Grants Pass High School - Toka Yearbook (Grants Pass, OR)

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 of the boy as he caressingly arranged the pillow, and bathed the aching forehead and parched lips of his dying friend. An almost deathlike silence had fallen over the little room when Abiel again lifted his eyes to his one true friend in a last good-bye. The lips seemed to part slightly and, bending low, Joe caught the words, It's yours, boy,” as the trembling hand released the last bit of ore. “God bless you, my boy, good-bye. Now ‘Rock of Ages — mother’s song.” The tears gushed into the silver gray eyes. Perhaps he was thinking of a day only a year ago, just before he had come to the mountains for his health and met the winning friend he was now losing. Perhaps he was thinking of a song sung that day because she had requested so, or was it of an angel mother as she had said, “God bless you, my boy. Goodbye.” No he could not sing it, but he would play it on his violin. As the last strains died away the player rose, and throwing up the eastern window, lifted his weary eyes to the golden canopy of the far distant hilltops. A tear fell from the long, dark lashes into the yellow chalice of the nodding cowslip beneath, where it lay glistening, pure as the morning dew. Yes. and a bird was gayly chirping in the laurel tree close by. Turning, his wavering gaze was attracted by a peculiar glitter from the crumpled covers of the cot. It was the same glitter that had commanded the eye of the expectant Abiel so many years ago. Joe stooped and raised the glittering white substance to the light. Suddenly his heart gave a quick catch. He remembered Abiel’s words: “No taint gold; but worth your while lad. I'm sure.” “Worth my while, well. I should say! Limestone as sure as I live! Again his eyes shifted to the corner bed. Agony through all? No not through all. Even now the gentle soul of the Christian miner was at rest with its Maker. “I wonder if he knew?” The words came almost involuntary. Did he know? Did he know when he found that rock on that drear November day and betrothed it in his dying hour to the faithful friend as a symbol of his deep regard and true love, that he was also helping to promote a great industry that would make the vast acres more productive. I cannot say. I only know that the Beet Sugar Factory at Grants Pass will consume large quantities of limestone, and thereby help to develop the natural resources of the beautiful valleys of Southern Oregon. Lorene Courtney. 16. 9

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That bit of joy; that bit of sorrow, which went to make up the warp and woof of another dying day was for the time forgotten. But “Time waits for no man. Years came and went, and again the coffee was singing gayly over the merrily cancmg blaze, but no Abiel was near to fancy his dreams in its rich bed of coals and cheerily whistle away the same old daily disappointment. A young man. Joe LaZa. a companion Kclliam had picked up about a year before, was vainly contriving to tempt the appetite of his bedfast “old pal.” Late that night Joe sat by his sick friend, watching for the slightest change. At length Abiel assured him he was feeling much better and encouraged him to lie down fcr a rest, promising to call if need be. The first faint flush of dawn was just peeping over the horizon when the cries of the suffering patient roused the boy from his troubled sleep. Abiel always called him the boy. Sitting upright in bed, the sick man screamed with all his might. There! he cried, pointing to the table shelf. “Look! Don't you see it ? No. not gold: but something. Oh, boy! Don’t you see?” continued his voice trailing to a dreadful whisper. Then he screamed again: “There it is. I found it thirty year ago! Thirty year! Ch, quick, quick, the junk box. boy, the tin one.” With the last words the agonized sufferer sank back on his pillow, exhausted, and fell once more into unconsciousness. But even in such utter insensibility his rest was partially broken by the laborous twitching of his lips, as if in a vain effort to speak. Hastily snatching the desired tin box from its accustomed comer on the shelf, the boy returned with it to the bedside, only to find that his companion had seemingly fallen to sleep. Suddenly the once steady steel blue eyes calmly opened and turned appealingly to the trusty lad. Instantly guessing his meaning, Joe lifted the dusty cover from the tin treasure box and placed it within the reach of his suffering companion. The first glimpse of the sparkling contents served as a veritable restorative. Joe fairly swooned with youthful wonder and amazement as Abiel half raised himself in bed and began picking over the contents. As he took each piece of rock from its resting place he told the story connected with it. At last he came to the little piece he had picked up in that desolate canyon near Grants Pass so many years before. “Yes,” he said, “it was thirty year ago. and well I remember the place. It was near a little stream of cool running water. You have been over this country, my lad, and you know the place well.” Old Kelliam paused here as if in deep thought, then continued. “No, 'taint gold: but worth your while, lad. I’m sure.” But here the rudely overtaxed muscles gave way under a’ spell of violent coughing. There was a softness, a delicacy, an almost motherly tenderness in the very touch 8

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The Adventures of a Dog i 'M a snowy white dog, just four years old. My hair is wonderfully curly and very Jj beautiful. Most people consider me intelligent, and I kinder think so myself. I’ve lived in San Francisco for the whole four years of my life; probably that accounts for my wisdom. I suppose that I’d still be in San Francisco if that dear old janitor hadn’t chased me. “Well, as it happened, one day I was sunning myself on the sidewalk, thinking of no harm, when I hears a ‘Get you, this is no place for the likes of you! It didn’t take me long to move either. I always know when I’m not wanted, so off I goes, considering myself the most abused creature in the world. “As I was thinking of how wrongfully I was being treated, a crowd of boys were just coming out from school. Oh, here, thinks I. is trouble. Indeed there was, too, for no sooner had the boys spied me than they began to use me as a target. I had served that purpose several times before in my past life, and that was sufficient reasons for my quick determination to run. “Could I run? Well, in less time than you can count three, I was safely hidden in a railroad car. As soon as I had settled myself comfortably on a pile of straw in a corner of the car I fell asleep. How long I slept I know not; but when I awoke I was so stiff that it took me several minutes to get on all fours. I finally got to the door and looked out, and what did I see? San Francisco? Oh, no! But a place so small that I had to strain my eyes to see it. “After looking at a certain building for about an hour. I decided that it must be a depot or freight house, so I began to look for a name. It didn’t take me long to find it either,—and there it was, in letters about a foot long—Medford! Well, thinks I, ihis must be Medford, and I’m sure it will not run away, so I’ll just go over to that delivery wagon and take another nap. So I hides myself under the driver’s seat and goes to sleep. I am awakened by the driver exercising his hitting ability on my poor little back. I knew what was good for me, so I quickly got out of that wagon. “After running at my greatest rate of speed for a short distance, I had to stop, 'cuz there was a sign which read. 'City limits, slow down to ten miles an hour.’ I felt rather hungry, so I walks into a meat market and helps myself to some scraps from under the counter. The butcher was so interested in talking ‘War’ that he did not see me. and I’m glad he didn’t. “My next plan was to see the town, but as everything was so quiet I fell asleep while walking. When I did awake I resolved not to sleep again for twenty-four hours. I soon came to a street, which, I suppose, was Main street. There was nothing going on, so I jumped up on a bench in front of a store and watched the few people who passed. In about five minutes a very large man walked swiftly up to me. grabbed me by the neck, and kicked me fully fifteen feet, saying, 'I’ll show you how I can play foot- 10