Warren High School - Hilltop Yearbook (Warren, MA)

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THE HILLTOP 13 And I had to admit that I didn't know that. Well, my bubble of enthusiasm burst just like that, but I didn't have the heart to tell the others what Dad had said. Winter came and I'd finally forgotten our affair with the nuts, although I never wanted to see another butternut in my life. Spring came and the others began to ask when would our flat boat man come? One May morning I was churning but- ter out on the back porch when the very same boatman came up. You're the head of those kids that sold me the nuts last fall, aren't you ? Well, I didn't know as I was the head, but I was one of them. Did you sell the nuts, mister? I asked. I sure did, Miss, they sold something great and here's your share, twenty-five dollars, see! I couldn't hardly believe it. That seemed to me enough money to buy a school entire, school teacher thrown in. I just took the money and rushed to show the others. I actually left the man standing there, and when I came back he was gone. I couldn't even thank him. Well, when Dad saw the money he was some surprised, too, but he said that he had another surprise, and that he would tell me right then. You see, he'd been talking with some other men in the vicinity and in Rockport. and he'd told how much we children wanted a school, so they had arranged to build a school in Rockport, hire a teacher and everything. They had needed a school for some time. Well, I was fool enough to be disap- pointed at first. I had dreamed of a school at Jackson's Landing, and I. was afraid they wouldn't need our money now. But father said they would need all the money they could get, and then some, to buy books, etc., and he explained that when there were so many more children at Rock- port we couldn't very well have the school up here for only nine pupils fBill and Ed are too old to go to school they sayl and we could easily walk the mile to school. It was a great day when the school was opened. After the exercises, as Jane and I were walking home, she looked up at me and said, I knew you'd get us a school, Nancy. KING TUT IN 1926 King Tut sat in his easy chair smoking Camel cigarettes and listening to his radio. He soon tired of this and wondered what he would do next. At last he called his wife, whose French maid had just given her a facial massage, a manicure, and a marcel. She entered the room in a tight fitting sport dress about seventeen inches from the floor with a cigarette in her hand. Where shall we go ? said King Tut. Let's go to the country club. Soon they were on the way to the coun- try club in their Rolls Royce. There they met their old friends, President Coolidge and Henry Ford. They enjoyed a lively game of golf and soon they sauntered into the club house where they chatted with Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino. Dinner hour came, and they drove to the Ritz where they dined on oysters on the half shell and turkey. That evening they went to the Copley Theater, where they saw the comedy, The Sport of Kings. They were particularly amused to hear the orchestra play, Thanks for the Buggy Ride, Roll 'Em Girlies, Roll 'Em, and That Certain Party. After the theater, they went to a dance and danced the Charleston until two- thirty in the morning. When they reached home they had a light lunch of steak, and retired at three o'clock in the morning to sleep three thou- sand years longer. MARION HODGSON, '27.

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12 THE HILLTOP moved away from them. We talked about schools a while and everybody wished we could have one fthat is except Georgej. As We were picking up the remains of our lunch Jane said to me, Nancy, you'll get us a school won't you ? Jane seems to think I can do any- thing. But still there ought to be a school for Jane, she's that kind I know she'd learn real fast. I've 'taught her some my- self. She's real pretty, too. Her hair goes in velvety brown curls. But with me it's different. My hair is in straight pig tails and I've got to take care of the younger children anyway. Pa says I don't need to go to school to do that. That evening I talked to Dad about schools again, but that wasn't very en- couraging. He said it cost a lot of money to buy books and hire a school teacher. About two days after that the gang of us went after butternuts. My, but there were loads. After all of us had picked up all we could carry there were literally tons left. It seemed a pity to let them all go to waste, but we had more than we could use as it was. It was the very next day that George and Henry, cousin James and I went down to Rockport for supplies. After every- thing was bought, as we didn't have to go right home we wandered down 'toward the wharves. A flat boat was anchored there and we heard the man say that he was go- ing down to New Orleans in a day or two. We often see flat boats going down the river and sometimes they stop at Rock- port. This man was talking quite loud to the people around him. He drew from his pocket a handful of butternuts. Fm go- ing to take these down and distribute them as souvenirs, they likes 'em down there, he said. All of a sudden I had an idea. I always have 'them suddenly. Mister, I says, if we get you barrels and barrels of those nuts couldn't you take them down and sell them and make some money ? Hold on! Hold on l he interrupted. Take some butternuts down to New Orleans and sell them. Is that it ? I assured him that it was. Well, what if I should take a whole load of them down and 'then couldn't sell them ? But you said the people down there liked 'those nuts. Maybe, but they might not buy them. Well, I tell you what. Mister, you take the nuts we'll get for you, and see if you can sell them. If you do, bring us our share of the money, and if you don't, why we won't charge you anything. Well, that's fair enough, but I've got to have them soon. Weill have them all here in two days, I promised. I went home all enthusiastic. Here was a way to earn money for our school. I got all the kids together and told them my great plan. They thought it was a good idea, too, so we collected all the bags, boxes and barrels we could find and we worked hard all the next day. Cousins Ed and Bill helped us a lot with lifting things, and Elsie and Dick got their team to haul our store of nuts down to Rockport. The nuts were all there, just as many as the man would take, that second day. Tired, but happy, we trooped home. Dad had been gone for the last day or two, but he was home now, and enthusiastically I told him all about it. He didn't pay you anything for the nuts ? father asked. I explained how he didn't know as he could sell them or not. He'll sell them all right, but you'll never see any of the money, father an- swered. He's got the nuts and hasn't had to pay a cent for them. You'll never see him again. By the way, what was his name?

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14 THE HILLTOP THE CAVE Ellen Brown was sitting in her garden gazing at a sparkling jewel which she had in her hand. It was at the time when the sun is setting in the west casting beauti- ful colors on earth and sky. The jewel which Ellen held seemed to gain in bright- ness as the setting sun's rays shone upon it. How beautiful it is! sighed Ellen. Tomorrow I shall open it. The jewel which Ellen held was a pretty, quaint locket. In the center of the locket there was a large ruby and surrounding this were many costly diamonds. Five years ago Ellen's father, her only living parent, had died. But before the end came he had drawn Ellen to him and in a shaking voice had said: Ellen, before I die, I want to give you this locket. It was once your mother's. The large red stone in the center will open-but my dear, I beg you not to open it until you are seventeen. There is some- thing in that which- And Ellen, entranced by the brightness of the locket, turned to kiss her daddy, but he had died. Oh, Daddy, Daddy! she had cried, how can you keep me from opening this most beautiful thing? Oh, Daddy, please! For five years Ellen had battled against temptation and now, on the eve of her sev- enteenth birthday, as she sat in the garden she thought of her father. I have done as he wished, Ellen said aloud, and now, tomorrow! Suddenly she heard weird noises coming from the nearby mountain. She immedi- ately jumped to her feet and ran in the house, crying. Oh, Aunt! The haunted cave again. I never realized how late it was getting. Upon Blue Mountain, which was near Ellen's home, there was a cave which was said to be haunted. People dared not ven- ture near the mountain after dark for it was said that once a man had come from the cave and frightened some people passing by. Since then strange noises had been heard emerging from the cave. Oh my dear girl! I'm so glad you got home safe, gasped Ellen's aunt. The next day dawned bright and clear. Ellen arose early and went to the garden. There with only the flowers and birds for companions, she opened the long sealed locket. Beneath the shining ruby Ellen found a yellow slip of paper, folded neatly. With trembling hands Ellen unfolded the paper and read: To my dear Ellen-on her seventeenth birthday. Before midnight tonight you must go to the cave on Blue Mountain. There you will find a white stone, which you will lift up, and find a leather packet. Please do as I bid you.-Daddy. For a few minutes Ellen sat staring at the slip of paper, then coming to her senses, she cried, I cannot! I cannot! Ellen spent the day in a very nervous state. At sunset she crept from the house, through the garden, to the foot of the mountain. Some hidden force seemed to urge her up the mountain to the cave. The sun shone over the top of the moun- tain casting a golden light. Everything about Ellen was a world of beauty. The higher she climbed the more gorgeous was the scenery. At last she reached the cave. It was surrounded by moss and trees, whose branches were laden with the many col- ored leaves of autumn. As she started to enter, there was a rustle inside the cave. Ellen drew back in fear. Suddenly from the cave flew a flock of white doves, which perched on the branches of the trees, mak- ing the most beautiful picture Ellen had ever seen in her life. Oh the darling things! cried Ellen.