Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

Page 12 text:

CFERULEA I noticed how the manly little feliow looked. anti told myself angrily this lsjtage'struck foolishnes: had got to stop or things would go badly with the 0y. Then the orchestm stopped in that quick. excited hnish that heralds the rise of the curtain. and leaves you breathless and expectant. The lights snapped off. and rosevcolored footlights glowed on a scene of tinsel brilliancy. Masses of artificial Rowers lay piled across the stage. and the rear of the setting hung with gorgeous. Eying draperies. Amid the whiatling and shouting of the crowd his Cynthia came on. her slender body swaying to the music. golden curls waving. and swimming eyes raised to the gallery. Dan imagined she was looking directly at him. and sat on the edge of his seat, unconscicnsly gripping the shoulcter of the person in front of him. There he sat, cheeks glowing. lips parted, drink- ing in her habyieh prattle with longing eyes. I'll have to confess he almost bluhhered when it came to the sad part5. He looked miserably unhappy at least. Then of a sudden her lines were forgotten, and she stood rigid in the center of the stage. Red Hamea were lapping up the paper roses. barring her escape over the footlights with a ridge of fire Even a: she hesitateda honor-etlicken. the hungry blaze had leapt to the folds of inflammable curd tain behind her, walling her in a narrowing circle of death, The coniidenl heroine was gone: she was just a terrified little girl nuw. insane with the elemental fear of Fire. and forgotten by her tickle audience rushing panic mad for doors and windows. But Dan hadn,t forgotten. He. too. was wild. fighting like a beast, but not for himelf. Now he struck the last petson out of his way and rushed to the back entrance of the now buming buiiding. He seized a great coal lying in the dressing room U think it belonaeci to the hem of the playi and pushed open the dour leading to the Haming stage. The scenery was a roaring blaze. the smoke suffocating. It was smother- ing and blinding Dan. and his clothes were scorching. but he was trembling with fear that he was too late. Groping, he found Cynthia at last. a little. white heap of unconsicnusness. her dress nlready on tire. Dan crushed the great coal around her and, with more strength than was in his sturdy. young body, lifted her in his arms, reeled back through the flames to the door. and with wonderful tenderness :wung her out into the tire net far below. Then, because things swam before his eyes and swayed beneath hll feet. and noise of falling plaster and swirling Ere Ihrobhecl in his. brain. he fainted. No one could go up after him. thlease don't feel bad. It is given to few of us to die as Dan didt saving the girl he lovedy The chorus girl? I don't know what became of her. I never cared to go to that theater again. I don't suppose she ever knew who saved her. Beatrice Mutin. I 9 I 2. Twelve

Page 11 text:

The Real Hem 0U see. none of the really great author men had time to write a eulogy on Dan O'Shears. he was 50 unknown. and such an atom of life in the great city: :0 because I loved him I must tell you how he lived-wbut mostly how he died. Dan was just fourteen years of delightful Irishness. eandy shock: of hair, Iunny. honest face. and eyexs that held in their blue cleamess a sweet Irish poetry fmeign to the slum boys of my experience. But Danny was up against it hard just then with his squalid tenement terrier: and ah! the mother who nagged, nagged. nasged the very soul out of Is 1:. Then the boy found solace in a great Ind-illusion. as all love ik- but he didn't know it. There was a cheap John theater down on the East Side and Dan went one night for the tint time in his life. He never missed a performance after that till he died. which wasn't so long. Cynthia 5t. Clayre. as leading lady. held away there in the usual melodramatic setting of glitter and glamour of diamonds. and rouge. and villains and heroes. But to Dan she was Heaven, Gad and all the angels personihecl. He worshiped her with wistful. adoration. All day he lived simply to play at night. and all night he dreamed how the have hero had saved her trembling form from the villain's clutchwjust in the nick of time. The mystery and sparkle and fascination of stage life enchanted Dan's simple. starved little heart, He forgot his wretched surroundings-lived in dreams. and walked in the clouds. His mother's scolding held no hurt now. He pilied her. for she had no Cynthia to love. and he didn't tell her that just around the corner existed a whole life so different and so much more beautiful than hers. He knew she wouldn't have understood; The only aim of his life now was to do something for the wonderful aetress-lady. Every night he waited in the cult! at the stage door as she :wished into her carriage. Oh! if only the horses wuuld Inn away so he cnuld rescue her. and then she would bend weeping over his maimed body. But the horses remained perfectly well behaved, and Dan began to be furi- uugly jealous of the leacting man. How dared he rescue Cynthia every night when Dan was longing to show his devotion? The poor fellow sold papers an hour longer every evening now to pay his way in the theater. He wondered where Cynthia lived. What a com- fort it would he just to walk up and down in front of her house. Mrs. O'Shears began to wonder why her son ate :0 little, anti why he was no silent and where he went every night. I don't think she knows. to this clay. Well, one night Danny sat as usual in his hot gallery seat. oblivious to the noise of his companions, and wrapped in expectation of the First act. Eleven

Page 13 text:

DU Thing 0 A 15935131111111 FT have I searched about for heavenly boon From peeping stars and palely gleaming moon; In evtning skies oft inspiration sought To calm my spirits and uplifl my thought; Betimes have risen in the morning. soon Tc watch the beauteous star that mom had brought. Or lingered o'er the fancies heaven had wrought With straying sunbeams in my lonely room. Yet never did I feel a strong. sweet calm As when a rainbow once laughed from a cloud Deep dank with storm. 'Twas like a psalm. Which thrilled me 'till I would have cried aloud. Could I have cried. But mukely there I stood. Glad. prayerfully glad that God is good. Katherine Stein. I91 T.