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

Page 31 text:

FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 29 to wear their dress suits while the women intended to wear their even- ing gowns. Of course the Raccoons who-never-wash-their-food-at-all were not invited. VVhen the night of the great party came, Billy's mother, after hav- ing dressed him in his best suit, carefully explained to him that he must be sure and wash all his food three times before placing a bit of it in his mouth and added that if he rinsed it off in a fourth water it would be so much the better. Billy promised faithfully to do just as his mother told him and skipped olf with a light heart when finally she released him. Billy really intended to do just as his mother said, but somehow or ever the food washed three-times didn't seem to taste a bit better than that not washed at all, so he got in the habit of slipping it, unwashed, into his mouth. Everything went fine for a long time but at last, just as Billy was sticking a great, big, dirty clam in his mouth his mother popped around a corner. Of course she saw him, that was unavoidable, but she did not catch him for he ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and in the direction of a never-wash-their-food-at-all Raccoon village. Billy knew that if his mother once got him he would have a right to lament, and for this reason he never stopped until he came to the other village. The settlers in that village allowed Billy to live with them and be- fore he died at a ripe old coon age he had converted many of his new neighbors to the wash-their-food-three-times-custom. THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE By RALPH HORTON, '26 Burton had entered the cave as brave and fearless as a lion, but came out, shaking like a leaf in the cool autumn breeze. His eyes were star- ing straight ahead and I noticed that they were glazed over, giving them a glassy appearance. I knew that people who had been hypnotized had that same glassy stare in their eyes. The moment I reached Burton I knew he was under some sort of spell which had seized him while he was in the cave. The cave had always held a mystery in its cool depths and Burton had been warned several times before he had undertaken the adventure of exploring it. I hustled him home and called the doctor, who said he thought he could cure him. However in spite of all the doctor could do, Burton died that night, murmuring some unintelligible words, only four of which I was able to catch. Those words were, Take that snake away. After he had uttered these words, he drew one deep breath and lived no more. I decided that it was up to me to discover the cause of this strange in- cident which had taken place in the mystery cave, for this made the third person who had lost his life in the cave, and I now decided that he would be the last. The day following the burial of Burton I set out for the cave with a shot-gun in one hand and a large flute in the other. A The first twenty steps into the cave seemed easy enough to traverse, but as I began to get

Page 30 text:

28 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH scHooL ANNUAL limbs. Then they would climb out on the limbs, and cling there, until the wind should blow them away. About forty of the acorns in this room were about to begin this journey, when Moon-drop entered. Immediately they seized her, and told her that they were going to lock her in the dungeon, for acorns do not love fairies. One of them jerked a golden cord that had hung from the center of the ceiling, and instantly a square opening appeared above. They got a ladder, and all climbed up, dragging poor Moon-drop, who wailed piteously. The trap door closed after the last acorn, and they found themselves at the foot of a circular staircase, which they started to climb. At inter- vals along the way there were stair landings, with fountains on them. On the thirty-seventh landing, another trap door was found. This was opened, and the fairy flung in. ' A Poor Moon-drop was then alone in a dark and dirty cell, half way up the trunk of an oak tree. After three days imprisonment she: was dying of hunger and despair, when she noticed that everything felt warm. Then all at once, she saw Fire all over the ceiling of her cell, and beyond that, the blue sky There was a forest fire, and the oak tree was burning with its brothers. A spark floated down to her, on which sat an ugly little imp. The imp caught hold of her, and they floated towards the sky. On the way up, he asked Moon-drop to marry him, but although she was in love with him because of his bravery in rescuing her, she did not want to marry an ugly little imp. But at that moment they met a magic rain drop, that put out the spark, and changed the imp into a handsome elf. The fairy and the elf rode back to earth on the rain drop. On their arrival they were welcomed joyfully by their fairy friends. A few nights later they were married at a fairy wedding, and they lived happily ever after. BILLY RACCOON By BEULAH BROWN, '26 Once upon a time there lived in a forest a little raccoon whose name was Billy. Billy's parents were fine, respectable people who lived in one of the largest trees in the wood and who were loked upon by their neighbors as well-to-do folks. In the raccoon world there are three classes of people, those who wash their food three times before eating, those who wash it only once, and those who never wash it at all. Billy's parents were placed in the three-time class, as you can readily imagine the social rank which they held in that community. Raccoons who-never-wash-their-food-at-all are considered by the three-timers as the most vulgar and vile, of creatures and are avoided by them in every possible way. VVell, to go on with my story, there was at this time a great party being planned by Billy's mother and father which was to take place down by the sandy banks of Raccoon River, in the bright moonlight of a June evening. It was to be a very formal affair, the men were expected

Page 32 text:

30 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL deeper into it I began to have a creepy feeling, as though I were sur- rounded by a dozen snakes. I kept my flashlight turned on ahead of me. Certainly no soldier ever kept better watch than did I. At last I found myself in a large room of the cave and as I sat down to rest I saw a shadow-like form glide from a small opening in the rock. With fingers that trembled I carefully laid down my gun and began to play a soft tune on my flute. As I played the strange object which I had seen glided before me and what I saw sent a thrill of horror through me, for it was a giant cobra, and as he came within a yard of me he coiled him- self up and began to sway from side to side, in time with the music. Gazing into his piercing eyes I began to feel sleepy and just as I was about to fall asleep I dropped my flute and snatched up my shot-gun, pointed it at the reptile and fired. The noise of the gun brought me back to my senses and turning on my flashlight, which I had dropped, I saw the giant snake writhe its last. I dragged the snake from the cave and showed it to the doctor who said that if I could have killed the reptile before Burton's death he would probably have lived. Then he told me that quite often the person under the influence of another person or animal could be freed from that spell by the quick death of the in- fluential factor. The doctor also said, that the flute and shot-gun had been the means of saving my life. A LITTLE ADVICE T0 THE FRESHMEN By RALPH Honron Philosophers say that it is best to train children while they are young. That is the reason why juniors make it their business to donate a little necessary advice to the young and inexperienced freshmen. Freshmen always start their career by having several parties. If they would only look to the juniors for an example they would discover that the more experienced class does not indulge so heavily in such childish fancies. There is no need to warn the Freshies that they are likely to overwork their minds as this trouble generally comes later in their school life. As we take the responsibility of nourishing the young freshmen into a better school life we always remember the motto, Spare the rod apd spoil the child, and whenever we think they are having too many parties, etc., we put this motto into action. TO THE FRESHMEN Remember this advice forever It'll put a smile on your faceg lf you don't you will probably never Feel the glory of a junior's place.