Jackson High School - Osky Wow Yearbook (Jackson, OH)

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THE CAPTURE. By Grace In the cosily furnished library of Squire Fulton’s home sat three boys. Bob, the Squire’s youngest son, Charley Brown and Jacic Muir, two of Bob’s friends. They had prepared all their lessons for the next day. These boys were great friends and often studied together. Just now Bob and Jack were each lost in a good book and Charley was reading the evening paper. ‘'Look here, boys!” he exclaimed, in an excited tone. “Two more robberies last night. This is getting serious. I hey think Tom Morgan is the thief, and a reward of S100 is offered for the capture.” The two other boys crowded about Charley and read the newspaper account of the robberies. There had been so many robberies lately and the police were baffled as to where to find Tom Morgan, whom they believed to be the guilty person. “My! but 1 wish I could catch him and get that money. Father is in debt and needs it so bad. I wonder if I could?” mused Bob to himself. After Charley and Jack had gone, Bob read the account once more. But it was impossible for him, a mere boy, to think of capturing a man, whom the police couldn t get. So Bob dismissed the thought from his mind. The next evening as the three boys were making their way home from the one high school, which the town afforded, Jack said, “Say, fellows! what do you say to a spin in the machine tomorrow afternoon? Dad said I might have it and you know it is Saturday.” “Fine! That’s the very thing!” the other bovs exclaimed. “All right!” said Jack, “I know of a fine place to go. Come over early and we’ll have a fine ride. ” The next day the boys went over to Hood, ’16. Jack’s immediately after dinner and in a little while were spinning tbiu the country in the big machine. “I say! This is heavenly, Jack! I love a ride this kind of a day,” murmured Charley. “Yes! I feel it in the air that something exciting is going to happen before we get back,’’ added Bob. After an hour and a half’s ride Bob asked, “Would you mind telling us where you are going to take us? I was never out here before.’’ Jack explained that he wasn’t taking them anywhere in particular, but just knew of this fine road and thought it would be a good place to ride. The others agreed that it was a very fine road. The sun went in and a large black cloud foretold rain. Jack wanted to turn back; but the others did not think there was any danger, so Jack drove on. A turn in the road brought them to a small deserted house. A very dilapidated place it was. Part of the roof was caved in and the chimney had fallen over. They stopped the machine and got out. “This is a good place to rest before we start back,” said Jack. So they all started toward the house. “Let’s go in and explore the place,’ suggested Bob, and in they went. Just as they stepped inside of the room Char'ey stepped on something. It proved to be a little gold locket with a diamond in the center. “1 say! this is a lucky find, but who has been in here? I never knew anyone came to this old place. Look inside the locket and see if you can find a picture,” said Charley. T he locket was opened but no picture was revealed, so they had to content themselves with examining the outside. They had been so interested in the locket THIRTT-TWO

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But Aunt Maria was in her seventh heaven of delight, and everything was successful, for her Clothilde was not dangerously ill after her fits, and the remainder of the preachers’ sojourn was uneventful of disasters. When Aunt Maria’s sister visited her, she spoke of the tremendous expense, but Maria assured her that they could make that up in a year, for the preachers had broken I ony of smoking and chewing. BOXWELLS VERSION OF SPRING. The Boxwell scratched his scrawny neck And these words quoth, quoth he “I’ve driv my hoss from hum to school. And I’ve driv right merrily; But this spring weather gets my goat, It’s got me up a tree.” The Boxwell lashed his poor old “hoss’’ And the words he said were few. But I got their “drift” as they whistled past, And they were of a sulphurous hue; ‘ ’Twas warm as June, this morning,” quoth he As the end of his whip he chewed; “But the weather got colder, and rain changed to snow And it snew, and snew, and snew! ’ “ T he stubble needs plowin’, but the stubble’s too wet On account of the rain that has snew; Pa sez we’ll be lucky if a crop we get, I feel like cussin’, would you? For the weather gets colder And the rain turns to snow And it snews. and snews, and snews. ” —Har ld Jones, '15. thirty-one;

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that they had not noticed anything else in the room. Now their attention .was turned '•'hen Bob announced that there were ashes in the fireplace and looked as if someone had been occupying the house recently. They examined the ashes hut could not tell what had been burned, except that it had been paper. “Boys! Look what I’ve found! ’ cried Jack in a moment and they all crowded about him to read the newspaper clipping, which Jack had picked up off the floor. It was a newspaper account of the robberies, which the hoys had been so interested in two nights before at Bob’s house “I say! this looks queer. Someone has been in this house since night before last, and I feel as if someone was in here now. We had better get out of here or else investigate. I believe we have stumbled upon something interesting as well as dangerous,’’ said Charley. I hey looked out to see if their car was safe, and they discovered that it was raining very hard. The rain came down in torrents and seemed to get worse every minute. ’’1 here is nothing to do, but to stay here all night,” said Bob. ’’It is almost dark now, and no one could run a car thru that storm. This is exciting—spending the night in a deserted house, it’s rather scary, too,” he added. “And not a bite to ear,” dolefully added Charley, “I don’t see much excitement out of it, rather dangerous, I think. What will we do to spend the evening?’’ ‘I 11 tell you a fine ghost story,” said Jack; so he proceeded to tell the most scary and ghostly story he ever heard, and when he finished poor Charley was frightened until he was shaking all over. They made a resolution not to sleep, but they were all so fatigued that in a short time all were sound asleep. The rain still continued to pour down. About midnight, Bob was awakened by the sound of footsteps. Hastily jumping up he saw a figure opening the door. The room was dark and the figure could not see that any one else was in the room The figure was feeling around on the floor for something. Bob sprang forward and in a moment had the fellow lying on the floor. The other boys were awake now and wanted to know what was the matter. When they heard all Bob knew about it, they turned to the fellow and asked him what he was doing there. “None of your business, he drawled out. “Now look here, young fellow, we want to know what you wanted here, and you are going to tell us, ’ said Bob in a menacing tone. But the fellow flatly refused to tell them anything, so they waited until daylight and putting him in the machine took him to the sheriff. The sheriff was very much interested in their story, and when they had told him all, he said, “But which of you did the capturing? ’ Jack said, “Bob did it sir.” “Well, young man, you get Si00, as you have captured Tom Morgan. ’ Bob was surprised, the very thing he had wished for, had happened It was a very proud boy that gave the $100 to his father that night I he prisoner said he always kept his booty hid in this old house and he knew he had dropped the locket and had gone back to get it as he wanted to keep it apart from the rest, as it was a personal belonging of his and did not belong with his stolen articles. I he old house was searched and many were the stolen articles which were found. Bob was praised by everyone for his bravery. THIRTT-THREE