Wells High School - Crimson and Gray Yearbook (Southbridge, MA)

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' THE WINTER TRAIL It was a bitter cold day in February in 1859. The wind whistled around the tiny station of the American Pony Express, drifting the whirling snow in at every crevice. The mail had just arrived at the little town of Beaver Creek. Lewis Bar- ton was to relieve the tired rider who had brought the mail from Station Number 8, thirty miles back on the route from St. Louis to San Francisco. It was before the railroads were built across the continent, find the U. S. Mail was carried by the Pony Express. The mail was already five hours late and Lewis was determined to gain part of that lost time if possible. This was his second year in the service of the American Pony Express Co. and he held the reputation of being the most reliable rider in its employ. He had never been late, through his fault, in reaching his goal, an isolated station nestled in the pass leading over the Rocky Mis. Could he reach it in his alloted time today? He was confident that he could. He glanced at his watch, tightened the saddle girths on his spirited horse, Wild- fire, and was off. The horse set his own pace until they passed out of the deep snow of the valley of Heaver Creek. Before them stretched r wide plateau. The wind had swept the level stretch clear of snow. Here the horse broke into a swift untiring trot. He need- ed no urging from his master. The wind was icy cold and the dry hard part ' cles stung both horse and rider cruelly. They made good time during the first half of the ride, and Lewis began to look for his friend, Jce Alliston, the other rider for the Beaver Creek Station. During the win- ter months there were two riders for each lap of the route, alternately going forward one day and returning the next. The two riders generally met on the trail. Barton was nearing the end of his beat and still did not meet his comrade. He was numb with the cold as he urged his tired horse into the mountain pass. It had stopped snowing now but the wind still blew fiercely. He looked anxiously for the station, but it was not there. A snow cov- ered mound was all that remained. Lew ' s dismounted stiffly and kicked away the snow. There lay the charred timbers of the station. Upon searching further he discovered the scalped bodies of three men, the station agent, Joe Alliston, and one of the riders of that station. The other rider had gone forward to Danvers, the next post, the day before. The whole story was revealed now. The little place garrison ed only by the three men had been raided and destroyed by Indians. That was something to be expected and prepared for during the summer, but the Indians seldom went on the war path in the winter. For this reason the Express employees were undoubtedly taken by sur- prise, probably during the night. There was only one thing to do. He must go on to the next post, thirty miles beyond. All the fresh horses kept at the station were gone. Wildfire must make the trip. There was no time to be lost. Perhaps the war party was still lurking near by. The snow had covered the trail of the Indians so Lewis could not tell

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TMI : CRIMSON AND GRA? So on through all your subjects. When veil graduate from the commercial course are you a first class stenographer? You could be. ' Will your high school work be useful to you in a practical business way, and will you be a cultivated person who can enjoy the bir? things of life if, in these four t ars, you study your lessons to get the aeep purport of them, if you think over what you have just read and discover for yourself what you have really gained from each lesson, you will be making the most of your opportunities in school. Four years pass quickly, as Seniors realize, and after that you will have to use your knowledge, little or great, to get your- self a place in the world. Work for your- self, get everything from your studies, and then use what you have gained after High School days are over. Other opportunities will come then, too. Use your opportunities and succeed. (LASS DIRECTORY President V- : ce President Treasurer Secretary President Vice President Treasurer Secretary SENIORS Theela Fitzgerald Margaret Connolly Ernest Tetreault Alice Dupaul JUNIORS Lawrence Clarke Mary Edmonds Clark Edmonds Mary Bebo SOPHOMORES President Charles Hall Vice President Isabel Spielman Treasurer Marion Berry Secretary Hilda Aalto FRESHMEN President Vice Pres ' dent Treasurer Secretary Dean Tabor Marcy Newell Stanley Pellow Louis Allard ATHLETICS On Friday September twenty-third, Mr. Clement called a meeting of the entire school to start something in the shape of athletics. It was decided to have a boy ' s Easketball team, and a girFs Basketball term. Babe Green was elected manager of the boy ' s basket-ball and already has ar- ranged a series of games with the Voca- t ' onals to be played in the Town Hall. We expect to have a dance after each game with the Vocational Orchestra for music and the two associations will go 50-50 on the receipts. It is the duty of every pupil of the school to support the Athlete As iociation by joining and by going to the games this fa.l and winter. Men available for the team are: Green, Curtis, Edmonds, Pellow, Clarke, Casey, Tetreault and possibly R. Hall. A team with five of these players would not be very heavy but would make up for that de- ficiency by speed. Green is the only vet- eran, having earned his letter last year. Curtis and Clarke had but little experience but will probably develop into fast men. Mr. Gibbons, President of the Association, will probably help the team out, and has shown much interest in the Association already.

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THE CRIMSON AND GRAY which way they had gone. With a reas- suring word to his horse, he mounted and started forward. He kept Wildfire at a slow pace to save his energy for a possible race with the Indians. Two thirds of the distance were covered without mishap. Then, rounding a bend in the trail Lewis raw before him the war party of about forty Indians camped beside the trail. Dusk was coming on. Drawing his re- volver and applying his spurs to Wildfire Barton dashed forward. Several Indians tried to block his path but he fought his way through before they could mount their horses. Then followed a race for life. Thanks to the darkness the bullets fired by the pursuers went wild, doing no damage. Wildfire was a large powerful horse but he had covered a long hard trail that day. The comparatively fresh horses of the Indians slowly gained on him. Sud- denly Lewis caught sight of a horseman ahead. Was it friend or foe? It proved to be the other rider of Station No. 10 re- turning from Danvers. Upon seeing this new horseman the Indians hesitated a mo- ment, not knowing whether he was alone. This respite gave Lewis a few seconds to increase the distance between himself and his pursuers. The two express riders • i ' ely made the final dash to Danvers. The alarm was given and a troup of cav- alry took the situation in hand and routed the Indians. Half frozen and nearly exhausted Lewis Barton delivered the mail at the station. He was still five hours late; he had not gained any time but neither had he lost a minute. Frank Goodel HIS UNPAID DEBT Help! Help! Help! The cry was heard by Frank Reynolds who was working in a corn field near a pasture in which Mr. Lampson ' s ferocious bull was tied. Grabbing his hoe as a weanon of defense, Frank ran for the pasture. No, the trouble wasn ' t there for the bull was placidly eat- ing grass under the apple tree. The swim- ming hole ! That was it. Sprinting with all his might he reached the hole just in time to see a city fellow, that he knew to be the son of a contractor, sink for the second time. Although he could not swim, Frank made a leap into the water which came up to his neck. He could go no farther. If I get over my head, thought Frank we will both drown but what the dickens can I do? With a glad cry he thrust out his hoe, which he had held on to during all of this excitement, and caught it on the drowning boy ' s coat. It was only the work of a minute to drag the semi-conscious lad to dry land. A barrel that the fellows had to float a raft was used to roll the unconscious lad on and half an hour later a fluttering of eyelids was Frank ' s reward for his efforts. Soon, Alfred Mason, which was the boy ' s name, was able to tell his story. I came down to the swimming hole he told Frank to see if any of the fellows were around and decided to walk out on the spring board to see how deep the water was un- derneath. I must have slipped , continued Alfred, anyway, everything went black, but I still had sense enough left to yell for help and you know the rest better than I do. I am not going to try to thank you, for I know it would be impossible, but I shall always remember your service. PART II Five- years have elapsed. Frank Reynolds was now nineteen and Alfred, Al, as the fellows called him, twen- ty. Frank was working his way through a business college while Al was finishing his third year at Brown. In order that he might have some extra money for his next year at school, Frank took a job that called for nerve and skill, that of a professional blaster. His employ- er was Al ' s father and as luck would have it Al was running a steam shovel on the same job, for labor was scarce that season. At Frank ' s request he was changed into Al ' s division and the two old friends were working together. After two months of strenuous labor Al was able to run his giant shovel with the skill of an expert. He never thought that he might have cause to show his skill but one day — but that ' s the story. As the work on the contract progressed it was found necessary to blast a rock that was out of reach of the shovel so Frank was detailed for the job. By standing on a protruding shelf of rock fifteen feet from