Scarborough High School - Four Corners Yearbook (Scarborough, ME)

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THE FOUR CORNERS 15 The moment she had stopped on the Coral to sail home, she met a tall, dark, manly, young fellow 1 y the name of Hilly Wright. She liked him very much and her falher did, also. Billy eared little for the captain and would hardly take orders from him. There seemed also to he a strain of dislike between the two of them. It existed to such an extent that Dclmontc would hold a mysterious little sneer while in Billy’s company. As time passed, the two became hitter enemies, hardly speaking to each other. It. happened that one day, as Ardell was coming from her cabin below, she beard her father and the captain talking in harsh tones. So she stopped on the stairs to listen. She heard the rough voice of Del monte, “Remember, Drummond, I paid her way through that school and I’ll have her, or you give me what it cost to put her through!” A faint feeling came over her. So Dclmontc had financed her way through school. If she had only known! It was too late now, however. Tier father, she knew, was penniless. Again that harsh voice. “It was her mother’s wish that she should go there. Only for me, it wouldn’t have been car¬ ried out!” Her mother! Ardell had never known her mother. She had died on the island when Ardell was hut a baby. That night Ardell didn’t sleep well. For hours she tossed, wondering, won¬ dering what tomorrow and all her tomor¬ rows would bring. She awoke with a ray of early morning sun streaming gayly through the porthole. Then, after a lazy yawn or two, she leaped out of bed and pattered to the port¬ hole. St ail ding on her toes, she peeped through it with a gasp of joy. She not only was greeted by a calm sea and a blue sky, hut hv a green fringe of shore lino. “An island, ' she murmured. “Oh, it ' s wonderful!” Then she recalled the events of the day before and her gay mood darkened, like a cloud passing over the sun. As she wandered up on the deck, she walked to the rail. A spell seemed to hover between the azure sea and sky, an enchant¬ ment, mystic and beautiful, ft was the spell of the Oaribees. Then she turned as if in a dream and saw Hilly in his overalls washing the deck. So that old captain set him to do that! Slic’d see about that! The boy saw her troubled look and said, with a pleasant smile, “I’m having a won¬ derful time, so don’t bother the 4 Cap ' by any angry words over me.” Then she told him what she had heard Dclmontc tell her father the day before. She saw a sweep of anger pass over the boy’s face. Then he said, “Don’t you worry, Miss Drummond. The crew is with me and if Dclmontc means to get fnnnv, we’ll just fix him!” The rest of the day rolled along very slowly for Ardell, although the Coral slid like a dream through the enchanted sea. At last th e long day ended in a flaming tropic sunset. Higlit fell. A million stars came out. The red moon again lmng like a lantern in the purple sky. The next morning when Ardell awoke, she knew at once that they had reached the island. As Ardell gazed out at the island’s beauty, a thousand memories of her childhood stirrnl in her. She had raced along that white-sanded beach, swam in the blue water, and climbed those palm trees! How happy she had been! But

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14 THE FOUR CORXERS was a continuous roar and the flashes of lightning were blinding. Suddenly there was a ferritic crash and the sound of splintering wood. Ellen heard the screams of the children as parts of the building fell and burst into flames. Every¬ body rushed for the door and the passage was soon blocked with terrified children. Xo one knew how it happened, but everyone listened as a commanding voice, with n foreign accent, said, “bine up ! ' ? The children felt themselves being pushed into line and then they marched out. As Ellen watched the last one. the girl with the brown curls, go by her into the open, there was a crocking and. before she could move, a large piece of burning wood came crashing down, and Ellen was pinned beneath it. When she awoke, she saw her teacher standing beside her with a large hunch of roses in her arms. ‘■Oh. dev is pretty 1” Ellen murmured. Her teacher smiled down at her. “The ■children sent you these. she said. “They were so ashamed when you were taken to the hospital from the fire that they haven ' t felt right since. Every day they have in¬ quired about you and asked when they will be able to see yon. You were so brave at the tire that it has taught them a lesson that they will not forget soon ' “You rink dev vill like meT Ellen queried. “Why, they all like you now, Ellen, and they are so sorry for the way thev treated you. Will you forgive them ' f The happy tears rolled down Ellens checks. “Course, i’ll forgive deni ! ’ she an¬ swered. “I so glad I eonie to dis America!” A. E. F., ’33. THE SPELL OF THE CARIBEES A moon like a great red lantern hung motionless in the purple sky as tin gray yacht. Coral, slid through the still Hahn mu wa t ors. By the lee rail stood two figures side by side. A voice, that of a girl, rose soft and low like a sigh on the tropical night. “Oh. Daddy! It ' s so lovely, so gorgeous! I hadn ' t dreamed it was like this! Another voice answered. It was that of a man. “Because yon were young then and were used to such dreary surroundings ' “Daddy, why is it this Mack ' Del- monte has so much power over yon? lie seems to have you right under his fingers. “Anlell. dear girl, lest you should for¬ get. yon must take all of these splendid nights and enjoy them, for we know not what is to come. With these words lie left her. Anlell had already entered the land of thought. She recalled the little island be¬ tween Hairi and Cuba. She recalled her childhood there. Martin Drummond, her father, had been .lack Dclmonte ' s partner in those days. Together they owned the pineapple plantation that nearly covered the island. Even then, Del monte had been the more important partner, though much younger, and with every passing year her father ' s interest waned. Anlell also re¬ called the time when her father had re¬ linquished the captaincy of the yacht in favor of Del monte. Then, when she was fourteen years of age. she was sent away to school in Massa¬ chusetts. What had happened afterwards at the island Ardell had no way of know¬ ing. But now she would soon know, for she wa is going hack there, after four years of fashionable school that had seen her blossom from a tow-headed girl into a brown-haired young woman.

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16 THE FOUR CORNERS now she could never be happy with Cap¬ tain Delmonte around all the time. When they reached shore in the boat, they met Sehor Fernando Cortez, the man¬ ager d’ the plantation. Ardell remembered the Spaniard, and her father greeted him and she was presented. “You have grown wonder hilly. Seiio- rit.i ! he purred, in his Latin lisp. “Thank you, Sehor, she replied. As they neared the plantation house, a stout figure came toward them, waving her arms and crying in Spanish. It was Sonora Teresa, the sister of Cortez. She was overwhelmed with joy to see her little Ardell. Willi everyone talking at once, they ap¬ proached the house, and there on the porch stood a slender, beautiful girl with blaek hair and dark eyes. Ardell remembered her. How she had grown in the last few years! It was Rosa, Teresa ' s daughter, Xow the party entered the house. Ar¬ dell and Rosa were left while Ardell ' s father, with Cortez and Delmonte, went to talk business. Then suddenly natives rushed up to the house and hurst in excitedly. Delmonte. understanding ihem. cried, ‘•My crew have mutinied ! It ' s that young one, Wright! Ardell stood there, saying. “Oh, it can ' t lie, lie wouldn ' t— v She didn ' t finish the sentence. The two men. Cortez and Delmonte. got the natives together and told them to shoot to kill. Delmonte left soon after. Scarcely had he taken his departure when Ardell saw Rosa slip out. Left alone sin 1 tried to put her mind on something else, lint she couldifr. Suddenly steps sounded outside and whispers were heard. “Someone wish to see you, Teresa beamed. Womleiing who it could he, Ardell i pent 1 llic door, and there stood Rillv. “Aidell, lie cried, “there ' s nothing to fear now. We have got the upper hand. “Rut how is it you come here like ibis? Seuora Teresa-— “She ' s with us! She knows Delmonte. You come back wiill me to the Coral. It s ihc only safe place for you. “Hut Daddy! 1 can ' t leave Daddy! “lie ' ll be all right. Delmonte won ' t harm him any. li ' s only you who is in danger. Ar that moment, Sonora Teresa entered excitedly. “Tin captain, he returned! ' ’ she cried. “You muss fly. Sehor! It iss not lime now to take Senorita. I guard her. Quick. Sehor! Already the stamp of feet was hoard on the porch. “All right. I ' ll go! he said. As he opi ned a small door leading to ihe kitchen, he called. “Adios, Ardell. Don ' t worry. U« member, it ' s coming out all right.” The day passed and night eaine at last. At the supper that night, Delmonte drank freely of a strong kind of drink made from the juice of the pineapple. He said, “They can ' t get away with anything like this.” Sitting there, Ardell saw Rosa rise to follow Delmonte out, and rising, she, too, followed, wondering if this might be a clue to the mystery. Delmonte was gone when sin reached the verandah, but Rosa still hovered there, a shadow in the night. She followed Rosa until she was some distance from the house. Then Rosa gave a whistle and out of the bushes slid a figure. It was Billy! “Sehor! whispered Rosa, £ T have news. It is the plan of the captain to attack the Coral tonight!