Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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THE GOEDKN-KOD. summers in the old house of this story. “ She was a most lovable example of the old-fashioned girl,” with her dainty fig- ure, deep-brown hair and rosy cheeks. Many hearts both young and old, were captivated by a glance from her laughing brown eyes. At an early age she married a young Bostonian, the playmate of her childhood. They were happy until money troubles broke up their home and compelled the young husband to flee to another country, where he died. For many years his widow lived a secluded life and finally went to live with the fam- ily of a former school.mate. Here she died about half a century ago and her body lies in the old cemetery on the hill near where she had lived. Servants who have lived in the Quincy home within the past forty years claim to have seen her walking in the garden. A gentle woman in life, she was gentle in her visitations, inspiring a feeling of awe rather than one of fear in those who saw her; and perhaps that is why it was not known until recently that the place had been called haunted. One old man says, “she was a bonny lady, although sad beyond words, and always dressed in the habiliments of woe.” Why did she haunt this Quincy home ? Was there some secret left untold at her death ; did she hide some of her treasures in the old home; or, were the years spent there such happy ones that she was loth to part from the memory of them and returned to live again the merry days of her youth ? This we may never know, for these events are fast fading into oblivion. v A Winter in the Northwest. Several years ago a party of young men, after graduating from an Eastern High School, decided to spend a few months on a farm before engaging in fur- ther study. Accordingly, the latter part of July found them enjoying the novelties of farm life on a ranch in the southeastern part of South Dakota. The ranch was situated on the uplands near the Missouri river and comprised five hundred acres of land. The buildings were a brick residence, half a mile from which were a large barn and a building occupied by the farm hands. The boys found much to occupy their minds and August and early September passed rapidly away and then came the Indian summer, the most enjoyable season of the year in the Northwest. The pleas- ant weather continued until well into October and it had been so warm, the far- mers had taken no thought of preparing for the winter. The pumpkins and squashes dotted the fields here and there with patches of yellow, and very little corn had been harvested. But all this unusually pleasant weather was the calm before the storm. On the fifteenth of October the worst blizzard known in the history of the Northwest swept across Dakota. The snow fell con- tinually for three days and nights and the thermometer registered far below zero. During the storm our party was confined to the house, but when the snow ceased falling they ventured out on snow shoes. They found the snow averaged eight feet on the level, and on reaching the barn discovered on one side, a drift measuring twenty-eight feet in height. At the front of the barn, they found all the farm hands digging at a large drift which cov- ered the pig pen. The breath of the pigs had melted numerous holes up through the snow, and through these an occasional squeal could be heard. The boys obtained shovels, and with their help the animals were soon liberated. Those above were safe, but the lower ones had been smoth- ered. A number of sheep perished in the same manner. This is but one instance

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THE GOLDEN-ROD. in some cases, flirt outrageously, with the phantoms. You may treat anything, from a Viceroy to a Vernacular Paper, with levity, but you must behave reverently toward a ghost. There are in this land ghosts who hide in trees near the road- side till a traveller passes. Then they drop upon his neck and remain. There are also terrible ghosts of women who wander along the pathways at dusk, or hide in the copse near a village, and call seductively. There are ghosts of little children who wail under the stars. The older Provinces simply bristle with haunted houses, and march phantom armies along their main thoroughfares.” Kipling’s ghosts are gloomy ghosts and his haunted houses are mostly Indian bungalows, where terrible ghosts haunt grewsome places and it gives one a “creepy” feeling to read about them. But the ghost of this story is of an en- tirely different kind. Having within its borders such spots as Squantum, where Miles Standish landed with his Indian guide, Squanto; Ma-re or Merry Mount where Thomas Morton held his unholy revels and was banished because of them; Penn’s Hill of Abigail Adams fame ; and many old houses, each one of which has at some time sheltered men whose uames have since become famous :—John Adams and his son John Quincy, John Hancock who married Dorothy Quincy, a niece of the famous Dorothy Quincy of whom Holmes wrote so beautifully, and many, many more,—is it strange that a ghost story has crept in among the numerous interesting tales told of Old Quincy? Mauy years ago there was built, not far from the site of the “ Chappel of Ease,” a modest, two-storied, lean-to-house. In the course of time this house passed from the original owner’s family into other hands. Until about a century ago, it was owned by a man who has left his name attached to several well known places about Quincy. Could the builder have seen his house at that time he would not have recognized it, for an ell had been added here and a bay window there, and, from a small house of perhaps five rooms it was now a mansion of pretentious size. The interior was very quaint with its narrow halls and short, crooked flights of stairs which were dangerously steep, and its many odd nooks and corners. One almost needed a guide in order not to get lost. Just the place that a ghost would choose, however. Men prominent in political history prior to and during the Revolutionary war have lived there, and without doubt many a knotty question has been discussed within the walls of this house. What interesting stories the old house could have told. How night after night, when war rumors were thick, in a closely shuttered room above stairs were gathered hot tempered youths who denounced King George in strongest terms, and soberer men who acted as a restraining hand upon their more firey tempered brothers. Here they discussed the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the tea party, and, when the call to arms came, they said goodbye to the home of their youth, not knowing when, if ever, they would see its hospitable doors again. Here, too, the mother and her daughter daily went about their household tasks with New England thrift, but always with anxiety in their hearts for news of the loved ones on the distant battlefields. And after peace came, what happy times the old place witnessed. The mistress was famous for her hospi- tality and it was seldom that the house was not filled with guests from nearby Boston town and the county hereabout. During this time there had been grow- ing up a maiden who was destined to fill a prominent place in history as a beauty and noted belle. She was a frequent visitor in Quincy and spent many happy

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TIIK GOL.DKN-ROI). of what happened all over that region. In that great storm large numbers of sheep, swine, and even cattle were lost. The afternoon and the two following days were spent in digging paths. There were many drifts to tunnel through, and the fun of making one of those tunnels more than outbalanced the work. A trip to the city ( Yankton,) which is about two miles distant, soon became necessary to replenish the oil and pro- visions. As it was impossible to go with a team, all of the boys volunteered to go on their snow shoes, and their offer being gladly excepted, they were soon on their way to the city. Provisions were ob- tained without any difficulty, but to ob- tain oil was another matter. There was but one barrel of the latter in the city, and the owner of this was getting an enormous price for it. He would sell only half a gallon to each customer, and in spite of their protests that was all the boys could get. While returning home, they were dis- cussing what they should do for light when the oil was gone, and one of the party suggested that they make candles. This plan was accepted and on reaching the house the experiment was tried. The first two or three were rather poor imitations of candles, but after a little practice some very good ones were made. Gandies were used for over a week, at which time the first train which had ar- rived from the East since the storm began, .reached the city, bringing plenty of oil. The weather continued intensely cold for several weeks, freezing the Missouri river to the bottom in some places, the first time on record, and the ice continued unusually thick during the whole winter. Although the storm had caused much loss of life and property, it was nothing compared to what followed with the spring thaw. The river became blocked with ice, and overflowed its banks, cover- ing the lowlands for miles around. At one point near the Nebraska line the water was sixty miles in width. When the flood was at its height, the boys were standing on a bluff overlooking the river. The stream suddenly tried a favorite trick of its sister, the Mississippi, and changed its course. An avalanche of water and ice swept over the beautiful village of Green Island, in sight on the opposite bank, and completely destroyed it. Houses and great trees were carried away like chips, and along with them went many domestic animals. The church steeple stood the strain for nearly an hour but at last it too went down with a crash, the bell tolling the death of the village. The inhabitants had been afraid the town would be flooded and had gone up to the uplands, but few thought it would be utter- ly destroyed. The flood continued for sev- eral days, and when it subsided the river banks were piled high with ice and debris, reaching in some places a height of thirty feet. The r-anch on which the boys were stay- ing suffered very little as it was on the high ground, but many of the neighbors lost everything they possessed and were obliged to begin anew. Soon after this the party returned East and I doubt if any of them will ever for- get the experience of that winter. ATHLETICS. The Quincy High second eleven has rivaled the first in gaining glory for the school. They have shown such determi- nation and grit that they have been able to win victories in all the games to date but one, which was a tie. The team is stronger than that of any previous season. The line-up is as follows:— 1. e., T. Murphy. 1.1., Mitchell. 1. g., Rice, Lewis. c., Cobb.