Oroville Union High School - Nugget Yearbook (Oroville, CA)

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“Yes. my lad. you can be as Hue a knighl. as he; be always courteous be alw'ays ready to do your duty, and above all be pure, be true to your principles, and stand always for the right; and you. too. my boy. will see Galahad’s vision. You may not see the Holy Grail, but you wrill see a vision. You said you wished everyone might see that sunset, my boy. It was a vision to you, but those who are not pure have lost that vision. They see nothing beautiful in a sunset, they are looking for gold and pleasure. “Cedric, my boy. promise me that you will live pure, and that as you look at the sunset, if a call comes to you to go on any quest, that you will answer that call?” “I will, mother. 1 will.” And then a little later he stood at UIs mother’s bedside and repeated that vow', ’ere she went to follow her quest and find her lost Lord. Years past, and Cedric grew to manhood, always with that vow before him. When tempted he would go to the window and watch the sun as it cast its dying rays over the earth, then the thoughts of that other sunset saved him. Years went by and Cedric met a girl, a beautiful little thing with brown hair and beautiful soft brown eyes. He learned to love her. and she returned that love. One day in October as the sun cast its last rays across the broad California plains, he led her out to the foothills near his country home, the foothills where the tall pines tower above the great oak trees and are the very last to catch the sunsets glow. And there he showed her acre after acre of cultivated sunlit soil w'hich he had earned. “And I earned it honestly. Gertrude. he said. And then he turned to the west, and as they gazed at that picture which no artist has ever been able to paint, he told of his vow- and his love. “I have never heard the call. yet. but 1 have lived honest and clean. I have kept my vow so far. and if the call ever comes. I must follow it. It may be hard, but you remember. Galahad said, “Thou, too. shall see the vision when I go; and the master said. Lo. I am with you always;” that holds a promise to me. Gertrude. Will you accept this vow with me? There is my home won with honest labor; I offer you a heart that holds love only for you. a name that has never been sullied, and a vision (not an idle dream) of happiness over there.” She turned to him in silent joy. her lips did not move, but he read his answer in her eyes. “You love me. can it be!’” Yes. Cedric came the low reply, “I love you. and whenever that call of which you spoke may come, you will go. for I will send you; but until then, my friend, we will walk life's read hand in hand. Shall It not be so?” Ah. yes.” and hand in hand they trod the way to her father's home. A few months later, he took her to his home, a happy br'.de: and it seemed that no shadow could cross their path. But even then, the low rumblings of a coming storm could be heard by some in the seats of Government. But in that far-off Western home, all was joy and peace and contentment. Three years passed, and all at once, the storm which had teen brewing so long, broke. The news spread over the country like wild tire. Germany has declared war on France.” The news reached that Western home, and the young rancher went to his wife and children with a sad and troubled face. Time went on and he read of the ruthless treatment of the Belgians, of the devastation in Northern France. Night after night found Cedric walking the floor. He could not sleep, he seemed to hear the voice of Armenian and Belgian childhood crying at his door: and yet to leave his home, his country, to go over there, and maybe give his life! He could not do it. Day after day he fought it out; and then one rainy afternoon. he stood at the window and once more he saw the sun as it burst through the clouds and bathed the world in glory. He could hear his Mother's voice saying. Always be true to your piinciples. my boy. stand for the right. You. too. will have a quest, and you will see a vision.” It was sixteen years since he had heard that voice, but how well he remembered; and standing there, he heard the call and answered it. 15

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THE VISION It had been a dieary day; the rain had poured down in torrents, until scarcely an hour before, when it had quieted down to a gentle drizzle; and then the clouds had lifted a little and it had ceased entirely. Now evening was come, and as you looked upward, you could see the clouds as they had broken apart, showing little spots of blue on the otherwise gloomy sky. Then all at once, the world was bathed in glory, some clouds looked like banks of the whitest snow, while others were edged with gold; and still others were of the brightest rose, which had faded and faded until it was lost in the blue of the sky. as the sun burst from behind a cloud in its struggle to give the world one glorious promise of a new and better day. A little boy stood at his window, amazed, almost enchanted by the glory of this California sunset. Never had he seen the like before. Always having lived in the mountains where the sun is so often quickly lost to view, he thought this the most wonderful of pictures. All day long he had sat at the window in the new home looking at the vast California plains, and all day long the longing for his old home and dislike for the new had grown; but now he was satisfied to stay, now he would want to stay. The long rainy day had been hard but the sunset had paid amply for those dreary hours, for little Cedric was a beauty-loving child, with the eye of an aitist and the soul of a poet. He turned from the window, with a sigh, as the last ray died away, and said. “Ob, mother, that must be where the angels are. Don’t you th»uk it was pretty, mama?” He was quiet a minute. a3 the lit'le mind studied to find a way of expressing his thoughts; and then. “Oh. mama. I wish. I just v.ish everybody could see that.” The mother, a tall, sad-faced, though beautiful woman, left her sewing and crossing the room, threw her arm-; about, the little hoy. Drawing him to a low chair, she seated herself and took h'm on her kr.ce as she began telling him again the old. old story of Sir Galahad, and his Quest for the Holy Grail. The lad iistened. with, solemn eye fixed on his mother's face Many and many a time had he heard the story, but never had it seemed so beautiful as now. And. mama, can I be like Sir Galahad? he a«ked. 14

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Bidding his wife and babies good-bye. he sailed for France on the 28th day of October, 1916. For over a year he fought in the French army, and then when America entered the war he donned her uniform. He was with the boys in the Argonne Forest and at the Ohatteau Thierry; and just before the Armistice was signed, the Sergeant called for volunteers to make a particularly dangerous assault on the Germans. Cednc felt the call tugging at his heart, but fought it back, with the thought, “another can go wiio has no wife, no babies. But. as he stood thus pondering to himself, almost against his will he turned toward the west; and lo. the sun was going to rest, touching everything with crimson ’ere it went, and making that charred and ruined held in France, for a moment, a place of beauty and glory. It was just a second, and then it was gone. But in that second, he heard the voice of his wife saving. “And when that call comes, you shall go for I shall send you.' And so he volunteered. The next morning, tney made the assault and Cedric ELEANOR It was late, and all the family except Eleanor had retired some time ago. She had been busy with her lessons and had stayed up late to get her “trig.” She had not noticed the hands of the c’ock move so fast and was surprised to see how late it really was. Everything in the house was silent and there was no sound, without, save for a faint murmur of the wind. The silence was oppressive so she hastily clo-ed her books and arranged them on the table so they would be ready for school the next morning. Before going up stairs, she saw that the door was locked and everything was all right. Eleanor turned off the light and quietly mounted the stairs. The house was large and dark and the stillness of the night frightened her. She thought to herse'f. My, but it does seem spooky. fought as he had never fought before. Was he not lighting for right, for truth, for democracy? Was he not lighting for peace and good will among men? Fighting, he went down. Because of his heroism and that of many others like him. the world was saved. And as he lay there dying, a comrad kneeling at his side saw him turn his face to the west, and as the sun sank, he rose on one arm. and cried, “The Vision! I see the Vision! And smiling, fell back dead. In America there is a little woman, bravely carrying on the ranch work, keeping her children in school, and smiling to hide an aching heart: and in Flandeis Field there is one more cross. Where the poppies grow between the crises, row on row.' The sun which smiles on all the world, me thinks, rests Just a little longer on the cresses of those who “followed the quest and found the vision. Shall their sacrifice be in vain? EDNA ELAM. TO. S FRIGHT Outside the moon shone brightly and cast its dim light through the windows, thus filling the rooms with shadows. Reaching the head of the stairs, she made her way to her room. This particular room was at the back of the house and commanded a view of the back yard. A light wind was blowing and caused the curtains at the window to flutter about. Eleanor raised her eyes to the window, then drew back in fright. What could it be? That weird, horrid thing out there in the yard, waving its arms about in that ghostly fashion. Was it a ghost? Yes. it certainly looked like one. but she did not believe in ghosts. What should she do? She did not want to awaken the rest of the family and still she was terribly frightened. Eleanor gradually grew bolder and ventured one more look out the window. 16