Piedmont High School - Tris Yearbook (Piedmont, WV)

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fa Z1 jaigbt nf Ztaurrur The night was calm and still. The owls with their weird hoots occa- sionally broke the stillness of the night. The moon had been shining, but a passing cloud came between this orb and the earth, causing a dense black- ness. A dog somewhere in the distance howled ominously. At this moment a cry broke upon the air-such a piercing cry that would have caused one's blood to run cold. :F is X SF The Sabbath dawned calm and clear. Duncan I-Ball, the hall which had been the scene of great festivities the previous night, lay peacefully dozing under the warm sun. But presently the castle took on a more active ap- pearance as the inmates began stirring around. Lord Duncan, the beloved master of the castle, was a handsome man of forty years. He and his wife and one son, Albert, lived happily in their castle. Lord Duncan was a descendant of one of the oldest families in Eng- land, and he and his family were loved and respected by all who knew them. Duncan had one secret from the world and that was his brother, Geor- ges. Georges was a lunatic from birth, and Duncan kept him in a room in the top of the castle, Where he was secluded from the world. No one ex- cept the family and the servants, whom Duncan trusted faithfully, knew of Georges' existence. He was not a raving maniac, but if excited he would be dangerous. He was fascinated by any sort of jewels and would never rest until he had a number of them, so Duncan kept him well supplied with imi- tations. The previous night Duncan had celebrated the sixteenth birthday of his son by inviting the nobility of England to be present when he bestowed upon his son a certain valuable ring set with brilliant and costly jewels. This ring had been passed from generation to generation to the oldest son in the family on his sixteenth birthday. Thus when Albert reached this age the customary ceremony was celebrated. This morning as Lord and Lady Duncan sat in the dining room discuss- ing the night's entertainment, Milly, a faithful old servant, rushed toward the-m, her face deathly white and her eyes amazingly wide. When she re- covered her breath she exclaimed, He's dead! Who ? came from Lady Duncan as she sprang to her feet. Oh Albert, my poor, poor boy I wailed Milly. Wha-What's that ? stammered Duncan. He stood staring at Milly, and wondered if he didn't have two lunatics in the house. Oh, when I passed Albert's room this morning I saw a smear of blood on the door, and when I went inside there lay Albert in a pool of blood, with a slit in his throat. Oh! Oh l A little cry broke from Lady Duncan as she sank to the floor in a heap. Page fifty-seven

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IRHS u 19262-H baping Guuhhpe We always have some feeling of dread when we say parting words to our friends and there is even some disagreeable trait in watching others go through the ceremony. , We have dozens of ways of saying good-bye: There is the heavy, heart- rending farewell uttered between sobs that somehow stirs in us some inner emotion. The son leaving the farm says farewell or good-bye, never Au re- voir. His leave may be long and the parting words said really are serious But here is the flapper getting on the train. She jumps aboard, blows a light kiss to whom she is leaving and her high-pitched voice throws back her Ta-ta, old chapf' and no tears take place. We Watch two college young men, one boarding the train, the other standing on the platform. There is usually a handshake, determined by the station .of the young men, or, in other words, whether they are in for foot- ball or Shakespeare. After this scene there is some parting such as Car- bolic acid, or otherwise. By the way, carbolic acid means good-bye in any language. There is the good fellow that crushes our fingers to-gether so that we must pry them apart, and he calls a so-long and we feel not sad at the parting, but perhaps glad that our hands still contain the regular number of fingers. We meet the chap who has read Zane Grey. He says Adios, doffs his hat and in regular Spanish fashion leaves us. The girl we meet just back from finishing school always departs with Au revoirf' We see them all at the station, at school, everywhere in fact. we smile perhaps, but when we, ourselves, have to say good-bye to someone, we take it all back, and have the same old feeling of dread, and what we would like to say is Jump in the lake or something meaning an' absolute good-bye. Then we have the Seniors, the class of 1926, bidding good-bye to the school loved by us so long. We have reached the ideal toward which we have been plodding for four, short, happy years. In these four years there are many things which we may look back upon, always recalling pleasant mem- ories. There are pals and sweethearts and teachers, all associated with our greatest dreams, but yet we must leave them, cease to lean upon them for encouragement, provide our own initiative, learn by our own mistakes, and at last come through life's journey scathed, but able to look back on a better world. So now we say this farewell to old P. H. S. May God give you the best, may your teachers enjoy life's richest blessings, and last in this hour of good-byes, old school, keep that clean fighting spirit-the spirit that fights to the end. ENID G. OURS '26 Page fifty-six X

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l ,. I Fllll5 I 1926 j Her husband sent for all the servants and, after attending to Lady Duncan, rushed up to Albert's room and saw a scene too horrible to describe. My boy! My boy! To think that your life is cut off just when was beginning to have much hope for you! Who could want to take your inno- cent life ? As the bereaved father mourned over his son, the cook burst into the room and exclaimed, Master Georges is gone! When I Went to take his breakfast this morning I found his room empty and my keys gone! Duncan jumped to his feet with Oh, I see now. Georges killed him to get the ring, for see! it is gone! But how did he see the ring, since he was- n't present at the ceremony? Sir, I couldn't find my keys to his room this morning. He must have taken them from me when I carried up his supper yesterday evening g then last night, hearing all the talking and laughing, he must have sneaked out of his room and in this way saw Albert receive the ring. Would that such a custom as bestowing that infernal ring upon one's son had never been established and I would still have my boy! But We will find that fiend Georges, and he shall pay, yes, he shall pay dear for my boy's death. So help me God I After a hasty meal and a tearful farewell from Lady Duncan, the be- reaved father and his seven faithful servants set out in search of the mur- derer. There was a dense forest on the outside of the Duncan grounds, and through this forest Duncan led his servants. They plodded on and on, searching every hiding place available, but not a trace of Georges could be found. Daylight darkened into night and still the little band kept on. A- bout midnight they stopped to build a fire and rest. As they sat there a faint noise rustled the leaves just outside the circle of light made by the fire. Duncan signalled the men to be on their guard, and the seven m.en sat ready to jump at another sound. Staring into the darkness one of the men perceived just behind Duncan a crouching figure with tousled head and shining eyes. The man sat transiixed, unable to speak. The figure crept sliowly up behind Duncan and with a triumphant snarl he jumped and - Wo e up. K.AfrHlER1NE CRAWFOIRD '26 '63 Page fifty-eight