Kingfield High School - Abram Breeze Yearbook (Kingfield, ME)

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Tina RE there, as he had left his gun at camp, he ran for the rope deciding to climb as far up as possible. I-Ie had shinned about thirty feet up the rope when he was forced to give up again, with only twenty more feet to go before he could reach the rings. So Nor- wood started slipping down but he hadigone about ten feet when he heard the low growl of the hungry bear. He saw the bear, a huge white animal, gazing intently up at him with a wistful look, at the very foot of the rope. VVhat was he to do? I-Ie could not go up neither did he want to go down. About live feet below him he noticed that the ice jutted out in a sort of shelf, so he slid down till his feet touched the shelf oi' ice, where he rested for fifteen minutes listening to the throaty growls of the ani- mal belowg hesitating to attempt to climb up again, lor he was old, his hands were blistered, his legs ached. The bear, however, continued waiting patiently at the end of the rope, so Norwood hardly knew what to dog he could not stand on that shelf of ice all night: he must do something. At last he decided he would go as far up the rope as he could and then in some way he would tie a loop in the rope. If he con- tinued doing this he would in time be with- in reach of the rings, so he set out. When he had gone as far as he could, he drew up some rope with his feet and after much dilhculty succeeded in tying a knot to stand on, which although small, would help to hold him. I-Ie dug a hole in the ice wall so he could partially stand up and tie another knot in the rope. After doing this for two hours, he reached the rings and then he climbed to the top where he fell ex- hausted. I-Ie never went down in another hole alone again and he always carried a pistol with him so he would never again CORD 17 have to work so hard to keep from being some animal's dinner. L. H. T. 'gl MYSTERIOUS I-IAPPENINGS NE day about a week ago while I was looking through a very old secretary which my great uncle had recently given me, I unexpectedly opened a small drawer in the lower right hand corner and there among other things I found an old yellowed manuf script with the following peculiar tale: A great many years ago, there lived in an old New England town, in a large, rambling, old-fashioned house which was said to be haunted, a family by the name of Ioncs, consisting of a man, his wife, his son and daughter. However, they had lived there for about a year and only once had they ever heard any peculiar noises. That was just a moaning sound which they thought was caused by the Wind. On this particular night Marjorie, the daughter, and Robert, the son, were invited to a party in honor of some friends. While Marjorie was getting ready for the party, on hearing peculiar noises everywhere, she rushed downstairs and told her mother and father. They all went back upstairs but the noises could no longer be heard. While Marjorie and Robert were on their way to the party Robert said, Marjorie, when I went into my room to-night to get ready for the party, I found a note on my bureau saying, 'Beware of mysterious hap- penings'. I did not pay any attention to it but since I started for the party I have felt somewhat uneasyf, In the meantime at home Mr. and Mrs. Iones were becoming rather worried about the peculiar noises. I have a feeling that something terrible will happen to us if we do not move away

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l6 THE R Arriving at one of the beautiful canyons just when the sun was setting, casting long shadows over the hills and caves, they looked around to find a suitable cave in which they could build a Fire and spend the night. Before an hour had passed they heard gun shots and voices in the distance, but thinking the intruders to be fellow tourists they waited until they saw half clad men with several weeks growth of beard on vil- lainous faces, ordering them with guns to put up their hands. The tourists did as they were ordered, frightened and at the same time astonished. The outlaws searched them taking their money, watches and everything valuable, then they bound the tourists with thick ropes and took them to the outside of the cave near a rattlesnakes' den and securing them still again by means of a long rope, tied the other end to a sta- lagmite in the cave, after which the robbers went to eat the food the travelers had pre- pared for their own supper and to take the rest of their belongings which suited their fancy. Suddenly something happened. A large large boulder above the mouth of the cave began to totter and with a loud crash came down within a foot of the tourists, at the same time blocking the mouth of the cave and cutting the rope which helped to secure the tourists. Immediately they took advan- tage of their good luck, wriggled out of their bonds and started to run as fast as their legs could carry them towards the stammer- ing man's house only to find that he was not at home. They sat on the steps and be- gan to ask each other questions. What had caused the boulder to fall? Could someone have pushed it? Or could that queer man who was not at home have followed the tourists to help them out of their predica- ment? Was it fate? The tourists could not solve the mystery nor were they anxious to go back to the ll C O R D cave, but they being faint-hearted started in their little roadster, as fast as they could, over the moonlit roads towards Sunnyvale, the nearest city, where they told their story to the sherill. F' F V '31 A RISKY ADVENTURE IS strength was fast failing under his superhuman efforts to reach the top of the cliff. Norwood, in the serious predic- ament, who had made some important dis- coveries in the realm of chemistry, had gone to Alaska to explore. I-le had taken a dog team loaded with supplies and had traveled about eighty miles from Nome where he had set up his camp on a mountain side. Near the camp there was a large crack in the ice and the next day he went into this great crack by means of a rope, one of the best manufactured, half of which contained little rings to aid in climbing up or down. However descending into the hole he had gone beyond the rings and when he started up again to get something which he had left at camp he found that he had not the strength to shin up to the top. l-le could climb up the rope a short distance but he was old and his legs would get so tired that it seemed as if he would drop on the hard ice below. He went down to the bottom again think- ing he would try to discover another way of getting out of this place. As he walked along he noticed many other cracks in the ice, some of which he could easily enter but did not fearing he might become lost. At last finding that there was no way of get- ting out in this direction he started to go back to the rope. lust after he had gone by one of the cracks, which he had passed on his Way out there he heard a low menacing growl and realizing he could not hght a bear down

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I8 Til-ILL lx from here, said Mr. Iones. Where can we go, thenPU asked Mrs. Iones. All of the other houses near here are occupied, and surely it would take too long to build one now. But Hnally after discussing other matters, they started to go to bed. When Mr. jones had snapped ofi the light in the hall, he walked along slowly to his room, when something strange happened to him, for on the walls, about every two feet, there ap- peared small pieces of paper which were held in skinny, mysterious looking hands that held candles by which the papers could be read. Mr. jones yelled and collapsed just as he finished reading one of these notes which was as follows: This house has been here a great many years, perhaps too long al- ready. Your son and daughter are going to see now what happens to people who are false. You remember how you wronged the family of Samuel Beckwith in whose home you are now dwelling. Now you are to be punishedf' Mrs. jones had opened the door now and turned on the light. She looked all around. At first she could see nothing until she glanced at her feet and saw her husband ly- ing unconscious on the floor. Oh, Carrol, she screamed, what has happened?', but he made no reply, while she could still hear the noises in the house. What shall I do, What shall I do? was all she could say. 'fOh, if my children would only come homef, Then she heard footsteps, first they came nearer and nearer and then they seemed to fade away. During the meantime she had revived her husband and asked him to explain to her what had happened. This he did. Mrs. Iones became more frightened. I can't stay in this house any longer, ' :CORD she said, little realizing what might happen when she said that. About this time Marjorie and Robert came home. When they had learned what had happened Robert said, lt is not safe to live in this house. l'Where shall we go, then? asked Mrs. Iones. To-morrow we will pack up and move to Green Martin about forty-live miles from here, answered Robert. They tried their best to go to bed and to sleep but found it to be impossible, as they heard so many wierd noises. When morn- ing came they all ate ill' early breakfast and began packing their furniture and other household goods. While Marjorie and Robert were clean- ing out one of the closets in the guest room, away back in the left hand corner, they found a large, mustyfsmelling bran-sack filled with what appeared to be skeletons of men and birds. They were so scared they hardly knew what to do and ran into the kitchen to tell their mother and father about their discovery. During the day while packing the rest of their belongings. they came across clothes and queer bundles that belonged to none of the family, which made them be- lieve that someone else was living there in the house. About live o'clock that afternoon, both Marjorie and Robert were taken seriously ill with convulsions. Mr. Iones went to the nearest house which was two miles away to get Mrs. Landing, the only woman any- where around there who understood any- thing at all about caring for sick people. By the time Mr. Iones and Mrs. Landing re- turned. at Mr. Iones' home, the two children had died due, Mrs. Landing believed, to fright during the last sixty hours.