Nevada City High School - The Quill (371.QUI.1903)(1903) (12 pages)

to THE QUILL. PROFESSOR and his son, Frank, mysteriously Oy eu years ago Prof. Crofton York. disappeared from New Their disappearance occasioned no little comment in newspaper circles and among their friends, as Prof. Crofton was an aeronaut of no mean ability, and it was known that he had had a balloon inflated and anchored on his premises. One morning the Professor and his son, together with the balloon, were missing. Six months later,’ when the community had given them up for dead, they suddenly made their appearance. Their came crowding around them, making friends, of course, all sorts of inquiries as to their absence. The Professor was at first inclined to evade their questions; but.upon being pressed by his most intimate friends. related the following experience: “My son, Frank, and I were preparing for a trip in our balloon, which we had inflated and proyisioned for a long journey, when, as we were completing our preparations and were both in the balloon, the guy ropes broke and we went sailing up intospace. Although we had not intended to start so soon, we were fairly well prepared. After risAng to a height of about two thousand feet, the balloon was seized by a cur‘Trent of air and varried toward the ocean. As it was not my desire to travel in that direction, I threw out several sandbags, hoping to rise above the current and strike one which would In this I was doomed for the balloon kept straight ahead and appar‘carry us inland. to disappointment, however, ently did not move upward a particle. I now began to grow alarmed, for I knew that this must be one of those swift currents, told of by the scientists, that goes nobody knows where. “Hoping against hope, I threw out all At first the balloon rebut in a short time it my sandbags. fused to rise, CROFTON’S ADVENTURE. 2 By George Alton Tyler. started upward with astonishing rapidity. It seemed that we had escaped from the current, but I was soon convineed of my mistake; for when I put my hand out of the car, instead of feeling the air rush downward, it did not seem to move at.all. Therefore, I concluded that we were moving with the current. The higher we rose'the greater was our speed. Daylight found us still ascending. Suddenly we turned off at right angles with our former course. As we looked downward for the first time since our departure, we were astonished to behold both the oceans and the American continent standing out in bold relief below us. Then we realized at what a rate of speed we had been traveling. “After holding this course for several hours, we started upward again, going with even greater rapidity than before. We were by this time beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. After partaking of a light breakfast, we resolved to submit to the inevitable. _To be brief, we sailed upward for about two weeks, when one day Frank mentioned the fact that we were approaching the moon. I, too, had noticed this. Indeed, it appeared hundreds of times larger than it had on the first night. Each day we approached nearer and nearer to the shining orb, and finally one night we sailed into a green valley, beautiful beyond description. “In this valley we observed thousands of three-legged beasts which were of a dark gray color and had ears of enormous size extending almost to the ground. As we had exhausted our own food supply, one of these animals was killed and prepared for eating. We found the meat as white and palatable as that of the chicken. While in the midst of our meal three men of diminutive size, scarcely three feet in height, appeared on the scene. We inquired of them what country we were in; but failed to make them understand. They learned, our language with remarkable quickness, however, and after hearing us converse for a short time, they informed us that we were in the land of Cazun and that the beasts grazing in the valley were Ringoes. “They also informed us that beyond the valley there was a large city. We “famous “scare-heads,” hosvever, asked them if they knew anything about this strange current which had carried us thither. They then made reply, that it was known to every one about; but that no one knew .where it led to, and that it changed direction every three months. In about two months it would turn back to the earth again. It is needless for us to describe the wonderful sights which we saw while there, for I do not think you would believe our words; but suffice it to say, that when the current changed we again came back to the earth and here we are.” The next day the papers were filled with the so-called “Myth of an Aeronautic Lunatic.” In spite of these inProf. Crofton’s story was printed in full. me me FOCUS FARM: One of ‘‘Tug’s’’ Yarns. A farmer living in the southern part ‘of California took a notion to take a trip, and with bag and baggage boarded a stage to travel the first seventy miles of his journey. He was given a seat on the box with the driver, who now and then indicated with his whiphand the various points of interest: Passing a large, prosperous and extensive farm the traveler was informed that the same was known as the “Irocus Farm.” After the stage had left the farm behind a low hill, the farmer turned to the driver and asked him how the ranch just passed had received its name. “Well, you see,” replied the driver, “that farm was formerly owned by a man who raised cattle, hogs, poultry, ete., for the market, and when he died he left his ranch to his four sons, who continue the same business,” “Well,” replied the farmer, “I don’t see yet why they call ‘it the ‘Focus Farm.’” r “You don’t? Well, that’s where the sons raise meat” —.

to THE QUILL. PROFESSOR and his son, Frank, mysteriously Oy eu years ago Prof. Crofton York. disappeared from New Their disappearance occasioned no little comment in newspaper circles and among their friends, as Prof. Crofton was an aeronaut of no mean ability, and it was known that he had had a balloon inflated and anchored on his premises. One morning the Professor and his son, together with the balloon, were missing. Six months later,’ when the community had given them up for dead, they suddenly made their appearance. Their came crowding around them, making friends, of course, all sorts of inquiries as to their absence. The Professor was at first inclined to evade their questions; but.upon being pressed by his most intimate friends. related the following experience: “My son, Frank, and I were preparing for a trip in our balloon, which we had inflated and proyisioned for a long journey, when, as we were completing our preparations and were both in the balloon, the guy ropes broke and we went sailing up intospace. Although we had not intended to start so soon, we were fairly well prepared. After risAng to a height of about two thousand feet, the balloon was seized by a cur‘Trent of air and varried toward the ocean. As it was not my desire to travel in that direction, I threw out several sandbags, hoping to rise above the current and strike one which would In this I was doomed for the balloon kept straight ahead and appar‘carry us inland. to disappointment, however, ently did not move upward a particle. I now began to grow alarmed, for I knew that this must be one of those swift currents, told of by the scientists, that goes nobody knows where. “Hoping against hope, I threw out all At first the balloon rebut in a short time it my sandbags. fused to rise, CROFTON’S ADVENTURE. 2 By George Alton Tyler. started upward with astonishing rapidity. It seemed that we had escaped from the current, but I was soon convineed of my mistake; for when I put my hand out of the car, instead of feeling the air rush downward, it did not seem to move at.all. Therefore, I concluded that we were moving with the current. The higher we rose'the greater was our speed. Daylight found us still ascending. Suddenly we turned off at right angles with our former course. As we looked downward for the first time since our departure, we were astonished to behold both the oceans and the American continent standing out in bold relief below us. Then we realized at what a rate of speed we had been traveling. “After holding this course for several hours, we started upward again, going with even greater rapidity than before. We were by this time beginning to feel the pangs of hunger. After partaking of a light breakfast, we resolved to submit to the inevitable. _To be brief, we sailed upward for about two weeks, when one day Frank mentioned the fact that we were approaching the moon.

I, too, had noticed this. Indeed, it appeared hundreds of times larger than it had on the first night. Each day we approached nearer and nearer to the shining orb, and finally one night we sailed into a green valley, beautiful beyond description. “In this valley we observed thousands of three-legged beasts which were of a dark gray color and had ears of enormous size extending almost to the ground. As we had exhausted our own food supply, one of these animals was killed and prepared for eating. We found the meat as white and palatable as that of the chicken. While in the midst of our meal three men of diminutive size, scarcely three feet in height, appeared on the scene. We inquired of them what country we were in; but failed to make them understand. They learned, our language with remarkable quickness, however, and after hearing us converse for a short time, they informed us that we were in the land of Cazun and that the beasts grazing in the valley were Ringoes. “They also informed us that beyond the valley there was a large city. We “famous “scare-heads,” hosvever, asked them if they knew anything about this strange current which had carried us thither. They then made reply, that it was known to every one about; but that no one knew .where it led to, and that it changed direction every three months. In about two months it would turn back to the earth again. It is needless for us to describe the wonderful sights which we saw while there, for I do not think you would believe our words; but suffice it to say, that when the current changed we again came back to the earth and here we are.” The next day the papers were filled with the so-called “Myth of an Aeronautic Lunatic.” In spite of these inProf. Crofton’s story was printed in full. me me FOCUS FARM: One of ‘‘Tug’s’’ Yarns. A farmer living in the southern part ‘of California took a notion to take a trip, and with bag and baggage boarded a stage to travel the first seventy miles of his journey. He was given a seat on the box with the driver, who now and then indicated with his whiphand the various points of interest: Passing a large, prosperous and extensive farm the traveler was informed that the same was known as the “Irocus Farm.” After the stage had left the farm behind a low hill, the farmer turned to the driver and asked him how the ranch just passed had received its name. “Well, you see,” replied the driver, “that farm was formerly owned by a man who raised cattle, hogs, poultry, ete., for the market, and when he died he left his ranch to his four sons, who continue the same business,” “Well,” replied the farmer, “I don’t see yet why they call ‘it the ‘Focus Farm.’” r “You don’t? Well, that’s where the sons raise meat” —.