Petaluma High School - Trojans Yearbook (Petaluma, CA)

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THE ENTERPRISE ’17 But it had not. When the man to whom they sold it paid Hen for two hundred and seventy-five pounds at three and a half a pound, he paid a little over nine hundred and fifty dollars. Three weeks later found John Graton exonerating his son from all guilt. The girl breathed easier as he talked, for she was pleased to find that “Blake” was Hendrick Graton, but she had tried to think “Blake” was innocent, although she couldn’t. When everything was cleared, Hen asked her to dine with him, and when they were seated at the little French restaurant, she began to apologize for arresting him and for thinking him a thief. “Will you please tell me,” she asked suddenly, “why you wanted that thousand dollars?” So lie told her, briefly, of the wager, and of the requirements—except that which demanded that he come home with a wife. He paused on this one and in that pause, his eye fell on a large day calendar. It was the thirtieth of October, the last day of his year! And so then he told her of the marriage requirement, finishing with the old, old, words that have been used a million times. John Graton received a message that afternoon: “Send the $2,000 by messenger to Campau’s. Ring, minister, and a trip to Florida. A double and a whale did it. HEN.” TIIURLOW HASKELL, ’ll —81—

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T H E E N T E ' EPEISE ’17 6 Mar—er— Miss Handon,” and lie looked at her steadily, “If I give you my word of honor, as a gentleman, not to try to escape, will you allow me to work over here until I have made a thousand dollars?” “But why,” she asked, “What do you want with a thousand dollars?” “I can’t tell you just now, but if you will trust me, you will be doing me a great favor, and you will be squaring yourself for arresting me.” He smiled, but as she was convinced that he was the embezzler, she saw no reason for squaring things. “Mr. Blake,” she said, after a long pause, “as I have told you before, I like you and you seem honest. I believe you are. My time is limited to about a week here, so if you want to try that long to get it, you have my permission. How much have you?” He counted it. “One hundred and two dollars.” “Is that all?” she asked wonderingly, for she didn’t see where all the embezzled money had gone. “Well, if you look around you might find some way to invest that money. If you can’t do it in a week, we’ll have to go anyway. I’m giving you a week longer than I should.” And he cursed the man in whom nature had created his double. Four days had passed since Marion Handon and her prisoner arrived in Manila. Hen was patiently and unceasingly searching for a get-rich- quick method. On the fifth day he had found nothing new and so to ease his trouble brain, he and his sponsor walked along the beach below the city. It was the close of day and as the fiery sun sank below 4 the western horizon, the first rays of the moon stretched over the eastern waters. Both were watching the beautiful sight and, heedless of their steps, Hen stumbled over an object in the sand, and out of mere curios¬ ity, he stopped and knelt to see what this object was, in the smooth ex¬ panse of the beach. As his face neared it, a peculiar odor was inhaled through his nostrils. It was sweetish and sickening, and, as he dug around his discovery, it became more noticeable. The girl gave a cry of surprise. “Harold—Mr. Blake, you’ve found it! I know what it is, for I have often heard my old sailor uncle speak of it. It’s ambergris! Just as sure as I’m alive! Now don’t look that way, because I’m going to ex¬ plain righ t away. This stuff is called ambergris. It’s a secretion from whales and it’s awful expensive. You see, it’s used for making perfumes. How many pounds do you think there are?” He had stopped digging while she was talking, but now he dug as a terrier for a rat, and soon he had his prize uncovered. It’s surface was hard, but rather flabby. In fact it resembled an immense piece of kelp, such as is found along the ocean beaches of California. He tried to lift it from the hole, but failed in his attempt. And when Marion saw he was not able to raise it, she said, “We will be leaving Manila tomorrow evening, or else the price of ambergris has gone down.” «— 30 —

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TGH] BG10IMY FAT (Junior Prize Story) J OHN RANDOLPH sat peacefully by his cozy fire gazing intently into the blazing coals. For many years lie bad invested, deposited and held on to the great sums of money at bis command. The iron gray hair, the face creased with wrinkles, the lips, firm and thin, showed plainly a selfish, lonely man, one who had never done any one good and thought he never would. But now, while the snow was falling gently outside, and the night getting colder, the man by the fire was reviewing memories, pleasant and otherwise. The flickering, dancing light in front of him, was like a panorama. A series of pictures arose before him. The first was of that afternoon, for when leaving his office, he had seen, standing by a store whose brilliantly lighted windows revealed a showy Christmas display, a tired, shabbily dressed woman, holding onto an excited and ragged little boy. To-night the heart that had frozen and hardened with every winter was having new sensations. A shadow 7 of the past had enteied into his life. It had changed his future to the course that it had taken. Would it change it again! Twenty years ago! It was as vivid as the present. John Randolph was riding a fine horse up the driveway of a stately Virginian home. It was spring. The air was clear, the blossoms sent out their sweetest odors, the birds sang, and with every note of their happy song, the young heart beating with the fire of youth and love, became suddenly aware that on the veranda in front of him, the object of his coming w 7 as talking to another man. Hot, fiery 7 jealousy surged into the breast of John Randolph. He had driven many miles to see the girl alone and here she was, talking with a person whom she had once said she had thought she loved. After the stranger had gone, in some w 7 ay the two young people had quarreled. In a burst of uncontrollable anger, Randolph had return¬ ed to his native state and had remained there through y r ears, sad, long and lonely for him. The past was revealing itself in the flickering flames of the fire. And in his brain, Randolph’s anger burned, then flickered and always he saw the face of the laughing girl, laughing at him for his needless jealousy 7 . The next day, and following that came many days which found him, after office hours, searching for the face of the woman or of the boy. Each day went, with his failure, but he never gave up. Christmas Eve Randolph was taking a drive in his fine, powerful French car. In turning a corner with unn ecessary 7 speed, the wdieels — 32 —