Higgins Classical Institute - Scroll Yearbook (Charleston, ME)

Page 31 text:

H. C. I. SC' ROLL 29 4 I Having partaken of a meal of corn pone and greens, I asked, Have you a spare bed where I might sleep tonight? There is an old cot in the attic, he gruffly replied. Then, taking his lantern he led me through a trap door in the ceiling to the attic. Oh, you seem to have another visitor, I said, as I noticed someone in a cot by the trap-door. Yes, but he is dead. He died of pneu- m-:fnia last night. Here is your cot over here. With this he left the attic and closed the trapdoor behind him. In the eerie glow of my candle, I stosped over and examined the dead man. To my great horror I discovered that he had been murdered, for there was a large lump on his head. The cold sweat stood out on my forehead as I sat and th-ought what might happen to me, if I should go to sleep. Then I noticed a small window in the other end cf the attic and without waste of time I crawled through this window to the roof. After dropping to the ground, I hurried t-3' the shed where Sally was patiently waiting. She seemed to sense the danger we were in and proceeded to carry me away at breakneck speed. When we were a safe distance frcm the cabin, I suddenly realized that I had just had the worst scare of my life. 'Ihe old mountaineer apparently discovered my es- cape, fo-r, when I returned the next morn- ing with the sheriff, he was gone and I have never seen him since. Harold Hanson '45 A HORRIBLE NIGHT My friend and I were passing the night in an old, deserted mansion out in the country because our car had two punctured tires and we had no way of contacting a garage in the city. While we were preparing for the first night, stamping feet were heard in the attic. Being greatly alarmed by these noises, we were afraid to do much ex- ploring. After we had listened to this dis- turbance a while, we decided to Hip a coin to see whc- would lead the way to the attic. As luck would have it, I lost. As I was about to climb the stairway, fl knife struck the floor a yard away from me. There was a note attached which read: I am warning you. Do not step through the attic do:r. Having no means of travel ex- cept by Shank's mare , we had to stay that night. I could not sleep much, want to. I lay awake and ways to catch the ghosts , were, but doing is better than saying, I in fact, I didn't thought of mmv or whatever they thought. Finally morning arrived. We started for the brook a mile away to catch s:me trout for breakfast. I was so upset that I thought there were creatures behind every tree and rock. An hour afterwards, when we had caught our limit, we started back to the house. Af- ter getting lost several times, we reached the house late in the afternoon. We knew we would have to spend the night there again. We ate supper and soon went to bed only to be awakened by a tremendous racket which brought us out of bed. This is the last straw, I said, listening to a board being sawed and ripped from place. We had decided to get rid of whoever it was or at least make an attempt. Again we flipped the coin and again ,I lost. Reaching f-:-r a brokeng piece of stair- railing, I bounded up the stairs. Mustering my every ounce of courage, I threw open the door, found the room empty, a window open, and a ladder -outside. Charles Priest '45 LIZZIE'S TRIP Lizzie was going to take a trip. In all her b:rned days Lizzie had never been c-ut of her own yard. Now she was going to see what was beyond that clump of trees and who resided over the top of the hill. 1'm sure that everyone experiences at one tgme or another, that same feeling of unrest which urges us to explore and to satisfy that intense longing for a change of scene. 'Ihat is what Lizzie felt and she was plan- ing a trip. Then she would be satisfied to return h-:-me and to stay there forever more. Finally she was ready and pulling up her stakes, Lizzie started out. As she slowly ambled past the shed and barn, through the fence to the road shc curiously looked all around her. Suddenly she heard a dog barking. Look- ing behind her she saw the neighbor's hound running after her. Instantly she began to run, but that was difficult for one so large. and the dog was s-:ion nipping at her heels in a very uncomfortable manner. Lizzie was becoming very panicky when the dog abruptly stopped annoying her, having tired of the sport. She sighed and continued on her way. Lizzie soon found that beyond the trees flowed a rippling brook and beyond that a dark wr:-od Was to be seen. She explored contentedly for some time. Then she decided to see what was beyond the hill in the other direction. CPoor Lizzie, if she had -only re- frained frc-m venturing further.l As she went up the road a great black

Page 30 text:

28 H,C.I.SC'ROLL up this inhuman creature which could make such a scream. I hated, however, to leave that room. Should I wait in the rc-om until my aunt and uncle returned. No, I resolved. I won't be a sissy be- cause of the wind or a cat or -. I finally crept to the door, opened it and turned on the lights in my uncle's den. I went to a corner and selected one of his numerous rifles. I quickly loaded the gun with some bullets I found on a shelf and bravely started out to iind the source of the noise. I searched the rooms that I thought the noise did not come from, at first. This gave me more courage to explore the last room which was directly over the one in which I had been reading. I walked down the hall and stopped be- fore the door to the room. I started to open it but a sudden thought came to me. What if it is a ghost, I reasoned, one of the former owners? Of course, as I said before, I dion't believe in ghosts, but to be on the safe side I walked back down the hall. At last I got up from where I was sitting cn the stairs, and walked back to the door. I put my hand on the knob two -:-r three times but it didn't do any good to do that. So finally, musterlng every ounce of courage, I threw open the door-and found the room-empty! A. Ainero '46 MURDER, IN TI-IE NIGHT . It is midnight-a little foggy, perhaps, at a haunted mansion on a deserted island, far out in a bay. In this mansion there are three sets of winding stairs that creak, and floors that sink because of rotted timbers. There is also a small set of stairs leading to the tower. Down to the cellar we go. In this cellar there are two dark, damp rooms. The floor is of mud except for a block of cement in the middle of the room with the stairs leading up to the first floor. What was hid- den beneath this block of cement no one had been able to discc-ver. Out of this secret vault our heroine emerges. Unlike most heroines, she is not streamlined but somewhat plump. From the cellar she goes directly to the stairs leading to the first floor. She goes very cautiously as thcugh fearing to cause a disturbance, as she would in a deserted mansion. When she reaches the Hrst floor, she starts through the kitchen, then evidently changing her mind, she starts up the rickety stairs to the sec:nd floor. For no reason at all, she goes through all the rooms as though looking for someone or something. At last she decides to go to the third iioor where she stops be- cause there is no place else to go, except to the tower. She starts on this last flight of stairs. In the meantime the villain appears on the scene. He approaches through a win- dzfw. He is small with long arms and legs. He enters the cellar and not iinding what he is looking for, starts searching through the mansion as our heroine did. First, he gces through all the rooms on the first floor and the same on the second and third floors. Then he comes to the small set of stairs leading to the tower. There he hesi- tates, undecided whether to go up or not. He seems to be looking for the first visitor whom we left in the tower, but finally he goes up to the top and into the tower rc-om. There i.s a slight swishing noise, then silence. The spider has killed the ily. Dorothy Higgins '48 THE SCARE OF MY LIFE It was in the mountains of Kentucky that I got the worst scare of my life. I was traveling as a shoe salesman in mid-Sep- tember, which is the rainy season, and the roads were so muddy I had to travel by horseback. I stopped at a small inn about five o'clock one afternoon and had a light supper. After feeding and watering Sally, my black mare, I set out for Hadyville, a small town ten miles from the inn. When I had been travel- ing for a half hour, darkness set in and a terrific thunder-shower came up. The thunder crashed and banged and the lightning streaked through the pitch black- ness on both sides cf the trail. A large tree came crashing across the trail about six feet in front -cf us and it was then that I began to get a little shaky. I suddenly realized that we had wandered off the nar- row trail into the deep Woods. Knowing that Sally had a better sense of our whereabouts than I, I dropped the reins and let her travel where she pleased. A clearing soon came into view and Sally trotted towards a. set of old tumble-down buildings. I was leading Sally to the shed when a hunch-backed, snake-eyed moun- taineer came c-ut, carrying a lantern and a double-barreled shotgun, which he kept aimed at me until I explained, I am very wet and cold. Do you suppose there is any possible way for you to put my horse and me up for the night? He grunted and motioned for me to fol- low him. The inside of the cabin was just asdirty as the outside. The windows looked as though they had not been washed since the cabin was built. Even under these con- ditisns, I was content to stay overnight, for the lightning was still Dashing and the rain beat against the windows with terrific force.

Page 32 text:

30 H. C. I.SCROLL object came hustling toward her. She be- came paralyzed with fear, as it swerved and barely missed her, or, so it seemed to Liz- zie's inexperienced eyes. fOf course, we know it was an automobile, but Lizzie had never seen one before..J Gradually she regained her normal pla- cidity and somewhat subdued bu-t still de- termined she mzved on. She was contentedly observing the portion of the universe visible to her slightly near-sighted eyes when a chugging sound attracted her attention. It grew louder and louder until it was right over her head. She looked up timidly and saw, to her astonishment and fright, a huge silver bird hovering overhead. She had seen birds similar to this one before, but never cne so near or so noisy. COf course, we know it was an airplane and probably this pilot was practicing low-flying or uhedgehoppingub. Lizzie had never been so bewildered and dumbfounded, and thor- oughly frightened in her life. She turned quickly and ran for home as fast as her four legs could carry her, determined to stay the rest of her life in her own small pasture, peacefully chewing her cud. Limie, the cow, had taken her first and last, jolur- ney into the modern, civilized world. ' M. Baker '45 MY PET AVERSIONU The thing that I dislike the most in life is gossip. A person who go-ssips is an idle tat- ler and news-monger. He delights in spreading personal tales and groundless ru- mors. He acts as a familiar friend to every- one but in actuality is one of the most de- structive enemies a, person could have. In every small town there are gossips who make it their business to know and broad- cast that of others. As a rule they are pess- imists and never want to see the bright side -:lf life or see the good. in people. A gossip seldom says anything good about anybody. If he does, it is not because he really wants to, but because he is afraid -of revealing his own true nature to the person with whom he happens to be conversing. He goes about prying into the affairs of -others, gathering small bits of this and that, weaving it into an unpleasant story, and then begins spreading it like wild-fire. Often if, is done because of jealousy, but in many cases it is done without the least provocation. One who gossips only lowers and ruins his own character instead of the -clne's whom he ridi- cules. He will put himself out to be excep- tionally nice to your face but when your back is turned he will stab you in the back. The invention of the telephone is a great disadvantage to a community as far as gos- sip is concerned. If you are on a party line, it is always in use when you want it and when the gossips finally do run down and you have the line to yourself, you have to be careful what you say because there are always interested people listening in. Women have the reputation of being the ones who do all the gossiping, but not en- tirely. For example, if there are any seats in a country store, they are usually -occupied by men. Although they won't admit it men like to talk nearly as well as do Women and they do not always talk about their Work or hunting and fishing experiences. Gossips in a town can cause a great deal of unfriend- liness and unhappiness and can do much to prevent the devel:-pment of a thriving and pleasant community in which to live. God gave man one tongue And twice as many ears In order to repeat But half of what he hears. Marie Scott '45 DAIRY OF DOLLAR BILL Sunday: Today I went to church with Mrs. Grand. She hid me in the bottom of her purse so that when the osllection plate was passed, she would not be able to find me. Then she could put a nickel in with a clean con- science. I was very much disappointed be- caluse Mrs. Grand does not allow me to see much of the world. I guess she likes me pretty Well. Monday: This morning she lost me behind her desk. My, it was dusty! I thought I would sneeze George Washington right off my face! There was a cute little spider down there, dear Diary. Her name is Arabella Spider. She and I are going to correspond. Tuesday: Mrs. Grand found me this morning. It nearly broke my heart to have to leave Arabella. Her last words to me were, Dear Dollar, I will spin a web to you and bring you back. Our love cannot end like this. Gracious, she sure is sweet! By the way, Mrs. Grand seemed glad to see me. Dear me, I do charm the women don't I? Wednesday: This afternoon I went to a bridge party. Golly, how those Women could talk? I could feel George Washington blushing. I was very much injured, though, when Mrs. Grand crammed two pieces of cake and a couple of sandwiches in on top of me. Some- times she is so very rude. Dear Diary, my heart longs for Arabella. I do hope I will see her soon. Thursday: Today she left me on her desk! My heart was thumping and bumping so, that I was afraid she might notice it and m-ovve me. She did not, however. I sent a message to