Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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10 THE Bob Remembered. The conductor on the train had just entered and announced the next stop to be Graftonville. Bob Meredith picked up his suitcase and was among the first to alight from the train. Old Mr. Morris was just about ready to start off with his sleigh when he saw Bob. ‘‘Hello, Mr. Mere- dith, how be ye? Ain’t seen you for a long time. Be ye going up by Meadowdale?” Bob was only too glad of the offer, so promptly replied, “Thank you, Mr. Morris. I’m going right up to the old homestead.” They both were seated comfortably in the sleigh with a large blanket over their feet. The ride was over a mile and the air was bitter cold. The conversation consisted mostly of questions asked by Mr. Morris and replies by Bob. Mr. Morris brought him up to his old home and after re- minding him not to forget to come and see Miranda and himself, he de- parted. Bob took the suitcase and ran up the long path leading to the little colonial house. He opened the door and was met by a little old woman all in gray. Her hair was gray and her eyes had a twinkle of supreme happiness in them. “Hello, Mother,” and with a sweep she was off her feet and in his arms. The suitcase was thrown neglected into the corner. When he had em- braced her quite enough they went arm in arm into the cheerful little living room. Soon they were both seated com- fortably in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Meredith was taken by surprise at her son’s arrival and was more or less excited over the event. She hadn’t seen her son for some time so was naturally very happy. The next few days were spent in renewed exploration of the old farm and its surroundings. Bob enjoyed every moment at “home.” One morning he was going to get the mail at the postoffice. On his way he met a red haired girl about his own age, walking along. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mary!” ejac- ulated Bob. “How are you?” Mary blushed as she thought of the time she had cried in school because the teacher had made her sit nex t to Bob and he insisted upon calling her “Car- rot Top.” “Hello, Robert,” she re- plied, “I am pretty well, thank you.” They talked for some time about what had happened during one anoth- er’s absence. After conversing for half an hour Bob remembered his mother waiting for the mail, so he said, “Good bye, Mary. Don’t forget you are going with me on the sleigh party tonight. I’ll be up at the house at eight.” When Bob got home he hustled around, keeping a good watch of the large clock in the kitchen. At quar- ter of eight he left the house and climbed the hill to Mary’s house. Reaching the house he heard the sound of the sleigh bells so quickly ran up the shovelled path and knock- ed on the door. Mary was all ready and looked very pretty that night. They had a jolly good time at the s’eigh party. Bob was just about to say Good Night to her when he heard someone say, “Say, Bob, lights off in the dormitory at 11.” Bob sat up in the chair and rubbed his eyes. He thought to himself, “Why didn’t I work harder in school so that I could go home during my Christmas vacation to see Mary?” Before go- ing to bed that night Bob wrote a long letter to Mary, wishing her a Merry Christmas and then went to sleep relieved. A. G., ’24. The Company We Keep. Being a reporter for the “New Or- leans Times Democrat,” John Jones was assigned to write up a story of Ned Gaylord, a young man who was to pay the penalty with his life for a crime of which he declared his in- nocence.

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THE ECHO trimmed it. Then she got the pres- ents she had bought for them and tied them on it. Then she arranged the furniture and articles she had bought in the little living room. These things made the house seem much more homelike. The next morning when the boys awoke they were overjoyed at the looks of the little room. It was dif- ferent from what they had ever known, for ever since they had been old enough to realize things they had seen only a few pieces of furniture which did not make the room very cozy and inviting. After breakfast, when the morn- ing’s work was finished and the din- ner ready to put into the oven they all gathered around their mother’s bed while Jean and her mother told them of the Birth of Christ, the Old Story which is told in the Bible, then Jean’s mother told them of the many pretty customs carried out in different coun- tries. To Jean it was the happiest Christmas she had ever known, why? Because she had done something for others, to make their lives bright. Surely the spirit of Christmas can be brought to anyone, anywhere. Peace on earth Good Will towards Men ! M. P., ’26. The Mountain Rider It was a cool, clear night in No- vember, the moon was at its height, the clear outline of the mountains stood out against the moon-lit sky. At the foot of this mountain stood a lone cabin which housed a lonely old man. As he sat at his cabin gazing sor- rowfully at the mountain tops, ho gave a low cry, for clearly against the sky, at the very peak of the moun- tain, there stood like a statue, a horse and rider. They remained motionless until the first streak of dawn. Then as the old man watched eagerly, he saw the horse and rider slowly turn away. The old man, whose name was Hez- zy. watched night after night for the rider, but he did not come. At last a month later on a moon- lit night, Hezzy was again at his cabin door gazing at the clear moun- tain tops when upon his gaze flashed the rider going at full speed against the sky. When he reached the peak, he dismounted and stood by his horse until dawn. This strange occurrence continued for some months and the stars and moon watched over Hezzy for anoth- e ’ year. A year from that memorable night, Hezzy was again watching, for may it be known Hezzy once had an adventurous son who left the cabin at the age of twelve and had crossed the mountains, so Hezzy was always watching for his return. When the horse and rider came to the mountain Hezzy would watch more anxiously for his son to come back to him. The rider came one night before the moon rose and gazed, it seemed, at the sky, but at the stroke of twelve he turned his horse on the trail lead- ing to the cabin. Hezzy watched this action with his heart beating high in his breast. At last! The rider has alighted at Hezzy’s door, and as Hezzy looks at this strong young man with smil- ing lips, and eyes, he came up to Hez- zy and knelt before him. Was it possible, that after all these years his son had returned to him to care for him in his old age? Yes, Hezzy was bidding the young man to rise. He had him by the hand and was blessing his safe return and as the years went by, old Hezzy and David lived in the little cabin at the foot of the mountain and watched for the moon to rise behind the peak and bless the One who sent David to his father, safely. H. B., ’26.

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THE ECHO 11 He had formed one of a group of tough young men, and through cir- circumstantial evidence was convict- ed for murder of a man who had in- curred anger of this rough gang by furnishing evidence of a theft. The day of the convicted man’s death fell upon a bright morning. As he climbed the stairs which led to the gallows his face was calm and his step firm. A hush fell upon the crowd. Gazing upon the crowd that always assembled to witness a hang- ing (for many came before daylight to get a good place to view this ter- rible spectacle), and raising his hand pleadingly he said, “Young boys, it is to you I make my last plea. Look up- on me and always remember it is the company I kept that brought me here. Shun evil companions and avoid crooked ways. With my last breath I declare my innocence and pray God to send some omen to prove to you the truth of my words, and I will not have died in vain if some that are here today are drawn back to a cleaner living.” He bowed his head and the hangman placed the noose around his neck and the black cloth over his head. (This being to obscure the agony of death). As the gallows fell and his body shot through the trap opening, for the space of two seconds, the sun disappeared and the sky darkened and many of the people of Mobile took this as a sign of his innocence. Fifteen years later a man lay dy- ing in a small town in California. Receiving the last rites of his church he confessed to the murder for which Ned Gaylord had been hanged, by saying he had held a hatred in his heart for William Pickett (the mur- dered man) through the three years he had spent in the Atlanta Peniten- tiary for the theft. Upon his re- lease he had returned immediately to Mobile with the intention of giv- ing Mr. Pickett a severe beating but lost control of his temper and struck him too hard. T. M. R., ’24. The Duties of an American. America gives her citizens more than any other country in the world znd she expects more from them. That is a general rule of life. You cannot get something for nothing in the world, either in government or in anything else. The five great duties that every American must do for his country are these : 1. Vote. 2. Pay taxes. 3. Do jury duty. 4. Fight. 5. Obey the laws. The Vote: The first duty of every American over twenty-one is to vote. The actual voting takes only a few minutes on e’ection day, which comes the first Tuesday after the first Mon- day in November. But the duty is much more than that. One must vote wisely, and that means that one must read the newspapers and keep track of what is going on. One must discuss it with all of one’s friends and neighbors. One must attend political meetings and hear the candidates, that is the men running for office, tell what they intend to do. It takes a person with a keen and wide awake mind who can read and talk English to vote intelligently. Moreover, voting is more than just the few minutes’ work once a year. In order to vote one must first regis- ter, which means going on a certain day and putting your name down on the voting list. Taxes: A tax is exactly like a col- lection or offering in church or the sum you pay when every member of your team chips in to by a new ball or bat. Government costs much. Your President, your judges, your legislators, your firemen, your police- men, must be paid for. Your streets must be paved, your street lamps lit, and your public schools run. All this