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

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whom fortune favored with frequent letters, and Private Edgewood was not among that number, as they well knew. As in a dream Ralph Edgewood Ac- cepted the fetter, and without a word turned and left the office, heading straight for his tent. He made no attempt to open the letter until he had reached and entered the tent. Then after seating himself on the bunk. he looked long and thuughtfuliy at the envelope, turning it flat on one side amd then on the other, Slowly and deliberately he opened the letter, prying up the Hip carefully from each corner. iiWhat was the use of hurrying when she had only written to beg his pardon, for who wouid wish to continue corresponding with one Whom they had never seen '3 he reflected bitterly II he unfolded the dainty blue sheet. At iength it lay open before him. As he read, his breathing began to quicken and his eyes to sparkle. As he finished the last word, he sprang from the bunk and with a loud itHurmy rushed out the tent door with the letter. He was going to tell the corporal the newn, for the corporal Wu the oniy true friend he had in camp. The corporal, kaowing how Ralph was struggling with lonelinen, tried to pmve himaeif a true friem! by taking a deep and sincere interest in everything Ralph did. As he himself was detailed to duty in another cnmp and we: ordered to leave the following week, Ralph would soon be left without the friendly, restraining hand he so greatly needed. For this reason, the corporal Wu glad when some one was found who would take a peruonul intereIt in his friend, and never thought to ask the name of the person who had to kindly consented to write. Four days later, Myriam ran to the mail box at the postmlnil whistle to End a letter postmarked Tacoma. This time she knew of a certainty that it was not from her uncle, but from her new friend, Ralph Edgewood. Quickly she tore open the envelope, The letter contained a paragraph in which he thanked her for continuing to write and also gave a short account of hi: former life, hi: being drafted, nnd hie loneliness at the cup. As soon as Myriam. received the letter, she sat down to answer it. She tilled in the heading and salutetion without any trouble but here she laid her pen down, for she had not the slightest idea of what lhe intended to say. The more she thought, the leu Ihe could find that seemed at all suitable to her. She couldn't tell of the dnmnnt she had last attended, and her enjoyment of the other girhf jealousy, because a buy such as he would not cue for such things. He might even think them frivolous and Iilly. She did not wml to tell of her last uutamohile ride, for he wouldn't understand or lee the fun in going out for a ride with one of the monk popular hay: in school, And coming home after twelve, andw-miiNo, Myriam quickly decided, th-nme of those things would -he of the least interest to such a boy. He might even be shocked. At length lbe started. her letter by telling him about school: how she eu- joyed her English work and how she just detected her hateful geametry. This wan followed by an account of a marshmallow rout her Philathel class had given an the beach and to which was invited the Baraca ctm of her Sunday School. Of course? she thought In Ihe told of it, tithat isn't nearly so excit- ing as some of the other things I've been to, but at least that wonit shock him. She aha added to her letter an account of a few of the thing: her claue; at Ichool were doing to help the soldier boys in France. After writing a few 51'3 ;

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For a second Myriam wan speechless. Then a cry of ciipmay burnt tram her. 01: mother, she cried in horror-strlcken tones. Oh mother. the lwfuleut thing has happened! Ohm and she guped again as the enormity of the situation dawned upon her. Mother. my Hrs! letter to Uncle Ralph went to the wrong person. Then a torrent of wards followed. And to think that lint letter of all letter: should not have gone to Uncle Ralph! It was a good, long eight pages, too. Oh, and I just laid everything I thought of at the mo. ment 1 was writing it! And mother, I began it What adored and revered Uncle,' and ended it lYour most heartsick and lonesome niece? Just think, he read every word of thnt letter and the middle wan the want of all. What will that boy think, anyway? I'm glad he won't ever see me. llm sure I'd die of mortiflcntion it I had to look him in the face. I guess llll have to answer his letter, though, and explain the mistake. After many more such exclamations, Myriam calmed her rulHed Itate of mind enough to get out her letter paper and mlwer the letter and explain the mistake. A: the continued to think about it, the more unusual and romantic the error appeared. Just think of such an occurrence happening to her. Why it didnlt teem possible, but as it had really happened she might a: well make the best of the mistake, she thought to herself as she wrote. So thinking, the added a poltscrlpt stating that she would be glad to hear from the writer again, and then mailed the letter in: flutter of excitement. For week: the train: had been steadily emptying into Camp Lewis their mined: of drafted men from all parts of the West. Some had already been there for several months and were partially trained; others had been at camp but a few clays and were a: yet entirely new to the usual conditions of the tr-ining camp. Among this group was Ralph Edgewood, a young man who h-d nrrived from Wyoming. He had been called by the last draft from the only cantinwed work he had ever known, and since he had few friends amt! no parent: or relative: living, there was no one to hold I reltraining lnhuenee over him. He felt as though no one: cured whether he followed the right or wrong path; no one sympathized with him in hit trials or disappointments, no one rejoiced at hit succeuea and progress. What wan the me of it all, anyway? had been his last thought n he left hi. tent that afternoon for the camp postoiiice. He really had no reason at all for visiting the ol'hee, for he had received but one letter since he had en. terecl camp. Nevertheless, if only to break the continuecl monotony of camp 'routine, he decided to walk to the pelt oEce. The one letter he had received had been very interesting and friendly, but then it had not been for him. The letter was evidently from some girl to her uncle, and the writer hid either for- gotten to put 'on the letter the number of the company or else trusted to luck that there would be but one Ralph Edgewood in the camp. However it wn, he had received the misnive. OE ecurue he had. answered it II loan :3 posu- lible, explaining the mistake, but from the depths of his loneliness had added more than the explanation. He had even bagged the writer, if Ille cared tn, to continue writing, but of course, he reasoned As he mailed the letter, She will probably not care to write to Iomeone she doesn't know. As he entered the low othce door, one of the men who was clistributing the mail for each eompnny called out, Mail for Private Edgewaocl. R 342. Several of the lounging men in khaki turned. They soon learned the men Fifteen

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more Iuch incidents, she cloned her letter and hailin slipping on her coat, ran to the nearest post box. In one of his letters, Ralph encioaed his picture, that of a line, tall, sturdy- lonking young fellow. He added also that he Would be pleased to receive a picture from Myriam. After considering this question for some lime, Myriam decided to send him one, so as she mailed One of her letters she also mailed a. picture. For many months the correspondence continued. In order to find some- thing which he' thought wouid be, interesting to Myriam, Ralph went often to the Y. M. C. A. entertainment; and field games which took place between the diKerei-ut regiments. He coutd not tell Myviam 05 the many nights 05 duty 59 'had formerly spent in the poolhall and at the card table when he hnd fell hopeless and lonely. If she knew of these things, they would surely oHend her, he thought, hand then she mv'lght even stop writingF Therefore, he gradually ceased frequenting his former places of amusement mad recreatinn and spent his time off duty at places which he fen would be of interest to Myriam and in which she would wish and expect him to hem During these months Myriam had been greatiy enjoying her coffe'pon- dance. She also. had begun to change her manner of recreation. A! first ahe chose the lens exciting aims of amusements because she must have something about which to write to her new friend, Before attending a party or entertain. mant, she always said to herself, ttWhat would Ralph thing of this? Would he do it T, and having decided what he would have hn'r do, she followed her decision. Many times she was kept from some good time because of her choosing to do only the things which would be up to RalphJs standard. Often her friends would say to her, Why Myrtam, arerft you going with us tomor- row night? or perhaps they wouM say, ttArc you gping to that party next Thursday night? and Myriam would often have to answer no. Because of her increaling goudy-goodynesa, as some of her former friends termed her chnnge of'apirit, Myriam tost much of her poplarity with a certain group of atudents, hut usher popularity with ode group waned it increased with another class, and soon she was a favorite with new friends. Sevaral month: after the preceding events, Myriam received a letter from Ralph in which he stated that as he was to have a week 9n team: of absence, be had decided to spent it at the home 0f M: friend. the corporal, who had just returned to camp from many months, work at another- camp. The latter did not speak of the place to which he intended to go. Myriam was glad to hear of his leave, for she knew from his hatter: that he hpd been. training ateadity for manths-and that he needed the rest greatly- She though: no more at the. newa, however, for on the following day she was to leave with he; mother fm- .Mgdum, a town about five hundred miles north of her home. The even: Ind come at a surprise to them all, for a telegram had arrivadjrom her aunt but . the night before inviting them up to her 11qu .to spend the Christian vacation, in Myriam'a cousin from the military trainmg camp was In have a week'ajeaw of absence. As it was hut three .days until Christmas. their departure must ' necessarily be hurried if they expected to Mach Medesto before that time. Because of :11 these things, Ind in her hurry and exeltment, Myriam quickly forgot about her letter, for such a trip wa's not an everyday occurrence. . Savantun