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

Page 18 text:

l!lQlllL6llHl'I'll 17 OUR WORLD A blue ribbon lies on a llanket of green .-Xnd ripples as breezes blow by: A powerful light sends a dazzling sheen From another blue ocean on high. To us tiny mortals, the scene is our world .Xnd for thousands of years has been new, llut ideas would be changed anzl illusions untwirled If we looked down from Go:l's point of view. P. D., '37, JANE HERE -lane! -lane! the nurse tried to arouse the wax-like figure. .Xre you sleeping, lane? Come, wake up. See, we are passing l.ake View liarm. lt's very beautiful. lane. The girl remained motionless. .Xre you ill, .lanei There still was no response. For hours the girl had sat like the sculpture of a nun carved on an ancient cathedral. .Ks the nurse placed her arm about .lane's shoulders, a black Veil, concealing the girl's face, was abruptly pushed back as her rigid body re- acted to what was evidently a mental disturbance. .N white face peered forth: eyes blankfstaring. livery feature was absolutely passive: a suffering, submissive face. Yes, it revealed signs of suffer- ing, mental suffering, perhaps. because her body was a healthy looking one. Indeed, the young woman had the strength of any ordinary girl- sometimes more! That face had been beautiful once, beautiful with stainless innocence that so often finds its place in the expression of baby faces. -lane had been a sweet little girl and innocent, too, ller greatest joy was visiting the church at Maytown, Often her restless feet would tread the beautiful llaytown woods. where, with her rosary, she would slip off into some quiet forest nook to pray. Perhaps that change had been brought about by the unfortunate actions of her drunkard father. .Xt least most people thought so. They knew -lane always disappeared into the forest when her wicked father came home displaying the bad effects of liquor. When such was the case, village folk would Silyl .lane has slipped off to the forest to pray. ller father must be drinking again. There came a day when Joe Here, in an unusual state of intoxication, bellowed: Damn you! XVhy do you pray on those beads ller humble answer only enraged the bully more. Hlteeause the Sisters taught you to he snorted. They filled that good-for-nothing head of yours with a lot of bunk about God, l suppose. lle staggered toward her violently continuing, Go ahead-pray! I suppose you think there's a devil, too? Well, by the grace of your God, I hope you are possessed by the devilfl Sneering, he caught the frightened girl by the shoulders. ller beads slipped from her hands as he shook her. I wish the devil would get into that soft Hip- pant heart of yours and stay there. l!wish-I hope- XYith a tlmmp he fell to the floor-death a curse on his lips. lfrom that very moment ,lane llere was, indeed, possessed by the devil: she was crazed: she was controlled completely by an inner voice that con- tinually spoke to her. It had possession of her mind-her soul-her body. .lane's friends brought her to Father Forbes, the alaytown priest. They had to carry her there. At sight of the priest she became quite enraged and acquired a strength almost unbelievable. llreaking away from the two lrish policemen who held her. she ran to the priest. snatched his rosary out of his hands, and cast it through the window with such force that the glass was broken! The police hurried away: the father prayed: and the girl raged. Nevertheless, liather lforbes continued praying, while the girl struggled with two mocking voices running through her mind! l'ray with the priest, pray with the priest. suggested one voice. l le's making a fool of you, he's making a fool of you, insisted the other. ln spite of this conflict. the girl had promised to attend Mass the following morning. That evening at twelve o'clock liather liorbes was carried to the hospital with a severe case of

Page 17 text:

lf' 'HX few days later we read in a lloston paper that Capln Pickett and his wife with a crew of twenty-four men had sailed for Barbados with his ship Urn and a cargo of white pine lumberf, The captai.n's listeners leaned forward tensely, for they knew by the tone of the old man's voice that the interesting part of the story was coming Stltlll. llc never returned from that trip. The solemn tones frightened the youngest grandson. who almost whimpered aloud. The hrst time we heard or read anything about him was three or four months later. when I had opened a newspaper and saw his picture, the mate-'s picture. and a picture of the Urn. What did the paper say? excitedly questioned the older boy. The newspaper stated that the ship had been just a few days out of llarbados when it suddenly started sinking. lt sank so fast that the decks were soon awash and the crew didn't have an opportunity to save their belongings. The crew soon learned that the captain. his wife, and the second mate were missing, but as the captain's stateroom was under water by that time, they didn't have an opportunity to get to it. The newspaper also stated that the schooner Vrn was lost at sea with Captain l'ickett, his wife, and the second mate under very peculiar circum- stances. and that government officials were holding the first mate of the f'rn for questioning. XYhat had happened, K'ap'n asked the boy, 'bkccording to the testimony of the crew. it was believed that the mate had murdered L'ap'n l'ickett. his wife, and the second mate. llowever, none of the crew had a chance to get to the captain's stateroom before the ship sank: so they couldn't testify whether he was alive or dead before the ship sank. The crew did testify that they had felt no jar nor seen any obstacle that could have sunk the ship. They believed that someone had opened the sea cocks in the bottom of the boat. lint, Cap'n, interrupted one of his guests, how did the men escape from the sinking ship? 'lihe captain paused a moment before he an- swered. bnt he patiently explained. You see, the ship itself was wood so that it kept atloat for some timc. The men were rescued with the mate by a passing steamer. When the steamer reached llarbados, they gave to the revenue cutter the location of the sinking ship, and the cutter set out to find it and tow it hack to port if this could be done. The cutter never found the schooner because the dry pine wood mnst have swelled after coming in contact with the water and broken the ship in two, sink- ing it. You say it had a cargo of white pine lumber. t'ap'u cross-examined one of his elder guests. 'Wkliy didn't the lumber keep it afloat F Well, you see the lumber was packed in in such a way that it didn't have an opportunity to escape so that. it would be buoyant. Instead, it became a weight. Oh, I understand now. L'ap'n. tio on. please. Wlien the mate testified in defense of himself, he said that L'ap'n l'ickett. when he saw the ship sinking, had deserted her with his wife and the second inate in the quarter boat. The crew had noticed that the quarter boat was gone, but they believed that the ropes had been cut so that she went adrift, This was held against the mate be- cause the crew testified that no three men could alone launch her successfully. llowever, in spite of everyone's suspicions. the mate was released because of lack of evidence against him. Although we investigated the case thoroughly. since my wife and l were his friends, we could tind nothing to ineriminate the mate. So from that day to this no one actually knows what happened to Liap'n Pickett, his wife, and the second mate. Hee, that was a mighty interesting story, tQap'n, said his boy guest. Could you tell us another one 2 XYell, the old captain smiled. l can't think of one right this moment, but some other time. may- be. l'll have to look through some of my records to see if there are any more happenings like that. .Xnd then the old captain settled back in his chair to enjoy the rest of his cigar and talk politics with the elder guests. So, nothing more was said of the strange fate of liap'n I'ickett and the mysteries of the sea. lt. Xl.. '38,

Page 19 text:

its illllli L!9llflll'l'lI appenrlieitis. Many little things like this hegan to happen in Blaytown. Une rainy evening -lane anal .Xliee Roe, her girl tirientl. hail planned to go to a missionary serviee. Hn the way to church an autoinohile slicl from the roacl to the sivlewalk where they were walking. .Xlice was seriously injurecl, Init ,lane escaperl with only a few hrnises, lane onee went into a flepart- ment store antl passecl the counter where holy articles were solrl. 'lille sales girl pickerl tip a erueilix to show the prospeetive customer. lint was immecliately stoppecl from tloing so hy an eleetrie shock that paralyzetl her arm. Such incitlents as these had heen happening so frequently that the village folk avoicletl .lane Ilere as much as pos- sihle, for fear that they may he the victim of these unusual eoincirlenees. lloetors' examinations proveil only that her hotly was physically perfect. Realizing that the only thing to turn to now was faith ancl prayer, the priest flecitlerl to sencl her to an acquaintance oi his. a flevout priest in tianarla. who harl often succorerl ilistresserl mintls antl souls, I'erhaps that man coultl solve the prohlem. Xliss XYinner, a nurse from St. xloseph's llos- pital. eonsentefl to accompany 'lane on tl1e trip to Xlontreal. Iiather Iiorhes' I-Ylttlltl, liather Alnmonx, hafl willingly eonsentefl to aeeept the girl, She eonlcl stay with the nuns in their convent. Wlane's state oi snspenflecl consciousness hail envelopecl her more completely as time passerl. She hail heen experiencing a proeess of mental agony, Une voiee shouteil and excited her until she reachetl a piteh in which nothing' conlfl satisfy her unless it was far away from holiness. and there still whimperetl another weak. little voice. coaxing her not to listen to the tirst. .Xt times this former heeame lourler anrl loucler. 'lane lis- tenerl to it. This was what was happening now, the weaker voiee was speaking. She was listening, The nurse was saying something to her. Nurse? Ilamnahle person? Why shoulil a nurse he with her? lleafl thrown hack, arms repelling the nurse, she starterl to the enfl of the seat. IfliotI sereamefl hlane, as the rlriver stopped the car. XYhat is the matter with you? l.eave me a'one. 'liake Y4l1I1'llIllltIS4ill me I ller face rentainetl passive ancl she staretl at the ilriyer. XYhat clicl you stop for? NYere you afraiil you would erash? Ilo you think I'm a witeh 7' The young woman was now at a hysterical pitch as the rlriver reinainerl speechless. Yes. you flol ICVL'l'yIltifIy cloesl kkvell. get out -tlo you hear?-tiI'.I til I, Uh. tiofl he tI2llI1llt'tIiu 'I'he nurse motionetl the :Iriver to clrive on anil mmle an attempt to soothe the now tlistraeteil -lane. They reaeherl the resitlence of liather ,lnmoux at twilight, Shadows of evening were quietly fall- ing as the nurse and her patient steppecl out of the antomolwile. 'llhere was no hesitanee from .lane now: she went up the steps ancl to the cloar with- out hesitating ancl also without ohserving where she was. Nurse Winner aeeompaniecl anil rang the hell. 'I'he hlaek-rohetl Ifather greeterl them at the cloor. It was then that liather anrl the nurse notieetl the contlition of vlane. She eviilently was in a trance, I'ather. that means trouhlef' Miss Winner warnecl. Shoultln't I take her hack. Ifather, she's honncl to luring very had luck The priest ignoretl her pleacling. lint, Ifather, anything connectetl with tlotl or the Lihureh enrages her. The tlevil himself will tight against yon, Ifather. I.et me take her away. please, heiore she works Satan's will. Ifather .Innioux smilefl his answer assuringly: Yes, nurse. perhaps I am lighting the evil one. hut Iiotl will help nie. I fear not, tioil will he with me, .Iane's lvlank eyes tliekererl. She turnefl to the priest as he niarle the sign of the cross. llartlly hail he linishetl when his faee was twisterl hy a pain that shot from his heart flown into his left leg, .Xlarmt-rl, the nurse went to hnn. .Xre you all right, I ather? Yes--yes, I'in all right now. hut what a peenl- iar pain that was. I have never heen lyotheretl with my heart hefore, nurse. XYhat tliwl I tell yon. liather? Siu sumti he is alter you--