Northeast High School - Nor Easter Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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' 'I -Q ' 1 ' i 2 Q' '51 -' 1:fx-1,Qgf'eq'5:5lf.:5vE?-viS4i3mi9i5:QfQQ giQg7Q3fri336QQQg?,iIiif?.SIP?riQE:QflQ1lfQ1.2.-LE 3 5-QQ ,T-A ' .-,AQ .ee-I . he .- ..,.. , . -. . , -. . . , .. l Mrs. r hus- Adele, ed her wraps. 's the ever asked ie an- fallen 5, each There proud 1, with 2 OthC1' adora- lespair s daily . This, 1d but taken sed the turned st love 1tter? against in her sobbed. of the want :e dur- l still. pierced ele, her ive Di- e, then of in- have fn. Al- do not ng that tle one iointing I. CCMY sinking lg that de her, Iarland 1 for' easter' .3 was pacing the floor troubled and em- barassed. Celia, dear, began Adele with more control as she held Celia's hands and looked pleadingly up into the staring eyes and white face, I know you love Diana, I know you want her, but do you realize that Diana should have advantages in life that you would be unable to give to her? I-Iave you thought of the expense? Celia shut her eyes tightly. I have a home which has long been prepared for childish delightsv continued Adele. But most important of all, Celia, you have not time to give to her, while I could spend my every moment for her interests and development. Who would look after her during your business hours? She paused but Celia made no effort to speak. And, she con- tinued. rising. Diana should have a Daddy! Celia winced. Forgive me, dear, said Adele, remembering john. You would see her very often and have her love just the same. It would not be- as if she were taken away. Celia-for-you shall be with her often. Celia gasped. Shall be, the words frightened her. Was it possible :hat she was to be forced to give up the Little One? Celia thought deeply during the long moments of silence. She struggled with self. No ! she thought, I'll not give her up! She is mine! Mine! by all rea- sonable- rights. I need her more than Adele does. I can provide for her, I will not give up Dianaf' But Celia felt the force not of Adele's words, but the force of that which is right and just, the Supreme Power, creeping over her. Finally she saw her helplessness and realized the truth of Adele's state- ments. Slowly she raised her head and looked steadily into the anxious eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Harland. Her own face was a study in deep emo- tions. Every feature wag beautiful and sadly radiant, her blue-gray eyes were tearless, but their expression of sweet sadness became almost painful as she opened her mouth and said with effort, You may come for Diana-- tomorrowf' She bowed her head, and something about the way she did it see-med to say, go now, please. Adele was just realizing what Diana ment to Celia and started to rush to her in apology and gratitude. Mr. Harland caught her back and shaking his head formed these words with his lips, Not now, come. Quietly but happily they left the room. For several moments Celia sat in pathetic silence, unable to move, then suddenly with a low wail she jumped up and ran to the Little One's bed- side. Encircling her arms about her and laying a tear stained cheek against the tiny one-, Celia murmured, Diana, my darling! my own-my very, very own-H Then, with a little choke, she added, just for tonight. Fallen Supports LE ROY SMITH. john- fCJ'Ohr1! !, KCHuh?!! Wake up! Get up an' fix the fire, All right, mother, I'll fix it in a minute. Hurry up! It's almost school time. Youive oversleptf' ' Golly! It's fifteen minutes to eight. No breakfast for me this morn- ing. I'll barely have time to get there and not be- tardyf' You mustn't study so late. You must've went to bed about twelve o'clock last night. Uh, huh, I did. But, anyway. I'm dressed now, and the fire is hot enough to keep us from standing near it long. It's as hot as my temper was last night. Mother, I'm sorry I said what I said. I'm sorry, too, dear, but your father ,ci-Q

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12 OF' QELSIQI' room they read the pitiful story. The mother was quite dead, but in her hand was a hastily written message: In my dying helplessness I have sent my darling Diana to find a kind lady who will take her home and be good to her. I pray that she is safe. Diana is not born of a common woman -I am a noblewoman by blood- daughter of wealthy citizens of Ca- tania, Italy. I eloped with an Amer- ican, who deserted me after we came here. I have tried-my God, how I have tried! I only hope Diana may not know the anguish of her mother's heart.. Keep her-someone-love herf' That was all. Celia's heart throbbed and she struggled for self-control. Diana ! she murmured, Dian.a! For several seconds she sat with the little orphan clasped tightly in her arms, deeply absorbed in thought. Then, with a little catch in her breath, she cried, My Diana ! In an instant she was standing before the officer, who had been making investigations. Un- der the circumstances- she began, her face- all aglow, I-it-is apparent she has no one to claim her-no one but me ! she finished with enthusiasm. A few words passed between them, a contract written and signed, and Celia found herself rushing once more down the busy street-but not alone! Light footsteps in the corrider, a door thrust open, a light flashed on and a tiny form placed on the floor. Celia spread her arms, her glance en- veloping the now transformed apart- ment. '!Our home ! she exclaimed, and then, taking Diana's chubby face between her hands, laughed happily. My own! My very, very own ! All that evening she lived in a world of hope and love, dreaming of the fu- ture. Diana was radiant with content and followed Celia around with as much devotion and satisfaction as though she had lived there always, At last Celia tucked her in bed and bend- ing over her whispered a grateful prayer. Life seemed suddenly very u . A bell Yallg- Celia hurried eagerly to the front door to find Mr. and Mrs. Harland, a college friend and her hus- band. My dear! exclaimed Adele, how radiant you look tonight. Perhaps she's in love ! laughed her husband as they removed their wraps. I ,am ! burs-'t Celia. She's the dearest bit of humanity one ever spied ! VVho? Wliat do you mean? asked her friend. Shh-! Come see- was the an- swer. Diana, who had not yet fallen asleep, smiled up into three faces, each with a different expression. There was the familiar one filled with proud delight and love, that of the man, with admiration and longing, and the other had a strange look of surprise, adora- tion, and jealous despair-the despair that comes to one who yearns daily for that which she cannot have. This, little Diana did not understand but reached up her tiny arms to be taken up. Thirty minutes later Celia closed the bedroom door gently and turned sweetly to Adele, Don't you just love her? I'm-why, what's the matter? For Adele was leaning heavily against the mantle, her head buried in her arms. I!t's the child! she sobbed. Love her, I idolize every inch of the little cherub and, oh, Celia, I want her! There was a brief silence dur- ing which Celia's heart stood still. Then like a knife these words pierced her very soul Celia ! cried Adele, her eyes growing big, Let me have Di- ana ! Another dreadful silence, then Adele burst forth in a torrent of in- coherent words. Celia, I have yearned for a darling of my own. Al- ways longing, hoping-oh, you do not know how I have waited, hoping that some day I would find the little one of my dreams! She turned pointing silently to the bedroom door. My Little One ! muttered Celia, sinking into a chair, vaguely realizing that Adele was on the floor beside her, WCCPIUS and lilughing. Mr, Harland wa bar con loo eye Dia YO! adv una tho her whi chil CKBt hav cou inte iool hou IJ G tint Dad deai HYO hav' not Celi ofte wor that the deer siler CCD up ! sona I UI L Klxi fire.' .HA mimi Ii You' G eight

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14 or' easter has hurt me so much that I can stand almost any cruel cut nowf, I wonder where he is now. Darn those bootleggers! If we could get rid of such beasts, I could fix a furnace for you instead of this rusty old stove, and you and I wouldn't have to live in this rickety, draughty old tenement, we could live in a duplex apartment, perhaps. 1 Sam would have to give up whiskey before' we could do that, an' he wouldn't do that. I'm afraid thereis no hope for himg he's gone too far. If Sam's employer didn't dock his wages an' give me the money. I couldn't pay the rent. Sam has enough sense an' manhood left to let Mr. Philant do that. He hasn't much manhood left when he'll get drunk on 'corn whiskey' and will beat his wife and son. We ain't hungry, though. I thank God for my kind mistress. I just love to keep house for her. She pays me good-too good-and gives me two meals an' a lunch every day. She- an' her husband have helped me endure this trouble for five years. That's the only place you really get anything to eat. If Sam would only buy our food an' clothes, we could live in my em- ployer's new duplex an' I could work as its janitress an' pay for the rent of the basement rooms. But we're doin' the best we canf' But I think it's very selfish for me to go to high school when you need my help as much as you do. Later on you can help me much more if you study hard now. So you mustn't think of quittin' school an' goin' to work. I'm glad you think that way, Mother, it makes me feel better. I,m off to school, good by. So a strong, clean, encouraged Iohn strode briskly towards the car line and boarded a street car that would take him directly to school. ' He loved his high school work as much as he detested and hated his father. He was a senior and had enough education to make him capable of holding a good position while he studied journalismpin a night school. He hoped that the experience he was gaining as editor-in-chief of his school paper would help him with his chosen work. . Last night he had written a poem, easily and ingeniously. It was the best he had ever written, for his mother had interrupted him while he was writingfeverishly -on the best part of his work, and her interruption had caused him to review it, correct some mistakes, and improve it im- measurably. The reflections of his calmer mind had matured some of the hasty expressions that had flowed from ,his animated pen. His pen was always active. During the day he conceived and expressed at least one deep thought or original joke. Today he was going to debate, but it wasn't necessary for him to write out what he would say, he had mentally organized his material and he would easily find words to express his argument when the time came. And he did! His associates declared it to be the best debate given before their literary society that year. He had good reasons to be happy that day, for he had written a satis- factory poem the night before and had talked intimately with his mother and thus partly oiled their troubled -do- mestic sea. And he had argued a suc- cessful debate, had selected and or- ganized material for his paper, and the prospects of the next issue looked bright. But he felt depressed, for his best friend-girl friend-had slighted him on that day of daysg and he didn't know why! This feeling of depression grew upon him as he stepped from the school into the cold of the damp, gray mists that had displaced the pleasant weather which the forenoon had brought. He wondered, for some unaccountable reason, if his life would be like this particular day. As a street car rapidly carried him tow rel mc edi rer wa mc wo in the wa las it c his em re- wo the 'I got ove acq 'Bi Loi I hor hea ten ilie: mo' was pan not The terf suri earl KU 1 2 cc' spel CC' CCI to r get H1 abo' KC' El lln havr CCI in t for ' the- the