Hamilton Collegiate Institute - Vox Lycei Yearbook (Hamilton, Ontario Canada)

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40 VOX LYCEI Christmas, 1923 :1v:nil, Il1l5XV01'+?l1 11, gray-11ai1'Qd squire. The he-st Steed could hardly take us th:-re In-forv dawn now that thc bridgu is d0st1'uywl. A 1115111 must hnvv wings to gn-t ovm' The river. . Wings! vrie-d Ellllllil, her eyes b1'ig'lmtv11i11g with suddou joy. My d0VC! LK ' -A Y'7 lnxu-lluut. 9XC'1flilllCl1 Lzuly Roszlliml, as shm- hastily wrote a note- :xml tip-fl it zxruuml thu 41OYC'S ui-vk. They took it to H10 town-1' and set it froe. IT 1lflVl'1'f'l'l about the tower for :1 fvw miuutvs, :xml H1011 tlvw toward Fn11w11be1',g', 1ll'k!0lll1lflIli0il by the good wishes 111141 l1o:11'ty 1PI'1lyL'1'S of :111 in thc vzlsflv. Thai' cvellillg, the fillllnf' of F1llliL'llvIlC1l'g hull sat :Town to SIIPIUCI' without fvxu' or sure. Thu' bcnms of the svttixug sun worc- Sfl'1'1llllillQ,1' t1l1'CllIg'11 tho windows, ligfhtiug up tlw 0111 hull, whcn :1 page crunc- to Zllllllrllllvl' thu il1'1'iV1'll of fllrmf llilg'l'ill1S. Sir Tln-ub:1la1 bmle that Hwy Im ,LfiVL'll fl good meal. As tlwy now sut tulkillg, little- Thinking what gxlvsfs these wwe, Agn:-s spr:mg,5 up wyimlgg, HS1-e-luy dow-! Louk, f1l01'L' is :L lliifl' Til-fl T0 its !1k?1'k!N Slw lvt The dove ill. Thx' knight luokvmi vlnsdly :if H19 Svrull :11111 saw on tlllf' out- Sidm-, Tu lu- IWSIII1 :IT 01xc0. As sown :as Tlwolmhl ruml the uotv, he se-uf Lllllf' Ottiliu :und Agmfs into YIIIOHIOI' ruom, puf on his Hl'IllUll1', :md 0l'l1U1'l'l1 :x IIIIIIIIPCI' of Sflll'4lf' 1mf11-:xt-:nrnls to he pn-sclmt. He thvn lst the Stl':iIlg'Ql'5 be llfllllgfllf into his lll'l'SI'lll'P. With lmnrhlc micfu :md lowly 1't'Vl'l'l'lll C Hwy k'llfUl'UKI T110 111111, :11111 T110 vlmlcsf be- gun his tnlo in tones of Thv most IIUIICYWI 11.VIll'l4'1'iSyZ HIHl1ST1'iOl1S 101'll mul knight, ww tlnmk you for your hospitality: und oh, Imw luvky wo do vount oursvlvcs to Sul fzu-U Tn fave the man wlmsv fnmv fills all thx- llllltl, nsthep1'otrwto1' of the poor. Voldly :md sternly he asked: XYho uw vnu, may T ask? KK'1'lll'1'0 your pilgrims trzlvvlliug 1101110- vv:ur1ls, wus the IIIISXVCF. '1Wlmt sm-ok you in this 4'nsTle'? Nu1hiug but a lli,Q,'I1f,S S111-In-1'. To, llIlll'I'UXV :nt 1-on-k-1-row W0 C'OII'fiIl1lC our jfllll'lI1'IX'.m You HM suddenly exclnilnwl the lclliggllt in :1 Voimf of fI1111ul01': fund his sword flnslu-11 out of its sheath. You come not from the Holy Land, are not pilgrims, but robbers and 1111l1'd61'E1'S. Not to sevk quivt shcltn-1' came- you hero, but to ki'1l :md dvstroy! Seize them! At thc word, the false pilgrims were bound :md thrown into a dungeon, with Sir Tl10o'bz1l41's words sounding in their ears: Thus furv all evil-4106-rs, and full into the pit which they dug for another. At I'IO1l1'IlIPt'l'jI, Euruln :11111 her mother Wvre lf-ft lung' in distressful zmxioty for their frimlds. As twilight du-w on, mother and dnllgllter placed thexnselvm-s at 21 window looking toward F:1lke11Iw1'g, and thx-re spcnt :111 the night, fP:11'i11g to sec thr- sky 11-dd011f-el by fi distant glow of destlwlvtioll, for token that their device 111141 I,l1'f'Il Ill VlllIl.' It wus Izxtv in the Ilft9l'll0Oll bcforv Emma t'Illlg'l1f sight of their friends vom- ing Hl1'0l1Q.flI thc' forvst. XVith :1 shout of joy Slllr' rnu vluwn from her NVi'lfC1l-TOXYCI' vrying 'I'lm.v rome tlleluselves to ta-ll us :111 is well! Sho wus right. Tllsta-ml of SOIILHIIQ' :I IIl0SS4'llg'1 1' thu'-y had Come Thvlu- solvvs to znnlmulwv their happy 4lelive1':1m-0 to the frivnds who had brought the rob- bers' 4lC'Sig'll To llzlllghf. How vnu wv n-xprvss our gl'1lTifl11IL'?M suifl Sir 'Flu-uln:ul1I to Lady Rosalind, ns he SIYYIIIIQI from his lmrsv. There is no 1l4'L'41,,y S110 wplioml. Right gland are we to be able, in some lll0HSlll'l', to wpzuy your kindness. But, if :my thanks 1111' UXVill,Q,', it is Emma who thought nf m:nkiu,g' thv dove the luvssml- gov. And that, mid Emma, Hf'fXll1t' of Agxws' 'Ll'0IlCl'USifj' in giving me her peff' 'I':'ukv it lmvk, :md :1 tllouszuld timvs wclconu-Y 1-rival Agnus, who had brought the dove with hor in ll basket. Ottiliu said, I'Ic:lv011 be f111lI1kSf'l that from such peril has saved our house, througlx thu IIIUHIIS of so lllilllf' good frionmls and :ln illllOl'L'1lt dovv! This IIZIIIPOIIOI1 many years ago, but the massive cznstlv of Fnlkenberg still stands in its SPIUIIIIOIII' to romind t1':1v9He1's that a ,good zwtimx is ncvm' clone in vain, even to the simplest of GUNS C1'6?lfll1'PS. Mr. Shu-phvxwl- P11t away that Friend- ship Book. When I start Geu1net1'y, all friendship Qcnsvsf'

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Christmas, 1923 VOX making clothes for some poor orphan. All about them was still and peacefulg the only sounds were the singing of the birds in the trees overhead, and the cease- less splash of the fountain. All at once, something iiew into their shelter, so quickly that they could not see what it was. They both looked up with a start. Next moment, a great hawk swooped fiercely down, and hovered with outspread wings at the opening of the arbour, but at the sight of human beings it lied. Agnes looked to see what had taken refuge beside her. She picked up the trembling dove and cried, See, mother, a snow-white dove! The dove was given shelter. It soon came to trust Agnes: every morning it would fly to her with evident joy. Late that evening there entered the hall a lady dressed in black, leading by the hand a little girl. The knight, his wife and this daughter rose to greet the strang- ers, wondering w-hat their errand could be. Most noble sir, although I have never seen your face, I have heard how ready you are to help the oppressed, said the lady. I am Rosalind of I-Iohenherg, and this is my daughter Emma. My husband is dead, and there are those who now seek to rob us of the little property we have. On -his death-bed my husband gave me your name as protector in such cases. 'Trust in God,' he said, 'and in the good knight Falkenberg, and no enemy will have power to oppress you.' I there- fore ask you for the aid I sorely need. Sir Theobald answered: Tomorrow I will ride to Hohenbcrg. Meanwhile you and your daughter shall remain here. The knight did as he had promised, and. after several days, returned with the good news that the robbers had been sup- pressed. The widow thanked him heartily and then prepared to return home. Agnes and Emma had become great friends, and it was with S0l'1'OW that they bade each other farewell. Agnes wished to give her friend a present, and, as her mother had'told her that she should give her best friend only that which she treasured most, she throught her snow- white dove. She pressed it to her cheek. wet with tears, and, as much 35 S110 loved it, bade Emma take it. At Fl1'S'f LYCEI 39 Emma refused such a generous offer, but, at length, took it. When the guests had gone, Agnes was sad to think that she had parted with her pet dove. Her mother said, t'Do not grieve for the doveg who knows how this messenger of peace may come back to us! Lady Rosalind and her daughter now lived in peace in their old castle. Thither, one evening, came three strangers, who were dressed as pilgrims. Since pilgrims were never refused shelter and food, they were admitted into the castle. The next morning they set out toward the castle of Falkenberg. Lady Rosalind thought these false pilgrims were strangers in the land, and therefore sent a boy with them as a guide. Presently these men began to speak in a foreign language, to the sounds of which the boy listened intently, for it was no other than his mother tongue! It was with joy that he listened at first to the words, but soon their speech filled rhim with horror and dread. As they carrie in sight of the castle of Falkenberg. the older man said, 'tThere is the dragons nest where lives the tyrant who has ruined us, and delivered many of our friends to the scaffold. But dearly shall he pay for this: before the sun rises he and his shall lie among the ashes of their home. At length they came to the river which was swollen by many days of rain. Across the river was a, very narrow bridge. I dare not go farther, cried the boy: my head swims at the very sight of it! One of the men wished to throw him in the river, but the others said, Let him go home. We shall have blood enough on our consciences ere long. They cut down the bridge, and then continued on their way. As soon as they were out of sight, the boy started to run toward the castle to carry the dreadful story to his mistress. HI have -heard all! he gasped. These men are robbers: they seek to slay the knight, his wife. and his daughter: they mean to burn the castle to the ground before daybreak! What can we do? said Lady Rosa- lind. Hasten, Emma, toward Falken- bergg I will follow as soon as I can. Alas, gracious mistress, that cannot

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PRCCDCRASTHNATHQN By HARRY PAIKIX. It was my first aequaintanee with Dante, and I was so impressed, that all the day I thought of nothing but Inferno and the Shade of Vergil. At night as I walked along the avenue, it Seemed to me that I saw imps and red demons. with fiery green eyes, and horns, and long, lolling' tongues, lurking in every clark corner. As I lay in bed and heard the wind howling througfli the treetops. I thought of the iiendish wails of agony that eehoed and re-eehoed throuwhout the s length of Hades: and in the morning, the steam of my breath in the eold air re- minded me of the greenish yellow vapour issuing forth from the Devil 's great eaul' drons. Indeed. so greatly was I affected by the poet's wealth of imagination that I forgot all things else and became possessed of but one idea, namely. to iinish the book in one great eulp, and then to devour it over again. Thus I formed the habit of putting off my work for a more suitable time, and thus fell a vietim to the fiend, procrastination. At first, as with all other bad habits. the menaee looked small and puny, some- thing easily conquered by the will. But gradually it loomed larger and larger until I, who had been thus far deceiving myself, was at last terrified to find that it was my master. The few neglected chapters had beeome a veritable moun- tain of unknown pages: so that an in- grained laziness, combined with the seem- ing hopelessness of my task, eaused me to deeeive myself into believing' that it was now too late to begin again. and I sank deeper into the mire. Each clay I told myself that I would begin again to-morrow, but for me to- morrow never came. To read a book for the pleasure of reading it, voluntarily, is far more agreeable and more easy than to read one as a, compulsory task. So that I had only to let my eye stray from a cold algebra or geometry to the warm, glowing classic of Daute's'and my even- ing's resolutions to study faithfully were shattered. It was now the third time that I was reading' f'Inferno, for, such is the greatness of a vlassiv that, at eaeh different time that it is read, there may be found some new hidden meaning, some new beauty of thought and expression: so that the interest and the enthusiasm is ever inereased by a new light, a new insight into the writer's mind. And so matters might have gone on indefinitely, while I eontinued to fall farther and farther behind. But there eame a day that I was rudely and forvibly awakened to the full, terrible realization of the viee whieh had all but mastered me, and this happened in the following manner: I eame out of school one afternoon, after being.: made partieularly wretehefl by a vigilant teacher, who stressed only too well my most profound igiioraiiee of trigonometry, and beheld a sky overeast by a gigantie blaek eloud. whieh lowered threateningly over the whole City. And, as a person attlieted with a partieular ail- ment seems to gather a eertain pliilosopliie eonsolation on beholding' another afilieted with the same ailment, so I felt somewhat eonsoled upon beholding the wretehed state of the weather. Nature. at least, was in sympathy with me. Turning down Main street, I proeeeded homewards, thinking' with a sinking heart about the coming: examinations. A wind had sprung up, and here and there along the sidewalks, was coinniingling' in a gay Whirl the dust of the streets with the fallen brown leaves. The c-louds had begun to move in a massive blaek line across the heavens, and the western sky was suddenly lighted by a seeming' heav- enly radianee. I hastened my steps in order to arrive home before the storm broke, and of a sudden expr-rieneed a eurious lightheart- edness. Being one of those unfortunates who is governed by moods, I had often experienced an epieurean pleasure at the