Valley Stream Central High School - Cadet Yearbook (Valley Stream, NY)

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THE CENTRAL FLASH Roland was .veritable spcciincn of manhood. He looked very tall and straight in his shining armor, and the case with which he handled his heavy lance and shield displayed his strength. My son, we arc indeed happy to have you home again, said Lord Rad- cliffe in a strong voice which carried with it ahuskiness of emotion. I Roland and his niothcr talked a great deal. Lady Radcliffe was greatly interested in France and the Orient, while Lord RadcliHe preferred to talk of things about honic and was not greatly interested in the efforts of the Crusades. As 'Roland told his parents of his adventures, he proudly brought forth his shield. HI ani a first-rank Crusader, now, said he. See my Crusader's coat-of- arms on my shield? 'fWhat! Is thc coat-of-arms of t-he house of Radcliffe not go-od enough for the son of a Radcliffe? cried Lord Radcliffe. 'fYou should be proud of being a Radcliffe and content to stay at home. You are the only heir to this castle and the only one to uphold the honor of the family, and then you go risking your life among those murderous Turks. If your mother's and my wishes count for nothing, you should at least consider the fact that you are the last Rad- cliffe. Y Yes, Roland, said Lady Radcliffe, in a much softer Voice than that of her husband, stay home awhile. When I see you ride away, I cannot help thinking that some day you will ride away and never come back. f'The Turks won't stand this interference much longer. S-oo-n they'll rise and kill the whole pack of you trifling Crusaders, stormed Lord Radcliffe. Young Radcliffe, like his father, had a quick temper, which was now rising- quite rapidly. At least, then, he said, I'll die with honor and not rot away in this old castle till I die of old age! I can't stay here and hear you speak so slight- ingly of the Crusades. They are fighting for a holy and noble cause. tWith this he strode quickly out of the room, with Lord Radcl-iffe staring speechless, after him. Nothing more was said of the Crusades until a messenger came, some four days later, with a message for Roland. It was delivered to him just as the family had finished their evening repast. What is this? cried Roland. UI must be off at once! 'There's not a moment to lose! What is it? cried Lady Radcliffe, very excitedly. 'fWhy must you go? Is it another Crusade? asked Lord Radcliffe. Why 11111515 YUU g0?H i Yes Cur King, Richard-the-Lion-Hearted, is leading a Crusade . . ' Must you go so soon? pleaded his mother. Heris my king, and I must go! H A Yes, said Lord Radcliffe, quietly, after reflecting for a moment, he is your king, and you must go, for the honor of the Radcliffesf' p . And so Roland once more joined the Crusades and went to Palestine. -x- -xv af- 4+ -X- 'W' it ff 'X' li Roland was strolling with a comrade among the queer houses and tents in Palestine. They noticed a large tent from which came the high-p1'GChGd 1T1US1C of the Arabians. Z5

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TI-IE CENTRAL FLASH A CRUSADER'S CONQUEST M PART I. V At the doorway of the long, court-ly room stood Lord Radcliffe. The walls of the room were covered with rich drape-ries. The furniture was? massive and heavily carved. L-ord Radcliffe, himself, seemed 'exactly fit for such a room. He was a huge man, dressed in the toughest, yet finest, doe-skin breeches and doublet. A large bow was thrown over one shoulder, and a quiver of arrows hung from the wide, strong belt which he wore. if A tall, stately woman hurried forward to greet him. A She was dressed in a long, flowing go-wn of thin white linen, and a veil fell from the back of her head to a point below her shoulders. Soft waves of faded blonde hair framed a face which was no longer young and which bore the traces of many' years. 'fDid you have luck with your hunting to-day, my lord? she inquired eagerly. A WV 'fYes, I killed a fine buck, but I stayed to- speak to Peter, the hermit. Ah, it's a very tedious life he leads, but he is happy. But I am happier here, lord of my own house. V ' H A . AndifIf have news that will make you happier still, my lord. Our son, Roland, is coming home. He will arrive tonight at the ninth hour. 'P Her eyes shone, and she was smiling and eager. i ' A A P A A - We must prepare a feast, Marlaina! Things 'must bemade ready. Ah, it is time he returned: We must make him see that his place is here, in his father's household, and not with every crusade. army that takes a notion to go to Palestine. , , . . . ' v - But the Crusades work fora noble and worthy cause, protested Marla-ina, his wife. , , . 'WVork for? Bah!! They do nothing but provoke quarrels and get them- selves defeated. It is better that he behome. , Lord Radcliffe said this last in a very stormy manner, his temper rising. He was not a man to be opposed. But he is happy, and believes that his duty is in Palestine. We should rejoice thathe is coming home, even if he does not stay, said Lady Radcliffe in an obviously lower voice than she had used before. . '- But he shall stay! I'll see to that. And. Marlaina, seeing that heruhus- band's temper was rising, said no more. V r it 4+ JK- ec- ee ec- -x- ez- Fx- -u- The great hall is lighted with candles. Lord and Lady Radcliffe are dressed very richly and are patiently awaiting the arrival of their son. A bugle is heard. ' ' That must be he! cried Lady .Radcliffe Let us hurry to the tower. We will see hirr . h ' 1 as e comes round the bend at the foot of the hill Lord Radcliffe tried to hide from his wife his emotions and his eagerness to tsele his spln. It was his idea that- a man should not show too much emotion es . - - ' ie e. iought soft hearted and undetermined, however, stern as he was, he loved his son and was very proud of him. . When Roland entered th stretched arms. Lord Radcliffe followed slower, but there was joy his face when he saw his son. 9 hell, Lady Radcliffe ran forward with out- 24

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THE CENTRAL FLASH What is in that tent? Roland asked of his companion. 'fThere are probably some Arabian dancers in there, replied his companion. f'They go around through the streets, dancing, and people throw them coins. At this moment a man came out of the tent leading four donkeys which pulled a large, rudely-made platform. On this p-latform stood a girl. Why, the girl is not an Arabian! gasped Roland, She is very beautiful. At this moment the Arabian began to cry out to the people in the streets. What is he saying? Roland asked of a guide who stood nearby. ' f'He say that famous Tailouanna, the girl with the hair like gold and eyes the color of the sky, soon she dance, he replied. The Arabian walked through the street, playing a rather tuneless, high- pitched music on a queer horn. Behind him came the platform and behind that came a group of dancing girls. Roland looked -only at the girl, however. She stood almost motionless, staring straight ahead of her. She looked beautiful, but sad. She looks as if life were hard for her, but that she must carry on, whispered Roland to his companion. UI wonder how she ever came to be With th-ose Arabiansf' 5 . At this moment the platform had reached the middle of the market place. The Arabian started to play more loudly on his horn, and the girl began to dance. At Hrst she did not move her feet at all. With her arms above her head, she swayed from side t-o side and jangled the bracelets around her wrists, beating time to the music. Then slowly she began to advance on the platform and from that point on, she danced faster and faster until it was hard to dis- tinguish her movements. The people cheered and threw coins on the platform. Suddenly, in the midst of her whirling, she- stopped, stood motionless, and the plat-form slowly moved on. Roland turned to his companion, and the two strode off in the opposite directions. Finally, Roland spoke: t She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. S-he doesn't seem to fit in with those other Arabiansf' f'0ne sees strange things in Palestine, said his comrade. She seems famous here as a dancer. Her name, Tailouanna, seems to create a sensation. It is to-o bad for her that she is so beautiful. a Turk will pay a big price for her, and she will be carried off to the desert and never be heard of again. But come, we must get back to camp. The two continued on their way to camp. Somehow, though, Roland could not dismiss the girl from his mind. That night, as the oflicers were busy plan- ning an attack for the early mornin R all d k be all right. One of these days, an Arab or 3, 0 an ept wondering if she would 'X 55 96 -55 95 -X. .15 X, as tx. Oh, why did I have to go and get wounded? moaned Roland as he lay on a blanket inside the tent for wounded Crusaders. He had been, hit rather badly on the head during the battle and had lost a great deal of blood. His thou ht T I ff . g s were 'very much confused. It was a great attack .... what would his father think, now that he was wounded ..... 'murderous' T l h l d ur is, e ia Sfud, .... 'trifling Crusaders'. He groaned, but stopped in the middle of the 26