Reading Memorial High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Reading, MA)

Page 17 text:

THE PIONEER PAGE NINE Consider the matter. Procure a horse “Giddyap, Napoleon. It looks like and carriage. Drive slowly around rain.” Reading. We promise to inform you of our presence in the rear. Nuf said, V. H. W. ’30. ON ANSWERING ADVERTISEMENTS Answering advertisements (concern¬ ing such things as sample packages of grape-nuts, post toasties, et cetera), has always appealed to me and I have regarded it as a novelty. Consequently, whenever I have read an advertise¬ ment in a magazine that did not neces¬ sitate the sending of stamps or any money, as I am Scotch, I literally pounced upon it, and had the ad in an envelope and on its way in ten sec¬ onds from the time I had perceived it. Many tim es such ads have ended dis¬ astrously, especially those sent for this year, but just the same it has been fun. , My first reply to an ad was in con¬ nection with a sample box of grape- nuts. I received my order, so to speak, in short time and much to my delight was sent two packages instead of one and a recipe book besides. Thus, encouraged at “beginner’s luck”, I decided to try again. The next had to be for my personal beauty (?) — some liquid that would make my hair curly for the rest of my life. As I had always adored curly hair, I was attracted to this most miraculous ad, and for days I watched the mail, wait¬ ing for that priceless something — but — sad to relate, it never came. For the next two or three weeks I was not inclined to answer advertisements, but, at last , upon seeing that I could get a sample of almost everything Mr. Dennison produced, I sent for the wonderful collection. To my disap¬ pointment Mr. Dennison seemed like myself in temperament, extremely Scotch, for all I received for my good envelope and two-cent stamp was a napkin, a few tags, and a few stickers minus the stickum. I made many futile attempts after that to receive for other two-cent stamps, cold cream, soap, and various other beautifiers, but finally, at wits end, I sent for some post toas¬ ties, (as if I hadn’t already refused to eat that cereal for some weeks). Sure enough, it came and added to the mini¬ ature storehouse of post toasties, al¬ ready in the pantry. Thus ended the ads for that year which, as it seemed, took the joy from living. Inspired with the feeling that I might get some pictures that would be suitable for notebooks, I had the nerve to send for two sample books of the Book of Knowledge, one at a time. I received the two, which proved to be extremely different from each other, and very useful. However, for my two cents I was also sent two live men. After each book arrived, one came to interview my mother to see if she wouldn’t like to buy the set. When a man had come to see her for the second time from that company, she informed me that I was not to send for that book again. Neverthe¬ less, I did send for one of C— because of which mother has received letter after letter from the C— people. Thus, I do not know whether I would advise anyone else to reply to advertisements as frequently as I have — there are too many complications and too many two-cent stamps and envelopes wasted. M. Guild Miss England — Have you done your outside reading yet? Lindsay — No, its been too cold. F. M. — Did you ever hear of a gas that was a liquid? P. M. — Sure, gasoline.

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THE PIONEER PAGE ELEVEN THE BLOOD SAROUK Do you remember the great Lowen- Hill Mystery? I recall that it occur¬ red just before the Spanish-American war and perhaps you wouldn’t remem¬ ber ; but even if you do, the tragedy bears retelling. Mr. and Mrs. Lowen-Hill, residents of Park Avenue, and members of that class called the idle-rich were traveling in Asia-Minor when Mrs. Lowen-Hill discovered in a half-ruined palace of the great Emir Saut-Abal-Frumen, a treasure in the form of a glorious Sar- ouk rug. She found the rug in a deserted bed room of the great Emir, who had died so mysteriously. An¬ nouncing her intention of buying the carpet, she met opposition from her husband on the grounds that such a rug would be hard to send home and that it was too old. These arguments increased her desire for tiic: Sui i- til finally tmr h ,,!C k nd J purchase. But when she broached her plan to the care-taker, she met de¬ termined opposition. Again however she won and doubly so, in her mind, for she learned the history of the rug. It had been the gift of a brother ruler to Emir Saut-Abal-Frumen. Shortly before his death, it had been placed in his bed-room. Soon after his death, his heir Frau-Po-Abal died of the same malady as his father. Strangely enough succeeding tenants of the palace fell ill of the same dis¬ ease and all died. These curious deaths gave the palace a bad reputa¬ tion, and due to the fact that the great rug had been a prominent arti¬ cle in the royal chamber and also be¬ cause of its hue, it was called the “Blood Sarouk.” To say that Mrs. Lowen-Hill was pleased is to express her satisfaction mildly. Upon her return she placed the luxu¬ rious rug in the drawing room of her house; and of course she had a ball, on the pretext that she wanted to see her friends again, but in reality to en¬ joy the envy of the female guests be¬ cause of her possession of the perfect rug. The Sarouk after having been laid, was left in the still solitude of the room until its opening for the ball. “Oh Mrs. Van-Courtland do come in and see the rug that I picked up in Turkey. It’s a Sarouk and it has the most interesting history. You see they called it the ‘Blood Sarouk’ isn’t that thrilling?” Mrs. Lowen-Hill revelled in the tell¬ ing of the story, and gradually as the tale progressed, the number of guests in the room increased, their movements causing the dust which had gathered during long centuries to rise from the thick carpet so long unused and to cast itself over the modern drawing¬ room. Personally I think it does not speak well for the servants. At any rate, when the guests left there were two who were suffering from slight colds, and Mrs. Lowen-Hill was so ill from attending to her duties of hostess that when the last guest had left, she retired after calling her phy¬ sician for some sleeping powder. On his arrival he found Mrs. Lowen-Hill very ill and ordered her removal to the hospital. Mr. Lowen-Hill retired that night a worried harrassed man, and next morning when his valet went to call him he found a corpse! At the hospital Mrs. Lowen-Hill struggled be¬ tween life and death. For all the medical skill, she too passed away! The newspapers reported that double death; and then two more deaths; both had been guests of the Lowen- Hills ! Upon the receipt of this knowl¬ edge the press questioned “foul play” but it came to naught, for the police inquest decided death to be natural, even though one of the guests present at the inquest retold the legend of the rug, this the coroner labeled “silly superstition.” The home of the Lowen-Hill’s was sold and a distant relative fell heir to the property together with the rug. But this person investigated the le-