Lick Wilmerding High School - Commencement Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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QI stfwfarstife IQ, miners' huts, and even the saloon fell to dust, but Silenee!' Ilamlin's cabin remained in almost perfect preservation. VVhen the settlers again returned. after a. few years, they called the place t'Ghost Flat and left it strictly alone. A bluish-white light streamed through the bushes. Dolores screamed and fainted. A few minutes later she regained consciousness and found Helena and Jos bending over her. t'Dolores, dear, what is the matter? What frightened you so? Helena asked. Madre de Dios! Helena! she exclaimed hysteric-ally. The bluish-white light-I saw it! Take me away quickly. Well, Dolores, I never did think our lantern would scare you that way. Shore that lantern 's got a funny light, but I never expected it to frighten the proud Spaniard! 4'Jos! The lantern? Why, sure enough, it has a bluish light. Oh !-but ltintie, Jos. Will you have to shoot him? IVell, I reekon not, and if I 1-alkerlate rightly l1e'll be well afore you, the way you look now. On the way home, Dolores asked, Jos, was the mystery of the ghosts ever solved? What really frightened l'ete?'l 'WVall, you know niggers. Probably that light was nowhere near the eabin, but Was one of them thin mountain fogs, huggin' the hollow. But something struck him. That's true, but they found out later that the drunk who had first followed 'Sileneel had gone after 'Silenee's' gold. Pete eame along. He finds it dan- gerous to have people near, so he hits Pete and then plays ghost, 'tWhy of course! exclaimed llelena. 'tNothing eould be more logical. Jos, why didn 't you explain it to us before? Why did you frighten us so? XVall, I kind o' enjoyed searin' you gals, said Jos apologetieally. We understand your little joke! I guess that after all Ghost Flat is more full of tradition than of ghosts, responded Dolores thoughtfully. K4 GXDQEQLZD Q ihirate ieulh BIELVIN BLUM, 31J Oh! How niee to be a pirate bold And find a lot of treasured gold, A hundred iifty-five years old, Right in the sand 's own fold! I'd build a great big ship, A sword and dagger at my hip. And sail the seas with a boom and bang!- Me and my pirate gang! I'd sail the briny Spanish Main, Under any sun or rain, And then, with a whoop, and rush, and yell, Home I'd run to the dinner bell! IlPage 2611

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QI zrfaiafar sure IQ, better and its dancing girls prettier. As the mines were very rich, the pros- perous miners were drawn here from everywhere. Along with the herd came Silence llamlin, a man with a mysterious past, Godfrey, the dandy gambler of high luck and low reputation, and Rosita, the queen of the saloons. Rosita was the most beautiful and most dangerous dancing girl of the period. Her past was in darkness, but her present was known only too well to the men whose fortunes she had taken. Godfrey was known as 'fthe Gentleniann or the Dandy Gambler because of his habit of wearing a high silk hat and Hne clothes. No one knew anything about f'Silencel' Hamlin, they did not even know if that were his real name. It caused quite a bit of comment, however, when he left Dutch Flat for Luck- less Flat, several miles away. A few miners had prospected there, but none had found gold. One of the hangers-on of the saloon followed HSilence. He returned with a story of gold in greater quantity than was being taken from any known mine. Vllithin three weeks, the population of Luckless Flat was more than Eve hun- dred. A saloon was built. Godfrey and Rosita appeared, too, but no one at- tached their advent to anything except the sanie cause that was bringing other gamblers and dancing girls in numbers. Joy reigned in cainp for several weeks. One night a weird cry floated down to the town from t'Silence's cabin. The 'tDandy Gambler and the Queen of the Saloons exchanged frightened glances and, unnoticed, went outside for consultation. NVe,re foolish to pay that man money any longer. IIe has held sway long enough. No one knows where we came from or who we are. Iietls leave this place. Perhaps we can shake him off our track. I'm sick of having my life spoiled by that man, he said in a nervous way. 'tYou're right, John, but somehow I'm afraid of Tim. I feel as if I owe him something, but I do hate him so, she returned. 'tGo back in, Hettie, I'll go up to his cabin and give him the money we have, and tell him we are through with him for good. 'fDon't go, John. IIe'll kill you. HI can handle a gun, too. Go back in. I'll be all right. Goodbye, Hettie. See you later. t'The Dandy Gambler did not return that night, so the next day Rosita went in search of him. She found two bodies on the floor of Hamlin 's cabin. They had killed each other. She, too, failed to return, and later the miners found her with her arms around Godfrey and her own knife in her breast. The diseoverers did not understand what had brought these three together in death, and without trying to solve the mystery, they buried them. One day Pete, a negro errand boy, happened to pass the cabin, and was found the next morning unconscious in the bushes near by. Ile told a strange story. He had noticed a strange bluish-white light shining from the shack through the dusk. Ile carefully crept closer, but before he could get near enough to see inside the cabin, he was struck into unconsciousness by an un- known hand. The miners all laughed, but when the strange cry that they had heard for- merly repeated itself a few nights later, many of them left. After a few weeks the ghostly manifestations became so terrifying to the inhabitants that even the rough miners left and the camp was deserted. Time destroyed all the Illjage 2531

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QI aftafataffz Ie Beauty babes RUTH CUMMINGS, 29J FITFUL downpour of drizzling rain silenced the hot winds and cooled the scorching pavements. The gaudy bazaars lining the cobblestoned streets brazenly flaunted their colors to catch the eye of the unwary tourist. The proprietors leered welcomingly from the low doorways and awaited the coming of the tourists who had just entered on one of the large steamers and were, even now, starting on a fascinating tour of inspection. One shop seemed to be drawing a particularly large crowd. Inside several swarthy individuals were waiting on a bevy of giggling young girls. In one corner of the shop sat a sloppy creature of rather large dimensions, whose beet red face was wrapped in a voluminous shawl of the same shade. The compla- cent air with which she surveyed the customers as they entered was the only clew to her identity as proprietress. She did not stir from her seat. The eyes had been so dazzled by this animated red bundle that it was difficult to see the figure beside her, but, with a second look, a shrunken old man was seen lolling in the shadow cast by his wife's great bulk. This was Eduardo, the humble hus- band of the proprietress. Madama Eduardo was enviously watching a young girl who had just entered. She would attract attention anywhere, especially among a people where fair skin was seldom seen. Her hair was so light as to seem almost white g her skin was pale with a lovely glow and her fairness was set off by a bright red hat with a tiny parrot perched on its side. She was slim, and her tan suit became her well. She spent lavishly and left the shop laden with bundles. Meanwhile, the proprietress had held a whispered conversation with her hus- band and had sent him into the rear of the shop. Wlhen the girl left, Eduardo was sitting upon the steps and, as she turned the corner, he lazily rose and strolled down the street after her. Not having far to go, it was not long before she arrived at one of the larger hotels with Eduardo following. The husband of the proprietress watched her enter and, after observing the surroundings, lounged lazily off in the direction of the shop. PX: Pl? 25? ' The cool night breeze rustled through the curtains. The moon peeped shyly in, leaving a golden path upon the rug. Suddenly the path of light was broken by a dark form. The breeze sighed among the trees. Far below a giant shadow was east by a waiting figure. Slowly the dark form in the room above crossed the path of light and disappeared into the darkness, but the moon grew more bold and the golden stream broadened. Ah! the moon had come upon a pearl, for at the end of the glowing stream was the face of the young girl who had attracted the attention of Eduardo and his wife that very afternoon. The breeze that rustled the curtains ceased and only the even breathing of the sleeping girl broke the silence. Eduardo swiftly searched the darkness and again, perehing catlike on the sill, disappeared into the night. The breeze rustled through the curtains and the moon retreated. llPage 2711