Morris High School - Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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CHRISTMAS ringing of the telephone. Betty sat up and clutched the covers wildly. A message so late at night UZ Slipping on her dressing gown she ran downstairs to the phone. Put all your lights out, we've sighted Zeppelinsf' the voice of the captain of the guards greeted her.. The receiver fell from her fingers. She felt a wild desire to scream, but then she remembered the grave Hsomewhere in France. No. she must prove herself worthy of George, and he had hated cowardice. So she switched off the lights and hurried back to her room. Shivering, and cowering, she sat by the window and watched those shadows of destruction sweep over the skies. Then she prayed that they might not see the little town nestling among its hills. Suddenly she saw something-something that made every drop of color leave her face, something that made her clutch the window-sill for support. There, clearly outlined in the darkness, a light had ifiashed forth. A light! That which would guide the Zeppelins-guide them to their work of de- struction. And the light had come from the attic of her home. Though who in all this friendly town could have done such a thing? And suddenly it came to her in a Hash. The day when she had gone to town to visit the camp, she came upon Jones, the gardener, writing busily upon the barraek walls, she remembered her questioning, his answer. HBut, Jones, she said, you had better not let any of the soldiers catch you here again without a permit or they'll surely take you for a spy.', Who'd suspect an honest old man like meself of bein' a spy, Miss? was his answer, and she had caught a sneer in his eye. New this man was in her home deliberately aiding the enemy, and she was powerless to prevent him. In the morning the town would be in ashes, important plans would be lost, women and children would be killed. Women and innocent children! She must do something. Suddenly she caught the gleam of her silver hairbrush on the dressing table. In the dim light perhaps he might take it for a revolver. She snatched it up, opened the door noiselessly, and on her hands and knees, with the precious weapon clutched closely made her way up into the attic and opened the door. 'tHands up, J ones she said in a voice that she tried to make steady. The man turned around and caught the gleam of something in her hands. His hands went up. HBlow out those lanterns, came the command. With a 88

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Qlhrintmua 11.1111 111111 1111111-1111 111111.15 lllfl trees sparkled Elllll' SllZlIP1ll'Ll, lZltlt'll with 21. il, ,VM l,H,1,l,, lt thousand Jewels: the w1111l Cfl'L1t'lilQtl'llll'0UQ'l1 the 'lY1f1l1,1l'l1ll1l1 1,M,l1ll'l trees Zllltl shook down seintillatnig 1l1a111onds: the will Ml ' world lay eovered Ulllltd' its mantle of snowg and Q l, the sun, the glorious Sllll shone down upon it. 11111111 sparkling, ll2lllt'lll,Q, gliding upon its whiteness, i playing with itself, darting its Sl11lllU2llIlS of good ......... 1-heer over all. fllU'lSllll2lSl Peaee o11 earth, good will toward men! And men were fighting and killing, a11d bloo1l was flowing, and loving hearts were empty and desolate that had onee been NV21l'lIl illltl loving. ln the little Itlnglish barraek tow11 where Betty and her aunt' lived, the day before Christmas was a day of busy preparation. The cloud of war hung over it, there was hardly a household where a father or son was not missingg but there were the soldiers from the training eamp to be cheered and fed, and Christmas day was not a time for personal sorrows. ln Betty 's home, too, turkeys were dressed, pies were made: there was eooking baking. roastingg but there was none of the gayety. the talking, the planning, that usually aeeompaiiies tfhristmas preparations. For eaeh heart was far away with a boy whose lonely grave lay somewhere i11 Franc-e. A11d in Betty 's heart there was an added bitterness. Her brother had given his life for his C0lll1fl'j'Ti1llLl she had done nothing. If only she could do SOIllCllllllQ.f big and glorious, something to prove herself worthy of George. Betty, dearf' her aunt said suddenly, 'tMrs. Chatham's husband has bee11 sent ho111e wounded. l'm sorry to leave you alone, but 1'll have to go over and help her. Betty nodded aequieseenee, a11d went o11 witl1 her work. At nightfall, her aunt hitehed up the horse a11d wagon, bade Betty good-bye, and promised to be back at an early hour in the morning. Left alone, for a moment Betty had an u11- aeeountable feeling of fear, but she soo11 reassured herself an1l determined to go to bed. But how foolish I am, she said to herself, l'm acting like il ehild, at'raid to be left 21l0ll0 in the darklu She 1'en1e111ber1-11 too, that Jones, their trusted old g'Z1l'tlCll0l', was in his eottage nearby and 1-ould easily be su1n- moned in ease of need. So with this reassuring thought she mounted the stairs to her bedroom and dropped wearily into bed. She had dozed off into a light slumber when suddenly sl1e was awakened by the 37

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CHRISTMAS snarl of rage he did as he was told. And there she was left in the darkness, one hand clutching her hairbrush, the other, a chair for support. Her eyes sought to pierce the darkness, to see where he was, to keep him covered. But she couldn't see, she eouldn't see, she could only feel, feel that he had moved, that he was crouching near her ready to spring, to tear, to kill, for his Fatherland, and she couldn't see, she couldn't see. Ile had moved closer, she heard his labored breathing, he was feeling the chair, higher, higher, higher, new her hand, the brush- Up here, she heard as through a dream the voice of the captain of the guards, The light came from the atticl' .... And so, still clutching the hairbrush, she dropped in a little heap on the floor. When she awoke she was lying in bed. Her aunt was bending over her with tears of love and gratitude in her eyes. The blessed light of morning, ot Vhristmas morning, was stream- ing through the windows. And in Betty 's heart there was a prayer of thanks, thanks that she had been given the oppor- tunity to render service. RUTH LRVINE, 5-8 l i 39