Newman Township High School - Talisman Yearbook (Newman, IL)

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THE TALISMAN I5 in the shoulder and they both fell to the ice with loud cries. It was the young man's wolf hound that had come to the rescue. There was a terrible fight on the ice in which the hound was victorious, although she died in her attempt to' save her master. She killed one of the wolves and crippled the other so badly that he ran away. By the time the young man was down beside her the faithful old hound was dying. V -Kenneth Church, '16. lt CATCHING A BURGLAR. We had been losing coal from our coal house for some time and I had decided to catch the burglar. Having already tried abouti four different kinds I decided upon a new plan. Having an electric bell I purchased batteries and wire and constructed an alarm system arranged so that whenever the coal house door was opened the electric bell near my bed would ring. The first night passed uneventfully but the next morning I discovered that I had noi! connected up the wircs of the system properly and that the thief had taken an especially large amount of fuel. The next night I was suddenly awakened by the steady ring of my little servant, the bell. I hastily arose and carefully creeping out with my Colt's clinched tightly in my hand I came to the coal shed and seeing nobody on the outside, I quietly crept inside. But while I was feeling carefully about in the dark I heard the door slam and the click of the lock, then hurried footsteps. I was locked. in my own coal house. The first of my thoughts were to call for help which I did lustily, but no answer came. Presently I heard three or four men outside talking in a low voice. I again called for help, then there were hurried foot- steps towards the door which was unlocked and thrown open. l then thought only of my escape and jumped out of the coal shed only to be caught by three burly policemen, who hustled me, all unmindful of my protests and attempts at explanation, to the patrol wagon and taken to the city jail where I spent a restless night. Later I found that my wife had been the cause of all these proceedings, for she having heard my calls for help had telephoned the police. The next morning it took all of mine and my wife's powers of explanation to free me from the police. And. when I returned home I took down the electric bell system and declared henceforth the burglar should have all the coal he wished, but strange to say, I never again suffered any loss. -Harlan Keran, '16, R, TI-IE BOSS AND HOW I-IE WON I-IIS TITLE. The boss was a young man about nineteen years of age. This may seem rather young for a man to be in charge of about one hundred and fifty men, but he was fully capable of holding down his job. He was big of frame, and muscular, and about his mouth was an expression of honesty, truthfulness, and a willingness always to helpf others when in trouble or in time of need. I shall now 'tell how he won his title. He had been working at the mill ever since he was old enough to do any kind of work at all. The work that the mill was doing now was putting in a large concrete dam across the river just below the mill, and the other dam. The old dam was getting weak and they were going to build a new one and then blow the old one out. 4

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I4 THE TALISMAN ' slowed up so his fireman could get off to get the man, then proceeded to the top of the hill and waited. It took half an hour to release the man and get him back to the train. The train pulled into the terminal twenty-five minutes late. The grim officials met the offending engineer with bristling airs and threatening voices and would hear no explanation. He had failed them at the .critical time. He was discharged. The R. H. SL D. lost the contract and also lost a good man when Dawes was fired. He is now superintendent on another road. The man whose life was attempted proved to be one of the road's track supervisors, who had been attacked by bandits and thus disposed. -Arthur Parr, '14. Z CHASED BY A PACK OF WOLVES. Away from civilization in a great forest was a large lumber camp. They had been cutting wood for a distant city. One day the foreman noticed that their provisions were running low. It had been a very severe winter and it had taken more food than he had thought it would. He at once ordered a young lumberman to take a team and go to the distant city for more food. The young man was going to take two days to make the trip, as it was very cold and the snow was deep. He had presence of mind enough before he left to get his gun and shells. Everything went fine on his way to town, and he made the trip in due time. He loaded his provisions and made ready for an early start back to camp. He was up early the next morning and made a good start. It was a clear day, but very cold. Every particle of life in the forest seemed to be killed out except himself and his team. He had covered about two-thirds of the distancee when he heard the distant howl of a hungry wolf. Everything was silent for awhile. Then he heard the howl againg this time it was answered by a second wolf and again by a third. The next time he heard it, it was close up behind him. Then again it would be in front, again on one side, and then on the other. He knew by that that they were all around him, Then. he thought of the meat he had in his sled, and he knew they were very hungry and very savage. He gotlhis gun out from under the seat and looked to see if it was in readi- ness. .lust thcn a wolf crossed the road in front of him, he shot, but missed. and the wolf disappeared. After that they were more careful and stayed further behind, but still they kept steadily on his trail. At times things would be very silent, then they would howl dreadfully. After a few hours they became bolder and came closer to the sled. Then he saw he was going to have to run for it. He got his gun ready and began to push his horses. The wolves closed in and tried one by one, to jump up behind. One by one he shot them down, and when they fell the rest stopped to eat them. He thought he would be safe if only his ammunition would hold out until he reached camp. He counted the wolves and there were just fifteen left, then he counted his shclls. Glory. He had sixteen, but alas, he missed three shots. Now there were more wolves than he had shells. His only hope was to make camp. He was now within two miles of camp with three shells and five wolves, and two very tired horses. He was driving them as hard as he could, but they were failing very fast. .lust as he drove on to the river, which was about half a mile from camp another wolf sprang upon the sled and he shot her, but it was his last shell and there were two more long tongued, hungry eyed wolves following him. The second wolf sprang up, and he struck at it with his gun, andl senti it sprawling to the ice. lt was not long however, before it again was on its feet. Then the other wolf sprang to the sled, but before it had hardly struck a long gray body shot through the air and struck the wolf

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I6 THE TALISMAN In the center of the dam had been placed U. large iron pole. It was fastened in the concrete and on the top of it was the American flag. The dam was finally finished and the old one blown out. About a Week after this the young man earned his title. The overseer had come down to see the new dam and had brought his little boy, about six years of age, with him. The father had gone to see the dam and had left his little boy playing near the bunk house. The father had not been gone long when he heard great shouts and saw his little boy in the middle of the stream in a boat that he had set adrift, going straight to the dam, and certain death. He was so terrified he did not know what to do, until he saw that the boat was going to go over near the flag pole. He then began to shout to the boy to jump and catch hold of the pole and hold on for dear life. As is so happened that the boat came very near to the pole the little boy leaped out and caught hold of the flag pole. It had been fixed with steps on it so the men could put the flag up. There were only three steps on it but the little boy stood. on the bot- tom one and held around the pole. The next thing to do was to get some way to get him off. About this time, Bob, Cas that was the name of the young man we have already mentionedj, came up. He told the father if the men would fasten a rope cable to a large tree up stream a way, then fasten it to another close by and cut the last down and get it out in the current, he would ride it to the dam, and get hold of the boyg then as the rope would not let the tree go over the dam and as the current washed against it, it would at last be washed ashore. It was a very dangerous undertaking, but the young man wanted to try so the father let him. It was tried and proved a success and the young man was made a boss. -Kenneth Church, '16.