Warsaw High School - Tiger Yearbook (Warsaw, IN)

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THE TIOEI5. room, Gray removed all his clothing by which he might be identified, and put on the suit he had bought at the second-hand store. The clothes he took off, he placed in the suit case, which he shoved through a port-hole into the Atlan- tic. The other Scotchmen did likewise, with the exception that they retained their army under-clothing. When the vessel landed at New York, Gray passed the inspection of the customs officials, but the other five were identified by their under-clothing and returned to Europe, where they were doubtless shot for desertion. And now Tom Gray stood for the first time, a free man in a free country, but he was in the grip of fear lest he be recognized as a deserter, and taken back to the ship. To him, every blue-coated policeman was a menace ; he felt that safety lay alone in making his escape far inland, away from the city of New York. So he sought a railway station, and boarded the first out-going train. He soon found this was bearing him southward along the coast, so he changed to a westbound train on the Pennsylvania road. He remembered that his brother ' s address was in Springfield, 111., so he continued in that direction, paying his way as long as his money lasted. When finally his money was all gone, he got off the train, and found him- self in the city of Fort Wayne, Ind. Here he tried to find work, but failing, started on foot toward the city of Chicago where, he was given to understand, he might secure work. But at the freight yards he was invited to ride on a flat ear, by a kind-hearted brakeman, who happened to be of his own na- tionality. Ye ' 11 not be walking all that way, he said, Jest make yersel to hame, and ye ' 11 no be disturbed. But Gray was unaccustomed to such riding, and as the train gained speed, he held on with both hands, fearing every moment that he would be hurled to the ground. At the first stop Tom hastened to make his escape from this — to him — perilous position. This stop happened to be at the freight-yards of Warsaw. Tom jumped to the ground and started north. Just a few steps brought him to the open door of a garage. Here he entered into a conversation with one of the workmen, wondering what chance there might be for Avork in Warsaw. The proprietor, upon hearing his story, gave him a temporary job. Tom at once showed himself so diligent, intelligent, cheerful and trustworthy, that he was hired with the understanding that his job would last as long as his service was satisfactory. A little room Avas furnished for him, where he might live and board himself. Here he seemed as proud and happy as a king in his palace. Every day he talked of his plans for the future. Tom was so happy in his new-found freedom that he forgot his resolutions to be cautious, and talked quite freely of his escape from his hated military servitude in Europe. He even wrote a letter to his brother Roderick in Spring- field, telling him of his escape and his present employment. But much as he desired to communicate with his wife, his knowledge that every letter crossing the ocean would be strictly censured, prevented his writing to her. ' ' She ' 11 no be Avorrying, ' ' he thought, ' ' for she knows Avhat ship I took and Avill see by the papers that it arrived safe in America. Many times, at twilight, he would sit with his proprietor ' s children, telling 1 9) 1 7 135 more] A half loaf is ' better than not heing allowed to loaf at all

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THE TidE67];Q ®l|0 JSf fugpf T was (. ' hristmas day on one of the hloody battle-fields of Europe. Within sif lit of each other the aniiy of the Germans and that of the Allies lay in their trenches. Pwiemies? Yes, in one sense the bitterest of foes ; in another, they were merely men who in the j rip of circumstances over which they had no control, were fi«rhtin{r because they must. On this Christmas day in nineteen-fifteen, the spirit of peace on earth, good will to men exerted its influence over even these pooi- soldiers in the tienches. A truce was declared for the day, and all hostilities were laid aside, ffermans and Allies spent the day to- gether, swapping tobacco, spinning yarns and talking of the good old days be- fore the war. More than one expressed the wish that he had gone to America before this dreadful war began. But when the day was over, its spirit, too, de- pai ' ted and once again the (ierniaiis and Allies Avere men of opposing armies. Among the ranks of the Allies was Tom Gray, a Scotchman, about forty years of age. He did not want to fight, but like thousands of ftthers, was com- pelled to serve his country thus. In a battle, some time in the spring of nine- teen-sixteen, Gi-ay was wounded and left lying helple.ss on the battle-field. Here he was found by the Red Cross people, and taken to an army hospital. Upon investigation it was found that he had a bullet wound in his left side near his heart, and in his right side a wound made by a bayonet. Week after week he suffered in the hospital, with only such rude attentions as could be given one anunig the wounded hundreds. When, at the end of three months, he was once more able to walk about, he was given a three weeks ' furlough to go home and visit his family in Scotland, for in that far-away country he had a wife and three daughters, whom he had not seen for over two years. So he started for home, but when he reached Glasgow, an unexpected opportunity presented itself for him to take passage on a vessel bound for America. Now came such a struggle within his own mind as Tom Gray had never imagined. Should he seize this opportunity of escaping from the bloody bat- tle-fields of Europe, and risk the chance of capture and death for desertion? Or should he go home and spend these few days with his family, then return to the soldier ' s hated duties and probable early death? The strusrirle was brief; he recalled the express desire of his wife that he might escape to Ame- rica where, when the war was over, she might .ioin him. He thought, too. of his older brother, Roderick, who for fifteen years had been living in that land of plenty, and this thought decided him. I ' ll go to Roderick, Avas his conclusion. — I ' ll take out my papers for citizenship over there, and never more will I go back to fight those for whom I have no feelings of enmity. His mind once made up. he hastened to dis- guise himself as fully as possible. Going to an obscure second-hand store, in Glasglow, he bought himself a suit of clothes and an old suit case, drew a small amount of nu)uey from the bank where his wife had placed it at his dis- posal, ami boarded the vessel bound for America. Five other Scotch soldiei-s. released on furlough at the same time with Gray, l)oarded the same ship in an attempt to escape from further duties in the army. Going at once to his state- l SrftuUXLZ If brevity Is the soul of wit, our financial condition must be real humorous [136 more

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THE TIOEE stor-ics of far ' -off Scoliand. One cNciiiiiLr as ho sat thus, his employer ' s sixteen- year-old (laii iht( ' i ' canic tionic Ifoin a walk with a f ' cifiul, a few minutes after dark; Tom opened his eyes wide in astonishment. Aye, aye, lassie, he said Ri-avely, Tis na weel far youn folks to he out sa late. In bonny Scotland we could na do so. Ane time whin I wis young, eoui ' tin ' my sweetheai ' t, i look her hame sa late as fifteen minutes pa.st eight, we found hei ' niither greeting:; as a punishment far eausing her sa muekle t rief, 1 wis for ' hidden to see my sweetheart agen fai- a whole week. Tis na weel far lassies to be out sa late. So all who knew him, learned to like the friendly Seotehman, hecause he seemed to take such personal intei ' est in all with whom he was associated. Many a good counsel he gave to the little boys, who loved to follow him ahout while he was at work, — listening to him sing sf)ngs of Scotland in his rich baritone voice and broad Scottish accent, or telling stories of his boyhood, so different from their own. Don ' t ye ever be onything but gentlemen, laddies, he would .say, Keep yer hearts an ' yer lives an ' yer lips clean. This world has too nnickle need o ' clean men fer bonnie lads like you to grow up to be onything else. This worl ' s garden is too full o ' weeds now. Do ye be u.seful plants. In his own land Tom had been a landscape gardener, and much of his conversation was tinged with imagry learned in the garden. As the weeks passed, Tom ' s interest in his new home seemed to increa.se, until suddenly one Sunday in August he saw an item in a Chicago paper, that the country was full of spies, looking out for men who might belong to the armies of Eui ' ope. Then Tom ' s peace of mind was gone. I ' ve talked too much, he said to his employer, I ' ve told too many peo- ple my story. I fear some one will tell those spies about me. He became nervous and fearful of every stranger who came to the place. Then one day in October he suddenly looked up from his work to see a stranger intently watching him. That mon is a British spy! was the first thought which flashed into his mind ; he at once found duties to carry him into another part of the building. A short time later he again saw the same man enter the door and stop to look at him. Tom was tei-ror stricken! He did not stop to i-eason or inqiiire : his employer was absent, and there was no one in whom he wished to confide. Slipping away to his little room, he changed his clothes, came hack and told one of the men that a spy was after him and that if caught, he would have to die. And without stopping to even draw the wages that were due him, Tom disappeared as if the earth had swallowed him up. An hour after his disappearance, the stranger whom he had seen walked boldly into the garage and addressed the first workman he came to. Where is that bran Scolchniau 1 saw here this morning? he asked. 1 don ' t know. replied the man. Why. Because. the stranger said. Unless 1 am mistaken he is Tom Gray, my brither whom 1 have not seen far fifteen years. The workman looked at the man keenly. Your brother! he said, What makes von thiidv he is your In-other. ' rmfflXz Can yoii imagfine a H. S. without a faculty? [134 more