Vandergrift High School - Spectator Yearbook (Vandergrift, PA)

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10 THE SPECTATOR thing of the kind had been forbidden, but, feeling a strange curiosity concerning this, he pushed ahead until he saw that he was opposite the spires. He hid his bicycle in a clump of bushes, and entered the woods. Pushing his way thorugh the underbrush, he came to a little open spot, with a small cabin, cleverly hidden by branches, in the center. And—yes surely enough,,, from one end wires ascended to the mast near-by, which Jim now preceived to be a tall tree with the branches lopped off, and thence to the other pole, forty or fifty feet distant. After a careful investigation, which revealed no human being, Jim cau-tously approached the hut. With his heart beating like a trip-hammer, he reached the dooi . and slowly, inch by inch, pushed it open. A quick glance around the room convinced him that it was unoccupied. TTpon entering for a closer inspection, he preceived that it was fitted in the most modern way for a wireless station. Rows of batteries ranged the wall and in the center of the floor stood a table, with an operator’s paraphernalia arranged in neat order upon it. Several codes wrere pasted on the wall, all in a language wfhich Jim, startled, at once saw was German. He now understood the purpose of the branches which hid the hut. This was one of the hidden wureless stations which the German spies had reared all over the country in their endeavor to transmit information to their leaders in Germany. The thought then flashed into the boy’s mind that it was his duty to get information to the officer at the recruiting station as soon as possible concerning this strange cabin in the heart of the woods. He was just turning towrards the door to carry out his thought, when his glance fell on the batteries. “I can smash them, and put the wireless out of commission,” he thought. Taking the operator’s stool, he raised it above his head, and brought it down on the first of the big glass cells. But he got no further. The next instart the stool was torn from his grasp, a big fist crashed into his jaw. and he knew no more. When he recovered consciousness, he was lying on his back in a corner of the room, with his hands and feet securely bound, and a greasy illsmelling gag in his mouth. The hum of voices outside told him that at least two men were conversing there. Then the sounds ceased and a man entered Jim could see that he was a very brutal-looking man, and this was confirmed when he approached and kicked him with his big,, spiked shoes. ‘‘Don’t you wish you had been a little less nebby, now,” he inquired, leering at the boy. “Well, it has only begun. Perhaps after you have lain there for a few hours, you will feel that it is better to mind your own business.” Then he turned, and abruptly left the room. Jim heard him talking to the other man in subdued tones, and then the sound of speech grew fainter, and he heard their footsteps crashing through the underbrush, probably on their way to town for supplies. He lay quiet for some minutes, then, hearing nothing, began to cast about for some means of escape. His eyes lit upon the broken glass from the battery winch he had shattered, and at once he got an idea. Rolling over and over until he reached a piece of sharp glass, he got it between his knees, cutting himself several times in the operation, and then, raising his hands, which were tied in front, cut the ropes which bound his wrists. With his hands free, it was an easy matter to cut the strands which confined his legs, and then remove the gag. “Now. what shall I do?” he asked himself. At first he thought of finishing the destruction which he had begun on the batteries, but. on second thought, he decided that it would be better to call the officers, and capture the valuable apparatus in good condition. So, opening the door, he started on a run across the clearing. He crashed through the woods, and was just mounting his bicycle, when shouts behind told him that he was discovered. He pushed off, and, bending low over the handle-bars, pedaled down the road at his highest speed. Then a shot rang out. followed by another and another. The men w ere taking

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ft THE SPECTATOR EDITH CAVELL. Edith Cavell, well known Red Cross Nurse of England, joined the Service at the out break of war. When her Hospital was ordered to retreat, she would not go on account of a few disabled soldiers who could not go at tl time. She and a Belgium officer were accused of helping soldiers to escape and at 2 P. M. October 13th, 1915, Edith Cavell died in front of a German firing squad. But she was not forgotten, by the whole world. The United States has given her name to a mountain formerly, Mt. Hood, now Mt. Edith Cavell. --------oo------- “WELCOME.” When the Seniors took possession ot Room 21 early in the fall of 1919 some said the room was too large but others laughed and decided to wait and see what the New Year would bring. The New Year brought joy to some, but woe to others wrhen the examinations were announced After a long wait, on January 26th, a red letter day for the Seniors, a long procession filed across the hall from Study Hall to room 21. Mildred McGeary, Harriett Withington, Joseph Murphy, Xesbit Hamilton, Violet Shaffer, Eugene Fletcher, Eugene Paul. Ethylle Timberlake, and Elizabeth Shepler. This addition has filled the empty seats and we feel more united. There are just four months left till we separate again but this will not be separation till just the coming fall. Let us work together and make these months, months to be remembered by all of us. HELEN WELSH, Senior. FOR HIS COUNTRY’S HONOR James Middletown was a typical American boy. When the United States entered the war he was seventeen years old, but big for his age. He tried many times to enlist, but was always met by the inflexible reply, ‘Too young.” So, after many entreaties, he desisted, warning the officer at the re-cruting station, “Not to blame him, James Edward Middletown, if they lost the war. “The officer merely smiled grimly, and remarked that they needed, men, not boys “Over There.” So Jim left grumbling sourly about “those men at Washington,” who in his opinion could have made the required age seventeen easily enough. And then to cap the climax, “those men at Washington” ordered all wireless stations dismantled. “Why,” he said to his father. “We won't be allowed to use telephones if this| keeps up.” His father listened dulged in a long hearty laugh, gravely, but when Jim had gone, in- Some weeks after, Jim feeling his eighteenth birthday drawing near, and being in a particularly disgruntled state of mind because it did not hurry, decided to take a solitary spin along the country roads on his wheel. He pedaled steadily for a time; then seeing a narrow, wood-lined road leading off to the right, turned into it. He soon began to wish that he had selected a smoother road, for the way became so rough that he feared for his bicycle, and had just made up his mind to turn back,when he spied 2 tall masts ahead, which bore a strange resemblance to a wireless. He knew that any-

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T H F. SPECTATOR 11 pot shots at him as they dashed through the trees. Then, just as he was beginning to feel confidence in his ability to escape, a sharp burning pain shot through his left arm, and a second later he heard the report of the gun. By some freak of fate the last shot had told. He lurched, and almost fell, but recovered quickly, and, gritting his teeth resolved to “do or die.” A moment of heart-breaking suspense. and then a bend in the road hid him from his pursuers. Then he bent all his energies in the effort to cover the five long miles which lay between him and home. His arm pained him exceedingly, but the boy was made of good stuff, .and, guiding with one hand, he set himself to his task. His speedometer registered two miles when he came to a spring of clear, cold water. The temptation to slip from his seat and bathe his throb-ing arm was great, but he conquered it, and soon the shady nook was left behind. Another mile passed off slowly. The sun beat down mercilessly upon the here head of the boy. The dust lay thick upon his clothing. Not a sound disturbed the dead silence save the steady tick-tick of his chain as it turned. Now the boy was reeling in his saddle. Dimly he saw' that but one-half mile lay between him and the village. This gave him new hope, and the tick-tick of his chain quickened. The spire of the solitary church of his home town rose in the heated atmosphere. Now he was passing down the street towards the recruiting office. People turned to stare at him, but he neither saw nor heard them. He reached the office, and dragged himself up the stairs. His knock fell weakly upon the door. He barely heard the “Come in” which the officer called. He opened the door and stumbled into the room. The officer sprang to his feet at the sight of the pale, dustv youth. Then, as he saw the blood dripping from the left arm, he sprang towards him. What is it?” he demanded. “German spies—wireless-—on pike—first turn to right—will escape—go!” The boy mumbled incoherently. Then he drew himself up, saluted, and fainted into the man’s arms. To finish the story, a posse was dispatched to the wireless station, but when they arrived the birds had flown. However, they were captured later, after Jim had rendered a good description of the one. Their wireless is now doing good wrork in the ser-vice of JIM'S country. And—since it was now near his eighteenth birthday—the officer ce-considered his decision concerning Jim’s enlistment, because he was indeed a man! JOSEPH A. BREIG. --------oo------- OUR FLAG. Like many, of the things we daily see without knowledge of their origin or source, so the true origin and evolution of our national emblem“01d Glory” Is lit lie known. It is undeniably true that from the landing of Columbus in 1492 until the adoption of the stars and stripes as our national emblem, flags of various nationalities were used as ensigns in various parts of w'hat is now the United States of America. In June 1492, John and Sebastian Cabot set sail from England,under a charter from King Henry VII, landed upon the shores of Labrador, North America and there planted the Red Cross of England, ensign of the King. In 1606 Scotland became a part of England, the White Cross of St. Andrew was combined upon the National flag with the Red Cross of England, the field changed from white to blue and was designated Union or King’s Colors This “Union” was used as the ensign of the Massachusetts Colony in 1634. In 1707, the flag of England was changed by reducing the crosses on the blue field to occupy the upper left corner and adding a large red field. This was called the “Cromwell Flag.”. The colonies used this flag but modified it by placing a Dine tree on a white field later modified to a plain white flag with a Dine tree on it. The Massachusetts Colony used this and later it i» -came a naval flag. In 1776, the Southern States or “Jamestown Colony” ado ted a wn 'a