Strong High School - Mussul Unsquit Yearbook (Strong, ME)

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16 THE MUSSUL UNSQUIT The Pine Grove team was very successful that season, winning eighteen of the twenty scheduled games. Frank, however, felt quite blue after circling the bases for a home run, scoring two men ahead of him and winning the commencement day game from their old rivals, Milford Seminary, for he knew that it would be the last time he would step behind the plate for dear old Pine Grove. Next year if everything went well he would be at Harvard. Frank's sister had come to see him play his last great game for Pine Grove and to attend the commencement exercises, whiih were to be held in the assembly hall that evening. He had never told Evelyn much about his sister, and had not told her that she was going to be there on this particular occasion. He noticed, however, that Eve- lyn did not come out to the players' bench when he was picking up his things and con- gratulate him on his good playing as she generally did. Henry had told all the fel- lows and girls that Frank had an old friend of his coming to the commencement exer- She was rather provoked for she liked Frank more than she was willing to admit. Several times that evening at the recep- tion dance, Frank had started over where she was to engage a dance, but she saw him coming and made some excuses to her friends and went to the other side of the hall. Frank was very uneasy and wanted to see Evelyn before leaving for Boston next day, where he was going to work that summer. cises and Evelyn had believed him. So the next morning before leaving he wrote her a letter telling her how sorry he was that he had been unable to see her the night before, as he had wanted to ask her something and to introduce his sister to her. He also wrote the address of the firm he was going to work for and asked her to write to him. Being in a hurry he put the letter in the pocket of an old blue coat he had on while packing his trunk, and later thought that he mailed it but dropped a blank envelope in the box instead of the letter. So the time went by and Frank never heard from the letter. He was too proud to write again. He played the same great game of ball at Harvard that he had played at Pine Grove. He saw Henry Walton during a series of three games between Harvard and Yale, Henry being at Yale. He did not succeed in getting Henry at second although he reached there both times he tried, on wild pitches. So Frank put in three years at Harvard. When the great world's war broke out, he enlisted and here as every- where else he won friends and was dis- charged at the end of the war with the rank of Captain. When Frank arrived home he found a vast fortune awaiting him. His mother's only brother whom they had supposed was killed in an avalanche in British Columbia, had made a million dollars, only to be stricken with typhoid fever and die. He left this fortune to his only living relatives, Frank and his sister. So Frank went to Harvard for another year, one year without having to work him- self to death. Harvard had a wonderful team that year, only losing one game of their scheduled twenty-Eve. Frank still liked to play his cornet, and played in the college band and orchestra. The ball team that year was a musical one. Nearly every one of them played some musical instru- ment. Frank had a plan in his mind and called the members of the team together one evening, before commencement, and told them of his plan. It was to tour Massachusetts playing ball three times a week and playing for a dance in every town in which they played ball. Frank agreed to furnish two seven-passenger touring cars and a truck. Everybody thought this would be great sport so a schedule was arranged and the halls were engaged. Frank did not

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THE MUSSUL UNSQUIT 15 slap, and he vanished into the distance. On and on came the crazy steers, their eyes bloodshot and bulging, their horns crashing, now they were almost upon the man and girl. Not much longer would they have to face death for it was rushing to meet them with the speed of an express train. Suddenly an idea came to the frenzied and frantic Harvey: seizing hold of the sweater he wore, he wrenched it off and waving it wildly in front of hin1 and at the same time swinging his other arm, took a last stand for the safety of himself and the girl he loved. Could he avert the course of that on-rushing mass? L- It seemed impossible. -- Was it imagination or was the leader directing his charge a little to the left? -1 Yes-he was, he was-but was it too late for the leader to turn those wild steers crazed with fright and excite- ment? With a sudden swerve the leaders changed their course and then hundreds upon hundreds of charging cattle thundered past, scarcely six feet away from the terri- fied man and girl, leaving in who had expected a terrible those furious, trampling hoofs. Steadying the half-fainting Polly, Clark staggered forth in the direction of the An- derson ranch. They had gone but a short distance when they were met by Polly's father, who, having heard Sir j'ohn's story of the stampede and according to this story the sudden disappearance of Polly, was nearly frantic with anxiety and had set out with an extra mount in search of her. safety, they death from Clasping his daughter in his arms, he grasped Harvey's hand and in an unsteady voice exclaimed, My boy, I take back my former hasty words and say that you have more than 'sand,' you have an invincible courage even in the face of death itself. He put Polly on his own horse and climb- ing up behind her bade Clark to mount the other one and accompany them home. In reply to their inquiry of Sir John, he would say little, but stated that he had left the ranch and would never return. So Polly instead of marrying a title married the man she loved and never in the years that followed regretted her choice. Arlene Mcfflvary, '23. ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL RANK REDMAN was a senior at Pine Grove Academy, which was in the town of Milton, Mass. He had come there almost four years before. These years had been the happiest of his life, al- though he had worked hard while there. Both his parents had died when he was but ten years old. He had managed to get through the Grammar school and was working his way through Pine Grove Academy. Frank's two hobbies were playing base- ball and a cornet. He was a star at both, being the greatest catcher that ever donned a catcher's mitt at Pine Grove, and playing cornet in the Academy orchestra. He also liked to dance, especially with Evelyn Brown, whose father was the president, and a large stockholder in the silk mill there in Milton. She was also a senior at Pine Grove, and perhaps it was because of Evelyn that Frank had considered them the happiest years of his life. She had liked Frank from the first. Frank was not the only one who admired Evelyn. There were several others, one of them was Henry Walton, whose father owned a large de- partment store and was president of the Milton Trust Co. Henry was also quite a ball player, playing second base for the Academy team. He was rather disagree- able at times and had expressed his opinion of Frank, when the latter had been elected captain of the baseball team for the coming season. Henry bragged on his base run- ning. He was speedy, but Frank had never played against him, therefore couldn 't show him where he might be a little wrong. Many men on opposing teams had tried to steal second on Frank when he was in a crouched position, but his quick snap throw taught them not to try it again.

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THE MUSSUL UNSQUIT 17 leave out Milton on his schedule, as they generally had a fast team there. Frank had not heard a word from Eve- lyn for six years. It seemed an eternity to him. The tour was proving very successful and at last they arrived in Milton. The town had not changed very much as Frank could see, and as he saw the familiar scenes of his happy prep. school days he had hard work to keep from shouting with joy. Milton had a strong team that year. Henry Walton had secured a bunch of col- lege stars, and Frank could see as they tossed the ball around in practice, that it would be a battle royal. The crowd clidn't seem to recognize Frank until the game had begun, and Frank crouched behind the plate and made one of his quick snap throws to second. It went up and down the bleachers, who was catch- ing for the opposing team, and he received a great ovation. The game proved to be a pitcher's battle between the Tourists', as they called them- selves, pitching ace, Allen a southpaw, and Milton's star pitcher, Dalton, a former Yale star. The first half of the ninth inning opened with the score nothing all around. The first two men for the Tourists could do nothing with Dalton's slants. Frank was up next. He was rather dis- gusted with l1is team, as they could not seem to hit Dalton, while he had made two two-baggers on his two previous trips to the plate, only to die there. There was blood in Frank's eyes as he stepped to the plate this time. A college coached ball player generally lets the first ball go by when batting to look it over as they say that a batter is too anxious and would probably only foul it. Frank had not been an exception to the rule the first two times, and he noticed that Dalton generally put the first one right over, to everyone. Dal- to11 unsuspectingly put the first one right in the groove, for Frank. Frank stepped right into it and it sailed over the fence for a homer. Milton gave the Tourists a scare in their half of the ninth, The first man up doubled and the next one drove a liner toward third. Frank thought that it was labeled for three sacks, but the Tourists' third baseman, who was playing deep, made a wonderful stab, and caught it in one hand, threw it to sec- ond, completing a double play. Walton re- ceived a free walk. Frank knew that he would try to steal second, and although he might have let him go, as a weak hitter was up, he decided to show him once and for all how easy it was to catch him stealing. Frank signalled for an out pitch. Allen was on, and the ball came like a streak. Frank never moved in his tracks, but snapped the ball to second. The second baseman had the ball waiting for Walton, who looked pretty sheepish as he walked back to the bench. The game was over and won. As Frank was leaving the field he almost bumped into Evelyn Brown. Why, Evelyn, he said, I thought I was never going to see you again. Well, I didn't suppose it would make much difference to you if you didn't. You certainly played a wonderful game this afternoon, Frank. Hang the game. Say, Evelyn, why didn't you answer that letter I wrote to you the day after graduation P I didn't receive any letter. 4' That 's funny, said Frank, I certainly mailed it. Oh! by the way, are you going to the dance tonight? We certainly have got some swell orchestra, but I think they could do without nie if you say so. Probably that little friend of yours you had to the graduation would have some- thing to say about that. NrVhy, Evelyn, that was my sister and I wanted so much to introduce her to you. VVas it! I think I will go to the dance. That 's fine. I'll call and get you at eight, and we will take a little Spill before the dance. I've got an important question