Vandergrift High School - Spectator Yearbook (Vandergrift, PA)

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16 THE SPECTATOR He could walk and make it appear that the log was drifting. He started and walked with only his nose and eyes out of the water. The Indians shot at the log but, as all seemed to be a log ought to seem, they left it pass. When Hanna was out of sight of the savages he raised himself and got out and walked on the road. -------oo------- THE HISTORY OF ST. VALENTINE’S DAY. Scotland and England. Every year a number of maidens and unmarried men gather together. Then each man draws a girl’s name and each girl draws a man's. The person whose name he or she draws is his or her valentine. By custom, he must treat her and give balls in her name. I ydgate, a poet, who died in 1440, is one of the earliest known writers alluding to St. Valentine's Day. Shakespeare, Chances and Donne also have written about it. Some very interesting customs of St. Valentines Day are found recorded in “Pepy's Diary.” And so Valentine's Day has come down to us through the ages, customs ever changing, until today we buy a valentine, put it into an envelope, put a stamp on it, throw it carelessly iuto a mail bax and think no mo e about it. ESTHER McDOWEI.L, ’20. --------oo-------- “WAITING” Maria sat waiting in the parlor very patiently reading a book on “How to Make a Man Propose. Yes, it was true, Henry was coming to call, this evening. Her sky-blue dress was stiff with starch, and when she sat down it stood out like a baloon. Her yellowish hair was combed back very slick, and not a hair was out of place, or over her ear. Maria had read her book over and over again and practiced all the affectionate and loving parts in front of her dresser mirror every night. Whenever Henry was to come, she would be all dressed up before six-forty-five, and begin her book. Alone, the fateful hour, seven-thirty, and a knock a the door. Excitedly Maria shoved her book under a cushion on the sofa, not noticing that the one corner of the bright yellow book was uncovered. Henry, it was sureenough and he certainly did look handsome, Iiis fiery red hair lying perfectly flat after being greased with vaseline, and My! but his celluloid collar did shine and look pretty. He sat on one end of the sofa and Maria on the other, but he was sitting near the book. “Ain’t it rather chilly out. Henry? asked Maria. As February 14th draws near, we see displayed in the majority of the store windows, beautiful valentines, colored with bits of gold and tinsel with tiny fat angels on them. Now and then, we find a queer one, a cartoon with silly verses. At this time of the year, we love to send these to our friendsiand enemies,) yet, I believe there are only a very few of us who know the history of this day. Long, long ago the pagans were accustomed to assemble together and spend the greater part of the month of February in feasts, given in honor of Pare and Juno. February itself gets it's name from the Latin for Juno. At these feasts, the names of the maidens were writen down, and then maides were written down, and then each of the unmarried men drew a name. This custom often resulted in a love affair. But when Christianity came to Rome, the priests tried to abolish the pagan custom as much as possible. This custom however puzzled them. About the third century, in the month of February, a priest by the name of Valentine met with a horrible death. He was fjrst beaten almost to death and then beheaded. His' remains are preserved in the church of St. Praxedes at Rome, where a gate has been named for him. To these old pavan customs which could not be abolished altogether, the priests tried to give Christian names, and since the February feast and the death of the priest Valentine, occurred at almost the same time, they decided to call the day of feasts “St. Valentine’s Day. Thus began the day, dear to so many countries. Of the many customs remaining, I might mention a very pretty one still preserved in

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THE SPECTATOR IK As time passed on, Mr. Means moved his family to Ohio. There the father and mother of the girl died, and she was married to an officer of the Revolutionary period, named Kearney. After a battle was over, .as he was crossing the field he saw an old Indian sitting on a log. He held a white handkerchief up. They searched him and found a handkerchief with the maiden name af Captain Kearney’s wife (“Mary Means”) worked on it. Maidenfoot lived with the family of Captain Kearney. Thus he was near the girl whom he had adopted as a sister after his own sister died. Among the early settlers around Ligonier was a farmer named Reed, whose family consisted of his wife and four children. Rebecca was the oldest and George was a year or so her junior. The daughter was often called upon to assist her father with outdoor labors. This gave her a strength and litheness unusual to her sex. In the summer of 1778 the men left the fort daily to look after the crops. The women were cooped up in the fort very closely during the dangerous period of the year. A favorite lural sport and exercise for the young men and women in the fort was foot racing between the extremes of the stockade. Among the young women whe entered the races, Miss Reed was the fleetest of foot. A young man named Shannon, of noted athletic power, often ran races with her, and felt a special thrill of joy when, either through his gallantry or her fleetness she came out victor. The summer of 1778 was a gloomy one. The Indians were lurking everywhere. One afternoon Rebceca and her brother George in company with a young man named Means and his sister, .Sarah,, left the fort to gather berries on a clearing about two miles .sway, where they were reported to be most plentiful. The way led through a thick growth of underbrush which almost arched over the road. While passing through this narrow road they met Major McDowell returning from the farms beyond. Suddenly the little party wras fired upon by some Indians who wTere lying in.ambush near by. George Reed and young Means were in front. Reed w’as mortally wounded, but ran Into the bushes. A ball struck McDowell’s rifle, shattered the stock, and forced splinters of it into his face and neck. Means started to run to the girl’s but was instantly surrounded by Indians. The girls started to run to the fort, but Miss Means, w'ho was holding to Miss Reeds arm was soon caught. When they caught her they were so close to Rebecca that an Indian had her by the clothes but failed to stop her. Now that she wras freed from the other girls she bounded off like a deer. The savage who had grasped her started after her. A most novel race ensued. The Indian, who doubtless thought it would be easy to catch the white girl, was soon left behind. In spite of all he could do she steadily gained. In the fort the noise was heard and a relief party started out. Shannon headed the party. When he was about half a mile from the fort, he saw Miss Reed flying before the Indian. The Indian saw Shannon and turned into the bushes. Miss Reed was very nearly ..exhausted. The rescuing party found the dead bodies of Reed and Miss Means. The Indians made their retreat with Means as a prisoner. Three years later he returned and said that the young warrior whom Miss Reed had out distanced was disgraced forever. Shannon and Miss Reed had happily married in the meantime. When the first settlers were around Vandergrift the Indians got up on Birch Rock and sihot the travelers who traveled on the Old Canal or on the road. Very few people got past safely. A young fellow by the name of Hanna was sent from what is now Apollo to Leechburg. As he came near Birch Rock, across from the mill he thought of the dangers which he must encounter. He sat down to think what to do. He was sitting on a hollow log. There was a hole in one side at about the middle. He rolled the log into the canal and got under it. He put his head in this hole and was thus enabled to see out of either end.

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17 THE SPECTATOR “Yep, but it ain’t quite as bad as to'ther night, when I had ter go out fer pop to fetch in some wood and it were pretty nine-thirty” replied Henry. “Ma and Pa went over to Hiram •lone's to see their new baby, but they ain’t back yet-and our wood has to be fete bed in--would you mind fetchin it in fer me Henry ?”--asked Maria. Of course Henry consented. After he had help brighted up the fire and they went to sit down on the sofa, Henry noticed the yellow book peeping out from in under the cushion- “My goodness Maria, you’re gettin’ right up in society now, reading yeller covered books” Maria never answered but turned what seemed to her a million dicerent colors. When Henry saw her he too dropped his head and kept furtively try -ing to look through the cushion and see the subject of the book. At last he picked up enough courage to lift up the book—When he saw ‘‘How to Make a Man Propose,” he thought he was seeing things but after he had stared awhile he assumed himself that his eyesight was perfectly all right. “Why — er—• er — is this yours Maria?” “U—U—why—yes” she stammered. Do do—do— you really —m—m mean it—or are you just f—f—fooling me?” Maria could not answer him but just dropped her head—he knew she meant it—after a pause she said— “Well Henry this is what yer call Leap Year and I was thinkin’ you wouldn’t ask me that I’d ask you— but I guess I won’t now.” Henry took her hand in his and said— “Maria—I really meant ter ask yer but it just slipped my memr’y—but will yer fergive me and marry me—n —n—next week?” Her head fell on Henry’s shoulder and—well it would be telling on Maria and Henry if I’d write any more. HARRIETT WITHI.VGTON, ’20. “LOVE’S OLD SWEET SONG.” • This happened “Long Long Ago.” He met her in “Killarney” as she was riding down the lane in the “Low-backed car.” When the horse stumbled, she cried, “O Dear What Can the ■lattir Be?” “Pa. don Madam, I’m ‘Robin Adair,’ let me help you.” “Oh! she smiled coyly, ‘We’d Better Bide a Wee.” It was a wonderful night; “The Evening Star” was high in the heavens by the time they were “Homeward Bound.” “Tell me, your name, sweet-hear-,” said Robin. “It’s Kathleen Mavoureen,” an-sweied she. That was the beginning of “Love’s Young Dreams.” One day he said sadly. “I must go back to ‘My Ain Country. My regiment is called to the front. ‘Goodby, Sweetheart, Good-by.’ ” She went down to her home on the “Beautiful Isle of the Sea” and waited with “The Old Folks at Home” for the return of her lover. Day after day she sat “With Head Bowed Down and thought of her bon-nie laddie who was now “A Thousand Leagues Away.” One day she was sitting by the “Sad 3ea Waves,” and along came “Peter Grey ” with a letter. “The Campbells are Coming,” cried Peter waving the letter. Kathleen read a part of the letter aloud: “When This Cruel War Is Over,’ I’ll be 'Home Again.' then we’ll be married in ‘The Sweet By and By' and move to ‘America.’ ” Old “Peter Grey shouted, “Hurrah, it’s The Dearest Spot on Earth.’ Three cheers for ‘The Red, White, and Blue. ” “Robin Adair” came back and they nere married in “The Little Brown Church in the Wildwood.” Ever after they lived happily in the “Little Grey Home in the West.” estella mcdermott—’2i.