Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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18 THE E G H C) colors and varieties playing about the yard, cordially invited William to join them; but, feeling the dignity of his position, he thanked them politely and refused. After a general survey of the camp was made, the group sat down to a hearty supper. After washing the dishes they sat around the fireplace and sang songs. William Dean felt sure that his own voice was superior to theirs, but no one asked him to render a selection. The girls retired and were much annoyed because Miss Hayes insisted on leaving the door open. Soon all were fast asleep. William Dean was comfortably set- tled at the foot of his mistress’ bed which was contrary to all ho me rules. The forest itself seemed to be sleep- ing, but the forest never sleeps. Bright eyes shine in the thickets where the moonbeams penetrate, and padded footfalls sound in the shad- ows, as the hours of darkness are the playtime and hunger time for many dwellers in the deep woods. Crunch ! Scratch ! Crunch ! One of the girls sat upright and clutched the girl nearest her. The noise kept steadily on. With squeaks of terror the girls aroused their friends who listened with fast beating hearts. Out there in the darkness something was moving about. Even Miss Hayes did not know what strange creature had come to visit the camp. The sound came steadily nearer. Thump ! Thump! It seemed unbelievable but something ponderous was actually coming up the step of the cabin. A shadowy form appeared in the door- way with two gleaming eyes. No one dared to move save the only four legged creature in the camp. In a moment he was after the creature and was chasing him for into the woods. Occasionally a yelp could be heard from the invader. The next morning when the girls reached home they were very excited over their adventure of the night be- fore. They told their friends that they thought it must have been a bear. After a consultation with a neighbor familiar with the surroundings of the camp it was learned that it was only a wandering hedgehog and wouldn’t hurt a fiea. But the girls petted William Dean and still be- lieved him to be the preserver of their lives. PHILENA McKAY, ’24. Atoms and Atavisms Chapter I. The long, lean, supple hands, with only two stained and scarred thumbs, uncovered by the protecting rubber, nioved critically over the row of pre- cisely arranged instruments; linger- ed over one, fingered it carefully, picked up a minute crystal with it and inserted it into the amber color- ed liquid which stood simmering and bubbling under the fierce, penetrat- ing rays of a white scintillating tube. Somewhere a button clicked. A violet light added its glare to that of the white tube. Grotesque, awful shadows danced over the endless rows of flasks and retorts arranged on the opposite wall. For a moment the room was silent ' ‘My gosh!” yelled Avery to the medical appearing man pacing by his side. What in hang was that ! It sounded as if a Big Bertha had drop- ped a shell around here. Just like old times ! Say, there’s a crowd down the street now. Let’s go!” A fire siren screamed its approach and people scattered right and left. Avery and his companion pushed in its wake to where a little group knelt before the crumpled smoking walls of massive stone mansion. A still figure lay on the spattered grass. I am a physician,” announced Dr. Drayton. If I can be of any help — ” Sorry,” softly answered one of the kneeling group supporting the prostrate form. I guess Professor Dare is dead. Something must have gone wrong with his experiments. I told him — ” Dr. Drayton took one limp hand in his own and felt gently of the wrist. A look of astonishment came into his face. He examined more

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THE ECHO 17 first one, I believe. But what did I care about the first car when at every corner in prosperous cities or ob- scure places one would dodge from one now. My mind was racing around the track in some unthought of speedster at that time. I confess that I would have been deeply interested in automobiles, had I at that moment been out motoring, but to be sitting with half closed eyes, and a mind miles away, reading of events of years before, brought me to the limit of endurance, “Mon Dieu” ! I exclaimed, as I stretched my arms, “what wouldn’t I give for a ride now to wake me up !” How it came about I do not know but it was not long before my wish was granted. A red roadster had parked outside the gate. In a mo- m.ent I had forgotten everything. My incorrigable eyes ceased to blink, and we were speeding merrily on our way. As I think of it now I do not even remember who my companions were. We came to a very high level of a h‘11. At our left was a deep decline. I look over the precipice, and a feel- ing of awe crept over me spontane- ously. It might have been only my imagination, but the road at this point seemed very narrow and the fence at the side looked much too weak to hold anything back. Perhaps this was exaggerated in my mind, even the precipice probably wasn’t as deep as I pictured it. I did not have many more moments for re- flections, however, for suddenly we heard a noise — something broke. It was the steering gear, then sudden- ly the car swung to the left. A plung down the precipice was inevit- able. How or where we landed I do not know. My first gleam of con- sciousness showed me that I was sit- ting on the carpeted floor with a history book on one side of me, the chair on the other, and my hand tightly grasping a leg of the “preci- pice” (really not so deep as I pictur- ed it.) I took a deep free breath, but the prespiration streamed from my forehead after my most exciting adventure. THELMA PETERSON, ’25. William Dean Gees Camping A little yellow cat sat on the door- step with his tail drooping and his ears lowered dejectedly. Poor Wil- liam Dean had overheard a conversa- tion, accidentally of course, between his mistress, Katherine Hayes, and Narcissus, the cook. William did not understand what was going on; his dear mistress would not even hold him in her lap, but just gave his ear a loving tweak as she passed in and out the door. William was justified in feeling sad because his mistress was going away to leave him. She, with six other members of the Girl’s Club, was go- ing on an overnight camping expedi- tion. Miss Hayes, their chaperons, had made the plans and had chosen the camping spot with much inward trepidation. Promptly at nine o’clock Miss Hayes and the six girls arrived at Katherine’s house, which happen- ed to be centrally located. Judging by the amount of supplies one might think they were going to spend two- weeks. As Katherine was about to bid farewell to her mother her eyes fell upon William Dean following them down the walk. After shower- ing him with endearments and dain- ties from the picnic lunch, a tall girl cried, “Oh, Kathy, why can’t we take William Dean with us?” A chorus broke forth from the re- maining five: “Oh, let’s take him.” The yellow cat was soon settled com- fortably in the tall girl’s arms. A half hour of riding in the trolley brought them to their destination. William Dean was somewhat alarmed when he boarded the car, but remem- bering the rides he had taken in his mistress’ automobile, he was soon able to assume a bored expression, much to the amusement of the pas- sengers. The campers alighted from the car near a farmhouse, where the key to the camp was obtained from the farmer. Several cats of assorted

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THE ECHO 19 carefully the blood-smeared face and clotted hair of the Professor. A growl burst from the lips of the dead man. With raving lips and foaming mouth he leaped frantically to his feet. A frenzied shriek escap- ed his slavering jaws. Before any- one could stop him, he sprang like a wild beast at the encircling specta- tors. A man went down before his clawing nails. Trampling over a fallen women, he fought his mad- dened way thru the fleeing, frighten- ed crowd and giving one last tri- umphant cry he plunged into the neighboring wood. Chapter II. The very walls of the dingy, red alley seemed to- radiate heat. The acrid mixture of smoke, dust and automobile exhaust which the habit- ants of the fetid, stiffling, tenements lining the street breathed in lieu of air, left them gasping in agony like fishes stranded by the tide. Before the most rickety building lay a de- composing cat, overhung by a noisy cloud of repellant, black flies, who now and then buzzingly alighted on some trampled ash-heap to sun them- selves in the scanty rays which re- luctantly penetrated the narrow opening left by the leaning roofs. Presently, as dusk abated the pul- sating heat waves, doors opened in shadowy doorways and slowly dis- gorged their evening quota of dis- solute youths, who sauntered care- lessly toward the more populated thoroughfares on their nightly busi- ness. The door before which lay the efferescent feline, swung cautiously on squeaky hinges and a grotesque caricature of a man shambled out. A sticky, reddish, beard only made his high forehead maliginant by con- contrast. Wisps of brown hair, tinged with silver, straggled from under the brim of a tattered derby. His piercing eyes shot here and there with suspicious glances. With every passer-by he clutched more fiercely the newspaper-wrapped parcel he carried under one arm. He did not walk upright. Rather he slunk along the wall, half crouching, like a cat ready to spring upon his prey. In fact, with all of his intelli- gent face which his frowsy beard could not wholly disguise, he ap- peared with his leonine head, like a lion, degraded, emaciated, a pariah parading will tame tabbies, yet retaining some faint vestiges of king- ly qualities. The man avoided the frequented streets. He detoured the ghastly light of the sputtering arcs. Thru devious interlacing alleys he finally arrived at what was evidently his destination, a courtyard, to which he admitted himself thru a narrow, iron-bound door, which wafted a composite odor of cooking, sawdust, and tobacco before he disappeared. Chapter HI. Samuel Fitch, adventurer and wanderer extraordinary, sighed heav- ily as he finished the last soggy course of the gaudy Bohemian res- taurant. Bronzed, stern, his eyes burning with a steady, green magnet- ism, accentuated by the tiny sea wrinkles creasing their corners, he was a man to wonder at, this viking farer of the 20th century. He now pushed aside his chair, the better to gloomily survey the hetergeneous scattering of people dining noisily at neighboring tables, but he seemed preoccupied. His thought were cer- tainly elsewhere. ' ‘Wonder if old Dare is still clut- tering up that smelly lab,” he solilo- quized. “Might look him up if wasn’t for — well just the same it was hard to come back home to find the old gang gone — died or married; any- way, he was left out.” Suddenly he jerked to attention. Those eyes were familiar, strangely familiar. He surely knew their owner. They were like John’s eyes, John Dare, his brilliant chemist friend, who had married long ago, before he, Samuel, had begun his wanderings, the girl both loved. But it wasn’t Dare’s face. He had always been clean-shaven. This man’s jowls were covered by a red beard. Nor {Continued on page 22)