Higgins Classical Institute - Scroll Yearbook (Charleston, ME)

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H.C.I.SC ROLL 25 door as they were instructed tc- by their hosts. As one door was opened, a blood-curdling scream vibrated throughout the hc-use. A skeleton collapsed from its place in the closet. Terror filled Henry and his compan- ions. T3-o scared to do or say anything, the boys just stood there and shook. Urged c-n by the ghosts after they were able to move, the boys went down into the cellar. It was a damp, musty cellar with un- familiar black forms lurking in the dark- ness. Mice hurried back to their homes, in- dignant at being disturbed. Peeking around a barrel were those same glowing sp:-ts Henry had seen upstairs. Look, he shouted, I saw those upstairs and now they are down here. What are they? Everyone looked in that direction. Then into the radius of the candlelight noncha- lantly walked a common house cat. Scared of a cat, are you? chided Henry's classmates who had been just as frightened as he. At this incident one of the ghosts became angry, If you are afraid of a cat, then we don't want you here. Get out before we lcse our patience. A' chorus of voices all talking at once agreed. Yes, we don't want you here. Get out! Be quick about it! Hurriedly the boys scampered up over the cellar stairs and out the front door, full speed ahead. After gc-ing a short distance the boys gathered together, recovered their courage and decided to go back to the house. Creeping up to the back door and peek- ing through the keyhole, they saw only a small light, but they heard voice.s. One voice said, I guess we gave those freshmen a good scare. Anc-ther added, 'R1ey probably won't come back here again. Freshmen initiation is all over now, put in another voice. This was enough for the freshmen -c-n the other side of the door, so they pushed the door open: and there sat the ghosts eating doughnuts! Jean Allen '46 NEVER AGAIN I walked up the rickety stairs, my heart in my mouth, and -knocked at the door. Stealthy steps on the other side of the d-cor warned me that the door might presently be opened. I stepped quickly back. In what had I become involved? The door cautiously opened and a, pom- pous little man stood before me. An eerie light from within shed a ghastly PHHO1' Cn his face. His eyes were bloodshot and pro- truded fearsomely. Ah, he was speaking! You wanted something, ma'am? he in- quired. I winced as his grating vo-ice penetrated my senses. Why-er-yes. I tried to be firm and de- cided. Well, then be quick about it! I have other things to do. After clearing my throat with great care, I said, I want-I mean, a friend wants you to do a little favor for her. Come in, come in, said the spider to the fly. He was suavely genial now. Please sit down. Do you have the -er- package with yc-u 7 No, Well, I mean, its downstairs. My heart slowed to the gentle, methodical beat of the triphammer. How many are there? he questioned in- terestedly. Four, I answered, feeling like a, can- spiratc-r. Four, he snorted indignantly. Get out! Get out! How dare you waste my time and risk my safety! I never do less than eight at a time! Please, I remonstrated, please listen to me. I-my friend thought you would make an exception, with sumcient reimbursement, of course. He brightened perceptibly. Well, he pulled his gcatee thoughtfully, under that cgndition, certainly. Jfnl decided to end this conversation. A guilty, hunted conscience was stabbing me. Will you send a man after it? I inquired abruptly. Yes. He now seemed as anxious to end this conversation as I. Leave it at the foot of the stairs. He moved ponderously to the door and I fc-llowed suit. He made no move to open lt. Then, it dawned on me. I opened my pock- etbook, preparatory to meeting his mone- tary demands. He scrutinized me closely. Twelve, he said and braced himself. Twelve! I repeated indignantly. Twelve, Three for each one done. Weakly gasping, I paid him and descended the stairs, still gasping. Twelve dollars for laundering four shirts! It was preposterous! I made several mental resolves. I would never again patronize a black market laundry-even under the assumed role of friend. I would never again pay such outrageous prices. I would do my own laundry after this. I would never, never re- peat this experience! g,,' J. B. '46

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24 H. c. I. SCROLL HARVEST MOON It is a clear crisp night in September and as we go from the camp down to the lake at ten -o'clock we are dazzled by the glistening water and the beautiful harvest moon. Not until this moment do we realize what a glorious evening this full moon has made. We launch the boat and go sailing amidst all nature's glories. I sit in the bow, which rises several feet above the water when the boat is in mc-tion, and from this miniature tower I have a su- preme view. The moon is directly over head and -occasionally a whispy cloud floats over its face, momentarily masking the scene. As we round the tip of a point, on which the clear white sand and the somber black growth o-f evergreens appear in startling contrast, a sparkling seven miles of water is before us. In the distance the gray forms of mountains stand cloaked in land fog. As we turn, the wake of the boat can be seen spreading in all directions and it sends the moonlight dancing in fantastic patterns on what has been a serene and placid sur- face. An hour has passed and the moon has dipped very little. Now and then a light twinkles from a distant shore, but otherwise we are the only persons who dare venture into a realm so peaceful and so appealing to the eye. N. Soule '45 FUN! FOR THE UPPERCLASSMEN! The old house appeared to be black against the moonlight. Its shutters were tightly nailed in the windows. Through a crack in the doc-r, the flickering light of a candle could be seen. A boy walked up to the front door and sl-:lwly opened it. After peering cautiously into the room and seeing only a lighted candle on the table, he entered. This boy, Henry Smith, had received a note in the morning mail telling him to be at, the c-ld Sanders place at nine o'c1ock that night. Curiosity winning out, Henry now was at the Sanders place five minutes ahead of time. In the five minutes before the time set for his strange mission, Henry decided to ex- plore the h-suse. He started up the creaking the top he stopped to listen. stairs. At Voices were singing in the distance. Henry's down into his boots, but he heart sank bravely hauled it back up again and yelled, Who's singing? Immediately silence settled over the house. When he repeated his cry, silence was still his answer, so Henry continued his tour of exploration. The darkness was intense except for the tiny glow of I-Ienry's pencil flash light. Then he saw two glowing spots in the further corner, but only for a second. Then they were gone. Now Henry was really frightened, so when he heard the front door open he made a terrific rush for a hiding place. Try as he wzuld to be quiet, chairs seemed t-sf topple over, doors would bangg but Hnally he felt securely hidden. Peeking through the partly open closet door he saw white figures troop- ing down the stairs. Until then he had never believed in ghosts. Henry stealthily tiptoed to the head of the stairs and watched five gh:-sts seat themselves. Again he heard the front door open and in walked two of his classmates. The first ghost spoke, Glad to have you with us, bc-ys. Here, John, you sit here and Paul, you sit here beside him. Expressions of surprise and terror on their faces, the bs-ys obeyed. Unfortunately for Henry, he became too interested in what was happening to John and Paul to look out for himself. Before he knew what was happening, two ghosts, one on each side of him, were leading him down-stairs to join the group below. Again the leader spake, Why were you hiding, Henry? Are you afraid of us? Henry stammered above the noise his knocking knees were making. N-n-o. 'Then make yourself at home, replied the ghost. A Henry stumbled over to Where John and Paul were sitting. He was 'glad to have someone he knew with him. The arrival -of a. few more of Henry's classmates made him wonder what was hap- pening. By the pfuzzled expression on I-Ienry's face, a ghost guessed what he was thinking and answered, You will soon find out. Quietly the ghost leader stood up. Now we will show these boys our home. First, to the attic. Come, boys. I'll take the candle. With that, ghosts and boys trooped up two flights of stairs. Gallant boys, trying not to show their fear. When the attic door was opened, little black figures darted through the air and at the group. There were bats in this attic, dennitelyg nevertheless, the boys were ordered in. The ghost leader spoke. 'fEach one of you must catch a bat before We can continue to gc through the house. Bring them back to us. Not really knowing how to catch bats. the bays went into the attic and did their best, just to humor the ghosts. After a per- iod of time, they finished their mission and went on their way. Going from room to room, looking about them always, these boys opened door after

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26 H. C'. I.SC'ROLL THE DISASTER. OF WI-II'1'E'S BRIDGE At Sebago Lake, Wh1te's Bridge extends across the stretch of water which connects Jordan Bay with the Basin. The bridge is an enormous, aluminum-colored, steel struc- ture which serves as a meeting place for all the young people in the community. Some of the most daring and adventurous of the crowd dive from the top of the bridge into the fast-moving waters forty feet below. It was a hot summer afternoon and a crowd of us were diving off the bridge and swimming in the lake. Some of us were try- ing new dives while others were showing off their skills. Amidst the gayety and laughter a cry for help was heard. Not much attention was paid to the plea because that is a practical joke among the lake crowd. The joke ceased to be funny as we saw Jim Churchile, our pal, sink below the surface of the water. Clayton Churchile, Jim's brother dove in after him and pulled him to the surface. O. K. brother, please stop fooling and swim ashore. After Clayton had swum ashore he looked back and Jim had disappeared. Everyone screamed for help as three of us volunteered to dive for him. I was nervous as I heard the panic-stricken crowd, but I plunged in- to the inky black waters. As I kept going downward I could feel the mc-tion of the water swaying my body back and forth. Then I saw his body standing upright on the 1:-:ittom of the lake, his eyes, like 9, crazy person's in a trance. I reached for his out- nung arm but to my despair I was about three feet above him. My lungs needed air desperately and I raced to the surface leav- ing his bo-dy behind me. As I reached the surface and gasped for air I shouted Down here! Another diver disappeared below the surface. Half an hour passed before Clayton fi- nally succeeded in bringing his brother to the surface. Jim's unconscious form was laid on a blanket on the beach and artificial respira- tion was immediately begun. Jim's discolored form, his twisted face and sunken sto-mach was a scene unbearable to the eye, and es- pecially to his intimate friends. After they had worked on him continu- ously for two hours without success, Jim's limp body was carried away, never to re- turn to his friends nor to the lake he loved so well. Go-lleen .Snow '45 UCK IS WHERE YOU FIND IT The four of us, Bud, Shine, Stanley and myself were seated around the fire telling of the different fish that we had caught dur- ing the day. The sky was clear, and it seemed as though we were a million miles from civilization. Off to the right of us we could hear the rush of the water as it made its way up over the rocks that lay in its path. In another h-our the moon would be up and then the trees would be clearly il- luminated by its rays. Suddenly a red squirrel began to chirp its warning cry off danger. And then with a rustle of leaves, a man stepped into the ring of light given off by our fire. He was dressed in the garb of a woodsman. His high leather bc-3-ts were hand made and on his head was a battered old felt hat. Hanging on his hip was a 45-colt revolver. Walking over to our fire, he asked if he could sit and talk with us until the moon came up so he could continue upon his way. We invited him to have some supper, but he said that he had eaten earlier in the evening. But as he t-ook his pack from his back, he took a piece of bread and a huge slice of meat, and began to eat them. Suddenly he began to talk, and as he spoke, we sensed a feeling of fear and un- easiness creeping over us. I-le told us that he had often spent nights in the woods, and that he had traveled from one range of lakes to ano-ther, sometimes going for months without seeing a single person. His eyes, I noticed them for the first time, had a wild, restless look, and he would often gaze at one of us and then look in back of him, as if he thought sc-mec-ne were behind him. Suddenly he picked up his pack, and without a word, vanished into the thick woods. When we had finished our fishing trip, wc packed our things and made our way out to the village where we had left our car. Walking into the general store to buy some tc-bacco for my pipe, I happened to mention our meeting with the strange man. The storekeeper looked up and said, The man that you young fellows saw was Old Man Mose. He has been wandering around in these woods for close to twenty years. May- be you didn't know it, but you boys got off darned lucky, for the last man who saw him is just around the corner of the church. Getting into the car, we passed by the church on our way back home and just around the corner was a small, but ade- quate, graveyard. , R. Watson '45 ALONE It was a bleak, stormy winter day, the day before Christmas, as To-mmy Matthews, a bo-y of ten, looked wistfully out of the window. He had just received a telephone call from his mother who told him that she and his dad would not be able to get home