Upper Kennebec Valley High School - Boreas Yearbook (Bingham, ME)

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4 THE BoREAs Iiehhhhhhhhfahhhhkahhhhaoaahhh 'B' QMhhhkhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhlm LITERARY Wfahhhhhhhcahhhhhhfakahhhkhhh khhbhengahhkhhhfkahhh'-hhhhHhhQ6 I THE MYSTERY HOUSE The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution left within its Wake a multitude of disastrous re- sults. Its cruelty, horror, and blood- shed have left a disagreeable chapter in French history. Time, which is instrumental in the erasure of events, has met with defeat in this instance. Situated in the suburbs of Paris was the mansion of the Champaignes. It was built in the latter part of the fifteenth century by the earliest mem- ber of the family. Successive gen- erations were careful to preserve its priceless treasures of art. During the French Revolution it played an important part as the headquarters of the military staff of Louis XVI. Many castles were destroyed during the Revolution, but Champaignes Castle was spared. At one time the villagers used it as a gathering place. The Castle was a picturesque struc- ture of massive stone. It had mys- terious rooms, paneled walls, and dark dungeons. There were many places in which jewels and documents were hidden. As year after year passed, the common people considered the Castle a haunted mansion. The surround- ing grounds were not properly cared for, trees, shrubbery, and grass never received help in their straggling growth. One neighbor spent two nights there to find the causes of re- ported noises. He claimed that he was haunted by ghosts of many for- mer victims of the Castle. Some of the apparitions were headlessg some were dragging heavy chains, and some uttered curses and oaths at him. Fires of a few minutes' duration broke in the Castleg and then they disappeared as quickly as they had come. In spte of its traditions, its owners succeeded in selling the Castle to a wealthy American steel manu- facturer. After the necessary repairs were made, he and his family settled themselves there for the rest of the summer. All went well during the first part of the summer. The inmates of the Castle were amused over the Weird tales which their neighbors told them.

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THE BOREAS 3 all those interested in the progress of Bingham High School. SCHOOL SPIRIT! School spirit is an intangible thingy yet we are keenly aware of its exist- ence or non-existence. It is a quality or characteristic expressed by a group of students who are working for a common ideal. . We students uncomplainingly give our whole-hearted support to our few branches of athletics. However, we should not restrict its appearance to the baseball diamond. A well rounded life balances on a tri-scale mental, moral, and physical development. It is not absurd, then, to create school spirit toward the mental phase of school activities, for the primary purpose of the school is to develop the mental capacities of the students. What a wonderful class F1 ench would be if every individual came to it pre- pared to give to the class as well as to receive others' ideas! Some of us are mere sponges, absorbing the thoughts of others, and giving few or none of our own. Let's back our class rooms with school spirit, every- one should come to class prepared! Lastly comes the treatment of the moral development which is neces- will bring beneficial results to them, sary. We may apply this old thought to our student body: A chain is no stronger than its weakest link . Our school body is no stronger than its weakest member. If I am dishonest the moral standard of my classmates is brought down to my level. The teacher may say, That class is good except John, whom I will not trust. Let school spirit eliminate all the Johns in school. School spirit is energy which, if rightly directed toward the moral, mental, and physical life, is priceless. Schoolmates, let us have that school spirit here. VALUE OF HOME ECONOMICS Frequently in the past, home eco- nomics has been thought of as cooking and sewing. Thus, much material has been excluded which is needed in bringing girls to a fuller realization of their responsibility in creating bet- ter homes. Home economics includes a study of foods in relation to health, their use in the body, selection and buying, preparation, the planning and serv- ing of meals, preservation of foodsg a study of clothing problems, including selection and purchase of ready- made articles, construction of gar- ments, launderingg home manage- ment problems, furnishing the home, care of the children and care of the sick. Home economics teaches Right Living . Whatever a girlis occupa- tion may be in the future, home econ- omics teaches her how to take care of her healthg how to economize and to be a useful citizen. 1l

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THE BOREAS 5 One day in August one of the large statues toppled over on to a servant who was cleaning its silver name plate. The injury to the servant was so severe that he died a few days later. Death continued to take its toll: many of the servants died after suffering for a few days with an un- known disease which baffled spe- cialists. Mr. Holden, the owner of the Castle, decided to conduct an in- vestigation to find the source of the mysterious disease. While in the midst of this search another series of events took place. Mr. Holden's daughter and her hus- band came to spend the remainder of the summer at the Castle. They were not informed of the superstitions connected with it 5 nor were they told about the death of the servants. They looked forward to a delightful and restful vacation. They spent most of their time strolling about the grounds or mountain climbing. It became a custom for them to spend the twilight hours inthe gardeng then, as the shadows deepened, they usually re- ti 'ed to the drawing room to read. One evening they were so busily engaged in reading that they were unaware of a peculiar odor which gradually filled the room. Their heads droopedg and they were found the next morning-dead! This last incident caused further investigation, especially in the draw- ing room where the young people had died. Mr. Holden secured the services of a skilled detective, Bertreau, who had an unusual reputation for cases of this type. He found that he was confronted with the most extraordi- nary case in his lifetime. He could find no indication of violence on the bodies of the dead, he failed to find any traces of poison. The former trouble among the servants could be explainedg but this last trouble cer- tainly baffled Bertreau. One day, while a group of laborers were working under the supervision of Bertreau, one Workman discovered a separate chamber in the fireplace. He found in it a metal container, which contained a residue of powder. After analyzing the residue the last mysterious accident was explained: the powder was capable of giving of a deadly, odorless gas under proper heating. The fire in the fireplace had gradually heated this, and it had found its way into the room where it had done its deadly work. Mr. Holden was willing to sell the Castle after so many misfortunesg but various stories about it prohibited its sale. Again it was abandoned, and it is still unoccupied. O. A., '28. FOUND: COURAGE Raye Fraser was the son of a fa- mous and excellent football player, who had saved many games for his Alma Mater. He had upheld the reputation of his college at several instances when it appeared that the game belonged to the opposing team. He had won these games by courage alone, when it seemed that he could not move his bruised and weary body. His disgust and contempt for a cow- ard and quitter was unbearable. Thus he had drilled his son in the game