Hunter College High School - Argus Yearbook (New York, NY)

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THE ARGUS ln fact, she had had one poem accepted and highly praised in the Redmont Sentinel. After a little urging, she consented to repeat it to him. The Buoy could feel the pain in the eyes which he c-ould not see, could lhlear the catching sob in the vibrant 'voice as, in an adorable. whisper, she began the poem. Softly it came to his ears with the strumming of Heliotrope's uke in the parlor as an accompaniment. Waiting. A blaze of colxo-r on the ground, A deep blue in thse sky, A bubbling stream that from the mountains its source has found, Thus on that sad day was Mother Nature gowned. They sat within the arbor old, He was a soldier 'bound for Mars' grim war. He swore tlhlat he would love her 'till thre earth turned could And the sun shone no m-ore. He begged of her the rose which in her hair Modestly blushed. He pnefssed it to his lips, And then 'was gone. She waits for him and little thinks That on Mars' field he is doomed to die, That one day tihle rose., onoe' pressed to his lips, Will be stained with blood, and that blood his .own. A white haired lady now, She still waits on. For, 'thouugih she knows sihe will not meet him hue-re She tlhlinks of the next world and her heart is gllad. There was a long, sweet silence after this. Words seelmed so futile. The Boy felt a great ciovntielmpt for other boys, who could still sit on the porch steps and sing Ecstasy Before' he left, he had received Carol's promise to go canoeing with him at the picnic next Saturday. Now, Friday night, he was sitting on the porch steps musing on his lady lovlel. Had slhle violet eyes, or gray eyes, or brown with golden glints, his maid of the daolwncast eyes? The question troubled him. He must find out to-morrow. 23

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TH E A R G U S Heilrh iigvz The sun, slowly sinking in the heavens, was glorifying all the world in a last, supe.rb effort to win a ,gil-ance of apprecia- tion from the figure sprawling on the back porch of the little, weather-beaten house. But all the wonder of the dying day was wasted on the Bloly, 'whose 'heart and thoughts Werlez in the house next door. The Boy was seventeen and in love, This time, he felt, it was no puppy-loveg this was the lovtey of a strong man for a pure womang this was the love of a knight for his ladyg this was...But you shall hear and judge for yoursellf how great a love this was. There were sounds of rewelry coming from the parlor as, unconscious of what 'awaited him, he Ihlad dashldd lately up the steps of the house next door ion a visit 'to Heliotnope Roone, only to meet her at the top, lbearing sad tidings. My cousin's here, Jim, -how he loved the way she said his name- and slh:e's very shy and wfofn't come into the parlor without the others. Be a good sport and entertain lhler out here, she pleadleed. And, without waiting for an answer, she led him to the most secluded corner of the dark porch. The Boy changed a Dash lit all into a. pleased t-0 meecha, as he turned to fall hldad over heels in love with Uhme girl whom Heli- otrope was introducing as, My cousin, Carol Roonef' Shyly smiling, the new girl was drooping her eyelids and dropping an -old fashioned curtsy. cSW'0H1,t you sit down? she asked sweetly when Heliotrope had left them again. All through the evening, he sat by her side in the fragrant dusk, drinking in the beauty of her, the chestnut-bown hair, curling? softly around the white oval 'of her faceg the thick fringe of her long, black lashes veilingg her eyes from his sight and he knlew he loved ther andl had always loved her. When I was king in Babylon and you were a Chlristian slave, he quoted softly. . In dhle course of the, evening, she told hilm shyly, looking straight into the black night, that she was ia 'bit of a poetess. 22

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THE ARGUS Thalt night, before going to bed, lhe made elaborate prep- arations. He determined that his curly hair, the bane of his existence, should be as smooth and glossy as Rudolph's own for the morrow. First, he plaste.red it down witlhi a jar of vaseline, and then he put on the tight skull cap he had made from an old stocking. In the morning, he would try the new stuff he had bougfhvt. Stay Groom, they called it. ' He awoke early the next morning with a song on his lips. The weatihler was beautiful. It was an ideal day for canoeing. Slowly and carefully, he slid off the cap. There lay his hair, smooth and shining. Anxiously, he applied Stay Groom. Would the hateful curl return while, he was working? But no, his hair was stilvl smooth at the end of the operatiio-n. Then came the crucial moment. Which tie should he w1e'ar, the crimson and orange, or the black and white? VV7ould the black and white look too subdued with the blue jacket and white trousaeirs he intended wearing? Did he need somethingg to liven it up? He 2g7uessed lhye did. He w1o1re the crimson and orange. With the prayer in his heart, Please, God, watch over my hair, he approached thief chattering group about Carol at the picnic grounds. About a dozen boys were gathered around' the shy girl, who kept her eyes: fixed on the earth, all sfhlouting requests for hier oocmpany in a canoe. I'm sorry, slhfe was saying, gently, I've promised jim. -How hiel lovedl the way she said his name! I've pnolmised -lim to go canoeing with him. Proudly, Jim bore her off from his crestfallen rivals and sleated her on a mound lof cushions in 'his canoe. Swiftly he paddled 'till they were out of sight of the rest of the picnickers and then he ceased his mighty labors. Slowly they drifted down the stream, Carol prattlingi softly all the while. What a pw1etty tie, she was saying, but oo hathn't put it on wighlt. Let Carleen fixth it. She stood up before he could shout a warning and splash, over went 'the canoe. When the Boy reachferd the surface again, Carol was no- whene to be seen. With -clammy fear clutching at his heart, 'hle trod water furiously, his clear eyes piercing the depths for the probably helpless Carol. Ah, there she was. She had just reached thie surface for the third time. With clean, swift 24