Liberty High School - Lion Yearbook (Brentwood, CA)

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THIC HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 55 SYLVIA COMES TO THE RANCH. They'lI not be expecting us till tomorrow, Sylvia. No, mother, I know it. but that will make it so much more fun. There I11lISt he some way of getting out to their place. A few minutes Iater mother and daughter were standing on the plat- form of the Santa Inez station, look- ing about for some means of getting away from it. Sylvia Hallan's older brother. Jack, had been in California for two years. on a ranch with his cousin, Harry Vincent. His mother and sister had come for the lirst time in these two years. and also to see California. After some ditiiculty Sylvia suc- ceeded in discovering a man who was goin' out that way, and who con- sented to leave them at Tulaeita Rauch. Sylvia in'her pretty tailor- made suit, looked strangely out of place in the rickety farm-wagon, but she and her mother soon settled them- selves as comfortably as possible and they started out on the long winding road. The ride was all a voyage of discovery to Sylvia and she found everything delightful. lt was the early springtime: the poppies were blooming along the roadside. the rows of orchard trees looked like succes- sions of snowdrifts, the scent of the blossoms filled the air. Away to the westward rose the mountain wall, the southern slopes of the ridges gl-ori- tied by the afternoon sun. Sylvia was enraptured. She wanted to know the name of every flower and tree they passed and plied the driver with questions till she was sure she knew all about ranching before the journey was half done. Theres the gate. he said at last, ou the right hand side there with the letter-box just beside. XVhere? Oh, yes. I see. Now don't drive ing just let us out at the gate, we want to surprise them. The driver smiled and did as requested, Sylvia ran lightly up the short road, with the orchard on the other. and nearly fell over the house before she saw it. Then began her disappointment. Jack and Harry live in that packing- house? Impossible! Jack had lived in a brownstone house at home, and this-why there wasn't even any grass around the front door, just plowed ground and one clump of violets. This house was such an insignificant. desolate looking, little affair, and she had imagined a rambling adobe ha- cienda. with a great broad veranda. There was only a tiny porch that you could cross in two steps. Sylvia crossed it in one as she made a dive for the front door. after her lirst dis- mayed pause. ' She tumbled into the room and then stopped short. Jim Kee. the general faetotum, had soon learned that young employers did not approve of too much house-cleaning and was quite willing to Hlet things be. And they were,-mostly on the Hoori Straight

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2 THE HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL was erected in 1856, but I do not think he ever occupied it, as he was murdered in September of that year by jose Moseno and others because of some previous trouble over the payment for services as a vaquero. The Doctor was 52 at the time of his death. A year or so previous to his death a young man called at the ranch and requested to see the Doc- tor. The stranger asked permission of remaining over night. as he was foot sore and it was near evening. No, replied the Doctor. I do not keep a hotelg you will have to go to Antioch, but soon the stranger said. If you knew who I am perhaps you would let me stay. VVell. who are you? Wfhat is your name? Charles Marsh, 'he replied. nx'Vl'lCI'C were you born? VVhat is your mothers name? How old are you? Replies to 'these inquiries came quickly and correctly. The Doctor stood amazed. then sharply said to him, Pull oil your boot. Charles did so and exposed a birthmark on his foot that satisfied the Doctor and he said. all right. you are my son. The mother of Charles was said to have been a Cherokee, or a woman of Indian blood, and had remained in the East when the Doctor broke loose from the border and took trail that led into the unex- plored regions ot' the Indian country :ind the land of the Avtec. :Xt the Doctor's death the Los Illeganos Rancho, with its 131000 acres and 6,000 head of stock, passed by inheritance to Charles and Alice, the daughter by the second wife. The Rancho was sold by the heirs to an enterprising promoter. who devised a scheme for opening the coal mines known to ex- ist on the property. build a railroad to Marsh' Landing. and built up there- on a manufacturing and commercial entrepot. The scheme failed to ma- terialize as projected and the great property became involved in litigation which is not yet closed, though thirty years or more have passed, and fur- ther Deponent Saith Not. -K. G. Dean ....... lr-, Nothing Unusual. Bessie-Wltat makes Jean look so Cross today? Iva--Nothing. it is just her way. She is quite Moody lately. Ray--What is the trouble between Bessie and Harry? Edith-Bessie got too Foxy for h i rn. 3,-ll.. johannah-VVhy is Iva making such wry face today. Edna--She is thinking about her Corn. L. U. I-I. S.-- Girls say-Let Us Have Study. Boys say-Let Us Have Sport. YVillie Cin Geometryl-I know it'9 right but I made a mistake. Freshman-I should think it would kill him to die a death like that. After,they were all killed a great many were arrested. Soph.--I am taking drawing lessons now.

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4 'l'HlC HIGH SVIIOUI. ANNUAL in front of her was a heap of HCWS- papers and periodicals. with a sofa cushion on top, on the other side of the room. were scattered some old letters that had apparently been orig- inally intended for the open Iireplace, and had somehow missed their des- tination. 'llwo ovcrcoats and a pack- age of dried fruit samples were on one chair. jacks banjo and a broken hoe handle on another. the shelves around the room were lilled with a miscellaneous collection of china. books, pictures and groceries. Sylvia opened the 'door to the right and shut it again with a bang: she only saw that the bed had not been made up. and you could write your name in dust on the bureau. lXlother! Do for pity sake come here and look! Did you vz'cr.' And jack wouldn't so much as have his window shade run up crooked at home. :Xt the sound of her voice Mrs. Hal- lan appeared in one door. and Jim Kee in the other. Sylvia knew of course that Chinese servants were common in California, she -knew that jack had one, but when lirst she saw him-well, she picked up her skirt with both hands, stepped gingerly across the lloor and addressed Jim loudly and distinctly: VVhere is your master? jim looked puzzledg when Sylvia knew a little better vvbo man- aged that household she did not won- Her. XVhere is Mr. Hallan, or Mr. Vin- cent? even more imperiously. Me no savceg not come home till late. lJon't you know what they are doing? iligatcef' and No savee: maybe ,Inu turned away as it' unwilling to waste more time in such frivolous converse. , . . Sylvia gave lnm one indignant glance and dashed through the kitchen to the back door. Even in her hurried passage. however, she could not help seeing in what excellent or- der the room was. She tlew through the door and along the path to the barn. How could her brother. jack, intellectual, gentlemanly, well-bred, as he had always been. be living here? She had almost reached the barn when she saw a ligure coming toward the house from the opposite direc- tion. He had on an old and dingy llannel shirt, and a pair of high rubber boots. The boots' were covered with soft, sticky mud, so was a large shovel he was carrying, and there was a goodly quantity of the same mixture on his face and hands. For a moment Sylvia hesitated, wondering what new dragon she was to meet. Then a look of utter amaze- ment eame into her face. 'Qlackl Good gracious, !uck. ' Jack raised his eyes and looked al- most as surprised as she did. Sylvial Hfhy, little sister, how did you get here today? There, don't touch me. I've been out in the irri- grating ditchesg I'm all over mud!