Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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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.

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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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T : SENIOR Of AG N E T 17 He would not permit the officers to send him back to the base hospital. In the course of a few days, he was well and on the firing line again. In May 1916, the Germans launched an attack against the sector of the line Jacques’ regiment was holding. They were taken completely by surprise, and by the end of the day they were captured. “Forward march!” cried the German captain. Jacques and the prisoners had to march back to the prison camp. On the way, a few of the slightly wounded soldiers lagged behind. They were prodded with a bayonet until they would keep up with the others. One of Jacques’ pals dropped with exhaustion and could not go farther. A German soldier came up to him and said, “Peeg of a soldier, get up!” Jacques hurried to his companion’s side, and asked the guard what he meant by insulting a soldier. For an answer he received a crack over the face. Jacques hit him back and knocked him unconscious. While they were fighting a squad of German soldiers came up and saw Jacques hit the soldier. They grabbed him and hand-cuffed his hands. The penalty for his act was that he should receive a cup of water and a dry crust of bread a day until they reached the internment camp. The suffering that the captured soldiers endured on their march to the prison cannot be described. If anyone lagged behind he was goaded to death with a bayonet. Jacques was so worn out when they reached the camp, that when he was taken to his cell, he dropped unconscious. The cell in which Jacques and four other prisoners were kept was about sixteen feet long and twelve feet wide. There was only one window in the room, but it was large enough for a man to crawl through it. Only one guard watched the side of the building. After Jacques regained some of his strength, he began making plans to escape. He knew how often the guard passed the window, how far he patroled, when he was the farthest away from the building, and when he was the drowsiest. It was on a dark and misty night that he perceived it best to escape. He told his companions that he would try to free them as soon as he reached his own army again. He pulled his cap down over his face and after a last fare-well, he crawled through the window. Once outside, he stood erect for a few moments to survey the surroundings. He knew' that the slightest noise meant capture and probably death. The guard appeared when Jacques was standing here and saw him. He came up to him and said, “Who goes there?” There was a low thud and a stifling cry. Jacques had hit the guard over the head with a heavy club He quickly exchanged clothes with him, took his gun, and dragged him into a dark corner. It was dawn when Jacques came to a house. He was almost exhausted for he had been walking all night. He knocked at the door and a woman came. He told her that he was a German soldier and wanted something to eat. At this house there was another German soldier, the woman’s son, who was a captain in the army. From him Jacques learned the weakest and strongest points of the enemy. I pon departing, they gave him a horse to carry him to his regiment, thinking all the while that he was a German. At noon the next day. Jacques was within hearing distance of the firing line. He was beginning to meet squad after squad of soldiers marching to the front. He had to pick his way very cautiosly now for fear of being caught.