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

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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

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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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22 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL remark which was I'll treat him as a sou all right. And, Here come the meng I must stop and get dinner on. Call me up sometime. VVhat? Oh, yes, they'll be here all right. Mrs. Jones left her post at the telephone saying to herself, Well, of all things! I just knew that Lucy would turn out bad. I wonder if Mrs. Dennison has heard about it? Well, I'll just get my washing out of the way and then I'1l run over and tell her. Mrs. Dennison was the old lady across the road and with an even better reputation as a gossiper than had Mrs. Jones. Mrs. jones, having got her washing out of the way quickly, ran over across to Mrs. Dennison's and told her all about it. She told about the sarcastic way that Mrs. Brown had said. I'll treat him as a son all right, and added many details to make her story more brilliant. By the time that Mrs. jones left, Mrs. Brown had sent her daughter and son-in- law from her door telling them never to darken her door again. Mrs. jones and Mrs. Dennison knew that this was going to happen just as well as though it had really taken place. As soon as Mrs. Jones had begun to spread the story it grew better. That afternoon about four o'clock Lucy and Bob drove slowly through the country so that the women at the windows, the men at the barn doors, and the children in the yards could all see and all get a good look. They were apparently quite unconcerned and at ease, while all the town was anticipating a horrible scene. At last the fatal moment came, Lucy ran up the steps to her home, followed by Bob. Her mother ap- peared, kissed them both warmly, and they all disappeared in doors. Great was the disappointment of Mrs. jones and her select group of friends when it was apparent that all the excitement had been a false alarm, and that Mrs. Brown had welcomed Lucy and her husband. It really shouldn't have happened, but Mrs. Brown chanced to be sensible and fond of her daughter. They had not counted on that. I ' --C'larz'brl Slamfwz, '26. TO ALTON: Here's to Alton, our line center, Treasurer parfait is Alton, Famous all the country o'er. Both of Post and of A. A., How the people alway cheer him, Without him to hold the money, As he dribbles down the floor. Not a single thing would pay. Hefs not only our best athlete, Now you may be scared of Alton, More than that we're glad to say. Say he's too good to be true, He's our valued man of all trades, So we'll tell a trick of his Best in work, and best in play. To make him seem more real to you. What's'the funny sound we hear? Giggle-tick, giggle-tock? Sounding through the study-hall Alton's laughing at the clock. --Catharine Cornell, '23.