Scarborough High School - Four Corners Yearbook (Scarborough, ME)

Page 15 text:

FOUR CORNERS 5 iCitrtanj. AN UNKNOWN INCIDENT OF THE WAR. It was a cold, bleak November day and there were few people in the court-house. A young man was being tried for larceny, and as it was his fourth or fifth offense he was at once ordered to Sing Sing for a term of five years. As he was being led from the court-house, one had a good chance to look at his face. It was a handsome one, though marred by dissipation, He was tall and slender, with dark hair and eyes, and one would judge him to be about twenty- live years of age. One unfavorable feature was his look of recklessness, as if he “didn’t care.” An old woman and a young girl followed him out, weeping, but he Look no notice of them, except to glance at them impatiently. The young man was taken away to prison and made to put on the “stripes.” He had a chance to read the newspapers occasionally, however, and early in the year 1917 he became interested in the great European struggle. On the declara¬ tion of war by the United States, he and one or two other young fellows became excited, although they knew it was next to impossible for them Lo ' go. Nevertheless, they talked about it whenever they got a chance. At last an idea came to one of them and they decided to try it, although it seemed at first hardly worth thinking about. They resolved to send a petition to the Governor, asking to be pardoned and allowed to go into the service to fight for their country. At first the petition was abruptly refused, then the Governor said he would consider it, and finally came back the word that they might go. There were never more happy boys than Harry Nolan and his comrades on the day they were allowed to take off their “stripes” and put on the uniform. But still that look of recklessness lurked in young Nolan’s face. Not once did he write or in any way let his mother or sister know of his release. To quote his words: “What a re women good for, anyway? Who wants to be cried over and petted by some silly woman?”

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4 FOUR CORNERS acquire a love for good reading which is one of the greatest benefits to be derived from a high school course. We wish to sincerely thank all who helped make this project a success, and to remind our friends that any library is a growing institution and will always welcome any additions they may feel like making. A fine step for the alumni associa¬ tion to take would be an endowment, the interest of which might be used to purchase books in perpetuation of the memory of Scarboro ' s sons who fell in the great war. SUCCESS. Success in life depends chiefly upon the earnestness with which we perform our duties. The successful men and women are those who do with their might whatever they do. With a brave determination they give the task to be performed, whether of the head or hand, their undivided attention until the work is done. We are all familiar with people who are complaining of “ill luck.” They believe there never was a lot so hard as their’s; yet when they attempt to perform their tasks, they soon become weary, and neglect them until il is too late. Dissatisfied with life, they never permit themselves to become happy, but neglect all opportunities and declare that life is a failure. In the lives of many eminent men we read that when young they were compelled to suffer great self-denials, yet each lime, with renewed earnestness, they struggled on, and in the end attained success. Thus it might be with us all, if instead of becoming discouraged at the least obstacle which presents itself in our way, we should press on and strive to complete our tasks in the least possible time. How we do a thing is of far greater importance than what, or how much we do. It is said of our concepts, or thoughts, that they do not come to mind in a hap-hazard way, but are governed by cer¬ tain laws called “Laws of Suggestion,” chief among which is closeness of attention. Thus it is with success. It does not come to us by chance, but it is attained by observing certain rules, and if we put our whole mind to the work we shall be sure to make our mark in the world. C. M. A 7 ., ’20.

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6 FOUR CORNERS The long, arduous days in the training camp passed without much variety, and one day early in June, Harry found him¬ self sailing out of New York Harbor on an immense transport. He was seasick at first, but the end of the voyage was delight¬ ful, for always from a little boy, he had a great love for the sea. His trip was without excitement for no submarines crossed their path, and after an unusually short time on the ocean, they arrived at a small French village. From there Harry was taken to another training camp in the heart of France, but somewhat back from the trenches. The work was even more difficult there and the men were anxious to “get into things,” as they expressed it. Finally their desired advance came and they were placed in a position in the trenches, beside the French and English. Up to this time, letters, boxes, and goodies came regularly from the folks at home to nearly everyone except Harry. Of course they shared with him, but after a while, a spark of long-dead pride awakened and he would find some reason for refusing. Oh, how he longed for a letter from home! But he realized that his mother and sister did not even know of his release from prison, and indeed there were few at that lime, outside of officials, that did know it. Nevertheless he could not bring himself to write. There was comparative quiet in the trenches for some time after Harry arrived, and then one night their orders were to go “over the top.” There was almost deathlike silence for a second, then the big guns boomed out, preparing the way for the infantry. The soldiers, picked for the charge, showed in the few remaining minutes the real spirit lurking beneath the usually indifferent exterior. Some smoked feverishly, others sang, a few prayed, more than one was intensely interested in a picture. Harry remained a little apart, busy with paper and pencil. No one dreamed of asking him what he was doing. He had never invited familiarity and the others never offered any advances. The time for the charge had been set for a certain moment, and, at the exact time, the soldiers, supported by the tanks, started “over the top” and across No Man’s Land. The