younger girl. Jean went to sleep--happy-praying that she might grow into such a girl as Connie was-always, she wanted to be what Connie was. . No one knew of Connie's selfishness- Wasn't it better? GLADYS STEVES. A PERSON MY BROTHER WAS TO MEET AT THE STATION But how shall I know your maid from others '? asked my brother as he set out for the station. I will give you the description as she gave it in her letter, I replied. In this, she said, 'I will be dressed in a brown coat and a blue hat. However, if the day is hot, I will not wear my coat but will have on a red blouse. On the left sleeve of this blouse are three black stripes. I have one stripe for each of my dead husbands. I will wear a flowing calico skirt, red stockings and dark brown shoes! There, I said in concluding, from that you ought to tell the only thing that is missing, namely, that she is colored. Osooon PIKE, '30.

Page 28 text:

26 THE' ACADEMY BELL Oregon and California. Some of these men had already traveled over a thousand miles to get to the Middle West from the East and now were anxious to try their fortunes on the Pacific Coast. It was in the spring of this same year that gold was discovered in California. In the Sacramento Valley, on a fork of the American river, about a hundred miles northeast of San Francisco, a mill race for a sawmill was being dug for Captain Sutter. It was while digging for this mill race that two men found some shining, yellowish metal. They took this metal to Colonel Mason, who was left in charge of California at the close of the Mexican War. The General examined one or two pieces. It was gold, real gold, that shining metal for which thousands have laid down their lives and for which many have tried the cleverest swindling schemes to obtain. As soon as this news was spread abroad, every man for miles around who could possibly get away, bought a shovel and started off to dig his fortune. That spring the homes were left unbuilt and the fields were left unplowed, for everyone had the gold fever. When news of the discovery of this gold reached the Middle West the desire of the people to try their fortunes in the far West was such as it had never been before. So when in the next spring of 1849, emigration by land and sea began toward California, the majority of the people were struck by this gold fever, while a few were still desirous of getting to this new land so that they might try their plows in new soil. So great was the desire to get westward that the people faced all sorts of hardships to get to the promised land. At this period there were no railways, not even good roads. The only roads were trails which had been blazed by the Indians during their travels from one section of the country to another. Some of the people went by the way of the Isthmus of Panama, others went around Cape Horn, while many of them went by land, going through wilderness. Those who went by land travelled in wagons, covered with white can- vas, which were drawn by horses and oxen.