Commerce High School - Ledger Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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KP8BER TO AN UNKNOWN Helen Clous Editor s Note — The Literary section was cor- rected, edited, and judged by members of the Silver Pencil Clubs. Wars. They bring us nothing. Alothers. They have suffered. We liave nothing and we have suffered. Man were those who gave up their only sons reluctantly but with a certain pride. This mother, we shall call her Airs. Albraith, was one who wor- shiped her boy, and lived just for him. She had held him back until necessity made him enlist for the service. Letters were exchanged between them, the mother asking how he was getting along — if he wanted some more wool stockings or a sweater ; and the boy telling her that it was a wonderful experience, to put fear out of her mind as it was making a man out of him. She would be proud of h.m when he came home. When he came home. His mother fairly existed on those words. There were other soldiers to think about and sweaters, wool scarfs, and stockings to knit for those that had no lo ing parent to send these to them. One morning, when ever one and everything seemed its sunniest, a telegram came to the home of the Albraith ' s. The little black star told the story, but the frightened woman did not see the sorrowful sparkle. The contents blazed at her: Wednesday, October 9, at 12 o ' clock, Company D went ' Over the Top. ' Two days later at the same hour the roll was called. ' V ' our son ' s name was among the missing. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to you. Captain George R. Chorman. My son, my little boy, dead! Oh, not dead! The mother passed a shaking hand over her eyes, looking at the letter with a glance that bordered on insanity. Twelve o ' clock! Sympathy! The words came like hot shot followed with the report of hysterical laughter. Then merciful darkness came to that lost mind. What was there to li e for? wondered the mother after a month of semi-consciousness. She pulled her couch to the window and watched the REI ' RLSLXTING THE SILVER PENCIL Pegyy Patching. Melvina Halstrom. Hazel Howe, Rosa Hdlemba, Bernlece Hill. Soon tiring of looking at faces that were lined with their own cares, she glanced at the blue sky. Some- thing stood defined against the blueness. Hurried- h ' putting on her glasses, she gazed at the spectacle. A huge statue of an unknown doughboy stood in the fquare peering down on the hundreds of peo- ple — looking for someone. While Mrs. Albraith had lost interest in the doings of everv day life, a statue had been erected to an Unknown Sol- dier using his features. Frederick Du Pont, a great sculptor, had found in this dead soldier ' s features a something that he had always wished to put in the form of bronze, so the doughboy stood his guard. Somebody ' s son, the woman cried softly in her sympathy for the unknown mother. She put on her wraps and decided to go to see this statue, and pray for the two people. Alany were sur- prised to see an elderly woman praying at the steps leading up to the tomb that day. Regularly it now had become for Mrs. Albraith to go down to the square at 12 o ' clock, the time her boy went Over the Top. There were those who wondered with curiosity at the strange be- havior, and many who bowed their heads wish- ing that they too could pray for a lost one, but fearing the thoughts of the crowd. As winter approached with its heavy rains, the mother showed no signs of ceasing her vigil. Then the weather became severe. One morning dawned with a terrible storm. Lightning, thunder, and sheets of rain and hail fell upon the town. As continued passing of the hurry, hurry crowd. the morning progressed the weather became more Paae 12

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LERBER Port Assembly, September 13, 1926. This was our first stop this season. We dropped anchor near the briji Constitution for a program on board. It was manned by a fine, patriotic crew. John Nagel was the sporty captain who conducted the affair. Robert Lambert, Ruth Tichenor, Rose Appleston and Raymond Hunsacker contributed to the occasion. A thousand and more lusty throats joined in the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. Roving the Seas of Literature with the sign of the Silver Pencil nailed to the masthead, a brigan- tine in quest of booty, was sighted at daybreak. We learned that it had captured a merchant vessel and amongst other valuable loot had taken many poets as hostages. Thev accepted an invitation tendered by the tloughty ship Franklin, after having gorged their fill, and sent Melvina Halstrom, Faye Howe, Berniece Hill and ALarjorie Pangborn as mediators. P.uje 11

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TERSER, violent. Mrs. Albraith looked at the clock, then at the storm and sighed, but continued her knit- ting, not soldiers ' scarfs this time, but children ' s sweaters and stockings. At five minutes of 1 2 she laid down her knitting and prepared for her noon pra ers. As she turned the knob on the door it flew back with astonishing force, nearly upset- ting her. But though she was a little frightened, a mumbled prayer seemed to put driving force into her and she went on her way, stopping every few steps to get her breath. The high wind was blow- ing the tops off of chimneys and upsetting every- thing that was not firmly attached to the ground. The idea to turn back did not enter the dimmed mind. She seemed happier than she ever had been before. Her face shone with a light that comes to those who ha e suffered and now were coming to a rich reward in the presence of the All-Forgiver. Falling to her knees, she prayed while the rain beat down upon her form. A roar of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning and the great statue of our American tottered. The statue of the Unknown Soldier paused in its headlong flight to look down upon the praying mother. The rain blinded our ision, but could it be that the face shone with a happiness as one coming after a long time to its comforting place? A head- rending crash ! O, merciful God. could anyone have done anything to deserve such a fate — a broken-hearted mother! Another dawn came stealing half fearfulh to see the damage it had brought the morning before. Stronger it came as it was relieved of some of its dread. Then it beamed forth with cold front ignoring its first doubts. Startled, it seemed at loss to find the unknown doughboy no longer there to greet it. There lay the soldier, no longer unknown. Drops of water were on his face, but to those who still lo ' e the real romance, I shall tell you, they were tears of liappiness. And his mother — her arms were clasped around her boy. Hers from the minute she had seen him falling toward her into her out- stretched arms. They were tightly clenched, whether from pain or joy. Those who believe — know. .1 ;-. La Spronce — Have you noticed how Mr. La Spronce always smiles or how his eyes always twinkle when he is speaking gruffly? That is just one of his characteristics, and we like him all the better for it. One never sees him without a broom or a bag of waste paper. He surely is a credit to Commerce. He is helping us work for our mecca of the future — a new High School of Commerce. Are you helping him? UFFICE TK.M.M.XG CLASS Paije 13