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

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ll FUR IVIR gown K iv nan if -I I FOIIVII ULVII K Y 14875 i ...I FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 23 mother came up stairs on some errand: he shrugged. Could he ever stand it? Oh how he wished he were dead. Soon after his mother came up the door-bell rang and a voice asked if Don were in. Footsteps were heard approaching Donis room. At last he was found. he thought and then he became unconscious. The visitor was Dick. In his hand he carried a newspaper with the big red headlines turned up. Dick said nothing to Don's mother but bathed Don's head with cold water until he became conscious again. What a surprise to Don to see Dick instead of the policeman. Dick's first words were, Read these headlines. They read like this: Cashier of Conklin's Bank Knocked Unconscious. Bank Satchel Stolen Containing one Dirty Collar, two Clean Shirts, a Comb, Brush, one Pair of old Shoes and a Pipe. - A TRIP ON THE PRATTSBURGH CREEK By RALPH HORTON, '26 NE day about the middle of july, myself and a friend of mine were determined to go on a fishing tripg not for the fish but for the pleasure of it. The creek had been swollen by about a week's downpour of warm rain and the roads were about six inches deep in mud. My friend had on a pair, of rubber boots while I had on only a pair of light shoes. We started out with the sun shining brightly to the right of us, and the beautiful green trees refiecting the sun like so many mir- rors. Soon we turned a corner and entered a long lane with trees on either side of us. Now and then a happy cricket would fiddle his delight at being in such a picturesque place. After walking about two and a half miles we came to what is known as the Prattsburgh creek. VVe were at the upper part, about a mile and a half north of Prattsburgh. As there was a fairly good place to fish where we were, we threw in our lines and waited for the friendly pull of some good fish who wished to reduce some human being's appetite. Hut as no Fish had such a feeling, we. being more energetic for adventure, took off our footwear, and began to wade down the creek. I had always adored the green trees and the muddy water when I saw it from a distance, but when I began to wade through its snake-frequented waters and deep bogholes I did not think so much of it. Soon. however, we came to a large swamp where the bright green reeds waved to us to keep coming and whose lily-pad' blossoms seemed to say, Come on, we will give you light. Xife did keep on and we had gone only about a rod when we sank to our chests in the muddy waters of the swamp. VVe fioundered ahead to a small island-like patch of land, where we found an old canoe which had probably been carried there in the spring. The canoe was soon turned over and fioating down the little channel between the reeds with us as its passengers. Well, it was really a pleasure during the rest of the trip for we could let the canoe float while we plucked water lilies and sang to the tune of the frog orchestra. VVhen we reached the swimming hole which is nearly opposite Prattsburgh we took a refreshing plunge in the coolness of its bush-

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22 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL THE ROBBERY By GAMALIEL CONINE, '25 Dick, come here quick! Our only chance is next pay day. Get me P The person that spoke was Don Fairfax, the supposedly honest clerk in the Wanamaker jewelry store. This store was right across the street from the Conklin National Bank, the only bank in the city of Andover. Its being the only bank in the city meant that a lot of money would need to be handled in this one place. Dick and Don were great chums and furthermore they were of prac- tically the same calibre, which fact did not add to the reputation of either. Dick, come over here by this window,'I have something to say to you of importance. I have waited for some months to tell you offthis plan. Do you see that short, black fellow over in the bank? just turn your eyes on that little satchel beside him. D0 you realize what it contains? It has all the employees salaries for this month in it. Tonight at ten o'clock that fellow will take that bag over to his home on Lake street. There will undoubtedly be in the neighborhood of five thousand dollars in it, and if I work it right I can get it. I will drop in at the Burnell Candy Shoppe and when he passes I'll nap him on the head and make way with the money. VVhat I want you to do is to stay down at the Gibbons landing and we will make way with the money and travel for awhile. With these words the boys parted. At nine forty-five the next night Don became a bit yellow. He wanted to back out but in spite of this nervousness he determined to carry the plan out, for he could see a good time ahead. He just made his nervous form go. On arriving at Burnell's store he did not stop at first, he waited until he heard footsteps coming. Then he ducked in the shadows of the door front. just as the bank cashier went by Don rapped him with an umbrella and then dragged him back out of sight: took the satchel and ran. livery cracking twig was a policeman: every creaking bough was a pursuer. Don began to feel uneasy. His feet were failing him. His arms didn't retain the strong hold they had First had. His head became a jumbled mass of thought. What was the trouble? He realized what might become of him if he were caught. He would probably be put in jail, hanged, or something. His pace now became a walk, his thoughts no longer of the luxurious trip he might take. He was a wreck. He could no longer carry this satchel which burnt his hand because of the small mint inside. At last he determined to throw the money into the lake, desert Dick and go home to take the consequences. Dick waited until twelve o'clock and as Don had not arrived then, he left for home, feeling, however, more at ease than Don. After Don had thrown the satchel, contents and all, in the lake he went up stairs to his room to bed. He did not sleep at all at first and when he did he dreamed of horrid things. All he could do was to toss around and sweat that cold sweat that follows nervous spells. As dawn broke he expected every footstep to be that of a policeman. Once his ITM!! N I nn i' - ran V UTA!! N PRATT

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24 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL shaded waters. After that we again started out in the old canoe which by this time was getting a lame back by its hard usuage. A little further down the stream just as the boat had reached the middle of a deep pool, the boat broke in the middle. My friend and I both made a grab for an overhanging limb which of course had to break, giving us a ducking. I forgot at this instant to adore the surrounding scenery. Life had lost its charm for a while. We dragged ourselves and our water logged clothes onto the bank of the stream where we hung them up to dry. My friend had, as we discovered, lost one of his boots in the pool. After several unsuccessful dives into its now seemingly ice cold depths, we gave up all hope of ever seeing it again. After we had dried ourselves, we put on our sodden clothes and began the weary trudge up Nigger hill. At the top we certainly felt like niggers, going up nigger hill. However before we reached home our clothes had become dried and we decided that we had had a fine time after all. NYe decided that no adventure could be complete without some mishap or close shave. - THE RADIO CAPTURE By GERMANE VAN AMBURG, '26 ININIX Fallon as he sat down to tune in on a z z tScheuec tadyl heard the announcer say, A cornet solo by Augustus Mo- !! I' v 1 reno Fhen followed the tap, tap of the valves of a cornet being limbered up. It continued for some time and then ceased. The solo began and was played through without a break. Before we go any farther maybe you would like to know who Jim- my was. He had been a waif picked from the streets of New York by Captain Fallon, a retired fire chief. The Captain had bought a small farm over in New jersey not far from New York. He had a liking for children, so his house was usually crowded with the friends of jimmy. To his place had come john Denby, a retired detective. Denby was always on the lookout for some clue to unsolved mysteries. So it was little doubted that he would run across some unusual happening, even at the Captain's. On his arrival the boys told him of owls and witches until he was afraid for his life at night. Gradually he cooled off until he dared venture out at night. He also was a great lover of boys and somehow the boys all liked him. Probably it was his good humor that they liked. He had won much honor while in the service so it was little wonder that the boys crowded around him so he would tell them some of his hat raising ex- periences. As -limmy listened, he thought little of the tap, tap of the valves. He enjoyed the music that followed so much that he forgot all about the previous noises. The next night, as Denby tuned in on the same station, it happened that Augustus Moreno played again. He started in with the tap. tap of the valves.,the same as jimmy had heard, but the sounds meant some- thing to this listener. He took out a pencil and paper and began-Dot, I