Ossining School for Girls - Quill Yearbook (Ossining, NY)

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X Vim l She 35 he if. so 'ping dull Wing p on sing 9 of A s he led, the ied Jn. air 5. st fd d d if THE QUILL for 1916 For a mom-ent, there was absolute Silence, A man, coming from one of the wings, announced hur- riedly that Monsieur Percinet, owing to a lapse of memory, had forgotten his lines but would read his part. And Percinet appeared with the book. There was actually a twitter through the audience. The romantic charm was broken. To think of a man reading from print the passion that should have come from the ardor of love and youth! The audience quite turned up their noses. One was glad that men did not make love that way nowadays! 55 55 55 55 AG 56 ar. i Behind the scenes, Percinet had gone to his dress- ing room. 1 i Gardener and swordsman, minstrel and lady gathered in questioning condemnation. Percinet! What was the matter with him? Why was it that he had spoiled the play? He, who-- It was Sylvette, who explained and a hush fol- lowed. She must know. It was his brother, she said, who was younger than he, whom he loved, that has been killed in the great war. i Alice A. Acker. 85

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l1YIVll5 QUILL for 1916 --pm mg? Sylvette! W'hat could you have for me 'B ls it a glove,-a rose,-or is it- Not so fast, Percinet. It is this! and she laughed to see the disappointment in his face, as he took the telegram without looking at it. Sylvette,n-- llush! Percinet. You must hurry. Open it, so l may see, too. All unknowing, he opened it, Sylvette peeping merrily over his shoulder. From the stage came dull hammerings and grumbled orders. It was drawing perilously near the time for the curtain to go up on the last happy love scene. But in that little dressing room, nobody heard, nobody minded. A piece of yellow paper fluttered to the floor, unheeded. A man's face hlanched, and his shoulders heaved as he threw himself' into a chair. Some one knocked. A familiar voice called, You're on now, sir! ' Sylvette laid her hand on his shoulder gently. Come, she said, will you try-for me? 'The audience listened enraptured. All the romance in their every-day hearts was being satisfied hy tliis marvellous declaration of youth's passion. Young girls unconsciously grasped the arms of their comimanions. and fat dowagers sighed sentimentally. Ah! it' it were only that way, nowadays! But poor Percinet was saying to himself- I must do it for her. But it is so hard to thinkf' It seemed as if that act would never end, though always it had seemed so short. He looked into Sylvette's eyes and saw the pity there. I ean't do it! he said. It is too muchf' And with a look of shame, but utter heedlessness, he left the stage. A 84

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THIS QUILL for 1916 Bittersweet UNIIC on in hyar, Pa. Hain't ye gonta eat nothin'? Ye go on back, Jed, an' shet up. I'll be comin' when l'm good an' ready. The grizzly old mountaineer did not even turn, as he spoke, to look at the anxious faced young boy whose lank figure was outlined in the one rude door of the old log cabin, but kept his head in his dirty tanned hands as before. The hoy turned and silently disappeared, but in a short time was back again. Aw, Pa, kain't ye eat nothin'? The old man turned fiercely, as if to strike, but his hand dropped and his face softened-if you could call his grim half smile soft. Why, Jed, I dunno but I will, senec ye're so sot on it, and he passed through the door. The man made a bare pretense of eatingg then arose and, taking his gun with him, went out to his solitary post on the stoop. The boy silently washed the few broken dishes, and cleaned the one room as best he could, when, stopping suddenly, he listened, an anxious expres- sion on his face. J ed ? XVhat, Pa ? Come hyarf' The boy put up the corn he was husking and went to the door. ND' SN down, Jed, the old mountaineer began. hmatuzslgepglier yar back when yer Ma was a-l1v1nZ enby s an we all fit, an' we beat 'em ?' , up Stflllped. The boy nodded his head, and kept his wide excited eyes on his father' H u tiilvil. old Peter Wlhitenby sez t'other day, sez he, uid NIL IrFCliOI1Cd they wuz ready to fight it out if we U 112: . . he old ma,n stopped impressively. Jed, T93 run t nobody lef but you an' me but we're gonta kill the whole lyin' bunch. Air ye ready, boy? 86