Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute - Acta Nostra Yearbook (Guelph, Ontario Canada)

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fl bF Ziff 27 THE MIRACLE By If-an Little, XIB lt was in at hospital ward at ttight tltat the iniratle happened. At least I thought it was a tniratle. There was a wounv soldier lying dai the . 5 nt one ol the beds. and that A doctor had ordered a screen pttt around him for the boy was going to die. The boy's ttante was Michael and he was very tnut-h afraid. .Ks he lay in tlte bed he thought about dxing. He was in great pain. bttt sontt-how that didn't set-tn intportattt. Ht- thought over all tlte tnean and cowardly things he had done :tt titnes. Ht- thought ol the tnen he had killed, youngsters like hintself slaughtering each other bt-t'zutse of other tnen's disagreentents. Ht- thought of how their tnothers tnttst ltare felt, and all because ol hint. .Xt this he sobbed alottd. He was xeri young. Then throttgh tlte darkness he heard footsteps coming toward his bed. One of the nten ht- had known in battle stood at his side. Hello Mike. ht- said. Conte on. lYe're going places. Mike got out of bed witlt no hesif tation and followed his friend. He noted with surprise that the pain had gone. They walked quietly dowtt the long ward. past the dint white blotehes that were beds, past tlte sleepy nurse sitting' at the desk working ox er charts. Soon they were ottt in tlte night. Mike didn't ask any questions. XX'ith a shatnefated sntile he reached for Iinrs hand, which inet his halfway. Ther did not hurry. After a while Nlike saw tltat they were on his own street. They turned in at his drivewax. bttt instead of going in, Klint led hitn to the back- vard. He heard :tn excited bark. and Butch. his old tnongrel dog, was juni- ping up against hitn. lhei went on, Butch running at their heels. ' Soon dawn began to streak the skp. Jint stopped at an old tree. and reaching into the hollow truttk, pttlled out fishing poles. and at couple of tin t-ans. Mike grinned. He hadn't fished with wortns since he was a kid. Thex dug until both Cans were fttll of bait, and then they sauntered on. The sun eatne up. and it was stltll- tnerlindeed. A touple ot' birds began to sing. and everything woke up. No other people were in sight. The air was crisp and tasted good, 'lhe ski was high and eool and very blue. The riter was rippling a little in tltt- earlx tnorning breeze, and Mike was happxp He plll tlte wriggling wornt on tlte hook. 'l'hei sat on tlte rock shell. at tlte edge ol xt deep pool where shadows darted to and fro. 'lltey smoked. .Xf- ter it while thei talked in low voices. sontt-how fearing to destrox tlte world's loreliness with ordinari tonversatiott. Once Mike sititl that ltt- wondered what it would bt- like to die. .lint stniled a little. Suddenlx its tlte sun rose higher and the dai grt-w warnt. Mike was hungrx. He tttrned to ulitn. When do we eat? he said. She'll be ht-re with food soon. .lint replied. Set-Y Oier on the other side of tlte field! Slit-'s touting now. Mike looked to tlte spot where lint pointed, with interest. He Could see tlte slitn figure of at girl approaching with sotnething in lter arnts. Her bltte Llless was blowing in tlte wind. and he eould see the sunny-gold of lter hair. Sontehow front this distant-e she rentin- ded hitn ol Susan. tlte girl he had loied sinee first grade. She had be- eotne a tntrse. and joined the Red Cross. She had been killed. His face darkened for at tnonient. Butch iutnped up front the plate where he had been lying. strt-tehed out in the sunshine, and ran to the girl, barking with delight. She Wits closer now. and he could see her face. Hi Mike. she hailed hint with a ware ol her hand and started to run. Mike tttrned to Elini, You mean he said, You tnean Susan. You tne XXX-'re deadlffu lint nodded silently. Mike stood still for a tnontt-nt. un- tertain. Then he started to run to the girl. lsn't it heaienlxfn he shouted joy- ouslv over his shoulder.

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XX ' fxwkmatwgiykgio 29 POUR Hy rlltllfllllll D. For never was a story ol more woe Than this of Vluliet and her Romeo. The last sweet words ol' poetry drilted out into the wings. Then catne the thunderous applause which meant he must slip out onto the stage to add to the back-ground while Romeo and Juliet take their bows. They stood there, bowing and smiling, while the great gold curtain rose and fell seven times. Often. Paddy had thought ol him- self as the great Romeo. He knew the lines by heart and had practised them before the mirror until he could mimic every gesture of the famous player. But what chance had he, whom everyone knew as poor Peter, the servant , to play such a part? If the star fell ill, there was the understudy, ready to step in. But always. did he cherish the hope that sometime it might hap- pen. Every night he had thought about it as he trudged home to his room. Once. he had even composed a poem-not a good poem, he knew, for it wouldnt scan for whatever a poem should doj -but still, a poem Always a clown, never a knight In burnished armour, gleaming bright, On a snowy charger, eager to fight: Always a clown, never a knight. .Always the iester, never the king For whom the glorious trumpets sing And sages, old, their treasures bringg Always the iester, never the king. Always humorous, never sad, The only parts I've ever had Are dumb men, deaf men, gayly cladg Always humorous, never sad. Always in the direst plight, Always losing every fight, Always wrong, never right, Always a clown, never a knight. XVhen he reached his flat he would brood over his supper, alter reading of PADDY .lIIlt'Kll1I1t2Il, Xllfl all the amazing adventures which belell other people. Nothing. he thought, ever hzzpt ened to him. The headlines blaletl with romantic tragedy -one des- pairiiig lover had jumped lrom the top of a skyscraper. another had for- lornly thrown himsell on the tracks belore a streamiiner at Grand Central btation, ll only he could perform such an exploit, the world would realize his true character. But he would never have the courage to iump lrom a tall building. lX'hat could he do? And then it tame to him The stilling air of a summer night lilled the theatre with a restless mur- mur. On the stage, the action moved wearily. with the mechanical plodding of a play which has run too long. The magic words had become a means of earning a living. rather than a miracu- lous adventure into a realm ol rotnallee. At the appointed time, luliet rose lrom her rollin, but it was not the same listless luliet who had been placed there. but a lresh. vivid artist-with a husky voice perhaps-but ll t1'llC sense ol' the tragic depth of her lovely lines. I will kiss thy lipsg Haply some poison yet doth hang on them . The audience had roused to a carelul attention as she drew Romeo's dagger and prepared to plunge it to her heart, when suddenly Iuliet's cas- ket began to quiver. It tottered on the edge and fell from its niche. The shouts that came from yluliet as the casket struck her were not at all those which one would expect from a lady ot distinction. The impact sent the' bewildered thespian sprawling on the lloor, with his golden wig around his neck. The dagger with which poor Paddy had intended to end his miser- able life lay embedded in the floor. The great gold curtain came swirling down as the original luliet. bound and w w'u'etl rolled across the stage in her rsumq P n EJGHICORIS.