Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Nov. 19, 1931, edition 1 / Page 4
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PAGE FOUR THE FRANKLIN GUESS THE GHOST Here's How To Win a Cash Prize r t Publi&hid every Thursday by The Franklin Prcsi At Franklin, North Carolina S 1 VOL.- XLVI Number 1 BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON ..EDITOR AND PUBL1SIIF.R Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C, as second class matter. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year Eight Months ... Six Months ..... Single Copy Obituary notices, cards of thanks, tributes of respect, by "individuals, L-w1nre rtmrMipe nraaniMfinne nr enriitii uill hp ii-L':irdcd as adver tising and inserted at regular classified advertising raits. Such notices will be marked "adv. in compliance- Tho Press invite it readers to express their opinions through it column and each week it plans to carry Letters to the Editor on its editorial page. This newspaper is independent in its policies and is glad to print both sides of any question. Letters' to the Edi tor should be written legibly on only one side of the paper and should be of reasonable length. Of course, the editor reserves the right to reject letters which are too long or violate one's better sensibilities. Weekly Bible Hv no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but ralhr ven reprove them. . ' Ephesians 5:11. A Pleasant Surprise DURAL roads have long been a troublesome prob lem, politically as well as physically. In many counties, Macon included, the public has had to put up with poorly attended, country roads for so lon that it has grown to accept ihc situation as one that just couldn't be helped. Delegations-could go be fore the county commissioners and, sometimes, get temporary improvements for this road or that. But, inevitably, the roads would be in as bad condition as ever within a few months. Frequently farmers have found that if they wanted a passable road theyN "would have to ditch and drain it themselves. Then, last spring, the General Assembly voted to turn over the maintenance of ,all county roads to the State Highway Department. This action would never have been taken were it not for the fact that the counties themselves had failed miserably in keep ing up their roads. The people, feeling that that part of their taxes devoted to roads was going for naught, were ready to welcome any change. Kvcn then the General Assembly's action was received with considerable scepticism' as to whether it would -result in any improvement of conditions. The Press frankly admits that it was among the sceptical, fear ing not only that there would be little or no. inv provement in the roads but also that the increased maintenance division of the Highway Department would be used for political purposes. It has been less than six months since the Highway Department assumed its new responsibility and, we are glad to say, not one of our fears has material ized. The county roads in Macon, at least, are in better condition than they have ever been. Ami, as for the political angle, the enlarged maintenance forces seem to go blithely about their business in a most businesslike manner, utterly disregarding pol itics. That might be bad for politicians but it's fine for the roads and those wdio have to travel over . them. In the course of a few months more than 1 4 miles of county roads in Macon have been drained1 and scraped and given a surfacing of sand or gravel. By December 1, according to R. H. Plemmons, assistant district engineer of the maintenance division, every school bus road, not only in Macon but also in other counties in this district, will be similarly repaired. Many other roads in the county, some of them hither to' almost impassable, have been ditched and scraped.. Considering the limited funds set aside by the General Assembly for county road ..work about $6,- 000,000 for the whole state the maintenance loices deserve the highest commendation for what they have accomplished thus far and the fullest cooperation M hat they might carry on the good work. The ef ficiency of the new system has been proved beyond a doubt and we are glad to say good-bye to the old . conditions. Join the 1 1 'HE best way we know for one . JL appreciation is to enlist in the Macon County Penny Club. one dollar, but those who are able Y" t d . . . i- . i ruiy per cent or more oi tnis r. Macon county. In joining the Penny Club one pledges to give, for aiding the unemployed, a penny a meal from now until the first of March. It is a small .amount for each individual, but if everyone who can spare three pennies a day will join this club and abide by its pledge it will mean hundreds of dollars for ' those 'who are if dire need of food and clothing. This money will be turned over to 'the Red Cross for relief of the' needy in Franklin and throughout the county. ." Those who feel they are unable to give money but who have plenty of farm produce can "do their bit" by donating canned fruits ami vegetables. Old clothing also will be appreciated. Red Cross head quarters in the Masonic Hall will be open each Saturday to receive such gifts as well as to act on requests for aid. Most of us have a lot for which to be thankful and should welcome the opportunity to make thankful those who are lets fortunate. $1.50 $1.00 ......... .75 05 with the postal regulations. Thought: Red Cross to express a sincere Thaiiksgiv in the Red Cross roll call and to join Membership in the Red Cross is to give more are urged to "do s , ' . .... money is to De used right Here in READ CAREFULLY A cash prize of $2.50 will be given for the best explanation of each story in this series. There are twelve stories in all. A Grand Prize of $10.00 will be Riven for the best set of explanations or solution for all of the stories, with a second prize of $5.00; third, $3.00; an. I fourth, $2.00. RULES OF CONTEST (1) Open to any paid-up subscriber to The Franklin Press, or member of a subscriber's family. (2) No employes of The Franklin Press permitted to partici pate, However, community correspondents of this' newspaper will not be regarded as employes. (3) Explanations or solutions submitted must be written on one side of paper only, with name and address clearly written in upper left corner, and must not exceed 250 words in length. (4 J The readers submitting the most plausible explanations of the "ghosts" will be awarded prizes. Should two or more send in the same solutions, the prizes will be awarded to the one whose solution is first received. Some of the stories have more than one plausible solution. (5) Literary expression does not count it is the solution of the mystery we want. Make your explanation brief and to the point. (6) Solutions must be received by The Franklin Press not ler than Wednesday midnight of the week following publication of the story for which the solution is written. The author's solution of each story will be published in the issue 'of the succeeding week. (7) The contest will be judged by the editor of The Franklin Press and two other unbiased persons selected by him. Their de cisions will be final. ' (8) The name of the prize winner will be announced in the second issue after the publication of each story. (9) .Anyone subscribing to The Franklin Press during this con test is eligible to participate. Members of the family of a new subscriber also are eligible. (10) Only one solution by. an individual will be considered. If you send in more than one, the first one opened will be considered as your entry. SEND IN YOUR SOLUTION NOW v . TO GHOST EDITOR The Ghost of the Lonely House By David McFall (This is the fourth in a' series of twelve ghost stories being published by The Franklin Press in its Guess-the-Ghost contest.) EVEN in little Kngland, with all its human hives, may be found places as desolate and seemingly as remote as any in the wilds of Canada or Australia. The moorlands of Yorkshire and of Devon, and certain areas in the lake district and in the fen country, comprise a number of them. ..One of these spots was the set ne of the- experience I shall ... relate, . merely , prefacing that as the experience was recent and the house mentioned in connection with it is now occupied, it would be in considerate to give a elite-In ihe exact time or place. But I may say this: The house' is seated al the head of a small valley or combe, near the Source of a spring fed brook; on each side but on. heavily .wooded hills rise to a height of three or four hundred feet, cutting off several hours of the morning and of the evening sun; the open, side permits the egress of the stream, and allow barely room for a rough and miry load and narrow meadows beside it. ' ( , No possible, artifice would ever have made the place cheerful, ami everything seems to have been done that could have added to its naturally dismal aspect. The house itself was -instructed of materials quarried from aii older and much larger, structure on the same site, as shown by. fragmentary ruins of walls and arches. A moat, iioW dry, encloses- the dwelling and grounds. The- stream was at one time dammed up, to store a head vvaUr,. the useless dam and ctumblihg water-gates alone re maining, the- bed of the reservoir being marked only. . by a rank i-'wuth "f rushes and bog -plants. While the place . may have been tin seine of contentment and com fort once, all that can be seen of it now 'suggests '.a Series of trag edies -the loss of an industry; de caved -fortune, the extinction of a 'family'. I witnessed the last of its tragedies up to now ,and fervently hope the . last of its kind 1 shall ever see. It is comforting to know that the present occupants of the house are an unlettered folk and are not likelyto 'see this reference to it, or to appreciate it if they do. . In February, V 22, an old friend of mine bonpht the house'' for a sotigi for the one purpose of spend ing merely a month or' so in it, lie was on the verge of a mental break-down and hoped to find heal ing in the seclusion and quiet of the place. And for an underlying but unspoken reason its gloom suit ed nis niooit -tne reason lay in the Cause of his condition. He knew, and I knew, that neither physical disability nor overwork nor finan cial trouble 'had any part in it. He feared that he was doomed to insanity,' and vainly hoped that this last fight against the impend ing misfortune, and against the fear of it, 'might be successful or should it fail, that no one would see him uffer the infliction of the most dreadful of all human mal adies. He asked me 1 would consent to live with hun. for a time. I foresaw the outcome, but compliet readily, giving up my occupation in EXPLANATION Of Last Week's (Sunday's) Ghost Mystery: The Ghost In the Swamp As everyone knows, a lantern or torch carried in the hand in the darkness CONCEALS al most as many objects as it re veals, for, in shading the light with' the hand to focuse it on one object, others are thrown into the shadow, necessarily. When I approached the mound I must have focused the light on it, and in so doing I obscured a dead tree at one end of it When I arose, a broken limb of the tree caught my sleeve, and my effort to free myself disturbed an owl that sat in the upper branches, bewildered by the light. The owl, commonly known in Florida at that tim as the "laughing owl," has a most uncanny, screaming cry, and it emitted this screaming laugh. The bird is described in the encyclopedia as belonging to the genus Strix Flammea. a most willing sacrifice which 1 was all loo sure would be unavail ing. For six weeks we lived to gether in two rooms of the eight room dwelling, our. only companion being Joe, my friend's big blSftk Newfoundland dog, with a while star on his breast. My friend had . the means to furnish our i i apartments. comtortaDiy, ana we would . have been comfortable had it not been for the intrusion of an unbidden guest. Our long evenings were silent !n discursive talk, punctuated by the ticking of a grandfather clock which was a family heirloom be longing to my frjend. Many times I regretted that he had brought it with him. In the intense silence of the remote countryside at night its loud ticking was the only .aud ible.' -.sound apart from our own voices. In every break in our talk the clock -filled in the lull, and the ticking sounded to my ears like the persistent reiteration of an un- escapabk- sentence of doom. My friend also was disturbed and moved by it and when at irregular intervals there was a spasniodi? whirr of the winding gear, or. an ill-timed striking of wrong hours, I observed a momentary shadow sweep ovcrhis face. At the end of the sixth week I found it necessary to leave my friend for a day. I. promised to return that night, and did. I got back very late, unavoidably. As 1 drew near the house, to my sur prise I saw no light anywhere about it. I did not expect my friend to sit up for me, but 1 had supposed that, with his usual thoughtfulness, he would have left a light for me, as a beacon. I could scarcely see even the out "Gee Whiz? lines of the house in the darkness and I stumbled toward it blindly. When 1 reached the door I found it locked. 1 thought it an un necessary precaution in a place which no stranger would ever find. I knocked and awaited an answer ing call. There was no sound withiii. I knocked again, loudly in the stillness my knock sounded thunderous in my ears. I wailed in silence for a few moments, when 1 heard the step of stealthy feet in my room over head. Someone came down the stairs, slowly and hesitatingly and as quietly as possible, and stood just within the door. I spoke, an nouncing myself, and asking to be let! in. ' There was no reply, and in a minute or two I unmistakably heard the footsteps of someone going UP the creaky stairs. I was alarmed, but knocked again, more, loudly. After a long interval 1 heard the descending steps once more, and knew, that the unresjTonsive listener was at the door. I spoke and explained who I was and begged that the door be opened. There was no answer. 1 pressed my face against a glass panel in the door, shield ing my eyes with my hands to cut off any possible gleam of dis tracting light, and keenly peered into the dark room. I could not see a thing unless it was more than a fancy that f saw a blacker shade moving about in the dark, and a faintly glim mering gray object creeping over the floor. While 1 looked, the shadow melted away and I heard something again stealthily mounting the stairs, and . then all Was still. There was but otic thing for me to do. I went all around the house, trying the front, side, and back doors. I found them all locked, and they were too strong for me to break open. I " tried each window, and found it secure ly, fastened. . Apparently every pre caution had "been taken to bar me out effectually, but never, I was certain, with my friend's concur rence. I stooped down and groped for. a stone with which to break a window-pane, so that I could release the catch, when my hand came into contact with an outside flap-door lead"-- -n into the cellar. I had forgotten about it, though I had stepped pii it twice in going around the house. Fortunately, it had not been bolt ed on the inside. I lifted the door, resting it against .the "wall--to keep it - open, and cautiously descended the rotten treads. The wide cel lar, extending under the whole of the house, and broken only by the supporting walls, and pillars, was damp, cold, and evil-smelling. It was full of broken barrels and box es and, the accumulated rubbish of many years. I ha"d a few matches, which I struck one after anothr, being careful to extinguish the last spark. on each one before throwing it away, lest I set fire to the litter strewn about; 1 knew the position of the steps leading from the cellar to the kitchen, and feeling my way by the intermittent light I soon found the stairway and mounted it. The kitchen door was not locked; I pressed the thumb-latch and it Jf h? don't buvry opened smoothly. I entered, and stood for a moment listening, and then called out several times. 1 could not hear the slightest sound of any kind in reply all I could hear was the gnawing of a mouse somewhere in the wall, which sud denly ceased when I spoke and quickly resumed when I was silent, and the ticking of the clock. Yet I was aware of a presence in the room, though it was un heard and unseen except that a formless shade, deeper than the inky darkness of the night, seem ed near me. Once, and once only, and for the briefest instant, I felt a light, cold touch on my hand. But there was nothing there 1 made wide sweeps in the' air with my arms, but no piece of furniture or other object was within reach. There was no lamp downstairs, but, I easily made my way in the darkness to our upstairs living room, as I knew the position of the hall and the winding stairway so well. I went to my own room first, without knocking at my friend' door as I passed it, with the instinctive desire, no doubt, to relieve myself in the easiest way of the misgiving that distressed me I had left my candle in its usual place on the. table near the head of my bed. In crossing the room to light it with my one remaining match 1 accidentally . touched a living, breathing, but SILFiNT AND INVISIBLE occupant of the bed I withdrew my hanO quickly, and with trembling but hasty fingers struck the match; and so near to the, flame that it might easily have been set afire by it was a sheet of white paper, pinned to. the head board. I knew at once it was a message, but until I read it I could think of nothing else, not even of the occupant of the bed. I lit the candle and took down the paper and read the few line- written on it. They, were writtc with a firm hand the last evidehc of, a . courage that had "out-liver everything it had fought for. The words had been written by my friend late that afternoon- just before dark, for he used the phrase I can scarcely see". They told me simply that he was going out for a long walk and that I might not see him1 again. He was pro phetic. I soon learned what be came of him, but I had not the heart to go to see him, for he would not have recognized, me. I have always been thankful that the only mention of his case in the press referred to the identification of "the man who was found wan dering in Moorfields, while suffer ing from loss of memory." It was considerately expressed. But the reporter has not yet learned, and therefore cannot describe, the oc cupant who took possession of the house the moment my friend left it.' (The End) He (as they drive along a lonely road): "You look lovelier to me every minute. Do you'know what that's a sign of?" She : "Sure. You're about to run 6ut el fai." up ngoln& The Armistice Day program of our community was, as a whole, a great success. '...:.. . After the program given by the different grades of the school the audience was addressed by Atty. R. I). Sisk, -who as usual delivered a very eloquent and inspiring talk giving the reasons why one should join the Red Cross. A bountiful dinner was served by the good people of the school district. Almost every family in the community . was represented with well filled baskets and a spirit of good will and fellowship. At the nooit, hour Mrs. Harley " Breedlove and her corpse of work ers secured several subscriptions of membership of the Red Cross, be sides a number of donations of food and clothing. After lunch the auditorium the school house was filled to hear the very able and helpful ad dress made by Rev. N. C, Duncan, who spoke on the theme of last ing world peace and the brother hood of man. He also stated that people who accomplish things in time of peace should be held up before the school children of America as heroes, instead of those who accomplish momentary fame when urged on by the excitement of war. After the regular .program the parents and teachers met to gaih.-r in a speciaF meeting, and . discussed the plans already outlined for sup plying running water- for the school. , The membership and attendance of our school are increasing daily. Mr. J. J.' Mann, principal, just' won't quit hammering on us try ing to get us to think. Mrs.. Franks and Miss Meadows have the primary and intermediate grades climbing the ladder of knowledge. Make Your Decision Now One of the best habits- you can form is the habit of prompt . de cision. Start, now make up your mind that you are going to hold a better position a few months . from to day. Begin your business train ing immediately with other serious minded young men and women who make up our 'classes. You will enjoy association with these young peope and your prog ress from day to day will add further pleasure. In a comparatively short time you will be ready for a splendid position and you will find a worth while opportunity awaiting you. Call or write the Athens Busi ness College for information. Phone 771. ATHENS BUSINESS COLLEGE. - Oak Grove School '
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Nov. 19, 1931, edition 1
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