West Side High School - Legenda Yearbook (Saginaw, MI)

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$250,000. Con.: (hesitating) In cash? F. : In a check, good in any corner of the world. Con.: Write out a check for $250,000 and give me a suit of clothes and we ' ll call it square. (F. sits down at desk and writes for some moments, speaking as he writes.) F. : Pay to the order of What is your name? Con.: Jack Osborne. F. : To the order of Jack Osborne, $250,000. Do you know anything about checks? Con.: No. F. : Well, you will have to sign your name here. (Arises and points to place on check. Convict lays down gun and bends over to sign. F. seizes gun and strikes him on the head. Con. cries out and collapses. F. drags him out at left. Father returns and going to tele- phone, calls up prison. Hello, Central! Give me 3432. — Pause.) I wish to speak to the warden. This is Mr. speaking. The guards were right, the convict was in my home and I have captured him. Send the guards right over. Thank you — Good-bye. (Jim entering from right.) Jim: Did I hear a noise in here a few minutes ago? F. : Jim, lad, I saved your life. In that room is an escaped convict. He claimed he was innocent, that the crime of which he was accused was committed by a man who looked like him. He was going to kill that man. Jim — He looks like you! Jim: Like me! I must see him. (meantime guards come) Jim: (Unseen at left) Dad, keep them outside for a few minutes. F. : (To guards) Wait here for a few minutes. (They stay out- side) enter Jim. Jim: Dad! F. : Jim! Jim: I couldn ' t help it, dad. I couldn ' t stand it any longer. I did the shooting that sent that poor devil up for life. But the remorse was too much. That ' s why I built this house here, so I could look out at the prison, where I ought to be. Sooner or later, I would have given my- self up anyhow. I have committed a grave injustice to that poor fellow. Treat him as a son in my place, (goes to door rear) Good bye, dad. F. : Good bye, Jim. (Exit Jim. — Enter Con.) Con. (with hand on sore head, sees Jim ' s bathrobe around him.) What in h — 1 does this mean? F. : You are a free man! My son committed the crime for which you suffered, and he has given himself up to the authorities. He wants me to undo the wrong he has done you, son. (Holds out hand) Con. hesitates then grasps it.

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F. : Jim ! Convict: Don ' t Jim me! Who do you think I am? Throw up your hands ! F. : Aren ' t you my son? Convict: Your son? Do I look like him? 0, they are hunting me like a wild beast; and I am innocent — innocent! Don ' t stand there! Hide me somewhere do you understand? F. : I — I — thought you were Jim, my son. Convict: No. I never had a home like this. But I did have a home once — and wait till I get the man who destroyed it! (Father starts back before convict ' s fury.) Why do you move away, as though I were a criminal? I am innocent, and there is only one man in the world who needs to fear me. But wait until I get him! He committed murder, and then, because I looked like him, I was arrested, convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of my life like a wild beast in a cage. But I am free now and I will stay free until I get my man. The world is too small for him to escape me. Some day our paths will cross. Some day we shall meet — and then — Ah-h-h! (Doubling his fist in fury, still holding revolver.) F. : Do you think you will get him ? Con.: Get him? Get him! Listen! The other night, to keep away madness, I took a pin, a pin, you understand, and shut my eyes and flung it away in my cell. Then, in the pitch dark of midnight, I got up to look for it. On my hands and knees I groped for it — groped in that darkness until my head pounded and red blotches swam before my eyes — groped until my fingers were torn and raw and bleeding, and my heart was fit to burst and there was a wild ringing in my ears. But — I found it! I Found it! And so I shall find that man who is respon- sible for my hell on earth, and when I do — (noise in Jim ' s room at right.) Con.: What is that? F. : That is my son for whom I mistook you. Con.: Mistook me! Do I resemble him that much? Ah! Bring him out! Bring him out till I get one look at his face! F. : (terrified) No-No-No ; Con. I will see him! (Starts toward door. Father runs to block him.) Out of my way, or Fll shoot you like a cur! F. : Stop ! I beg you to stop. Con. : Never! (Starts to force way past him, when noise is heard at back.) What ' s that? Good heavens the guards! They are on my trail ! Listen ! Go to that door but don ' t step out of my sight. Re- member, you are covered with this gun. Tell them you know nothing, do you hear? and if they enter this room you are a dead man. (Crouches behind table, covering F. who goes to door and talks to unseen guards.) Guard: We are looking for an escaped convict, and we have reason to believe he is in this house. F. : In this house? Surely you are mistaken. Guard: We would like to search the premises. (F. hesitates. Con. thrusts gun forward.) F. : Upon my word, you are wrong. If I see him, I will imme- diately notify you. G. : You are taking a chance. He is a desperate man. F. : (seeing convict thrust gun forward again) No, you ai e wrong. There is no one here. (Guards depart.) F. : (to convict) I have saved you. Will you take some money and depart? Con.: (bitterly) Money? What is money compared to revenge? ' F. : Wait ! I am a rich man. I will give you $100,000— $200,000,

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Junior Play The Junior class, after much deliberation, decided to give The Big Idea, a play within a play, by A. E. Thomas and Clayton Hamilton. The play showed the hard work of an excellent cast. It deal? with the efforts of Dick Howard to free his father from a charge of embezzling funds from the bank of which he is president. Through the efforts of Elaine Foster and Bob Caswell, and also aided by his own talent for drama writting, Dick Howard finally, after a hard struggle, manages to sell his drama to Mr. Gilmore, a play- wright, and so refunds the money his father had embezzled. The play abounded in exciting situations. The interest of the audience was keyed to he highest pitch when Mr. Howard, during an interview with Dick, attempted to take his life. Hum or, after intensive moments in the play, was furnished by the belligerent Mr. Byrnes and the persistent little maid. The cast was as follows: Dick Howard Donald Metcalf Bob Caswell Frank Donnelly Mr. Howard Russell Shepherd Mr. Byrnes George Alderton Mr. Gilmore William Dembenski His Partner Julius Powers The Oflice Boy Edward Wilde Elaine Foster Donna Donnelly Mrs. Howard Doris Jost Elsie Howard Helen Southgate The Maid Margaret Kanzler The play was presented at Pioneer Hall on January 28, 1921 under the direction of Hugo A. Richerman, head of the Public Speak- ing Department of Arthur Hill High School. MILTON WAGER