Elba Central School - Revue Yearbook (Elba, NY)

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Another year ol' hard studying , l'Xl'l2llllll'tl I'hoel1e. Ii is it XVO11t:lG1' she hasn't been siel: nbed llll'U2lllj'H. On top of all her lessons, her llllltllt'I' thought that she should go out witl1 tl1e young girls and boys ol' her set . As if she didn't have enough to do illl't'2ltlyH, sniil l'l1o1-be hall' to herself. NVell, Nancy associated with the wrong kind ol' people , Miss Russell went on, 11ot paying any attention to l'hoebe's iiiterruptions. The young 111011 we11t to night clubs, lllxtilllltl intoxicated and 1lidn't go lltlllltl u11til three or four o 'clock i11 the inorning. The young girls drank and smoked and called Nancy HClllC'liGllH because she Wtllllflllill join tl1e111. Nancy tried to tell llGl' 1l10tllGl', but she wouldn't listen . YYl1y couldn't sl1e leave tilt' poor girl alone? questioned Phoebe. I don't know, dearief' sighed Miss Russell. Some people are funny. lVell. anyway. said Miss Russell as sl1e went on with llC1' story, 'tNancy lived through it S01llGll0W Zllld graduated i11 June. Sl1e was sixteen Zllld 011 tl1e verge of a nervous breakdown. At last: IIOXV Nancy could rest , cried the relieved Phoebe. Oh! but no, my dear, llG1' mother had other plans for l1er. Every night she Went to a dance or some other entertainment, getting llOll1Q around three or four o'cl0ck i11 the morning. Every 11igl1t i11 the week her 111otl1er had sometl1ing to do for her. XVhat a life! exclaimed Phoebe. And especially when a person couldn't stand it, agreed Miss Russell. Nancy was taken sick about three 1no11ths after she grad- uated. Her folks se11t her to the 111ountai11s so sl1e could get well. Three weeks later she was brought back l1Olll6 tllltl the social life bega11 again. XVhen Nancy was seventeen, she 1na1'ried a young good-for- nothing man of l1er set. She didn't wa11t to marry him, but her mother forced l1er to because the young 1113.11 had money. H H The poor dear, murmured Phoebe. Married life didn't go so good with Nancy, Miss Russell we11t on. Her yoimg husband always XV2ll1tQCl to be going someplace. Nancy would be so tired she would stay home and rest. Three years went by. Nancy began to go to the night entertainments with her husband just to please him. She became weak, tired and so inactive that l1er husband got into the habit of going without her to dances alld other places. Oh! exclaimed Phoebe with disgust. If he were my husband, I'd make him stay home 1 Miss Russell smiled and went on. During her fourth year of marriage her husband left her. That was the last straw for Nancy. She had the best of doctors, but they couldn't find anything wrong with her except her nerves had gone to pieces and that she was tired and weak. Nancy became delirious and raved about her life , Miss Russell Went one. Her mother became frightened and told the doctors to examine her again. The doctors were becoming tired of the case and so they told Nancy's mother it was insanity. Thirty-one

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f A 1 '. ' ' J nf F1s f -Tiff! 'V :vb-if 7, L i 3...-5'l':v ' 4 c Aj, we -A LOST LIFE I Oh! I feel so sorry for her, exclaimed Phoebe. HVs7hy does life have to be so cruel to some people, Miss Russell I? asked Phoebe bitterly. UI don't know, child. Life is so funny some times and she is so young. She was twenty when they brought her up here. This conversation was taking place on the porch of a New England home in the afternoon. Phoebe, the younger of the two women, lived in New York. She was on a two weeks, vacation. She had planned to spend her vacation in the mountains, but when she saw this little town, she changed her mind and stayed here. Miss Russell the older lady had never married. She lived on a 4 , . ' , - small farm which a hired man worked tor her. She was a small, delicate, elderly lady, to whom everybody took a liking. The topic of their conversation was a small, delicate girl of twenty- two, being wheeled in a wheel chair by the house. Hldveryday the nurse wheels her for an hour and then takes her back to the institution,l' murmured Miss Russell. How long has she been here? inquired Phoebe. It's been two years, two long, hard years, exclaimed Miss Rus- sell. I'm the only one who goes to see her. Her folks don 't even come to see her. They must feel ashamed of her, said Miss Russell angrily. t'VVas she in an accidenttli' asked Phoebe inquisitively. No, my dear, she wasnlt. Something happened when she was back home and going to school. She's been so grateful for the flowers and candy that I bring her that one day she told me her whole story, sighed Miss Russell. t'Could you tell me? asked Phoebe eagerly. I don't think Nancy CNancy is her namej would care. But, please don't tell a soul, Phoebe , pleaded Miss Russell. I'll always keep it to myselfn, reassured Phoebe. VVell , began Miss Russell, Nancy's parents are very well-to-do. Nancy could have anything she wanted. In her freshman year of high school, Nancy failed some of her exams. Nancy's mother and father were very angry, but they insisted that she had to graduate with her class mates,1- VVhat a pity , interrupted Phoebe. In her sophomore year she had to take many subjectsw, continues Miss Russell. She had to study the minute she arrived home until she went to bed, stopping only to eat her supper. Month after month went by. Nancy became thin and pale, but still her mother and father made her study. The old meanies , cried Phoebe. The same thing happened in her Junior year. Nancy was tired and ill. She obtained no exercise and seldom went to bed before nine. Well, she passed her subjects and was now a senioiyi- Thirty 'lf'

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.C L- r, ,. -f 1 If-443-j-fe.g,pF.,ji::T -ug f .,. z1.,,i:,-s1gQ5,,fn..f A -. , ag, , 1 N.. 1' w-:Q ..m...,,. .m.....::.:1 J So then they sent her up here , said Phoebe. Yes, and she told me she would never go back to her home. I suppose her husband never came back , said Phoebe as Miss Russell finished her story. His kind never does ! No, he never came back. But oh, my! Just look at that sun. It must be after six. I'll have to go in and get supper now, dearie, said Miss Russell. y Phoebe said nothing. She was thinking of that small, delicate person in the wheel chair. The next day Phoebewas on her way back to New York. She was still thinking of that small girl who would never know how dear life is. Lucille K irkpatriclc. A CHAT WITH A NEVVSBOY As I was walking down Main Street, a voice called out, Paper? Yes, I answered, and flipped a coin to the small boy. How?s business? I asked invitingly. Not so bad, answered the boy, sold thirteen already. How many do you usually sell? Twenty-live or thirty-good nights thirty-five. Make much?' ' Sometimes half a buck with tipsfl Save the money? Gantt-have to spend it. Isn't your father working? Ain't got none, he answered in a weaker voice. He died two winters ago.'? Do you have to support your family alone? My mother works part of the time, but she's been sick for four weeks. Doctor says they might have to operate. Although I didn't know whether to believe him or not, I decided that I did and began to feel a keen pity for him. How many in your family? I asked. Five besides me. You are the oldest? No, my brother Frank is thirteen but he can 't walk-infantile paralysis. 3' How old are you? I ventured. Eleven.?' Go to school? Sometimes, when I ain 't workin' or stayin' home, but I got to go now-here 's your change. 'l Keep it, I said, as I continued on my way. Thanks, came the reply. H arley Dfllcher. Thirty-two