Prattsburgh Central High School - Franklinite Yearbook (Prattsburgh, NY)

Page 18 text:

14 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL as if to choke him, but Sarnbo was too quick for him, and with an agile leap he sprang aside, and Carter, entirely overbalanced by the force with which he had rushed forward, fell prone upon the floor. You nigger! he exclaimed, picking himself up, You'll suffer for this. Take that---and that ! He pulled out his revolver and was shooting directly at Sambo's head, or where he thought Sambo's head ought to beg but Sambo was jumping around in front of him in so many different ways and the smoke was so very thick that every aim went amiss. Then Carter, almost beside himself with rage, turned toward his companion. Can't you help me rid the earth of this infernal rascal? No, I cannot, Robert. I cannot help you kill one of the race that we are fighting for. You're just about as bad as he is. If you weren't white I'd be tempted to put a bullet through you, too. Take a care there, Robert, or you might get the bullet first. No danger, I guess, and at that Carter tired a shot at him. Both Sambo and the minister now sprang toward him. Revolvers were fired otf and in the noise and confusion no one noticed that the door had been broken open and that Harold Finley had entered---that is, none except Aileen who had spied him coming toward the house and had signaled for him to hurry. What is the trouble here, anyway ?' he demanded. This house is in our possession for the time being. Explain this. Sambo and the minister, thrown off their guard by his sudden appearance, temporarily loosened their hold on their captive. Carter, taking advantage of it, sprang up and grappled with Finley. Either you or I must die, and I prefer it to be you, he jerked out as they struggled together. Carter, already worn out from struggling with Sambo and the minister, was soon thrown to the floor by his opponent, but still had strength enough left to pull Finley down with him. As they fell, Carter reached over for his revolver, put his finger on the trigger and turned it toward Finley's head. Finley, realizing Carter's purpose, made a sudden move and the shot, intended for his own head, went through Carter's instead. Sambo could still feel the tenseness of the situation and the awful anxiety lest some harm should befall Aileen. He remembered, even now with a sigh of relief, how relieved he had been to know that Carter was dead, shot by himself in an effort to kill someone else, and that his threat had turned out to be his own undoing. In order to avoid any complications of any kind, a brief funeral sermon was preached over the dead man, and Sambo, together with the minister, carried out the body

Page 17 text:

FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 13 and Sambo, to whom the Colonel had entrusted the care and safety of the plantation. Sambo recalled clearly how proud he felt as the Colonel gave the plantation over to him, and how he could scarcely say, Thank you, massa, Missy Aileen will be safe with me, and how, with tears in his eyes, the Colonel had grasped his hand and told him that he trusted him beyond measure, and that Aileen's mother in heaven would protect them. Sambo had faithfully lived up to his trust, he watched Aileen when she was unaware of it, he took every precaution he could to insure her safety. Aileen would frequently laugh at him for being such an old fussy, but he could not be laughed out of his determination. Frequently he remembered the threat of Robert Carter and wondered what would happen if he and Finley should ever meet on the field of battle. The skirmishes around the plantation soon became more numerous and Sambo's mind was not a little disturbed when he discovered that Finley and Carter were the opposing leaders. Aileen, of course, knew nothing of Carter's threat against Finley, but nevertheless was greatly alarmed whenever any new skirmish took place, for although she loved Finley, she also felt a warm feeling of friendship toward Carter, with whom she had spent all her girlhood days. Her heart, too, was divided, for her desires and hopes were all with the South, but her love was- with Finley. How could she help both and be loyal to both? She knew that the slaves left on the plantation were carrying food to the Southcrners and were helping them in any way they could while everything was being done to hinder the Northerners. One day an unusually severe skirmish took place on the Harding plantation. Sanibo recalled how he had summoned all the slaves into the house, had barricaded the doors, and had stood ready to defend the house against the enemy. After a few hours of anxious waiting a loud knock was heard at the door, and entrance was demanded. Pushing Aileen behind the draperies, Sambo cautiously opened the door, but before he had a chance to open it very far, it was forcibly pushed open, and Carter and another man strode in, knocking Sambo to one side as they did so. After again securing the door, Carter faced Sambo. Now, you, tell me where she is,'l he demanded. Who? answered Sambo, fencing for time. She, Aileen. She is going to marry me now. Where have you hidden her ? My massa left me to protect lil' Missy Aileen, and I will. You'll have to kill me before you touch her. I will, if necessary, you nigger, and at that he sprang at Sambo

Page 19 text:

FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 15 and buried it, while Finley stayed to encourage Aileen. Sambo was sure that to this day no one except himself and the minister, besides Aileen and Finley, knew anything about the real reason for Carter's death. At this point he suddenly remembered that he had been talking to Aileents daughter, and turning to speak to her found that she was no longer there, for Alice, noticing the dreamy look coming into the old man's eyes, had silently stolen away and left him to his dreams. ERNEST KENNEDY, '17. What Became of the Relic T was a beautiful day in July and Tom as usual was enjoying the pleasure of sitting on the porch reading and eating cookies. He had not been sitting there long before his brother Pete, who was mowing the lawn called to him to come and watch the pet calf, while it ate some of the clover which grew in one corner ofthe lawn,nand to see that it did not run away. So Tom picked up his hook and the chair in which he was sitting and walked down to the corner where the calf was peacefully eating, As fate would have it, the chair was a very antique one, and a relic cherished very much by 'l'om's mother, as it was over one hundred years old, and had been given to her by her grandmother. When Tom reached the corner where the grass was so high, he placed the chair in a shady place, sat down, tied the calf to the arm of the chair and proceeded to read. In the meantime Pete was working very industriously with the lawn mower, and did not even hear his mother call to Tom to come and get hera pail of water. But he soon realized that Tom was not in the chair, for as he pushed the lawn mower toward the spot where the chair had been, he saw the precious chair bobbing up and down over the ill used calf's back and the calf trying to run out from under it and both were going at a very swift rate of speed down the road. Pete's cry of dismay brought his mother to the door, and made the hired man who was working in the vegetable garden look up to see what was the trouble. At the sight of the chair bobbing down the road at such a terrific rate of speed, Tomls mother became very angry and Pete's face began to lengthen, but Tom, who always looked on the funny side of life, laughed until the tears rolled down his cheeks, and the hired man also laughed until he was brought back to his senses by Tom's mother who told him to get out the Ford and bring the calf back. A In the meantime, pieces of the chair were flying in all directions,