Toulon Township High School - Tolo Yearbook (Toulon, IL)

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March, Nineteen Thirty-one 11 were never still, I could plainly see. Several times I have been attacked by them but escaped brutally. “ ‘I have been wearing this ‘earned ring’ ever since Berton was killed, but have suffered so much ill luck that I have determined to try to find young Berton, get his ring, (my ring’s mate) and try to return them to the Temple. Maybe this will end the curse upon me and anyone connected with Berton. “ ‘Your affectionate brother, “ ‘JOHN K. “ ‘P. S. I think I saw the other ring on a young man here the other day. I’m going to make sure, because I know where he stays. I am going to try to get it from him peaceably, but if he’s a real Berton I’ll have to kill him to get it. I’ll even do that if I must.’ ” After hearing this strange story from Huntington (or young Berton) 1 asked to see both rings. He put his other hand on the table and there gleamed the mate to the one that caused me so much embarrassment. I then asked if he intended to right the wrong done to his father and return the rings to the rightful owner. He set his jaw and said, “No, I’m not. I guess we paid enough for them. I’ll keep them till I die.” As we strolled out upon the moonlit deck, each glittered in the tropical moonlight as I had never seen them before. I thought to myself as we watched the water swish by, “Be careful, my stubborn friend.” Three days later, as I sat in a hotel in Calcutta I read a leading English newspaper and I saw the following article at the bottom corner of one page: “Geo. K. Huntington, well known English millionaire, was found dead in a dark street today by a native policeman. It seems that two fingers, one on each hand, were missing.” ST. PATRICK’S DAY. Agnes Malone was an Irish girl. She loved Ireland as all Irish people do. She would celebrate on St. Patrick’s day. Her mother said she could have a party. “Let’s see, I’m going to invite Kathryn, Lois, Marie, Ruth an--” “Hurry Agnes, it’s time you were off to school,” said her mother. “Good-bye, mother,” called Agnes. Days passed. St. Patrick’s day at last was here. Nearly every one of the students wore green that day. “I don’t see why we have to go to school today,” whispered Agnes to her neighbor, Gordon. “Who does?” replied Gordon. It was time for classes. On her way she heard this conversation: “What dress are you going to wear to Agnes’s party?” asked Lois. “Heavens, I don’t know, my green one perhaps,” replied Kathryn. “Girls, don’t you detest Algebra and Geometry?” “That stuff does give me pains. I always have hated it,” replied Lois.

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10 March, Nineteen Thirty-one the authorities in due time. At that time I didn’t know who were the officers and didn’t trust native policemen with these valuables. “I washed the ring off, and found to my astonishment that it was the mate (the other half) of my ring. I then eagerly examined the few letters I had taken from the body in hopes that they would throw some light on this matter. “At first I looked through several unimportant letters concerning a trip to Northern India. At last I found what I wanted—a letter never posted and addressed to a brother in Scotland. It read: “ ‘Dear John: “ ‘It seems as if the net of these religious fanatics is closing in on me. 1 feel I haven’t much time left here. You remember William Berton for whom I worked, about twenty-five years ago? Well, once while he was traveling in northern India for the government we discovered far up in the hills a secluded secret temple of a very cruel, zealous cult. He, against my wishes, lay in ambush near by until night had fallen. Then he stole into this temple out of curiosity and love of adventure. “ ‘He became engrossed in two beautiful rings he saw on each side of an altar or shrine. He decided to take these for souvenirs. But a priest caught him in the act of stealing the valuable sacred relics and tried to run for help, but Berton, to keep from having these howling fanatics down on him killed the priest with a small ivory handled dagger he always carried. “ ‘We escaped but from that time on we were hunted secretly by members of this cult. They swore to kill (with replicas of the knife he used in killing their priest) all who were in any way connected with him and to regain the sacred rings. “ ‘Now the very day this happened his son was born in Calcutta, so when he got there he put one ring on a silken cord about the child’s neck as a good luck charm. (But all mortals who wore these rings were cursed, according to tradition). “ ‘A week later his wife died and he lost his job. He sent his baby son to England to live with an aunt. During all this, it must be remembered, he wore the other ring. “ ‘A month later he strolled into his library, screamed, and was dead. I rushed in just in time to see a figure in oriental dress leap through the window. I examined poor Berton to see what had happened. He lay on the floor with his very own dagger, with which he had killed the priest, sticking in his breast, in exactly the place he had stabbed the priest. The finger on which he wore that accursed ring was badly mutilated as if the murderer had tried to remove the ring by chopping off his finger. “ ‘Poor Berton died without a penny, and I received the ring as back pay. And I had earned it! “ ‘About eight years later I read in a London paper about the mysterious death of Berton’s aunt, who had taken his son. The paper said she had been stabbed by an ivory handled dagger. The members of the Temple

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12 March, Nineteen Thirty-one Both had long faces when Agnes spoke. “Heavens sake, girls, why the long faces? This is St. Patrick’s day. You oughta be glad?” “She’s Irish, that’s why she’s so happy,” whispered Lois. - “You bet I’m Irish, sure, and I’m glad I am,” replied Agnes. “I’d like to know why,” asked Bonny, a new comer to the group. “I’m proud of St. Patrick. Sure and he was a good man,” responded Agnes. “What did he ever do?” asked Rosy Ann, who had joined the group. “Don’t any of you know?” “No.” “Why, he charmed the snakes of Ireland by his music so that they followed him to the sea shores and were drowned. You see, my friends, Romans and Countrymen, I must have gotten a little Julius Caesar in that, didn’t I? Well, you see, he drove all the snakes clear out of Ireland. Sure and he did just that.” “That’s a laugh on you Agnes. I just read in Believe It or Not that a snake was found in Ireland. Two little children were playing in their flower garden and they saw a snake. I guess St. Patrick isn’t so wonderful.” This was Lois who spoke. “Oh no? Well I don’t believe it.” “Let me tell you it is true,” retorted Lois. “Yes, and another thing. St. Patrick was captured by Pirates from Ireland and carried away to an island, where he had to tend sheep.” This was Kathryn who spoke. “I don’t see where he was such a great man or saint or something.” “Well, let me tell you this. All of you! He was a venerable man. Do you want to know why? Many of his relics were held sacred for a thousand years, and in the Reformation some were destroyed. Sure and St. Patrick was a fine man. Another thing my fair friends, his bell is said to be in the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Dublin. There now, what do you think of dear old St. Patrick?” concluded Agnes. “Well, if all you said is true—not about the snakes tho, because Lois read it wasn’t so—as I was saying, if it is true, he was OK. But then you can’t tell what will happen—since it’s in the spring,” replied Rosy Ann. Ding! Ding! The last bell rang for classes. All these girls were late for classes and the traffic cop took down their names. As a result of their St. Patrick’s talk they all had to wash windows for being late to class and holding a conversation in the hall. —K. Goodwin. REMEMBER—ETIQUETTE EVERYWHERE! Most pupils practice high school etiquette to a certain extent but probably not enough. When a student is talking to a teacher either in class, in the halls, or on the street he should be very respectful. In our own High School we have heard some students call the teacher by “hey.” Why not call them by name? I believe most of them have names. Imag-