Lockport High School - Forum Yearbook (Lockport, NY)

Page 25 text:

at his surroundings. He had been riding perhaps an hour, and in two more his goal would be reached. On the west the Hudson was golden glass in the afternoon sung regal, im- passive, mighty sovereign. The greater part of the city stretched toward the east, and somehow--it reminded him of Ruskridge-home .,.. He abruptly turned his eyes to scan boy replied in like vein, Never better. Won't you switch the seat around? Seeing that we're both alone, we ought to do something about it. In an instant they were facing each other, blue eyes gazing into brown. For a moment, both were somewhat at a loss for words. Finally the strange boy spoke. My name's jim VVhite, former- ly residing in the orphanage back there, the entering pas- sengers. T h e first was a tall, furtive-faced in- dividual in a black overcoat, his hat pulled over his eyes. He was carry- ing an obvious- ly heavy black brief-case a n d could easily have been a des- perate character Nate thought w i t h mingled awe and pleas- ure. Next came a non-descript woman with a whimpering, sticky child, and then a tall young f e ll o w about Nate's own age. THINGS NAOM1 NELSON, '34 New things thrill me. Do they you? .4 flower, fragrant, steeped in dew- Tlie fresh, young green of leaves in spring, .4 bird just learning how to sing. Q, Sweet things thrill me. Caift you tell? The ringing of a niellow,'liell,' .4 garden's soft and sleegjugrace, Or-honey on a fl1iId's bright fare. But free things thrill me most of all,' The glory of a water-fall, The sun in liquid waves of gold, ll'oodland people not yet bold. For though life is souietiuies dull or cold. And things are ever dying, old: I make nzy way on swifter feet Because of things-new, free, or sweet. now on my way to j 0 i n the N a v y. What about you? Nate gasped. That's it- what I wanted to do all along and didn't know it. I'll join the Navy too! and he proceeded to tell his new friend simply that he and his father had had a disagreement. Then he hesitat- ed. Why not wipe the slate clean . . . start his new life as somebody else . . Say, Jim, does your name mean a lot to you? who took the seat ahead of him. During Nate's inspection of his new neighbor, the last of the passengers had taken their seats and the train with re- newed choking recommenced its mo- notonous chant. The blonde, crisply curling hair be- fore him seemed to Nate a cheery invi- tation. and clearing his throat experi- mentally he remarked, Fine weather, isn't it ? The well-shaped head turned quick- ly and brilliant blue eyes examined the speaker. Then with a flashing smile the THE FOR VM he asked excitedly. VVhy no, not much. You see it's just a name they gave me at the Home. They found me on the steps when I was just a little kid. Seems like the stories you read about, doesn't it P Tough luck, jim. Nate paused a moment, reflectively. With a brother like this, things might have been different . . . . VVell, look now, fellow, what do you say to our changing names. . . just for the fun of it? I say it would be great. From now on I am Nathan Rusk, and you are Page 'Twenty-Five

Page 24 text:

lLllTlERARY ON WITH THE NEW HELEN Gamma, '34 YOUNG Nate Rusk was certainly glad he'd won that money. There had been enough to pay for his ticket and a couple of dollars left. To tell the truth, he hadn't felt just right about betting on a horse race, but the fellows had dared him, and he wanted to show them he was game .... Funny-the noise those wheels made. Seemed as if they droned, Come back, Nate, come back. .. , and now they challenged, Go on. Nate, go on .... Yes. he was going on all right-on to New York-and then where? Well, at least he knew where he wa.vn'f going, and that was back home, back to Rusk- ridge-not for a good while anyhow. He wasn't going to be one of these fellows -what did they call 'em-oh yes, these prodigal sons who crawl back home to keep from starving ...,., A lot of the people at home thought he was pretty lucky because his great great-grandfather had founded the town, because his father was the biggest law- yer in the county, because he lived in a big stone house on a hill and was going to Harvard in the fall .... but all these people, they didn't know how set and obstinate his father was, how sort of lonely the big stone house on the hill had grown, and how he hated the thought of Harvard and dusty, moth-eaten law- books in an office, and another lawyer to carry on the practice .... no Harvard now- VVell. thereld be no law-books now-no practice for him -he guessed he'd Rusk.. that was made that clear to something new .... calling his father Rusk . Still, every- Page Twclzty-Fozfl' one he knew called him Rusk, and plenty he didn't know too--it seemed to suit him some way. . VVhy hadn't Rusk even tried to under- stand? Annapolis was just as good a place as Harvard. Better, probably. Oh yes, he realized that the Rusks had al- ways been fawyers, but was that any reason why they always had to be- ad infinitum or something? Yes, he knew about the fine old family traditions too, but what difference did they make when a fellow hated the very sound of the word lawyer ? Besides, he wasn't any good in public speaking-never had been-and that was practically all a law- yer did besides thinking up alibis. He couldn't do that either .,.. He had set his heart on Annapolis long ago, but he l1adn't dared mention it until this morning. He had told Rusk there wasn't any use in going to Harvard to study law if you knew you'd never make a lawyer. Right there Rusk had stopped him- of course l1e'd go to Harvard --how tired he was of hearing about the Rusks! It seemed pretty good to get away .... Rusk hadn't seemed to care when he'd said he was leaving .... told him to come back in time for college .... maybe he hadn't believed him .... maybe he would now .,.. The train was slowing up as it near- ed a sizable city, and then, with alter- nate gasps and shrieks as if slowly strangling, it had stopped before a smudgy, stuccocd station. Tall, handsome, brown-eyed, Nate suspended his meditations to peer out THE FORVM

Page 26 text:

plain Jim Wl1ite. Characteristically, this smiling, blonde boy never thought to question his new friend's motives, and Nate understood this and respected him for it. 'Several days later, two boys left New York Harbor on two different ships. One was Nathan Rusk from Ruskridge, tall, smiling, blonde. The other-plain .lim VVhite, tall, smiling, brown-eyed, from an orphanage in a town along the Hudson. P is vs wk Rusk was lonely. No one guessed it --a Rusk had always been one to hide his emotions-but, eating his solitary dinner, night after night, he had grad- uallylrealized just how lonely he was. At first he had been angry, had de- spised himself for a soft hearted old woman, but now that was past. I-Ie wanted the boy back .... but he was still proud .... the Rusks had always been proud, often too proud... and Rusk was hanged if he'd make the first move. It had been two years-he had had a note from New York after the boy had left: Father, I am going to sea. Although I can't go as an of ficer-that's what I wanted to do, you know-I'm on my own, at least. -That was all. Two years of dining by himself-oh, occasionally he had gone out, but peo- ple asked so eonfoundedly many ques- tions, and he saw that they pitied him. No doubt the young fool was a hand- some fellow now, strong, and browned by the sun-well, the Rusks had always been handsome, all of them ..,. VVhere was the boy-why didn't he come home? Every' evening such thoughts had filled Rusk's mind, and now he had eve11 taken to soliloquizing in the seclusion of his study .... Rusk was tall--taller than Nate, and although he had not yet reached sixty, his hair and moustache were snow-white -his eyes were dark brown, piercingly Page Tiilfllfjl-SIi.l' sharp. He was Hawthorne, John Hay . . . he was completely himself, like no one else, ever. I'll send the boy to Annapolis when he comes home! Yes, by gad, I swear I'll do it . . if he comes home. I Then one morning a telegram came from New York- Son injured stop slzifv in fort at time stop will arrizfe about 3:00 P.M. It was signed by the captain of the S. Transatlantic. Rusk felt young again. The boy was coming home! But he was hurt .... still it couldn't be so serious or they would- n't move him. Qnly a few more hours. The doorbell ....., brushing Timson aside, he flung open the door .... an Indian squaw with a basket of wild flowers, . . he bought them all. . . . 'Would they never come? .,.. Hark, . ..a siren .... the ambulance of course . . . again he threw the door wide open . . . a stretcher .... now they were bringing' him up the walk .... the steps . . the sltairs. , . . The driver and his assistant set the stretcher down in Nate's old room and gently lifted the still figure from it to the bed. There y'are, sir, and the cap- tain says to tell you he'll be good as ever in a coupleiof weeks. VVhy, what's the matter, sir? You ain't gonna faint, are ya? Rusk was deathly pale with excite- ment and bitter disappointment. Gasp- ing he cried, He's not my son .... not Nate .,.. U VV hy, he must be, sir. Nathan Rusk, that's his name. Now I think of it, the captain told me he's been delirious since it happened this mornin' .... kept askin' fer jim VVhite and sayin' he'd have to explain somethinl! The doc put him to sleep fer a while so's he ..., i' Not Nate, not Nate, Rusk repeat- ed slowly. Then who is he and why have you brought him here P THE FORVM