Tillamook Catholic High School - Academic Yearbook (Tillamook, OR)

Page 28 text:

THE ACADEMIC The homellest girl in the world is still remembered not because of her face but because of her nobility of character by a gentle and kind Geraldine Each year on the eighth of une the little grave is freshly laid with fragrant forget me not and roses by the girl Nellie died to save Shanghaicd The afternoon sun looked kindly down over the little shipping town of Garibaldi There was an air of bustling commotion down near the wharf for a huge Chinese lumber schooner was in and was now preparing to leave Among the watching crowd of men and boys was a handsome dark young fellow on his way home from work The rowdyi h crew of Chinese sailors was brawlin on the dock Two villainous looking ones who held themselves aloof caught the man s eye and looked him over He was tall five feet eleven in fact and strong A fine appearing man he was The Chinese whispered and then advanced toward hum After 1 hort conver ation mostly concerning the ship and ts cargo they invited him to accompany them to the saloon If he had been 1 keen Judge of men Dick Lane would have said No But he accepted The taller Chinese ordered three mugs of beer While Phihi drew the attention of the white man the other dropped a tiny black to feel strangely Then everything darkened and all he remem bered was the evil grins of the Chinese as he fell headlonf' into a pit of blackness Some time later Dick sat up and rubbed his eyes but all was dark Where was he3 He heard the churning of the sea and noise and clatter around and above him Then a little door was raised and he saw daylight and the sky and air again Soon the evil eyed Chmaman looked down and in very bad Lnglish ordered Dick to get up and earn hls keep And then he remembered his plight Old Man Despair took hold of hlm as he thought of his young wife waiting waiting for him He pulled his aching body and throbbing head to the deck lmmediately he was for duty in the stoker room His captors were not so while in the middle of the desolate Pacific Despite this thin though very tanned from lack of proper food worry Landing at Fusdan China several days later dispatched harsh now Dick grew and much the white man was closely guarded while the lumber was unloaded and pro vi ions for the return Journey taken on They were to sail for San Francisco in the morning Thus many unending trips were forcibly made by Dick Lane while the sea gradually drew its spell about him and he loved t He would rather serve under white officers though but four years Fu. In ntx 1 . I Y 7 . . . - 1 S , G .S , . S , x . g . , . . . I C S . l 2 p . n n ll II I D pill into Dick's glass. The three drank the beer. But Dick began . ' , 1 ' 3 1 T . . . V 2 . . D ' , . K 1 Y r l Y Y ' Q I V .S. . ' G . , . . . i . , , '1 'vm '4' .'-S' .

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THE ACADLN IL she glanced around hesrtatrngly What a just punishment would be Geraldmes rf she were left rn the burmng bulldmg But the future would this revenge br1ng her happmess3 What beslde a passlng satrsfactron would this frlghtful vengeance gam for her3 She paused Perhaps Geraldine had not such a sweet mother or klnd father as she herself had and was not to blame for those many thoughtless sarcasms Y she would sxve her enengl But she must hasten for the whole front wall was crumblmv though the frre escape was strll lntact Wlth a qulck step she made her way to the frre escape and rushed up toward the mokmg wmdow Stop chlld come back here ordered the flre chref puzzled at her strange conduct But she had dlsappeared ln a cloud of thlck smoke Runnmg down the broad hot hall she knocked at Cer aldlnes door for It was locked No answer she must be stlll asleep Geraldme Gerry oh Geraldme' Theres a fl e' The bulld mgs burnmg Wake up' Wake up' shouted the httle rescuer Long long seconds dragged before Geraldine answered What3 Hurry Gerry we re almost too late lqhe bulldmg s burnmv lm commg Nellre and ln a moment Geraldme was wrth her rushing down the hall which now was cracklmg flercely They reached the flame lrcked exlt and Gerrv seemg the starry sky through the smoke exclalmed Thank God and you Nellre l am aved But terror repossessed them for the rron rarls of the escape were scorchmg hot but far far below a net was bemg spread by the frre men who saw the predlcament of the two glrls at the head of the stalrs A strong purposeful push from Nellle and Geraldme was fallmg fallmg down towards the open net to safety Suddenly Nellre began to pray for the walls and floor began to smk and rt was too late to Jump Oh my God l am sorry for all my sms especially for bemg so angry and hating Geraldine But lve saved her and esus please ave and forgxve me Then the cracklmg roarmg crash came When Nellle agam opened her eyes her pam racked body lay rn a hospltal cot A whrte nurse smlled over her and she turned to the other flgure It was Geraldlne Nellle Nellie forgrve me lm so sorry for havmg been so horrld all these years Ceraldme l forgave you before l went lnto the bulldmg Thats just why l went ln Oh rt was so hard to talk her throat was parched and stlff Everythlng burned her rt seemed She talked At flrst Gerry l wasnt gmng ln l was so angry with you But l couldnt bear to think of you dying ln those flames l dont thlnk l shall lrve for lt palns so very much But whenever you thrnk of me say a llttle prayer and forget my ugly face Go see dear mother and dad too cant you Gerry and say Goodbye 3 Then Nellie s tlred eyes closed and she was no more I lu nu IIX . . f, . 1 . 1 . 1 1 , 1 . . . 1 . , . . 1 5 .' . 1 ES, X .E I V. 1 51 S . .1 . 11 . . 1 1 1 1 ' H I - . 1 . . 1 - 1 .1 . . 1 . . 11 - , , . ,. . , . 1 . 11 . . 1. 11 ' 1 . 'S' ' ' .1 1 1 . . 1 . 11 v v ' -Q' .1 1 . . 11 . . . 1 1 1 , - - - , . 11 . 1 ' 1 Y 1 11 S . A 1 1 - ' . - 1 , . L 1 ' 1 11 . 1 . 1 1 1 - 1 1 ,I 1 . 11 1 . :- e 1 , - 1 . . 11 . . . 1 . , , . 1 1 . 11 . . . . 1 , 1 1 . 11 . 1 - 1 1 . L , . 11 . 1 . . . fl. , , . , . 1 . . 1 1 , . 1 r 1 11 1 1 1 1 - . 1 . ':lg1 '-- k- '1

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THE ACADEMIC of Orrental domrnatron passed before he made hrs escape whrch cost hrm so much lt was on a dark nrght that a dread typhoon came up lashrng the shrp to preces rn rts fury A spar brg and heavy fell on Drck s head rn the crash and though he wound lrfe rn an open unprovrsroned boat hrs mmd was rnjured and hrs memory gone When a few days later he was prcked up feverrsh and srck by an Amerrcan passenger shrp he was unable to grve hrs name and hrstory For many days he was unconscrous under the care of the shrp physrcran Though he soon regarned hrs health and strength everythrng seemed to be blank rn hrs mmd rn regard to hrs past but he was normal and rntellrgent otherwrse After he was up agam he answered thrs to an rnqurry rnto hrs lrfe l thmk my name rs Cleveland And so Drck Lane adopted rnto the sarlor s ranks was mysterrously known as ack Cleveland The steamer was to pass through the Panama Canal then to New York There rt had been assrgned a new route on the Atlantrc Gradually rn the followmg years the worthy sea man was advanced through the varyrng degrees of sarlor steward mate and then captarn There came a voyage to Nantes one une On the trrp he met an oddly famrlrar lady whom he learned to admrre very much But leavmg her at Nantes he returned to New York thrnkrng of hrs departed past and wonderrng rf ever agam he would see hrs newly found frrend At the brrghtly curtarned wrndow of a lrttle whrte cottage stood a beautrful young woman She was a brrde of two months wartrng for her husbands return Supper was prepared and the table set but he drd not come She warted the frrst hour expectrng hrm every moment The second hour drrfted slowly and she grew anxrous Then when he had not yet returned at nrne she became fully alarmed After a sleepless nrght Mrs Lane put rn a report Hrs fellow workers and other vrllagers searched the town and sur roundrngs but all rn varn Success was not therrs though the search wrdened and contrnued for days Thus thrs rnscrrptron was wrrtten rn the annals of the crty hall and remarned for many years Rrchard Lane aged 24 drsappeared mystenously on November I3 l9l9 Meanwhrle a brg black schooner was sarlrng away on the Pacrfrc Seven long years passed One mornrng rn May as the wrdow was weedrng her lrttle flower garden the postman came up the walk l-le whrstlrng merrrly handed her a letter wrth a pleasant Good mornrng hope rts good news Expectantly she tore rt open and a letter sheet wrth a smaller envelope fell out Her heart sank lt was only another letter from her srster Madame Nlartrnr of Tours France urgrng her to make an extended vrsrt wrth her and her husband Of course she loved her srster but what rf Drck should return whrle she was gone3 Never drd she thunk of lu. lxxr 1 . . . . . . 1 - 1 1 1 , . 1 1 , . 1 1 . . . . . .1 . . 11 . . . 1 . 1 1 , . 1 1 1 1 1 .li - 1 1 Y ' l . , . . 1 - 1 . .. . . - 1 1 . 11 , . - 1 Y - 1 1 1. . . 1 11 . , . - 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 'a ttf- '11rIB'-S1-x' -rr