Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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20 THE GOLD EX-ROD “According to this story the capable de- tective took out his pocket knife and did cer- tain little things to the wire. Think of it. Bill, doing certain little things to a bare cop- per wire with thirty to forty thousand volts coming direct from the transformer. The amperage was probably pretty low, but I bet it made him pretty sick. How I laughed when I read that. “And say, Bill, this smart detective then took his own private set and hooked it on these wires while the forbidden station was sending to Germany. “Did you ever hear of anyone in your ex- perience, Bill, hitching on a receiving set while another fellow was sending and getting the message the fellow was sending?” “Ha! ha! ha! 1 sure wonder how he did it and got the message that was sent without burning his set out.” “It’s the truth, though, Bill. Here is the magazine; read it for yourself.” “I will, Ed. While you were talking, Ed, I was reminded of an experience that happened to me on board a boat two years ago last Au- gust. I was chief operator and was on night watch the first night out from Boston. It was about ten o’clock when I turned my re- ceiving set to get Arlington when she started to send “Press.” After waiting a short while I heard the following:—‘$1000 reward is of- fered for the capture and return of John Smith. He is five feet eight inches tall, slim, with blonde hair, a fair complexion and on his left arm the tattoo of a tiger. He escaped from the Charlestown prison. All ship cap- tains are warned to be on the lookout for him, as it is the belief that he got away on a boat.’ “This finished the press. I recopied it and handed it to the captain, who just then en- tered. While watching for him, I ventured to remark, ‘Captain, that Smith must be some crafty fellow “ ‘You’re right, boy, it will be hard to cap- ture him and we will have to watch for him under disguise “The captain then left, and ordered a quiet search for Smith. Some time after he left, a swell dame en- tered and gee! she was a darb! I sure must have made a fool of myself staring at her be- cause I turned red as a beet when she said: ‘I hope you have got your eyes full.’ I apol- ogized and asked her to sit down. I then sent her message and, turning, started to talk to her. “Some time later, as I sat there lost in her charm, a fellow entered the cabin. I asked him what he wanted. “ ‘O nothing much “ ‘Well, you will find that outside.’ “ ‘O no, I won’t, either.’ He then started fooling with the instruments, whereupon 1 told him to leave them alone and get out. “Just then the captain entered and yelled out, ‘Up with your hands, Smith, I’ve got you now. Keep that hand away from that pocket. I’ve got you covered.’ “He then commanded me to put the hand- cuffs on him. As I did it Smith yelled out, ‘I’m not Smith, I am after him myself.’ “ ‘O don’t come across with that old stuff,’ retorted the captain. ‘You answer the de- scription to the dot as far as your face and hair go, but we will look at your arm and be sure.’ The coat was ripped off and on his arm was found the tiger. “With rising excitement. Smith interrupted, ‘I’m not that person. I am a police detective on the Boston force. My badge is on the lapel of my coat.’ “‘You shut up!’ replied the captain. ‘Where is the badge? I don’t see it here. You will get double irons all right.’ “He then turned to me and said, ‘Get into communication with Arlington and report the capture of Smith and have the police boat meet us.’ “After the captain left with Smith, the lat- ter still protesting. I turned and started my set to call, ‘N.A.A.’ I found that I could not use my rotary spark gap as it had been broken, so I switched over to the quenched spark gap and sent the message. Soon after I got a reply telling the captain they would meet the boat. When I turned about, I saw to my

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THE GOLDEN-ROD 19 a mile. Tyra Alquist is another historian. She wrote the history which is now being used in the Quincy schools. By the way, have any of our class become journalists? W. BLAKE: Why, yes. There are several of our class-members on the staff of the Quin- cy Ledger. Arthur Carino is the editor, Ag- nes Joyce runs an “Advice to the Love-lorn” column. Stanhope Ring is the sporting editor, and George Dorlay is the joke editor. M. WATERMAN: Why, I have a Ledger right here. Shall I read a few briefs? ALL: Yes! M. WATERMAN : Here are some remarks which ought to interest us. (Reads) “Quin- cy’s prominent chiropodist, Stephen McPhee, is suffering from bunions. He is recovering rapidly, and will soon be back at his profes- sion.” Here’s another: (Reads) “Rosslyn Burgess and Leo Rosa, our local dentists, have gone to Maine for a vacation. Natives Be- ware !” A. WADDELL: Let me take the paper a minute. Why, here’s an advertisement. (Reads) “Buy Gorton’s Corn-Plasters: One dollar per-----.” Why, that must be Hattie Gorton! She told me she was in the corn business. Here’s a notice: (Reads) “A fine concert is expected tonight at the ‘Alhambra.’ The Greater Quincy Sextet, consisting of Harry Lubarsky, Oscar Hultin, Gustave Wes- ter, Dorothy Buckley, Alice Cahill, and Sadie Files, will render the ‘Sextet from Lucia,’ in Italian. A large crowd is expected to turn out.” C. WILLIAMS: I bet they’ll walk out be-' fore it’s finished! (Glances at his watch.) Why, it’s getting late. If I don’t get home pretty soon, my wife will annihilate me. W. BLAKE: That’s nothing to what I’ll get. My mother-in-law will massacre me! R. WEYMOUTH (glancing at his “Big Ben”) : I believe that I am scheduled to ad- dress a gathering at Boston in thirty minutes. E. JACKSON: Well, it’s too bad everyone has to go so soon. We have had an enjoyable evening together, and maybe we will all meet again. Be sure to return in the order you came, or you may not reach your destinations. (Presses another button.) Good-bye, every one. M. ROACHE: Good-bye, Esther, we’ve all had a wonderful time. ALL: Good-bye. (Leave.) E. HEAP: Well, that’s the most wonder- ful machine I’ve ever seen! It’s marvelous! I’ll sec that you get a good patent on your in- vention. Good-bye! E. JACKSON: Good-bye. (Alone.) I knew that my invention would be a success. It just couldn’t fail me. Just to think that I know what every member of the class of 1918 is doing! (Goes out.) Esther Jackson, Edwin Heap. Criminal Camouflage “Well, Bill, how goes it today?” “O pretty well. How arc you?” “I am about the same. What are you doing?” “Not much of anything but loafing my time away as manager of a land wireless station. What about you?” “I am on the newspaper staff; and that re- minds me of a story which I laugh at when I think of it. Want to hear it, Bill?” “Sure, Ed, shoot away.” “Sometime ago I was reading a high school magazine, in which I came across a story about a detective who was in the secret ser- vice of the government and was on the trail of German spies during the present war. Tracing them to an abandoned house, he found next to the chimney the aerial of a wireless set of the high frequency type cap- able of communicating with Germany.

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THE GOLD EX-ROD 21 surprise that the young lady was still in the cabin, faintly smiling, probably at the plight of Smith. In spite of the fact that I had con- gratulated myself on making a hit with her she refused to see me the following after- noon ; but I hoped fortune would favor me. “Two nights later when we had nearly reached Norfolk. I heard the attention call followed by the familiar call letters, ‘K.Q.O.’ Adjusting my sending apparatus, and ac- knowledging the call, I got the following: “ ‘S.S. Ontario. “ ‘Jean S. Hankobey. 23-U3-5 15u20-16-15 19c5-23 lit9n 7-U-14-15 rf 15-1-11. E.B.R.’ 'T acknowledged the message and sent it to the captain for delivery. I then unwittingly began to examine the message and was just deciphering, ‘Watch out when the young lady I had not seen for two days entered. ‘What are you doing, Billie? Are you too busy to send a message for me?’ “ ‘O no, I'm not too busy.’ “After I had finished sending, she queried, ‘How do you like your job, Bill?’ “ ‘O it’s all right,’ and soon after this I was sitting on the arm of her chair. I suppose I must have lost my head for sure because I burst out with, T love you. I have loved you ever since I first saw you. If you will marry me I’ll make the best husband you ever had.’ I then slipped my arm around her and tried to kiss her, but she started to pull away from me. In the struggle, her sleeve was torn off and I was dumbfounded as I noticed the tat- too of a tiger on her arm. “Glancing up quickly, I saw that her wig had fallen off, leaving the outline of a man’s head. The next thing I knew I was stagger- ing back from a blow on the nose and I fell to the floor knowing I had made love to Smith, the criminal. “In a few minutes I rose unsteadily and finding Smith gone, I staggered to the deck. As my brain cleared. I could distinguish the police boat coming alongside to get the sup- posed Smith, the first fellow captured. I started on a run to the captain; suddenly my blood turned cold as I saw Smith creeping up on the captain with dagger in hand. I could not utter a sound, but just as Smith was about to spring, I pounced upon his back. He turned with a snarl, dropped his knife, and landed a blow on my chest which knocked me against the rail. “He then jumped overboard, both the cap- tain and I missing him as he did so. In a flash, I followed him, and a struggle began. After a couple of minutes, I began to weaken and Smith got a strangle hold on me, forcing me under the water. In the meantime the captain had yelled, ‘Man the lifeboat! Smith is escaping.’ Just as I lost consciousness we were pulled in. “Some time later I came to on deck. The captain was leaning over me, worry and grati- tude on his face. With deep earnestness, he thanked me for saving his life. Beside him was the man he had first arrested. He proved to be a real detective whose badge had been taken off by the real Smith as the coat lay on a chair. Needless to say, the captain apolo- gized. “To the starboard was seen the boat which had come in response to the messages of Smith, too late for his rescue; while Smith himself, the criminal, was safe in the hands of the police. “I afterward got five hundred of the thou- sand dollars of the reward, the captain get- ting the rest.” Edwin B. Ruggles, 1919. Why are theatre audiences always gloomy? Bumkies—Why are stars like false teeth? Because they are always in tiers (tears).— Hunkies—Because they come out at night. Ex. —Ex.