Vandergrift High School - Spectator Yearbook (Vandergrift, PA)

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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

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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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THE SPECTATOR 'lag with the inscription “Don't Treri On Me”. Still in this year Washington realized the necessity for one emblem for all the Colonies. Benjamin Franklin, Mr. Lynch and Mr. Harrison were appointed to consider the “National Colors.” They decided to retain the “Union Jack” of England as part of the design but changed the field to thirteen alternating stripes of red and white, emblematic of the thirteen ce lonies. The first striped flag was raised over Washington’s headquarters at Cambridge, Jan. 2, 1776, know to Fngland as the “Rebellions Stripes.” Congress appointed General Washington, Robert Morris and Col. Ross to designate a suitable flag for the nation As a result of conference with Betsy Ross it wus decided to retain the stripes hut instead of the “Union Jack the blue field with thirteen stars should be part in its place. This flag was then adopted by the United States June 14, 1777. In 1812, Vermont and Kentucky were added making fifteen stars and thirteen stripes. It was in 1814 that Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star-Spangle Banner”. In 1831, Captain Stephen Driver when about to sail from Salem Mass., was presented with a large American flag. As it was flying to the breeze he cried, “I christen thee ‘Old Glory’ a name that will now endure as long as the emblem itself”. There has been a star added to the flag for every state admitted and now we have thirteen stripes and forty-eight stars representing a united nation -all for one and one flag for all. -----------------oo--------- THE STORY OF A RED CROSS NURSE. Jim and I had been married but three wreeks when war was declared. We decided that we would give our all for our country so Jim enlisted as a private and I, as a red Cross Nurse. Being a trained nurse, I was sent to France almost immediately while Jim was kept in America in training. By some great chance we met again in Paris. Our happiness did not last long for Jim wfas soon called to the front. 12 At last my long hoped for orders came and I was called to a base hos pital near the front line trenches, awful scenes, the broken bones, Oh God! shal I ever forget those the tom flesh, the moans, the prayers and the curses of those wounded and dying men; the shrieks and wails of tjrtured wometa. and children! Oh the horror of it shall stay with me till I die. You, who have never seen it, will never know how horrible it all is. You do not realize why your boys are silent, why they are disgusted with the sweet young frivolous thing who simpers: pers. “Oh, please, tell us about the war. 1 am sure it must be romantic to be a soldier.” I will tell you why. They have in truth walked through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and some of its awe and sacredness has clung to them and it has made men of them. They have seen their Pals fall dead from the shell of a power crazed Hun. They have witnessed sights that would have caused a weak man to go stark mad but because they were strong they endured for the sake of Humanity and Democracy. Oh I could write pages but what is the use for ’tis only those who have seen, that will really understand so I shall go on with my stoiy. One evening a message came from headquarters for volunteers to go out on the field and help the wounded. I and several other nurses went. That night is indeed branded on my soul! It was dark and black—an ominous Hack. The guns and cannons thundered. The bombs burst with a deafening roar. The glare of the rockets revealed cold, white, ghastly faces with staring eyes, and barbed wire entanglements hung with mangled bodies. The ground was reeking with blood and covered with dead and dying men. We went about helping those we could. I knelt down beside a fair haired boy, bound the deep gash in his head and wiped the blood from bis face. As I looked on his handsome young face. I thought of the mother who hoped and prayed for the