Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

Page 24 text:

C ER LEK25 with you now that a successful comeback is impossible. Enclosed is check for 320,000 which I won at a 100-1 bet. I could not use it, because the Ace I died in winning it. You will please divide it among what charities you believe are best. First take out amount of loss caused you by my quitting and breaking my contract as manager of your stables. I think about 355,000 makes it even that way. Also please collect the Sweepstakes purse for me and give it to charity. I cannot retire from the track with the thought that the Ace died in action and I was the cause of his death. I will ride until I die or get killed. I will not go by the name of VVorral, because if I do people will begin to talk to me about the Ace and I canlt stand that. So that you can keep track of me if you want, I will ride as Carl Henson. ' Respectfully yours as ever, J. VVorral Hllood old .Ioe,', mused Bennet, always thinking of othersf' Then he added determincdly, Every cent of the Ace's money goes to charity. From time to time Bennet read of races in which VVorral 1'ode under the name of Henson. Every account expressed amazement at the recklessness Henson showed always for himself, but the infinite pains with which he cared for his mounts. His carelessness of his personal safety made him a well known figure on VVestern tracks. 'Fearing some of the old timers would recognize him, he kept off the Eastern courses. Then one morning Charley Bennet read this in the racing notes: 'LCarl Henson, known as the VVe,st's most reckless jockey, was thrown from his horse yesterday on the Louisiana track and instantly killedf' Twenty-two ua

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CAERULEAY5 of his surroundings and how he had got there. The death of the Ace of Spades was the only thing that stood out clearly in his memory. He knew besides this that he still had the prize money coming to him, and that there was twenty thousand to collect from a bet. He didn't care what he did or when he did it. He d1'essed quickly and went to collect his bet. It was ten o'clock he saw by the timepiece in the hotel lobby. He was glad of that because he wouldn't have to wake anybody up at that hour. His 1112111 paid the bet easily enough and expressed his sympathy at the sad ending of the great race, at which Joe again started to weep but quickly got control over himself. VVorral did not know what to do with the money he had obtained, for he was sure that he could never again be happy knowing that he had Hkilled, murderedn his horse, the Ace of Spades. He wandered aimlessly about. He saw a train and got aboard, hoping that it would take him away f1'om Albany, and the Albany track. The next morning when Bennet entered the roo1n where he supposed Joe to be sleeping he was surprised to see the bed un- occupied. He found no note concerning his friendls departure. Such an ungrateful action f1'on1 a man who had always appreciated the smallest favo1's puzzled him. In a few days Bennet received the following letter under a Toronto, Canada, postmark: lNIy dear lNIr. Bennet: It was very kind of you to take me to your rooms that day and I thank you very much for it. You have proved that you were right and that a horse can't come back. It is so with men, too. I feel that I can never come back as a great riderg that is, I could not win with a medium horse through riding skill. The Ace of Spades won the race but he broke his heart in doing it. He didn't come back, but he killed himself, or I killed him. An ordinary horse wouldn't have won the race, but he wouldnlt have died either. I believe Twenty-one f

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ef Z X Q ge :J LDT 1X WS . 3, iQ -SQ' K 'QJQ 2 'N Le CAERUI,EA'Z5 FORM Roger VValterhouse '24 Y ' HAVE the bad habit of dropping off into reveries at odd Q25 . I' c LL'-1 moments. How often does the teacher's angry voice summon me from myimeditations and belittle me with sarcastic remarks. Oi late, a most insolvable p1'oble1n has been presenting itself to my cogitations. It concerns my extremely round-shoxildered friend, the barber. lifllllld-Sl10llldC1'Cd116SS is a great asset to a person of his pro- fession, for it saves l1i1n from bending over-but how in the world! does he sit down! VVhen he eats, does he have a table that slants away from him I! No, because all of his food would slide off on to the floor, and he would starve to death. It is evident that he has a chair which slants away from the table. Ah-I wonder what that chair looks like. The more I study it, the more appalling the question becomes. At night, if he lies on his back, he is practically sitting up. This would be a handy attitude for a pe1'son who enjoys reading in bed, but for sleeping purposes, it would be most inconvenient. Conse- quently, he must lie on his side-but what if he should turn over during his sleep? His head would flop over the other edge and the law of gravity would offset his power of equilibrium. This apparently .simple problem is really most distressing. No sooner do I sit down than, as the spirit of Mr. Hyde would envelop Dr. Jekyll, this horrible enigma envelops ine. I am habitually falling into trances over this subject. Ofttimes I will soliloquize aloud and bring great embarrassment upon myself. I am becoming distracted, and if some kind-hearted person does not enlighten me upon this harassing subject, I foresee nothing but insanity. Twentydhree