Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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7 :' S E A’ 1 O R [MAG N li 7 to an old codger like me—watch out! He doesn’t seem to know that he’s giving himself away. Poor Tom!’’ and he shook his head in a most discouraging manner. August 30, 1919 Dear Holt:— Rec’d your letter first of the week and saw to the business you asked me to. Walker couldn’t do it. said he was too rushed, but 1 got Dodson to do it. He’s all right and I’ll vouch for him. Moses, but I’m sick of N. Y. So bloomin’ hot you can’t sleep. People are dying off like flies. There hasn’t even been a good show in town for a month and all my friends seem to beat the beach. Drat the summer anyway, give me the winter any day. But I mustn’t talk you downhearted, too, so will ring off. Was glad to be able to do you a favor so don’t be backward about asking me again. Dejectedly, T. W. P. S. Am thinking about taking out a life membership in the Bachelor's Club. Holt was sight seeing along the turbulent Danube when he rec’d this letter, lie rolled his tongue in his cheek and casually remarked the “True love, like the Danube, doesn’t run smooth.” September 30, 1919. Holt Old Top :— Words can’t tell how happy I am. There’s no secret now, why I’m so happy I wish the whole world could know it. Glad to hear you’re ready to come home— if you promise to be here in four weeks I’ll hold off the ceremonies till then, but not a minute longer. Of course 1 want you for my “best man,” but then there’s a limit to all patience. But here I’m way ahead of my story; 1 just can’t talk or write coherently. Well, I hadn’t made many trips to the Fieldings before 1 got the surprise of my life. There happens to be two Deborah Fieldings. and the new one, a niece of the old lady, is the lovliest, most beautiful and kindest person in the whole world. Holt, don’t let anyone ever tell you that an open confession is good for the soul. I made a clean sweep of everything to Deb, (I can call her that now) and believe me, I got my foot into the hottest water ever. It was she and not the old lady who wrote that letter. The old lady may control the financial end, but Deb’s the section boss. Of course you understand that I was pretty well acquainted with her before I confessed everything. But when 1 did, she surely did get up her wrath. Mart, m’dear, believe me or not, those two weeks that she’d have nothing to do with me were the gloomiest of my life. At last 1 got her to listen to me and I told her of the magazine episode and that did the work. She laughed and called me a “silly, ridiculous boy.” Then her aunt put in a few good words for me and my father and—Oh, well, all’s well that ends well, and please, Mart, don’t keep back the wedding day any longer than you possibly can Happy, Lucky, TOM P. S. I’m glad I didn’t take that Life membership. Don’t criticize me too much, remember the higher you go, the harder you fall.

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14 THE SENIOR {MAGNET I went hack to the office in the afternoon and the office boy bounced me for a subscription to a magazine—I swear I don’t know the name of it now. Well, Fate was playing into my hands. I subscribed and promised to get him some more subscriptions if he would lend me his credentials, and of course he was tickled at the thought. That evening I meandered forth with my subscription blanks and I certainly did look business like as 1 stalked up the front steps and boldly rang the bell. I asked the servant who answered to see Miss Deborah Fielding and was shown into a spacious, well furnished reception hall. Pretty soon Deborah came in and she was all my fancy had painted her except that I was all wrong about the peppery temper. She was as meek as a lamb, why she almost volunteered to subscribe. 1 felt as cheap as dirt and couldn’t get away quick enough. But this is only the opening scene for 1 don’t expect to give up so easily. I saw jour uncle-----------------------. July 20, 1919. Dear Mart:— Glad to hear that you got your business off vour hands so soon—you’ll have a fine opportunity for travelling now. At last I’ve got all the inside dope about the servant trouble in the Debor— but still she’s too nice to call that—Miss Fielding case. I can’t go into detail about it for it would be too long; but I’ll tell you a few of the facts and maybe you can get the gist of it. I got a proper introduction to the old lady thru accident and luckily she didn’t identify me as the magazine agent. I found out that her brother was an old schoolmate of my fathers’ and the old lady just more than palavered over me From words I picked up, that letter was intended for Mr. Ward, their neighbor, and was sent to him at his club, so of course I got it by mistake. Don’t you remember there is another Ward in the same club where I stay? Somehow or other he had gotten into a mixup about their servants, but that doesn’t concern me anymore and I didn’t take the trouble to find out the particulars. It’s a queer old world isn’t it! July 31, 1919 Old Thing:— I just couldn’t wait to hear from you, have to blow off to some one and you’re the only one in on the secret so you must be patient. Gosh. Mart, 1 never knew that the world was so beautiful—birds and flowers and clouds and all that. Work isn’t worrying me much these days, the fellows are back from their vacations and I’m taking it easy. I hat Deborah Fielding is sure an interesting and lovable old character as I found out in my frequent visits there. I'm glad dad was acquainted with the old lady, vou know' it kind of gives me a season ticket there. Boy, I’ve made the most wonderful discovery—I’m just in a trance. She’s certainly a beauty. I was going to tell you all about it in this letter, but I’ll wait further developments and have a surprise for you. When Holt got this letter he laughed heartily and said to himself “Poor Tom! I’m afraid he’s a gonner. Though I’ve never had the disease myself, 1 know the symptoms. When a fellow starts talking about birds and flowers

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16 7 : 5 E N 10 R €M A G N E T JACQUES, THE LAGGARD Bernard Cohn N a small town called La Quierre, in France, lived a boy whose name was Jacques Pierre. Jacques’ parents died when he was four years old. Mis parents being old, left him nothing but a few francs. Jacques is now fifteen years old and has lived with his uncle in the same province ever since his parents died. Jacques did not like to go to school, nor could he be pursuaded to study his lessons. Often times he received severe whippings from his uncle in order to make him study his lessons, lie was lazy and would not do anything he was told to do. For these reasons he received the name Jacques, the laggard. Six years later there came to the region of La Quierre the news of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife of Austria. The news spread from mouth to mouth like wild-fire, until everybody in France knew about it. On this day, Jacques was plodding homeward after work, when he saw a large crowd standing around the corner. He hurridly ran to this place and was eager to know the cause of the excitement. “Archduke Ferdinand assassinated!’’ “Austria’s mobilizing! Germany is preparing for war!’’ These were some of the exclamations that reached his ears when he came up to the crowd. In a few days Austria declared war on Serbia, and France which bordered on Germany, declared war on Germany. In a tew days, volunteers were called for. Jacques, the laggard was the first to join, in spite of the protests of his uncle and friends. Even the officers in charge of the enlisting station w'ere a bit afraid to let him join for they, knowing how lazy Jacques was. thought that it would be hard on him to obey orders all the time. In a few’ days the troops were marching to the front with Private Jacques Pierre among them. ° . Ta-ra-ta-tat—T a-ra-ta-tat. It was the call of the bugle in the still air of “No man’s land.” “Over the top,” shouted the captain. It was Jacques's regiment that went over the top. I he roar of the guns was deafening. There was a continuous ric-ric of machine guns. W hen the command to go over the top came, Jacques was the first one out of the trench. He ran across to the enemy’s trenches and fought like a demon. In the midst of the fray, Jacques was separated from the rest of the regiment. I he command came for the regiment to retreat to the trenches, on account of the severe losses. W hen Jacques turned around to retreat, he was confronted by five German guardsmen. He gritted his teeth, uttered a short prayer, and started to light them. I le shot the first two, and bayonetted the third. Just then a shell burst nearby and the other Germans were wounded. Jacques received several slight wounds but was able to crawl back to the edge of the trench. Just as he was on the edge of the trench he fell unconscious and was dragged into it bv a comrade.