Peabody High School - Peabody Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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26 THE PEABODY the principles for which it is fighting that they may not perish from the earth. But hark! I have not much longer to stay. I-Tear! the bells are beginning to tell my departure. Strive, brother, to make this world a better one than it was during my administration. It will be a hard task, brother, to reform these stubborn, uncompromising people. Nevertheless, I wish you success, plenty of it, brother! How glad the people are of my departure! Farewell, brother, farewell l With these words the Old Year walked away, leaving the New, inexper- ienced, hopeful Year to take up the burdens of life. l..-.,iO-.,.. -... Z -i VERDUN - 1916 Clarence Thayer They shall not pass-they must not pass! The cry rings out from Helds of red. Stripped to the waist behind the guns Firm stand the comrades of the dead. They shall not pass-they dare not pass! The Huns know the men that before them lie. They know that they are face to face VVith men that do not fear to die. They shall not pass-they cannot pass! The flaring guns light up the sky. The Prussian hordes come marching on, Fuel for the fire'-they know not why. They shall not pass-they did not pass! Tho cannons roared and airmen fought, For in the walls of iron and stone, The hearts of Frenchmen faltered not. -1.?0...11 PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES Nancy Lynch. Babette had brown eyes. big brown eyes that laughed. And if there was anything that .Tasper loved above all else in the world it was brown eyes that laughed. That is not strange, you say, everyone does. Everyone indeed. At least so it was in the little village.

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THE PEABODY as 25 its height when lo! down the street came an old man. He was not dressed fashionably and seemed to take no part in the general conviviality. He dragged along painfully, carrying a heavy book under his arm and support- ing his feeble footsteps by a long staff on which he leaned. NVhat was most noticeable about his person, however, was his huge boots. They were old, worn and were smeared with blood-human blood so that every step the old man took left its mark on the white snow. ln this way the old man tramped along leaving his scarlet track behind him until seemingly exhausted, he threw himself down on the steps of a large building in front of which a great crowd had gathered. No one seemed to notice him and so he rested undisturbed. But why were there so many people in front of the building? The attraction was a large bill board on which in large red characters was printed a long para- graph under the heading War News. Everyone seemed interested in this notice with the exception of the old man. Yet, strange to say, he had more to do with it than anyone else. He it was who was responsible for it. He it was who had posted it up. He was the Old Year. 1917. The Year that will come down in history, as a year of sorrow, of blood, of mingled disaster and success. He was now going away and glad indeed were the blood-weary people to welcome the New. Down the street now came a fine young man. He held himself erect. walked resolutely, and looked around him with an expression of mingled in- terest and triumph. He was the New Vear, 1918, coming to see the old before his departure. He approached the old man and sat down beside him. Here was a picture of lost hope, withered courage, broken promise, misery, age, side by side with hope, youth, energy, strength, spirit, vigor, animation. The New Year first addressed the Old. Brother, said he, I have come to talk with you before you leave in order to learn your experiences and to profit by them during my future reign. If the old saying be true, rejoined the Old Year, that one can profit by another's mistakes, you will indeed be benefitted by an account of my trials. See, my hands, my boots, my whole person is smeared with human blood which even the tide of generations will notrbe able to wash away. Here the Old Year pulled out his enormous book from under his arm. This is the 'Record of Years', he said leafing through it. Here is the page on which you will write the history of your reign, and this is the one on which I have kept a memorandum of mine. See, it is written with blood, yes, human blood! See this paragraph, the bloodiest of all? It tells of the barbarous murder of innocent women and helpless children? This other one relates the story of intrigue-treacherous intrigue--which has broken up a great empire and made it helpless, an empire known as Russia. These lines tell of the various victories and disasters on the Western Front. Small victories paid for by the lives of thousands. Petty triumphs whose price was tears of mothers! Not much these, not much! chuckled the Old Year. Now look at this paragraph. It is the most glorious of allg it tells of the entrance of the greatest country in the world, the United States, into the war. This country, my brother, is the hope of future generations and it is the most pre- cious charge that I confide to you. Take care of it, brother, and preserve

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THE PEABODY 27 Babette's eyes laughed at everybody. but their laughter was somehow a little different when she laughed at Jasper. just as the tones of Babette's voice were somehow softer when she spoke to him. Babette had never given the word, and nothing definite had been decided, but everyone understood, when the young men, uniformed and armed, march- ed swiftly from the village that Babette was going to wait for jasper to return. 1 . Weeks and months passed and brought no news from the departed' men. Things grew 'bad in the village. All were forced to labor night and day. Work did not agree with Babette. At first she managed to laugh and be but as the coarse work became heavier, and her back and feet ached, and her hands, grew rough and ugly, somehow l3abette's eyes forgot to laugh. Time went on 'but still no news. The village was taken and all were forced to work at even more disagreeable tasks: infinitely worse because-they were for the enemy. Work .did not agree with Babette. VVork undone meant punishment. As Babette's eyes had 'forgotten to laugh so they now forgot even to smile. :ic ek ak al: rf: rl: One day the villagers came back among the troops that drove the enemy from the town. That is what was left of the villagers came back. Among them was Jasper. Jasper had gone thru much. but he was a soldier and it had not made him forget how to laugh. He did not recognize Eabette of the tired, frightened eyes and rough, unbeautiful hands, and altho she knew him her eyes did not smile. All had expected a wedding when jasper returned, but with never a backward glance he marched away again. Pk wk bk Pk Ik ll- Had Babette been the heroine of a novel Tasper would have come back some day and taught her eves to laugh again. But Babette was only a peas ant girl, and Jasper--well jasper never came back. . ' Killed ? you say. Oh no! But remember. Above all else in the world Jasper loved big brown eyes that laughed and l3abette's eyes had forgotten how, even to smile.