Our Great War and the Great War of the Ancient Greeks

But it would have caused a scandal, of course, the honor was too great. This wasn't just a high school show or anything like that, oh no, it was the pageant, produced annually by the town fathers and attended by everybody within a hundred-mile radius, farmers and factory workers alike-to say nothing of mealy-mouthed politicians. It had become a tradition over the years, an outdoor spectacle with a huge cast milling around in costume, clashing swords and matching chariots in ancient heroic style. All based on the Trojan War, naturally; what better subject for a town named Troy? And so I became the youngest girl ever to play the female lead, fair Helen-"the face that launched a thousand ships"-second in importance only to the big wooden horse itself. Anyway, despite the demands on my time, things worked out rather nicely as far as our secret romance was concerned. Alix volunteered for the job of helping me learn my lines, and that gave us a chance to be together often. With only a minor part in the show, there was no need for her to stay to the end of every rehearsal; she did, though, just for my sake, knowing that her presence in the wings had a steadying influence on me ...»