Des Moines Technical High School - Engineer Yearbook (Des Moines, IA)

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. r 13 is f fffffkff lim n r ir I Fredricka's Failing REDRICKA, or Fritzie for short, was a freshman in high school and the one word Freshman describes her perfectly. She was a typical Freshy. Not only that but she was the bane of her older sister's life. Fritzie had one great failing, besides being a freshman, and that was an unceasing delight in puns. She was in the height of her glory when ever she was able to answer some one with a pun. Just as much as she liked puns, Ethel, her sister, had learned to hate them. She hated them, first, because she wasn't clever enough to think of them and also, because Fritzie was always able to get ahead of her. Every one knows, of course, how it hurts one's pride to have little sister get ahead of one. Every time Fritzie happened to think of an especially clever pun Ethel always answered her by saying, A pun, my dear, is the lowest form of wit. It just happened that on New Year's day Fritzie was feeling un- usually clever and was nearly driving Ethel mad by her clever re- marks. For instance, New Year's morning Fritzie was winding yarn for a sweater she was going to make. flt might be well to remark that the yarn was the brightest orange she had been able to buy. NVhat can you expect from a fl'8Si'llll3Il?i As usual she got her yarn all twisted in trying to make a ball and when her mother asked her if she was having trouble she replied, Oh! I'm all balled up! Then she turned to her sister and said, Wasn't that a yarn? As usual, Ethel answered, A pun, my dear, is the lowest form of wit. When she was setting the table for dinner and discovered that there was only enough butter in the house for the one meal she remarked, 'fMy how the butter flys! Then smiling sweetly she turned to her sister and said, How silly of meg of course, only the chimney flue! And she received the usual reply, Just before dinner Ethel said that she was so hungry she could hardly wait. VVithout a moment's hesitation Fritzie turned around and said, I just opened a can of plumsg go on out in the kitchen and eat yourself plum sick! Shortly after that the girls' mother was called to a sick friend and Ethel had to take charge of dinner. Between trying to get the dinner all ready and Fritzie's unceasing puns, Ethel felt as if she would go wild, so at last in sheer desperation she took Fritzie up to her TOOIH, 0 U 0 0 0 0 l 0 I I 0 I 0--I 0 Duo--0--0--0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0--0--0 0 0 U 0 22

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1921 COMMENCEMENT NUMBER-THE TATLER 1921 locked her in and told her that when she would promise never to use another pun, she could come out. At first Fritzie considered it a joke but as time Went on and she saw that Ethel was in earnest, she began to worry, for she had no intention of missing out on a perfectly de- licious dinner. She waited a while longer and then she began calling for Ethel at the top of her voice. She received no answer. So at last she ran to the door and cried, 0! pun the door! Still no answer. She called again and again, but Ethel seemed not to hear. At last she sat down on the tioor to think it over and she made up her mind that she would never promise to stop using puns even if Ethel made her stay there all night. For an hour she sat there and by that time she was so hungry that she began to feel that maybe she would promise after all. She was just on the verge of tears when she broke into a smile for she found herself saying, 'Tm just like a false toothel haven't any nerve! This struck her so funny that she would have laughed aloud if she hadn't at that moment heard someone coming up, stairs crying, The someone was Ethel, who came to Fritzie's door and without even unlocking it said, Oh Fritzie! I've done something awful! I was trying so hard to have everything nice at dinner and when I went to pour father's second cup of coffee I dropped the coffee pot and spilled coffee all over mother's new table cloth! Why, how upsetting! exclaimed Fritzie sympathetically. Of course one couldn't expect sympathy from you, came from the other side of the door, and Ethel walked off, 'Tye done it for sure! Fritzie said to herself. She won't let me out at all now. I wonder if there is any chance of escape through the window? She went to the window, opened it, put her head out, and saw that there was no chance for escape. In disgust she brought her head in, bumping it on the window sash as she did so. I'm so awk- ward, she complained, and then with her usual cheerfulness she added, Such is life-just one bump after another. Louise Starkey E4. Bedtime Stories For Freshmen O MICE talk and converse as human beings do? XVell, I should say they do. I know it because one afternoon we were decorating the church in Cloverton when I saw a mouse run across the floor. I followed it to its hole and there I heard voices. One mouse was saying to the visitor: Why, good afternoon, Marie. Come right in and make yourself at home. You really must excuse the way my house looks though, for lately the most people have been here decorating this church, and I've just had to scurry around and keep out of everybody's way. f'At first I didntt know what it was all about but I heard a man say, 'These are going to be the best exercises for graduation that Clover- ton has ever witnessed' They are to be tonight, may dear. Oh, I tell you Marie, you must stay and lunch with me on some of the crumbs left from the supper they gave the graduating class, and see the exercises afterwards. 23