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

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20 I FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANYVAI, The Haunted House T was about eight o'clock in the evening when Mister Daniel Graves, a lawyer in the little town of Hollywood, walked down Main street and got on a car which was going to Frankfort, a tiny settlement about three miles east of Hollywood. There were two other passengers on the car beside himself but he did not know either of them, so he amused him- self by reading a daily paper. In the headlines, he read the following words, Stolen, twenty-eight pearls, the total loss is estimated at about f25,0OO.H As he read on, he found that they had been stolen from Margie and Emily Fleming, the twot old ladies in Frankfort, whom he was now on his way to visit. - Howfstrange it was, that he, the best law- yer of Hollywood should be on his way to their home. VVhen the car finally stopped at Frankfort, Mister Graves and the other two men got off. He wandered through the streets until he came to the big gray house belonging to the Fleming ladies. Going to the side door, as he always did when he visiting them, he found Margie sitting in her big arm chair asleep. As he stepped on the porch, she awoke and started scream- ing. No wonder she did, after the scare she had had the night before. He spoke to her in his gentlest tone, and she immediately recognized his voice. They had a long talk about the theft of the precious pearls, and decided to search the house thoroughly the next day. After they had finished their visit.she showed him his room and he went to bed. That is, she thought he had, but instead of going to bed, he lighted a cigar and sat down by the window to smoke it. In those days many of the old houses had secret passages and he re- memberd having heard that that very house had a secret passage. He could not go to bed with these thoughts in his mind so lit another cigar. It was about two o'clock in the morning before he decided that he would lie down. He had just gotten into bed when he heard a creaking on the steps below his room. He jumped up and ran down stairs as quickly and as quietly as possible, but by the time he had found his way down stairs every thing was quiet. After making a search in that part of the house, he decided that it must have been his ears that were off and started back to his room. As he was about half way up the stairs, he noticed a crack in the wall about an inch wide and putting his hand on it the panels flew back so that the opening was wide enough for a man to get through. Looking in, he saw a small rope and when he pulled on the rope a ladder came up to the top of the hole. He immediately crawled through the hole and went down the ladder. Here he found himself in a narrow pas- sage which was apparently a very old one and Hlled with old boxes and children's playthings all apparently very old. Of course, neither the Fleming ladies nor their immediate ancestors knew about this. As he wandered on he noticed, to his great amazement, that one of the boxes had been disturbed and that some foot marks showed on the dust. Upon looking under it he found the box containing the twenty-eight pearls.

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FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNFAI. IQ A Mirror of Bygone Days am covered with the dust of many years' accumulation and my former beauty has vanished entirely. My exquisitely carved mahogany frame no longer gleams under the careful polishing of loyal slaves. I stand in exactly the same spot that I did over half a century ago, among the tasteful furnishings of a typical Southern home. I was brought to the colonies by james Richardson, an English Cav- alier, who settled in Virginia. The family of which I was a cherished possession, prospered in the land of their adoption and their home was a center of colonial society. In time, I saw two sons of the house go forth to fight against the mother country, one of them never to return. During the years inter- vening between the Revolution and the war of secession, I reflected in my shining surface, the form of many a Southern belle and gallant, for the mansion was distinguished for its cordial hospitality. I The years flew by as on wingsg members of the family died and oth- ers were married in the stately drawing room where I now stand. As the inevitable conflict between the two sections of the country approached, feeling waxed strong among the people of the Old Domin- ion. As soon as the Hring upon Fort Sumter had aroused the people of both sections to immediate action, the eldest son of the family hastened to enlist. The rank of captain of cavalry was granted him, and he was indeed a dashing young Confederate officer. Needless to say, the family pride in him was intense. During the long years of war, the family lived in absolute simplicity, devoting every effort to the furtherance of their beloved cause. This plantation, like that of most of the Southern gentry, was ravaged by the invading army. As a result, the family became impoverished, but they found solace in the success of their son, who had on several occasions been distinguished by his remarkable bravery and daring. However, there came on one fall day, the news that he had been killed in battle. This was a crushing blow, but the family proudly declared that a younger son of the house, who had been too young to en- list at the outbreak of hostilities, should attempt to fill his brother's place in the army. Imagine their shame, when, after two days sudden and un- explained absence, they received a brief note from him, informing them that he had enlisted in a Northern regiment. His mother was unable to hear this disgrace, coming so soon after the death of her first born, and died in a short time. After her death the house was closed, the master of the house together with his daughters, having removed to Richmond. Since that hour, the house has remained unopened, my once beautiful surface is now shrouded in cobwebs and I have only to reminisce upon the glories ,of anti bellmn days. ' --Calha1'1'1n' li. Cbrurll, '23,

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FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 21 He took the box with him and climbed back up the stairs where he closed everything up tight and with the box still in his hands went back to his room. As he was afraid to go to sleep with the pearls in his possession he read the rest of the night, and in the morning returned the jewels to his delighted old friends. He had no doubt that the burglars had escaped through the secret passage, which led to a vine-covered window under- a porch. However, the old ladies were so pleased to get their pearls back that they had no desire to start a search for the criminal. As the story of. the recovery of the jewels quickly spread, the thief never came back after his loot, and the secret passage was sealed for all time. ,P W p 9-.4g11rsC'1'earz, '26. ' 1 1 . . ' 'I he Gossipers. T was ten o'clock on Monday morning and Mrsfjones was in the midst of her washing. An interruption soon came, for the telephone bell rang and she, thinking it was her ring, hurried to answer it. Upon tak- ing down the receiver she found that the ring had not been hers, but she wouldn't miss such a good chance to rubber, and so she listened. VVhat she heard more -than paid her for her trouble. Neighbor Brown's daughter Lucy had eloped during the night and wasn't anywhere In be found. ' She had been going with a fellow from the city for a long while. She had become acquainted with him while away at school and of course rumor said he was good for nothing as was the case with every one unknown to the town. People said 'that her parents had to take her out of school because they didn't approve. At any rate, she had stopped and come home. All of this flashed across Mrs. Jones' mind as she stood listening with all possible attention trying to catch every single 'word Mrs. Brown was saying. She was intensely annoyed by the constant buzz of voices on the line which made it hard for her to hear. She was a little heard of hearing anywaygbut was among the first to catch any gossip that was traveling around. She did like to have a lot of news to tell the men folks when they came in from the barn. XVhat was that Mrs. Brown was saying? Oh, yes, she heard distinct- ly now. Mrs. Brown had found a letter from her daughter Lucy saying: Mother, . - Please don't be worried for when you read this noteI will be married to Bob and in New York with him. We're to be married at seven this morning. We are coming home afterwards and I'm sure you will welcome ns and treat Bob as your son. Your affectionate daughter Lucy, soon to be Mrs. Bob Harris. Mrs. Brown had, to all practical purposes, published the letter when she read it to her friend. For a minute there was a part of the conversa- tion which Mrs. jones couldn't hearg but she heard Mrs. Brown's last