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

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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!

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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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THE FOUR CORNERS 17 “■lust what did In 1 sav ( asked Hilly. “Hr say. Sefmr- - (Ardell listened, and Rosa tohI lii 111 that Deliuoiitc had planned to surround the vachl with men and then a Mark it. So Rosa was on their side 1 , (on! Well, (hey had someone to help, any way.) ] lit suddenly dark lip ires caught (linn all and hound them. They were carried In a dark hut. They were uni there very long when a shadow passed hy the window and stealthily came in and unhound each one. They never found out who it was, hut they knew it was one of the natives. They remained hidden that nil ' ll! and the next morning tiny stole out so they eon Id get a glimpse of the ( ' oral. Ilow dear she looked to them! How Ardell wished sin was there sailing happily about on it ! They decided to swim to the ( i ornl. so diviiii in, they soon ri ached her safely. That night Hilly pi (lie red his men and went ashore where all the rest were eating supper. The. men surrounded (In place and then attacked hy climbing the palm trees and hiding themselves so they couldn ' t he seen. At tin lirst shot, the na¬ tives and other men rushed out. Hilly’s lirst victim was Delmonte, and the second, Cortez. They were careful though about Rosa, Sefiora Teresa, and Drummond. Finally, after a long time of shooting, it became ijnict. When the men were sure they would he safe, they climbed down from tin trees. Entering the house, they fnun 1 a few natives about and Sefiora Teresa calmly bathing her brother ' s wound which was not very serious. Drummond was talking with Cortez. Hilly heard Drummond say, “Cortez, tell me all the circumstances of tills plan of Dchnontc’s. Was he swindling me for the plantation or trying to get. mv daugh¬ ter ?” Then C ' orlez. in his Latin tongue, re¬ plied, “Nenor. la wish very lunch to have belli. .Maybe if he had bees peek of the two, it would l»o ttefiorita. Drummond laughed, “So you think if he tried getting oulv Ardell he would suc¬ ceed r The Spaniard smirked. “Yes ’ “No, Cortez, not while Hilly was around. Neither plantation nor daughter would la get. Hilly interrupted linn and wanted to know when they could bring Ardell hack to shore. “Any time is all right now. Hilly, said Mr. Drummond. “Hut before you go, let me congratulate you on your good schem¬ ing. If it had not been for you, Martin Drummond and his daughter would be very sad now ' With bis beaming smite, llillv went alone for Ardell. lie found her very nervous, but alter the good news, she brightened like a sum¬ mer day after a thunder storm, and again tin still, balmy breezes of the tropic island spread their spell over hco that night in¬ stead of one. G. M. D., ’;vi. UNCLE DODD’S VISIT TO CONEY ISLAND “It wuz gittiu’ on ter the middle of duly, when that fool nephew o ' mine took a notion of a-wantiu’ me ter go ter Coney Island with him. ‘Come on, Uncle he sez, soz he, ‘an ' we ' ll take a little joy ride ter Coney Island “Now it wuz hot as blazes on tlf ole farm, an’ with his talk o’ th’ ocean an’ ’freshmen t stands an’ what not, T took a notion ter go. So I puts on ino Snnday- go-mcctm’ suit an’ me high collar, an’