Hudson High School - True Blue Yearbook (Hudson, WI)

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TRUE BLUE until, completely captured by'her wiles, he hands over to her the ruby. The next day is the lcng looked for day set for the Notimal Horse Race in which the two world famed jockeys, Fae Gridley arrd Laura Jones, are to ride. Of course Ragna is present and losing her head in the excite- ment of betting, she stakes her precious ruby, in a bet with Helen Koehler, another promising young actress, on the horse ridden by Fae Gridley. When the race is finished, the horse ridden by Laura Jones comes out ahead on account of the slight difference in the weight of the two jockeys, and Ragna is obliged to hand over her ruby to Helen Koehler. Helen gives it at once to Fred Hanna, a crafty moonshiner, with whom she is infatuated. Fred has a small still hid away in the Rocky Moun- tains, whre he makes a very fine grads of liquor, for which he receives an exceedinglv high price. All one night after he has received the ruby, he sits in his hut, examining it by the dim light of a lamp. Suddenly he hears footsteps approaching the door, and thinking that government officials must have found him out, in his terror, he drops the ruby, which falls by chance into an open bottle of liquor standing near him. While he is out investigating, his servant, Esther Heggen, of whom Helen is very jealous, closes up the bottle and sends it with a number of other bottles in a ship- ment to William Kealy in New York. William Kealy is a young doctor just beginning his practice after years of study . He has as an assistant, a well tiained nuise and former classmate of his, Lillian Leaf. One morning the young doctor comes from the operating room to the next room, where the nurse is work- ing and takes a half empty bottle of stimulant from the shelf, which he intends to give to the patient, lying at the point of death in the next room. As he takes down the bottle Lillian notices a shining ruby almost concealed in the bottom of it, and being a greedy person, she wishes to obtain posses- sion of it, but she can think of no way of getting it without letting the Doc- tor see her. Finally, which is very seldom, a bright idea comes to her and she falls to the floor in a pretended faint. William rushes to her and pours the rest of the bottle into her ha’f-open mouth, sighing heavily as he thinks of the great waste upon an unconscious person. As soon as she feels the ruby in her mouth Lillian comes cut of her pretended faint and thanking the Doctor walks out of the room. As she is journeyin'1- swiftly homeward she chances to pass a tent in which a “Holy Roller” meeting is being held, and Lillian enters and sees Sigrid rolling about on the ground in a frenzy of religious fervor and thinking that she is doing it to reduce, Lillian shamefully follows her example and rolls about upon the ground herself. Finally disgusted at not feeling any thinner she gets up and walks out, without even greeting her friend, and Sigrid still rolling about chances to come upon the ruby which had slipped from Lillian’s pocket. She picks it up, and in a little while, starts for home. On her way home she meets Mr. Lylle Halverson, who has recently been married to {he belle of Lakeland, Miss Doris Merrick. He is very much upset, and as usual, confides his troubles to Sigrid. He tells her that he was out the night before with an eld sweetheart of his, and that his wife has discovered this, and is very angry with him, and he doesn’t dare to go heme. Sigrid advises him to bring his wife a lovely present, and tells him that she will sell him a ruby which she has in her possession. Lyle immediately takes her up on her elfcr and after putting it in a lovely box he brings it home to his wife Doris who is so pleased that she forgets to be angry with him. The next day she leaves the box on hci dresser and her little deg, Tootsie-Woctsie mama’s little darling jumping upon her bureau seizes the box and scamper soli with it into the street. 20

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TRUE BLUE sion on the face of the preacher they rise up in mad insurrction, and the Keyerend and his little family are obliged to flee to Siberia where they re- main icr a long time. The Emperor locks himself up in his highest tower alter having placed a firm guard about the treasure room, but through the treachery oi his private secretary, Donald Williams, Christian Burk- hardt, a young American, who has invited the heathen to revolt, is able to gain access to the treasury and to make way with an enormous ruby which is worth half the kingdom. Christian hides the ruby securely in a box and sets sail on the fastest beat for America. Just off the coast of the Hawaian Islands the ship is wrecked and Christian the only survivor, having lost his precious box, is washed on the shore of the Hawaian Islands where he is rescued by Nellie Palmer, a heroic young girl. She has become a wonderful opera singer and is taking her summer vacation after a strenuous and successful winter spent in singing jazz music in cheap vaudeville in company with Myrtle Young and Luella Lystad, the famous and graceful tee dancers- From this time on Chris- tian remains in company with Madamoiselle Palmer, whose devoted slave he becomes. But now to return to the little box with its precious burden, tossed about on the briny deep. Suddenly a huge aeroplane looms into view, piloted by a dashing young maid, Doris Johnson, her golden locks streaming behind her in the wind like a veil of sunbeams. Swooping low over the water, she catches sight of the littic box, and with a daring loop the loop she manages to grasp it in her hard, and sails away toward the east. She is extremely- delighted on discovering the contci.N of the package to be a shining ruby and holds it m the light to catch the full gleams of the sun. But alas, just as she is passing oyer San Francisco her fingers slip and the dazzling gem goes hurtling down to be lost in the depths of the city below. Just at this moment Adolph Ilolden, his black hair slicked back from his lined forehead in a pompadour, nervously twirling the ends of his jet black mustache, sees a sparkling gem drop before his eyes. Adolph is a detective cf the highest degree, in fact a second Sherlock Holmes. He seizes it in his clutching fingers turning his beedy black eyes up to the sky from which it seemed to drop. Just as he does so he sees a face disap- pearing from the window of the fourteenth story of the building just above him. Wilh a tiger-like leap he reaches the door of the building and taking the steps five at a bound he eventually gains the upper story. Gently pushing on the worm-eaten door he inserts his crafty face in the crack, and beholds in the dim and dusty room a silent red head bending over a pile of books. On coming closer what is his amazement to see his old time class mate, Jack Gillen, his face now lined and pale and his back bent, scratching away at a sheet of manuscript and mumbling fanatically to himself. At the s' .ht of his old friend, Jv jumps up and greets him with joy. In the conversation that follows, he tells Adolph that he is a rising young poet and is devoting his life to writing a masterpiece on tem- perance. When he finds out that young Holdon is a detective he tells him that he recently lest a very important page of his masterpiece and that he suspects Ragna Olson, a young actress who has a very bad reputation. Upon hearing this news, Adolph leaps up, shakes his friend’s hand and starts cut hotfoot on the trail of the wiA ed damsel. That night he meets her at the stage en rance, and takes her to a cabaret. Her chm-m is so great, however, that he can scarcely believe the awful stories he has heard about her, and in a desire to shew off, he tells her about the wonder- ful gem he has found- Upcn hearing this she flatters him and vamps him 19

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TRUE BLUE As he is frolicking about with his new toy, a beautiful auburn haired artist Agnes Nordby, chances to look out from her window above him, and wish- ing to paint the pretty little dog, runs quickly down the steps and picks up the dog. Arriving at her room she opens the box and is greatly amazed at the contents. After her day’s work is done she goes to see an old class mate whom she supposes to be a very dear friend of hers, and takes the jewel to show it to her. Her friend, Esther Erickson, is a hypnotist, and so great is her greed that she hypnotizes Agnes and takes the ruby away from her. W hen Agnes comes out of her trance she runs out and brings in the first policeman she sees, Dud Odenwald, who arrests Esther and takes the ruby away from her to restore it to its former owner. That night he goes to see Mary Rusch, who is cook for a popular lunch counter. Before he leaves he gives the ruby to her. The next morning Mary makes a special dish for the counter, some wonderful choc- olate p.es. While dreaming of the events of the preceding night she drops the gem into the filling of a large chocolate pie which she is making. About nocn, Stcphina Nachtman, the flighty young waitress, hastens out into the kitchen for another tray load of chocolate pies. As she lays the tray down on the counter, she sees a young woman elegantly dressed in the height of fashion enter accompanied by a gentleman wearing a dress suit and a tall silk hat, swinging a swagger stick cn his arm. The young woman is Mae Killian, a society leader to whom an immense fortuno was suddenly left by an unknown uncle- The gentleman accompanying her is Sticky Larsen, who has also risen to be a very prominent figure in society. Immediately the flip young waitress calls out in a sweet voice “Shocolat Pie” today, any ven vant some shocolat pie.” Mr. Larsen buys the pie and as they are eating it he discovers the ruby. He gives it to Mae for a keepsake and in a little while they leave. As they pass down Broadway they suddenly hear some deep melodious tones ringing through the air. On coming closer they recognize Helen Katner, clad in a shawl and a poke bonnet, the Salvation Army badge across her arm. She is standing in the midd’e of the street singing hvmns to attract the attention of passers by. As she sees them approach she holds out her tamboureen. Mae reaches into her purse and draws uct a handful of coins which she drops carelessly into it. After they have gene, on looking into the tamboureen Helen sees lying among the various small change a shining ruby. As she moves down the street, she sudden- ly hears a great clamor and clapping from one and drawing closer around the corner sees Helen Hosfcrd, a fiery suffragette mounted cn a soap box orating in a loud and ringing voice cn the rights of women. Her arguments are so persuasive that Helen, being a changeable scul anyway, is speedily converted and denates to the cause all her pro- ceeds from the day, including the ruby which she gives to Helen H. The latter is so jubilant over, her recent success that as they are passing by a circus tent, she wishes to go in and make a speech to the circus performers. The first person they see is Laura Brandenburg, a matted black wig hanging down over her eyes, clad in s’ ins of wild animals and barbaric ornaments, seated in the midst of a cage and surrounded by writhing and hissing serpents. Nothing daunted, Helen starts out, hut just as she reaches her most effective point, a huge black serpent stretches out its evil head, and with a warning hiss, seizes the ruby which she is holding in her hand. Tremb- ling with terror Helen runs away thinking that the ruby is lost forever. It is May 21, 1930. the tenth anniversary of the world-famed class of 1920. A grend reunion of the entire class is'being held in the Bohemian 21