Northeast High School - Nor Easter Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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14 or' easter has hurt me so much that I can stand almost any cruel cut nowf, I wonder where he is now. Darn those bootleggers! If we could get rid of such beasts, I could fix a furnace for you instead of this rusty old stove, and you and I wouldn't have to live in this rickety, draughty old tenement, we could live in a duplex apartment, perhaps. 1 Sam would have to give up whiskey before' we could do that, an' he wouldn't do that. I'm afraid thereis no hope for himg he's gone too far. If Sam's employer didn't dock his wages an' give me the money. I couldn't pay the rent. Sam has enough sense an' manhood left to let Mr. Philant do that. He hasn't much manhood left when he'll get drunk on 'corn whiskey' and will beat his wife and son. We ain't hungry, though. I thank God for my kind mistress. I just love to keep house for her. She pays me good-too good-and gives me two meals an' a lunch every day. She- an' her husband have helped me endure this trouble for five years. That's the only place you really get anything to eat. If Sam would only buy our food an' clothes, we could live in my em- ployer's new duplex an' I could work as its janitress an' pay for the rent of the basement rooms. But we're doin' the best we canf' But I think it's very selfish for me to go to high school when you need my help as much as you do. Later on you can help me much more if you study hard now. So you mustn't think of quittin' school an' goin' to work. I'm glad you think that way, Mother, it makes me feel better. I,m off to school, good by. So a strong, clean, encouraged Iohn strode briskly towards the car line and boarded a street car that would take him directly to school. ' He loved his high school work as much as he detested and hated his father. He was a senior and had enough education to make him capable of holding a good position while he studied journalismpin a night school. He hoped that the experience he was gaining as editor-in-chief of his school paper would help him with his chosen work. . Last night he had written a poem, easily and ingeniously. It was the best he had ever written, for his mother had interrupted him while he was writingfeverishly -on the best part of his work, and her interruption had caused him to review it, correct some mistakes, and improve it im- measurably. The reflections of his calmer mind had matured some of the hasty expressions that had flowed from ,his animated pen. His pen was always active. During the day he conceived and expressed at least one deep thought or original joke. Today he was going to debate, but it wasn't necessary for him to write out what he would say, he had mentally organized his material and he would easily find words to express his argument when the time came. And he did! His associates declared it to be the best debate given before their literary society that year. He had good reasons to be happy that day, for he had written a satis- factory poem the night before and had talked intimately with his mother and thus partly oiled their troubled -do- mestic sea. And he had argued a suc- cessful debate, had selected and or- ganized material for his paper, and the prospects of the next issue looked bright. But he felt depressed, for his best friend-girl friend-had slighted him on that day of daysg and he didn't know why! This feeling of depression grew upon him as he stepped from the school into the cold of the damp, gray mists that had displaced the pleasant weather which the forenoon had brought. He wondered, for some unaccountable reason, if his life would be like this particular day. As a street car rapidly carried him tow rel mc edi rer wa mc wo in the wa las it c his em re- wo the 'I got ove acq 'Bi Loi I hor hea ten ilie: mo' was pan not The terf suri earl KU 1 2 cc' spel CC' CCI to r get H1 abo' KC' El lln havr CCI in t for ' the- the

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' 'I -Q ' 1 ' i 2 Q' '51 -' 1:fx-1,Qgf'eq'5:5lf.:5vE?-viS4i3mi9i5:QfQQ giQg7Q3fri336QQQg?,iIiif?.SIP?riQE:QflQ1lfQ1.2.-LE 3 5-QQ ,T-A ' .-,AQ .ee-I . he .- ..,.. , . -. . , -. . . , .. l Mrs. r hus- Adele, ed her wraps. 's the ever asked ie an- fallen 5, each There proud 1, with 2 OthC1' adora- lespair s daily . This, 1d but taken sed the turned st love 1tter? against in her sobbed. of the want :e dur- l still. pierced ele, her ive Di- e, then of in- have fn. Al- do not ng that tle one iointing I. CCMY sinking lg that de her, Iarland 1 for' easter' .3 was pacing the floor troubled and em- barassed. Celia, dear, began Adele with more control as she held Celia's hands and looked pleadingly up into the staring eyes and white face, I know you love Diana, I know you want her, but do you realize that Diana should have advantages in life that you would be unable to give to her? I-Iave you thought of the expense? Celia shut her eyes tightly. I have a home which has long been prepared for childish delightsv continued Adele. But most important of all, Celia, you have not time to give to her, while I could spend my every moment for her interests and development. Who would look after her during your business hours? She paused but Celia made no effort to speak. And, she con- tinued. rising. Diana should have a Daddy! Celia winced. Forgive me, dear, said Adele, remembering john. You would see her very often and have her love just the same. It would not be- as if she were taken away. Celia-for-you shall be with her often. Celia gasped. Shall be, the words frightened her. Was it possible :hat she was to be forced to give up the Little One? Celia thought deeply during the long moments of silence. She struggled with self. No ! she thought, I'll not give her up! She is mine! Mine! by all rea- sonable- rights. I need her more than Adele does. I can provide for her, I will not give up Dianaf' But Celia felt the force not of Adele's words, but the force of that which is right and just, the Supreme Power, creeping over her. Finally she saw her helplessness and realized the truth of Adele's state- ments. Slowly she raised her head and looked steadily into the anxious eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Harland. Her own face was a study in deep emo- tions. Every feature wag beautiful and sadly radiant, her blue-gray eyes were tearless, but their expression of sweet sadness became almost painful as she opened her mouth and said with effort, You may come for Diana-- tomorrowf' She bowed her head, and something about the way she did it see-med to say, go now, please. Adele was just realizing what Diana ment to Celia and started to rush to her in apology and gratitude. Mr. Harland caught her back and shaking his head formed these words with his lips, Not now, come. Quietly but happily they left the room. For several moments Celia sat in pathetic silence, unable to move, then suddenly with a low wail she jumped up and ran to the Little One's bed- side. Encircling her arms about her and laying a tear stained cheek against the tiny one-, Celia murmured, Diana, my darling! my own-my very, very own-H Then, with a little choke, she added, just for tonight. Fallen Supports LE ROY SMITH. john- fCJ'Ohr1! !, KCHuh?!! Wake up! Get up an' fix the fire, All right, mother, I'll fix it in a minute. Hurry up! It's almost school time. Youive oversleptf' ' Golly! It's fifteen minutes to eight. No breakfast for me this morn- ing. I'll barely have time to get there and not be- tardyf' You mustn't study so late. You must've went to bed about twelve o'clock last night. Uh, huh, I did. But, anyway. I'm dressed now, and the fire is hot enough to keep us from standing near it long. It's as hot as my temper was last night. Mother, I'm sorry I said what I said. I'm sorry, too, dear, but your father ,ci-Q

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had able 5 he iool. was hool osen oem, the his e he best ption rrect im- E his f the owed uring ed at iginal abate, nr to e had nd he ss his :lared mefore happy satis- e and iother ed -do- a suc- id or- nd the looked for his ighted didn't v upon ol into ts that feather lt. He intable ke this ed him OP' QJSIQI? 15 towards the place he called home, he remembered that his 'paper needed more jokes and wondered if the local editor could get more tomorrow. He remembered his father and hoped he wasn't home. ready to mistreat his mother when she came home from work to that ancient-looking tenement in which they existed, it was so old that no one could remember when it was built, and it had been condemned last year by an official who examined it carefully, looked serious, and shook his head gravely. As a result, the empty upper rooms had never been re-rented. And he hoped they never would beg at least, not while he lived there. . The street car came to his stop. I-Ie got off, turned up the collar of his overcoat, and remarked to a passing acquaintance, These mists from the 'Big Muddy' are almost as bad as a London fog. He half ran the short distance to his home where he discovered two large, heavy moving vans in front of the tenement and learned that two fam- ilies were moving in. He watched the movers raise- a half-wrecked piano, it was hoisted to the top story, accom- panied by a creaking noise which did not seem to come from the pulleys. Then climbing up the stairway, he en- tered the- place he called home and was surprised to find his mother there so early. What's the matter, Mother? Chl I just had one of my sick spells an' had to come homefl Can I do anything for you? No, I'm all right now. I want you to run down to the store, though, an' get a loaf of breadf' What's that pounding from above? he asked from the doorway. That's our new neighbor cuttin' a hole for that window which should have been built there. He'd better be careful. The mortar in that wall is old and has crumbled for years, john remarked as he closed the door and stumbled gropingly into the hallway. I He thoughtfully descended the tene- ment stairways, as if he would never climb them again. But he shook off his foolish thoughts and proceeded to the corner grocery. As he bought the bread, he saw a man shuffle unsteadily past the store window. . That's Father, he sighed and hur- ried out to help him home. .As they approached the tenement, his father demanded of him, Is the old woman home yet? Yes, he answered him as he helped him up the front walk steps. The loaf of bread slipped from under his arm and he stopped to pick it up, while his father shuffled on. An in- describable sensation, perhaps it was only the clutches of the clinging cold, seized him and shook him into a vague terror. The large, heavy moving vans had been emptied. One of them moved ponderously and jounced and jolted to- wards the unusually high curbing and the other followed closely. The front wheels of the truck plunged over the curbing with a jarring joltg a small rattling noise was heard.. And ,it seemed as if a pedestal of the East porch, above which the light of johnis home shone, slipped from its founda- tion. The back wheels of the first and the front wheels of the second truck thudded upon the street pavement sim- ultaneously, the rattling increased to a roar. john straightened up suddenly and saw his father knocked down by fall- ing bricksg the evil half of his soul was delighted to see that part of the scene. And then to his horror he saw the weakened East wall sway and fall with that rattling roar. Then the remain- ing part of the wall, and the East porch also, bent inward and the entire East half of the tenement collapsed with a crash like an avalanche. john dutifully rushed to his father. Alas, he could not reach his mother, she was buried forever by that ava- lanche of bricks and mortar. He helped his father to rise. And that degraded man swayed, steadied