San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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thorns. but still clinging to the rose he dodged out alone the walk and caught the ear. XII the 11ay up the lone hiIl he busied himself Itieking out the thorns. Suddenly the ear stopped with such abruptuess that IIiIIy jabbed his pen- kniIes-thoru and alleclear through the thick skin in the palm of his hand. Through many agonizing minutes they stood there. For a while Billy sat tensely, pushing his feet against the seat in front of him. then he jumped up and ran outside. One of the boys from his class climbed off the front end of the ear. IIey Bill I, he said Hlet play hookey; they're easier on absentees. No I said II ill.. I 1e got to yet there. and with that he broke into a run. It 11 as nearlv a mile to the school but IIiIIV took it at break- neck speed He came up to the entrance just as the last line filed in. He would ha1e turned and escaped if the principal s eye had not been upon him. As it was he climbed the stairs panting for breath. and opened Miss IIarnesIS door. She turned to him. exasperated by his seeming defiance. uGo. she said. pointing to the door. IIGo. and dont come back until you have an excusefI IIiIIy opened his mouth to speak. Ith, said Miss Barnes. IIvou have made excuses often enough. I do not wish to hear from you. Go! He went. but in passingr he awkwardly drowned the red rose on her desk. For a moment something caught at her heart and she relented: but her word had been smoken. and it must stand. He stumbled out. a mist blindingr his eyes and a choke in his throat. There was a cry somewhere inside of him. but being a boy he held it back and let it hurt. IYhen he reached home he was greeted bv his steo-fathcr, who. being out of work. had no other occupation than tliseioliniug his family. I tII-IereIs that rascal 110111; he called to his wife as soon as Billy came in. sight. Itolaying hookey, to top things OH? IIYoung man. he said. addressing Billy. nI'1'e got an account to settle with you for stealitf XViIIiams' roses this mornini. I'II tend to you fer playin, hookev at the same time. I never stole nothin.. ' yelled Billy. III iust nicked a rosef, HShut 1m. roared his foster Darent. HXViIIiams told me all about it. IIII teach ye to lie an steal anI play hookey I'I So saying the big oug'nacious man seized him and wielded the switch cutting around his thin legs. Rut IIilIy was numb to pain : he felt only hatred, injustice and rage. His mother guessed whv he had come home. and after her husband had gone in she slipped out to him with a little poorly written excuse and a bag of lunch. You can go back to school now. she said. and hurried away. Iest her husband should see her. IiIIy looked at the note sullenlyetore it in two and rolled a long white cigarette from the haIf. III'm groin, to hell he muttered vengefnllv. through his teeth. and struck out for the docks to shoot eraus with the sailors. Training School Language Lesson. Miss Strong-IYiIIie. use seldom in a sentence. VViIIiameMy 11a did have five pigs. but he seltVem. In the Cookery Class. Miss Smith Hinishiw0r instructions for bakinfr macaroniI-Butter the bread crumbs and sprinkle them over the whole. Class tchorusIsXX hat hole. 9; I0

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at the rip. Round and round he punehed-he held his hreath-it was gone! A chill passed over him. Some one had found it; he was caught! Again he thrust his finger into the stuffing and jabhed nervously among its folds. Perspiration stood out on his forehead. At last he struck something! Was it the ring or only the inside burr of the clasp? Slowly he worked it out of the rent. It tumbled into his handsthe diamondssafe. He drew a long breath and thrust the ring into his pocket and rolled it into the mud ball. Then he went out fearlesslyeeven if someone searched him, would a ttdobe hall look like a diamond? As a ruse he ran up to one of the boys on the grounds. snatched his cap. and ran with it. The boy gave chase and others followed. XVhen Billy was far ahead of the others he put his hand into his pocket and drew out the mud ball. Unobtrusively he let it fall to the ground. and it rolled off by the fence. The next time around Billy kicked that infinitesimal elod of mud. and it flew down the path and broke into pieces. There was a flash in the sunlight. tll've found it! yelled llilly. A half dozen boys saw the Hash. Miss Maxwell's diamond l they yelled in ehorus. iilly clutched the ring, and wild with excitement the boys bombarded the school-house. Professor Snyder appeared in the doorway. Miss Maxwell rushed out and others followed, among them Miss Barnes. Hilly presented the ring to Miss Maxwell. The boys explained the finding of it. and Miss Maxwell grudgingly parted with the promised $20. tlSneak thief; he had it all the time,' she muttered as she turned away. Miss Barnes heard her. and it made her feel very unhappy and discour- aged. She liked Billy and had thought she was getting hold of him, but it might be otherwise. Perhaps after all Miss Maxwell was right Perhaps Billy was laughing at her and calling her easyf She must think of a new way of dealing with him. Ile should not find her so easy after this! C H A PTER V . The very next day Hilly was late. It was the fifth time that month. Miss Barnes wondered if he was testing her. lttrying' her out. to see how far he could go. The thought angered her and she turned to him with a new look in her face. ttW'illiain, she said. sternly. chis is the Fifth time you have been late. You have ruined our class record. ll'e will lost our half holiday on account of you. Every eye in the room was fixed reproaehfully upon Billy. and he cringed from them as much as from Miss Barnesis altered voice and manner. nIt must he stopped. she went on. lllf you are late again. I shall send you home to stay until you get an excuse. Now remember! Billy hung his head and slid into his seat. The next morning Killy's mother was late with the breakfast. as usual. Billy looked longingly at the hot cakes on the griddle as he bolted the half sour trial cake with a gulp of black coffee. Gee, ma. I would like another. but T just got to get there on time. Miss Barnes is mad. She's going to send me home for an excuse if Ilm ever late again. I do hate to have Miss Barnes madfi So saying Billy snatched his coat and can and ran out the back door. A great red rose hung over the hack fence. Miss Barnes liked red roses. He would take it to her and perhaps she would smile at him again. He swung himself up on the fence and oulled the rose. Hi, you ! piped a shrill voice from an upstairs window, and looking- up Billy saw old Grandpa XVilliams peering down upon him. Billy slid down in such haste that his arms and hands were fllled with 31

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HAB'S GOLD. By Florence Colby. BIG red rooster hopped and tiew by stages to the topmost rail of the corral. From this vantage point he took a sitle-lung glance at the sun. looked wisely at a nearby group of eow-punchers. and tlapping his wings. crowed lustily. Yep, General Castro. I reckon Hab'll find his guld all right. today, drawletl Rusty liill. as he shoved the last one of a box of shining new car- tridges into his belt. Halbert Shaw quickly turned his face away. lest the boys should see the deep Hush that dyed his face aml throat. He felt a sudden desire to seize Rusty Bill and pummel him to within an inch of his life. tYhy would the boys continue to make a jest of his great ambition, his dream of discm'ering gold? XVhen he turned to mount his horse and ride away with the nthers. two firm lines had settled about the corners of his mouth. He had came to California to find gold, and he was going to show the boys that he could do it. Halbert Shaw had drifted into Happy Camp in the late spring. lYith his health threatened from elnse eonlinement at office work. he had come west to live in the open air; but secretly he cherished a desire to fiml some of the precious gold that had made Lalifnrnia famous. He had a sunny dis'msitiim and a keen sense of humor. which soon won for him many friends among the cowboys 011 the ranch. It is true that during the two months of the uround- up season, he had been the subject for must of the jokes. but he seemed tn care very little. He had silently watched and learned. He could now roll a cigarette 0r thmw his lasso as deftly as Rusty lill himself. He had even acquired that slow lounging walk and the slouch of hat and shoulder which are peculiar to cowboys. These acquired habits now stood him in gnml stead for as he rude away none but an exnerienced eve could tell that he hatl heard the jest Rusty Bill howex er had noticed those new lines about llab s mouth and he smiled a dreamy smile. llRiding fence was a tiresome job. ll hy nnt have a little fun out of it? The five cowboys that made up the fenee-memling party turned their horses northward through a gap between the hills. The August sun was not yet high enough to drive the purple shailnws out of the deep canyons. The dust stirred up by the horses, feet settled back 110011 the tlew-cm'ered grass. The air was filled with a faint aroma. A bird twittered now and then. aml a lone coyote was seen sknlkingr 11D a dry gulch. Rusty llillis right haml mnved to his hip. and then slowly slid back as he muttered. tilt wuuhl sure be a shame to wake Dame Nature up so st1tltle11. ' After a half-houris ride the party struck a line fence. llere Rusty lill directed two men to work toward the north and east. and the other two toward the west and north. with the understanding that they were to meet him at Devills Basin at 110011. Then he started nPf in a northerly direction. but as an after-thought turned and shouted back: llBetter keep your eves tmen, llab. Yotfre liable to find gnld i11 'mnst any of these old rocks around here. The men moved awav. watching for louse or bruken wire. They gradually worked farther and farther a'iart. until at last hills aml eam'tms lay between the two parties. liab and his eumnaninn. a silent lmlian called lnse. worked for some time without exehange of words. Then Jose broke the silence. Hab want to find gold pretty much ? lW'es. Jose. I do? Jose shook his head in a hopeless manner and muttered to himself. Gold bad medicine. bad medicine. Why bad medicine. lose? asked llab. 33 n