Butler High School - Magnet Yearbook (Butler, PA)

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7 H E SENIOR £M A G N E T every quarter hour, whether or not he was making progress. Until midnight everything went well. Ham was safe and finding out a great deal—hul then the signals stopped; two hours dragged by and then a huge crash followed by a single word flashed back to the waiting operator, Done—” There was a deathly silence. Gappy was notified— Call Red, was his only comment. Red came, tousled and sleepy. I le made Cappy a drowsy salute and stood at rumpled attention. Red,” said Cappy, and his voice was hard, Red, you’ve got to go over.” In the flash the somnolent dough boy was wide awake, alert, ready for his orders,—a man, and a soldier. He did not speaK until Cappv’s commands were given and then, “If I don't get back when the rush is over, take care of my belongings, Cappy.” That was all and with a quick clasp of Cappy’s hand, he was gone into the shell-torn night, smiling his everlasting smile, the fire of his gleaming hair smothered out by his helmet. Cappy knew no rest that night. The winged messages flared back and forth like fire flies, from scout to operator and back again, until the small hours. And then, within two minutes, came two O’ K's—one from Red and one from the “Big Chief.” The advances were on! Every Yankee niuskateer rushed forward, facing the hellish blare of cannon; quaking as an unseen gas polluted the morning air; waiting for the unguessed shell from an aeroplane above, dealing death and worse. And all the while the three sisters went on with their spinning, stopping a million times to break the threads with their skinny, nimble fingers. They must have been busy that night. While Cappy led his men across, Red was retreating, seeking some rude shelter in which to repair his damaged telephone. Finally there peeped up at him a de-lapidated morsel of stone wall, making an angle, an ideal shelter—one side of which faced his enemy while the other protected his right side. Here he worked busily while time flew, missed by the shells which whistled and cracked all around and above him. It seemed he could hear a voice calling, even amid the din and noise around him. It appeared to be far away, weak, yet recognizable. I le looked around the side of his hiding place, but saw nothing; yet he was sure—and—suddenly he knew. 1 le peered cautiously over the top, to see the object of his thoughts, Cappy torn and bleeding. Red pulled him within the rude shelter and rested him as comfortably as he could on his own strong arm. I le felt a dry hard lump in his throat, for he knew that Cappy, his buddie, was done. “Red,” the dying man’s voice made him start, “I guess you’ll have my things to take care of—smile old scout, and take off your helmet,” he struggled hard for strength to go on. “1 want to go out seeing you like—that—his voice limped into silence, but his eyes were rational and smiling. And then and there George William Henry did the hardest thing of his life— he smiled, and his red hair gleamed in the early light, while his heart tugged at its bonds, while those watching eyes grew dim, until the body bacame limp in his arms. Cappv was gone—Cappy, his Buddy, was gone—.

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10 T H E S E N10 R fM A G N E T Buddies Ella Snydek Early in 1917 there came to America a plea, a clarion call for help, and America said, “We are coming, Lafayette.” So Red went into service among the very first, and, in camp became famous for two things, one his everlasting smile, the other his skill as a potato peeler. llis captain was a jolly fellow, half dreamer and half soldier, a man with high ideals and a friendly heart, whom the boys called “Cappy.” He was beloved by his boys because he could shoot a “cruel crap” and play a straight game of poker—and he was a born mixer. Perhaps you don’t quite get the connection between Red and Cappy, so I’ll explain. At first it was Cappv’s keen sight at inspection which caused a private interview—Red had a button olf. “What’s your name?” Cappv asked. “Red,” with a grin. “Red who?” “My full and baptismal name is George William Henry—” “That’s enough,” interrupted Cappy, smiling. “I’ll call you Red. Now, sir. you know you are supposed to keep all the buttons on your clothes, don’t you?” “Yes, sir,” with a grin. “You know there is a punishment for disregard of such rules, don’t you?” “Yes, sir.” “Well,” and Cappy stroked his chin, “would you prefer a week in the guard house, or a week potato peeling?” “Guard house, for mine,” Red told him. “Urn, hum, you may peel potatoes, beginning at noon.” And so Red peeled potatoes, improving with practice, and Cappy watched and smiled. Private interviews were frequent (for Red was only a Ereckles grown up), but somehow Cappy’s punishment lacked a sting and the two soon became friends with an attachment as deep and lasting as it was unvoiced. And then they were sent “Over There,” to a country, trapped, bleeding, despairing, such was Erance. At this time every man was needed, no one could be spared if he could hold a gun. In the Erench army there were fathers standing side bv side with their sons, and even grandfathers were not exempt. Women had given over the housework to the small children and the aged grown ups. Every eligible person fled to the munitions factories and turned out as much war supplies as the country’s fast diminishing resources could command. Times were hard; Hindenburg was coming, faster, nearer, relentlessly! In Paris the fussed ladies were packing their band boxes and preparing to flee at a moment’s notice. And then “ They came! A million Yankee boys, hurrying, grim and strong to fight for a country’s ideals.” And smiling still in red-haired radiance came Red and Cappy. The Company stopped at a little town which was battered as a hero’s helmet, and awaited orders. 1'here was no time to play, however, for orders came almost immediately, a scout was to report the chances for an advance. Cappy knew his two best scouts, the two who would learn most and risk least —Red and a fellow called Ham. He could recall many good points in both, but neither was the better. He called them in and settled the question by a tossed coin—Ham must go. He went, equipped with telephone, wire cutters, a grin, and instructions to report

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T E S E N10 R EM A G N E 7 Mio Figelio, Tony Darrell Gregg Say, I have one boy what plays— whats’ you call heemp De footsball, dat’s heem. An’ my boy, he isa de bes’ boy ona dat team. yeh. My Tony he beats dat whole game, dat’s Tony. I• irs’ tarn he come home an’ say if he can go outa for dis here teem, I tells heem geta busy ina de store. 1 don’ wants heem bring not-ings more’ round dis here house, no. One, two, t’ree dog, sometam. 1 no like dem dog. All tarn dey maka de troub’: digga somebodys grass; bita somebodys kid, yeh! I tells heem, no, yeh, but 1 no un’erstan’ den. Nex' day he don’ come home right away, no. We hava stay ina de school, he say. Nex, day, nex’ day it is de same ting. What’s de mat’, 1 say. No gitta de lesson, he tella me. Den he come home wit’ de skin all olTa de face. What for de skin offa de face, I say. He an’ noder boy dey have de fight, he tella me. But I don’ like for Tony hava de fight —teara de clothes. 1 le licka de oder boy, yeh? Sure. Dat’s all right den. But all tim he have stay ina dat school. What for, 1 say, No getta de lesson, hava de fight, get put ina de Study 1 fall. What is dat Study Hall, I say. Place where dey make you learna de lesson, too. All right, I tella hem, hurry up learna dat lesson an’ come home work ina de store, yeh. Saturday come. Tony he don’ eata mucha de dinner, not vera mucha de hungry, he say. I don’ mind. 1 go ina de store, sella de fruits. Purdy soon I cal la Tony. He don’ say not’ings. All right, 1 looka to find heem, pulla de ears, yeh. learna heem de lesson. But 1 canno’ fin’ dat Tony. His broder, he’s vera much scarce; he say Tony he play de foots ball games. What! Tony playa de foots ball games an’ me work in the store. Huh! Wait 1 getta heem. My wife she watcha de store. I taka Frankie an’ go fina dis foots ball game yeh! 1 bringa dat Tony home. Frankie, he’s little boy, maybe ten, ’leven year old. I le canno’ walk so fas’ as me, no. But he can run, yeh, an’d make heem hurry up fin’a where is dis foots ball games. Frankie he’s good boy, he can fin’ heem right away quick. I heara de lots a’ peoples maka de lots a’ noise. Dis band it plays alia tarn one vera fas, musics. Me an’ Frankie, we come toa de gate. Dat man he say canno’ go in. Whats’ de mat’, I say. I le wanta de mon,’ he says. I tella heem he catcha de wrong fella, I don’ hava de mon’, no. I want my Tony. Dis man he say it is all right, I can go in if 1 hurry up come back out. 1 go in. Dat oder mans, he laugh. I Iika smasha de face? Everybody is stan’ up maka de vera much holler. 1 canno’ see Tony, too mucha peoples. Frankie he say come he know where is Tony. Me an Frankie, we climb pasa dat peoples an’ I sees Tony. One boy he trows de ting bigger as a pine apple. Tony he catch data ting, ran vera fas’ right ata me. 1 runa for to catch heem but I canna’ run so fas’ as Tony. 1 le get away. Oder mans dey try for catch Tony. He pusha one fella in his face wit’ de han’. He fall vera hard. Everybody dey make vera much holler. I lika dat, too. I tella Tony for to push ader mans, too. Onea mans he runna in fronta Tony, catcha heem by the feets. 1 lika for to catcha heem by the neck, yeh, I bus to de head. Both fall ina de mud. Den onea cop he catch me bya de arm. What for you try for stop data boy, he say. Tony he run away from de store, I come taka him home. What’s de mat’, dats my boy, he say. Yeh.