Perry Township High School - Petonian Yearbook (Perryopolis, PA)

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52 THE PETONIAN mattered the world, its sorrows, its heartaches, its tears? Youth, beauty, and love is aptly expressed in this daintily formed, though poorly clad piece of humanity who walked along pondering the wheres, the whats, and the whys of liie. People passing Milly on the Stiljeetbeithier stopped to stare or craned their necks, much to the pain of that poor member. But all unheeding, she walked on. She didn't know she made such a picture. And it wasn't altogethervher looks. ,In societyicircles Milly would not have fitted as a beauty, but iti'vvas.the youth he'ri'tl'iat 'attraeted these life' hardened kworlidllyh viltisempeoplel who isoririixvlfully their' heads' T and maiiyifhlafd 'tears in itheir eyes sliecfto the nieiiioryfof'th'eir'lostl'iroulth: ' .E - ' ' 5' N tw. .,.frlE:'.1i?f 1' . ' Go with me-now to the gr,o1,inds of,the most? aristocratic mansion of which , A 5 .. the,town-nboasted,lParklerwood'., Even though it was December the weath- er was like that of spring. An old man with-gray' hair, puffyfface and Hlmy eyes, supported. by a cane walked over his spacious grounds, over fterracedlawnsi and through the niiniatuFe'ltforest that now was stripped bare and stood 'out 'aunt 'and solitary 'ivith its drfbranclies Hutterin in . . .V . ', , . 3 7 g the breeze. ' ' ' 1 ' V Everything about the place was old. The house was of an old Eng- lish style, that stood majestic and aloof. The owner was old, the servants were old and even thechickens' in'th'e' chicken yard-werewold. The 'gardener was aged 'and withered. f The trees in thevgroirnds had weathered the 'elements for sizitlyiyears :dr more. And5 into -this atmosphere of age flut- lterediyouth inpersdn of Milly. She ha'd'wandered from the busy avenue, 'through paved 'stlreetsinto the old-fashioned driveway of this mansion.. - at ,, MH: , . f The man walking hand in-hand with old father time and with one 'foot in the grave, the other being.-supported by the cane, waslbitter. iLife 'was exacting now her dues fromffhimh He,-feltibitter that wealth, could not bring him youth and happiness. But lo for, the rniracle! Vylnto musing steps little Milly. V i A Oh T beg your pardon sirfi stepping :back with fear in her eyes for she had been so absorbed thinking about Christmas that she had not noticed where her footsteps haddled her. I , F Wi ' 't ' W' if -saffagmr. Our hero, for such he is, answered gruffly not thinking it would sound .soiharsh That's all right doxunott allow strangiers on my grounds. 0h sir I'1l 'rightfiiivzfyf' iBlilI 'what was-'fthie matter? Hadiftfshe said 'the' right thing? NVl'iy57t'hef'old mafiiufasdactually turning' pale. -But iiolilhne wasn't'ilturningwfpialle Nivithihaiiger, ithwas 'his bad heart that had :missed 'anofl'ierMbeiat. iS'oirie'day that Same heakt iitas going to miss one ut6o irh'any'fbeatslland.Aleavelthiiin'Ito the':iiie13cy 'Eif'the'idevil for didn?t'the 'Bible sayMthatfuit'i's'ieasiei ior'1aTcarnel 'to '4e'1ite'iiUthe eye of a-'needle-than 'ai rich hfzihhitoi'eiiteirktliii-'9kingd'oinof heaive1ii? f-'iA5A'h'Q Sf15OC1 thEre','with

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W gg THEIPETO NVIAN . '5'1 l . in E., Vin: , Y, 'K r JUST'A?STORY . V Maude QE. Lepley L V A f 1- V t .Q r 5. 11-f f , Christmas eomesibut once a year. Did-you know that? enough when .there are ithousands' upon thousands ,of people- all ready to grab for the same thing at the same time and at the' -same counter when you expressly wish to get something. And in the end when you finally feel yourself within reach ,of the goal for which you are striving 'land find exhausted, that you don't want itat all+the same conclusion preached the pressing hundreds aroundfyou. c ' ' ' j 'There are three things thatcome to rny'mind,when the ,significant word Christmas is uttered. -These are: the origin of Christmas, the snow, and how many people are giving you gifts for whom you havenit-, bought anything. The last embracesall that horrible orgy called Christmas shop- ping. - X X. Q, D , j ' Christmas! Who doesn't love Christmas? What does Christmas, bring to your mind? Thoughtsfmof ra savory, 'roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, mincemeat pie and plum- pudding, ll fear are the thoughts' that the word Christmasconjures up in the minds of those rude swains,whoseAhearts,.are reached through their stomachs: But to yeiwho have-souls, ,Christmas 'is the time of cheer, a time when all hearts are softened by that beautiful story in which our Savior wasiborn into the world. A ln' the jostling' happy throngs that move along our Fifth avenues we see happy facesf Christ- mas is no time for heartache, yet how many hearts are aching beneath those happy looking exteriors. V V A ' Milly stood looking in Lat the jewelry store window. 'Her dark violet eyes, gazing upon a little long platinum wrist watch. .I Y ' And how she wanted that wrist- watch! She held up her slim white arm and imagined that dainty watch there. But Milly was poor and like- wise her parents. 'F . , . Tears came to her eyes and sparkled on her cheek as she thought of 'that pretty watch. Turning sadly away, thinking of the bare. Christmas expected at home she walked on, not knowing whither. Now Milly was young, desperately young, and youth can't be depressed long. The farther she walked the brighter grew her violet eyes andthe dampness of the-:-Air curled her hair into little ringlets. Her steps grew light and, buoyant. Youth, flambuoyant youth' threw a shining lustre about her, hard, to scribe, shouting aloud thathere was youth, unconquerable y0L1tl1! .Qlfllhat

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THE PETONIAN 53 Milly looking at him with wide, opgn. eyes, he wondered how soon that if . V' . . last beat would come. 'Was 'there not some qu1ck'wzfy to get rid of a little of his wealth? Recovering from the slight attack and thinking to find diversion, he asked Milly to come up to the house with him, Seated in a large old fashioned room with a wide open fireplace Milly, youth, and the man, old age, talked. He found out from Milly the conditions of things at home without the girl herself realizing what she was telling him, It was getting dusk and Milly had to run home. She slept well that night and dreamed of the great house that she had so abruptly visited that afternoon, but awakened to a gray cold dawn and to the realization of the fact that to- morrow was Christmas, with little in the house to eat and no toys or gifts for the children. All day Milly and her mother cleaned up the house and about six o'clock an old fashioned carriage drove up and who should it be but the gentleman of yesterday's acquaintance. ' Can you guess' the rest? Christmas at the little house was real Christ- mas this year and on little ,Milly's plate at breakfast she found a platinum wrist watch. The old man had found from her mother what she wanted and had hastened to give Milly what she wanted most. together with many useful gifts. And what of our gentlemen friend and his solitary Christmas in a big lonesome house? He too found happiness and miraculous to say found youth, though not youth for himself in years, but the youthful spirit typified in Milly and her little bro heis ard sisters, Thus often does happfnlessqeome from doing good to others. W' 'wyafp if 1 l if A I ,,i:'x l ii-f,.- tl l'W!:': it xt: 3 V