Westbrook High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Westbrook, ME)

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12 T ' .f Good-bye, doctor, l will have junior take the prescription to the drug store right awayf' Hjunior, please hurry and get dressed, dear, I want you to run down to the drug store for me. Your father left for the oftiee early this morning so you will have to go. All right. Mom, I'll be down in just a minute. sleepily replied the young voiee. :Xs junior came down the stairs, he appeared about eight years old, had brown hair, and was minus three of his upper teeth. The second ones had not yet started. Put on your jacket. junior: it isn't quite warm , . . enough yet to go without it. Give this slip of paper to the druggist, and here is the money for the medicine he will give you. llurry right back. because l must have it for Sister, said his mother. VYell, well. if it isn't Mr. lfrnest johnson. junior, exclaimed the drnggist. as junior came in the door. XVhat are you doing down here this time in the morning? l don't know, replied the boy, My mother told me to give you this. The druggist took the prescription and went into the back room. VVhen he came out he had the little bottle of medicine. which junior took and carelessly put i11to his poeket. lie paid the druggist and left for home. lle was skipping along when a large black car stopped beside him. A short. thiekset man, dressed in a grey suit, opened the door and asked junior to come to the ear a minute. The boy hesi- tated, but the man said he just wanted him to point out a certain house for him. junior ap- proached the ear and said: lt is that house right down there on the Corner of the-Unch! l.et me go. Now. now, be quiet: l'm just going to give you a little ride, drawled the man. Get that door closed quick, snapped the driver, 'Athere's a woman coming down the street, looking at the ear. Get going, calmly said the man, who appeared to be the boss. The twelve-cylinder Comet jumped ahead and gathered speed fast. Slow down. you fool, don't you ever use your ln-all? XXI- don't want any eops stopping us now, 1 l Xthat are you crying for? he addressed junior. Stop it and tell us your name. junior, lfrnest johnson, junior, stamniered the boy. ' lDidn't I tell you. Slug? The banker's son. The oneithat just took over the National. lle ought to be willing to pay plenty. Ry the way, junior. this fella at the wheel is ealled Slug. They eall me jake. XYhy don't you let me go? cried junior. I want to go home. Now you just sit quiet and you'll be all right, growled jake. Well take you home a little later after we get through with you. just then the big car turned left into a side road and traveled slowly for about a mile when it turned right. They were going over a rough road when they came to a set of buildings. .Xs they approached. a man appeared on the piazza and walked to the ear, What did you do in town today? asked the young fellow. Did you get any'-F lle sud- denly stopped as the door opened and jake got out with junior. Gosh. lloss. what did you bring that kid up here for? Do you want to have all the uniforms in town up here Now, George, be calm, drawled jake, There's nothing to get excited over. This is the new banker's son. Ile is going to visit us for a little while. junior. meet the youngest of our group. George. lint what are you going to do with him ? argued George. lDon't you think Nlr. johnson would be willing to exchange. say ten tis, for his boy F asked jake. l don't think he will hesitate. Hut kidnapping. we've never done any of that, said George. XYe'll get into plenty of trouble. The ti-nien handle kidnappings now and they never fail. Oh, shut up, snapped Slug. 'tWe'll be in the dough now, just think, that will he tive thousand for the boss and two thousand live hundred for . I you and me. lloy, could l use that.

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11 went along. It seemed safe enough, although the water was rushing over the planks. The doctor went hack after his horse. I'll lead him across, he thought to himself, and started off with the horse and buggy following. Presently he stopped, XYhere was the other end of that bridge ? Sud- denly he realized it was gone! VVashed away! llow was he going to get across? There was only a small, narrow channel left to the shore. Ile would have to cross, hut it would be hard with a buggy. Ile unhitched the horse and took his leather bag from the buggy. As he attempted to mount the horse a sharp pain shot across his heart. weakening him for a short second. I'm worn out, I guess, he mumbled, but I'm going through ! The horse wallowed through the water. The doctor could feel the water rushing about his feet -his knees-now it was up to his waist. The horse staggered. then stumbled to his knees. The doctor found himself clinging to the roots of an old tree, the water rushing about his legs, but still he clung on. He tried to pull himself up the bank. but the pain in his heart held him back. lt stabbed, oh. so sharply! l'resently he managed to get his hand into his pocket and get out a tablet. Ile took it and lay back. I must get through, he mused. Louisa is sick and she needs me ! Vtith new courage he stumbled up the bank. llis misty eyes perceived a bulky form in the dis- tance. Could it be? Yes. it was! It was his horse. who had miraculously escaped the raging torrents. Thank heavens, he wouldn't have to walk the rest of the way. He doubted if he could have done it if he had had to. lle could see the lights from a farmhouse gleaming through the trees. and he tried to mount again. It was impossible. he was so worn out. Somehow, half walking and half dragging by hanging to the horse's mane. he made it. Ile opened the door without knocking walked into the small, shabby living room. The door into the bedroom, just off the living room, and was open, and Dr. Stone could see Louisa lying on the bed gasping for breath. Going into the bed- room. he saw a young man with dark circles under his eyes bending over I.ouisag he stumbled strangely toward Dr. Stone. Hello, Doctor. he greeted, you got here! She'll pull through ? asked Dr. Stone. anx- iously. I think so, the young man answered. They brought I.ouisa through and not until then did it dawn on Dr. Stone that it was Dr. Hutchins, who was supposed to be back in the village with a sprained ankle. who had helped him. How did you get here, Hutchins ? he asked, completely overwhelmed with surprise. On a horse, couldnlt make it with my car. I told joe I couldn't make it at all, but I was so' afraid you couldn't get here that I had to coina-. Ile started to speak again but noticed Ur. Stone's face. Ile reached out and caught Dr. Stone or he would have fallen. My heart. Hutchins. Stone muttered. l3on't let me die. I've got to help my people. They need me! Keep me going! Then he lay hack. It seemed cool and sweet and peaceful now. He seemed to be sailing down the stream in a beautiful boat. Suddenly. he sat up straight on the couch. You're a doctor, Hutchins! he said fervently. A true doctor. You'll care for them. Then falling back, he gave one deep breath and went on with the stream. E. s., Was, DEATH Pale and indistinct, the drooping sails Settle themselves in listlessness against the sky, The phantom ship is hopelessly entrapped In hlaekest night, and there is no escape Unless some wayward wind should Swoop its dreadful force against the night .-Xnd blow away its folds. J. K.. 'It MEDICINE You must have that prescription filled as quickly as possible, Mrs. Iohnsonf' said the doctor as he left. I will call again tomorrow. She will be a sick little girl for a few days, but it is nothing serious. Good day,

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Illlll7l2llll'l'll I3 Cut the arguing, said Jake, we've got to get a ransom note ready. You're going to typewrite it, George. What shall we say F Make it short, but scare 'em plenty, said Slug. We want them to come across quick. lIow's this sound? Have ten thousand dol- lars in small bills ready for us or you'Il receive your boy in pieces, suggested Jake. 'l'hat's swell, Boss, said Slug. f'He won't hesitate when he gets that. George, you're going to take the note into town tomorrow and get a VVestern Union boy to deliver it at the bank, said jake. Back in the city. when junior did not come home. Mrs. johnson called the drug store, but the druggist told her that he had left the store about half an hour ago. She hung up, but immediately called her husband. Ernest, cried the anxious voice, I sent Junior to the drug store around the corner over half an hour ago for medicine for Sister and he hasn't re- turned. I just know something has happened to him. Please come right home. All right, dear, but he has probably stopped to play somewhere. When Mr. johnson arrived, junior was still missing. and his wife had called all places between the drug store and home where junior was likely to have stopped. Ernest, I want you to call the police. I just know something has happened. I can feel it, said his wife, trying to control herself. Ile picked up the phone and asked for police headquarters. I Iello, Chief Richardson? This is Ernest johnson. My boy went to the drug store over an hour ago and has apparently disappeared. I wish you would try to find him. Thank you. lIe's coming right over to the house, dear, said Mr. Johnson, as he laid down the phone. .X few minutes later the doorbell rang and the chief of police with a patrolman came in. No sign of him yet ft asked the chief. No, said Mr. johnson, he went to have a prescription filled and was told to come right back, but we haven't seen him nor heard a word from him since he left the drug store. VYell, said the chief, I think I'll go down and have a talk with the druggist. I think he will show up all right, though. Torn, he addressed the patrolman, you'd better stay here and let me know if he shows up. Hello, Dick, said the chief, as he walked into the store a few minutes later. I just dropped in to see you about the little johnson boy. You haven't seen him since he left with the medicine, have you? No, replied the druggist, but I've expected to. He must have lost most of his medicine before he got home, because he has dripped it all the way out of the store. The stopper must have been loose. See those red spots all the way to the door. VVell, I'lI see how far they go. said the chief. They turn toward home, all right. He followed them to the spot where junior had been taken into the car. There were three or four red spots there. Hm. he must have got into a car, murmured the chief to himself. Looks like a kidnapping. I'Il have to notify the government men. He jumped into his car and raced back to the station, where he called the field office of the United States department of justice. That afternoon, about one-thirty, the streets were full of newspaper boys shouting, Extral Extra! Johnson boy kidnapped! Read all about it. About an hour later a woman walked into the police station, where the chief and the Ii. Il, I. representative were talking. Good afternoon, Chief, said the woman. I think I may be able to help you concerning the kidnapping. As I was going to work this morn- ing, I noticed a big black car come along and stop at the curb about two blocks from me. It was a twelve-cylinder Comet car like one I had just been admiring in a magazine. A little boy came along and stepped to the side of the car as if to talk with the occupants. The door opened and a man got out and set the boy into the car and then drove off. I didn't pay any more attention because I thought probably it was the boy's father. 4'Thank you very much, Madam, said the chief. That's a good lead. VVe'lI follow it.