Mechanic Arts High School - M Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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T H E RM!! STUN G! BY RUTH HAl.S'FI'IAKD 'M feelin' blue-hoohho-oo .gfclqer Qplunk, plunkl Oh, so blue, sang Harry in a mournful tenor Wfss f ' h- ff 1 k 1 r f xoice to t c p un , p un o an ' ' old banjo. f'Oh, shut up! A voice followed by the sudden thud of a pillow announced to me the presence of another person in the dusky twilight, as l came walking up the steps. VVho's there? lt's only me, l answered as l joined the group of boys assembled on the club house porch. Well, it's a darn good thing it is -you, said slim. 'gWhere've you beenfn Say, what's the matter with you fellowsf Yould think the world had come to an end from the sound of things! l snapped out. VVell, it has if you want to know it. Alammer Nlones has joined the Ozellasln Noi I gasped and sank weakly into a chair. VVhy, he as much as told me yesterday that he was going to sign up with us.'l Well, he hasn'tl Now, believe me, this was a calamity. VVe fellows had been counting pretty strong on glam- mer xlones and then to have our feet knocked out from under us like this was nothing funny. You see, it's this way. There are two clubs here at college: The Caribous and the Ozzelas, and it happens to be a custom of the two to have a debate every year with the possession of a certain cup at stake. The Ozzelas walked off with the cup last year and we Caribous were bound and determined to win it this year. Things were moving along all right for us till klammer -lones came back to school. Then's when the trouble began. -lammer as a freshman last year won a lot of fame by his debating ability, consequently both the clubs were planning to rush him when he came back to college as a sophomore. But he didn't come back. Some said he was sick, and some said he was traveling in liurope, and some said he was broke, but anyhow, when he failed to show up we forgot about him. You can imagine our feelings, when klammer suddenly dropped down on us a week ago. I guess he had been traveling in lfurope and l wish to goodness he'd stayed there. Of course both clubs started to rush him hard then, the debate being only two weeks off. The college had it all doped out that he would probably join the Caribous because some ancestor or other of his was a Caribou once upon a time, but leave it to Jammer to upset the dope bucket. He sure is a queer guy, not very big but a perfect power when it comes to sling- ing the English. Well, to get back to the conversation. Jim, who is my room-mate and the best fellow that ever lived, was mighty upset as l could see. Hels usually so clever at thinking of ways to get out of difficult situations but he seemed to be stumped too. Finally he mumbled, One week left and what the heck can We do in that time? 'tNot a darn thing, said Art. Art is a big, good-natured Swede who never worries about anything. Let's go down to the Poppy Shop and forget about it. l can eat a chocolate sun- vu dae. VVhat do you want, limi 'Most anything, answered Jim as he drew his lanky form out of the hammock. Let's go. So we seven or eight fellows went down to drown our gloom in a soda. The following week was a miserable one. -lar- vis and Lin and Doby, our orators, worked mighty hard but everyone was feeling blue. Finally the day of the debate arrived. The morning dragged slowly by. .-Xt noon when a bunch of us boys were walking across the campus somebody sud- denly asked, Say, whatls the matter with Iam- mer Llonesf He wasn't in any of his classes this morning. lfVe all stopped and looked at' each other. lt smells suspiciousln said .lim and sniffed the air. Hy golly, it does! Harry cried. Then glim quickly exclaimed, ul.et's follow it up. Colne on, black. You and l will go over to the Ozzela House and see what we can find out there. The rest of you guys keep your eyes and ears openly Now when -lim makes up his mind to do a thing he usually does it, so we two started off on the run. When we were about a block from their house, ,lim decided we had better sneak up the back way. lt just happened that l knew where hlammer's room was locatedfsecond floor, back corner, left-hand room. lVhen we reached the house, Alim's quick eyes immediately spied a rain .pipe and motioning me to follow, he started to climb up. VVe managed to reach the lirst story eaves and crawled along until we got to -lammer's window. All l could hear was a lot of fellows talking. We lay still for a minute and then jim peeked over the window ledge. He excitedly drew back and whispered for me to do the same. l did and what do you suppose l saw? Alammer Jones was sitting' up in bed with

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T I-I E NM!! PUPPY LCVE', liv W'tl.t,i-7't t'ic VVti.sox F'0g 'flfl.l'iN was lonelv. She did not i ' . M cc try to dodge the reality, hut pon- dered on it. The three years SNP' Q ' 'C ' F FT? .9 since she had left the orphanage 5 W' Before that, she had had the other orphans to had heen void of companionship. talk to and play with, although the confinement ol' the institution had irked her. And now, as she slowly crossed the husy street, she was wishing with all her heart that she had some relatives or at least some friends in the city. llut since she hadn't---A Her meditation was suddenly hroken hy a huhhuh which dinned in her ears from all sides. Look outl Look out! She saw a crowd on the sidewalk gesticulating wildly at her, pointing up the street, and gihher- ing madly. She looked. Her heart altnost stopped heat- ing. .X huge tire truck was hearing swiftly down upon her. Then mircaulously it seemed. she felt strong arms close around her and push her to safety. Helen was so dazed that she was unahle to speak. She tried to thank the young tnan who had saved her, hut the words would not come. She tried again. and succeeded in sohhing ottt, Oh, thank youln And unaccountahly, now that it was all over, she lyegan to cry hysterically. limharrassed, he patted her on the hack. Then, realizing that they were still standing in the street, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to his ear, set her in the front seat, climhed in heside her, and drove away, while the crowd gaped after them delightedly. .Miter that, their friendship progressed rap- idly. His name, she discovered, was llohn Cordish, and he was a llohemian who had heen educated in llngland. lVlany times they drove out into the cool air ol' the country, and one day Alohn proposed and was refused. l don't think l love you, was the reason she gave for her refusal. You say you don't Mink you love me. Until you say you are sure that you don't l won't give up hope, he replied doggedly. Une afternoon two weeks after he had heen refused, Alohn and Helen were driving along a country road. Helen, said klohn, solitly, in tny country if a man saves a woman, her life helongs to hitnf, VVell, she answered curtly, you're in Amer- ica now. 'll know l am, hut-- His sentence was never tinished, lor at that moment a young puppy ran out into the road from the yard of a farm. It dashed so quickly' that there was no time to avoid hitting it. vIohnl Helen shrilled as she felt the slight shot-k caused lay the impact. .-Xfter the cat' had stopped, Alohn silently got out and gently, almost tenderly, picked up the puppy. lt was yipping pitiliully, hut its only in- jury' was a hroken leg. VVe'll take it into town, he said, and have the veterinary set it.'l YVhen they were on their way to town, Helen said rather faintly: john, l'll marry you as soon as we get into this little town. Then, suddenly, as an after- thought, Chl hut we ean't get a license. 'l'hat's all right, said slohn, as he pulled a paper from his pocket. Here it is. Why, howvwhen---why4 l told you alaout the tactics used in my coun- try. l had decided they would he ust as good here. Young ladv, yott were :thout to he kid- napped. I l'Ohl'l e-iaculated Helen weakly. Then, after an interval, How did you hap- pen to change your mind so suddenly, little lady? tiueried Iohn. 'lllecause l love-- lwegan Helen, lVlel he tinished triumphantlv. l'uppiesl Helen managed to hreathe into his ear. STORM WINDOWS,' Rv ll.-xslt. Sv. lltjvtit The windows are hut eyes for home That looko ut mild and meek, 'llhe storm windows are only specs YVhen tnv homt-'s eyes are weak.

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T H E M a red ilannel tied around his throat. jumping jupiterl if I wasn't surprised. I nearly fell off the ledge. WVhile I was still looking jim nudged me to lie down and listen. .-Xt first I didn't make any sense out of the conversation until somebody said, We've got to do something for jannner's hoarseness. That's all there is to it. I felt like cheering when somebody else-it sounded like Chick', ltlverett-cried, I've got itl A kid once told me about an oil of some- thing-the druggist will know what it is-that helps hoarseness wonderfully well. It costs about three bucks an ounce but it's worth it. Here you, jensen. Take this jack and run down to the drugstore. Ya, oil of something. Helll know. Make it snappy. After jensen had left, Chick spoke again, 'cAny of you fellows got an atornizeri We'll have to pump the stuff down jammerIs throat. 'Ilhat's the way you do it. I have, someone answered and evidently left the room to get it. just then jim poked me and handed over a note. I opened it cautiously because I was scared still weld be discovered and read: Go down to the drugstore and buy a bottle of the strongest perfume you can get. Nothing poisonous. Charge it. I'll stay here. Nobody can see me from the street so I guess I'm safe. Very much mystiiied but guessing that some- thing was up I did as I was told. I barely missed bumping into jensen who was coming out of the drugstore but finally I got back safely to jim, one bottle of perfume to the good. I judged from the conversation that jensen had already returned. jim was still thinking hard and surprised me by nearly falling off the ledge when somebody inside suggested the idea that a hot bath was good for hoarseness. VVe heard a struggle which evidently resulted in jammer being gently assisted out- of the room by the gang. Thenlf-I jim whispered to 1ne, Here's our chance,'l and crawling into the room, he snatched the atomizer off the table, emptied its contents out the window and poured in the per- fume. He was back in his old place before I had thoroughly realized what it was all about. YVhile we were waiting for them to return, jim said, VVe'd better stay to see if they notice anything's wrong. But luck was with us. A few minutes later when they were putting jammer to bed again, the campus gong rang for the first afternoon class, so they left the boy alone with strict instructions to pump that ustuffn down his throat every tive minutes. We breathed a big sigh of relief and sliding down the rain pipe went to class. We were pretty sure that jammer wouldn't discover the change. . It was a downcast looking bunch that ate din- ner together at the Caribou Club house that night with the exception of two and every at- tempt at joking fell Hat. We had not told them about the proceedings of the afternoon, but were waiting to spring it on them when they were all together. When jim, who has a liking for the sensational, sensed that the time for breaking the news had come, he arose. Fellow Caribousf' he began, Life is won- derful, indeed, when . . .II Say, cut the comedy, cried one of the fel- lows. VVell, it isn't comedy, that's a cinch, re- torted jim, indignant at having his carefully pre- pared speech spoiled. Without much more ado he related our experience of the afternoon and concluded with an explanation of why he had gotten the perfume, Once my Aunt Bella pumped perfume down her throat by mistake and it scared her so badly that she called the doctor. The doctor told her it wouldn't do any harm only the alcohol would make her throat feel all the more dry and hoarse. VVe were going to play safe and see that jammer didn't get to the debate tonight so that's why we bought the per- fumef' The club went wild at the announcement and the house was filled with hilarious cheering. jim, without a doubt, had caused a sensation. Present- ly when things had somewhat cooled down the gang prepared to leave for the auditorium in a body. The place was packed. It looked like every boy in the college was there. As the Caribous marched to their reserved section they were cheered by loyal supporters, but in a half-hearted manner. We only smiled though and put on expression which read, 4'You just waitin I could see out of the corner of my eye that the Ozzelas were casting rather surprised and what I gathered to be apprehensive glances our way. Tickledf Say, I was tickled pink and I nudged jim and said, We got 'ein going! He only had time to nod before the presiding ofiicer arose from his chair and called for order. As the speakers marched onto the platform, I could see the looks of astonishment which spread over the faces of the Ozzelas when jammer jones