Momence High School - Monesse Yearbook (Momence, IL)

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28 THE SPHINX Junior Class Prophecy Grandpa Cooke’s Story. “Oh, look what I’ve found! An old album! Why it’s Grandpa Cooke’s. Come on, let’s go tell him to tell us who and what these funny looking girls and boys are”. Off they went, and poor Grandpa was roused from his dozing in a very uncere¬ monious fashion. “Well, for Pete’s sake, what do you call this, you hoydens? Sixteen year old girls like you should be in bed. It’s nine o’clock. The idea! What are things coming to? Why, when I was in High School— “ That’s just what we want to know ”! interrupted the two “ hoydens ”. “ We’ve just found your old photograph album with pictures of your class mates in it and we’d like to know the history of those “angelic personages”. Come now, Grandpa—let’s hear it. Who is this innocent looking young male, with the baby stare, and what happened to him”? “That? Well, well, that’s my good friend, Sir Walter Scott. He made a tremendous hit on the stage, playing various parts. He pulled the curtain, played the victrola, and at last became the villain, playing that part to perfection. Oh, lolly! He was a villain of the deepest dye. His leading lady was Miss Ruthena Benjamin, the; imposing vampire. She is this girl here, the one with her nose in the center of her face. Do you know which one that is? Sure”! “Well, who is this girl here, the one with all the hair at the side—looks like ear-muffs”. “That is Marie Kinney. She was the gym teacher in the old H. S. after finishing school, and then she shocked the whole town by eloping with the superin¬ tendent, Harry Hunte. He’s that fellow there with the decided flaxen pom¬ padour”. “How romantic! And who is this girl with the eyes? Two of ' em”. “Why, that’s Lulu Meinzer, an old girl of mine. She went to India to convert the heathens and came back a Princess, the Princess de la Huppino”. “Oh, gorgeous! Who is this athletic looking girl, and what did she do to become famous”? “That’s Della Brown. She was the noted French milliner on Fifth Avenue. Very chic shop, n’everything”. “ Look at this fellow with the bold smile on his face. Why he’s looking right at me! Oh Grandpa, who is he”? “You mean Leroy Clawson? He always did make a hit with the ladies. He had quite a career, was married seven times. He always picked a girl from the “Follies”. His last was Gladys Stearman, the girl here who appears to be counting the stars. He completely beat Theodore Johnson’s time, who was in hot pursuit of the fair damsel. Theo, or rather “Cotton”, is this gentleman of the sort of blondish hair. He was heart broken, and work alone would console him, so he buried himself in invention and at last came out in triumph, having invented the “invisible button holes”. You should have seen the girls fall for him. He wooed and won my classmate, Miss Ruby Ross, the famous elocutionist. She is this girl, the one with the coquettish mouth”. “Perfectly charming story, Grandpa, tell us some more. Who is this sober¬ faced gink, glancing so expectantly at the girl with all the curls”? “How singular! They later decided to waltz thru life together. That is Attorney Archie Ault- and Miss Leila M. Gibson, the prima donna, of Dwight. Don’t tell anyone, but Archibald had the reputation of being the crookedest

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THE SPHINX 27 Gladys Stearman. Gladys maintains a per¬ manently tired look which seems to gain results from sympathetic teachers. She is considerable wise for her years and believes it herself. Albert Hunte. This bird has more lead in his feet than a twelve pound shot. Some¬ thing made his hair rust too, but it wasn’t study. One of our best athletes in spite of it all, for a football or basketball just natur¬ ally seem to gravitate toward him. Leila Gibson. Leila is one of the best all- around gigglers in school, which is saying a forkful. She can do many other things equally well, however, which shows efficiency. Harry Hunte. Harry seems to be the most modest little fellow one could imagine, but some folks know he’s a regular devil away from his own home town. Carries matches, plays pool, rides bicycles, ’neverything. Mildred Fedde. Mildred is one of the few bright and shining lights of the Juniors, even of the whole high school. Strong on knowl¬ edge of all sorts and famous for her aversion to such nuisances as boys.

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THE SPHINX 29 lawyer on the globe. Well, anyway, he had a reputation and that’s quite a lot to say”. “Oh, looka here, just look at this pious looking chap. Such a serious expres¬ sion. He looks like an angel”! “Well, if it ain’t my old side-kick, Fred Wiltse, now the Reverend Frederick Peter Wiltse, a very inspiring minister, and he delivers very profound sermons. I must take you girls to hear him. It would just do you good to see him”. “Oh—how de-light-ful. Well, chan ging the subject, could you tell me who this girl is—the blonde”? “That’s Bernice Davis. She finished High and then one day she announced her marriage to Jonothan Anstrom. It was a charming little romance”. “And this decided brunette here, with a few freckles, is Loraine Wiltse, my cousin. She started to go to India with Lulu, but got no farther than Grant Park. She is still there, that is, her home is”. “Who’s the boy here, that looks so happy”? “That’s Albert Hunte, the once noted orator. He remained unmarried, preferring single and solitary bliss. He had lots of hard times remaining in that condition during leap years tho. Finally he got so he led a hermit life, to keep away from the “wild, wild women”. “The next girl here, is Mildred Fedde. She used to be my “sweet patootie”. She and Genola Walker went west on a ranch, where they rode wildly around the country shooting coyotes. It was a wild life all right. “Next is Jessie Greenawalt, here, the one that is grinning. She was a regular man hater. She was elected to the school board of Momence, being the only lady member. She used to slam the poor men every chance she got. High School boys sent to her got no mercy. “Margaret Hobart is this girl here with the wicked look in her eye. Don’t you recognize the name, kiddies? You ought to, because, why children, she is your Grandma Cooke”. “Sure we know all about her, but who is this girl with the big brown eyes”? “That’s Laura Martin, small, but—she made her mark. She is president of the “Hazel Nut Factory” in Momence. And here is Lila Kennedy, this, with the “Castle Bob”. She was a snake dancer at the Orpheum. Oh boy! she sure could dance”. “Hazel Farmer,here, this last girl surprised us all by choosing school teaching as a life vocation. As far as I know she is still teaching. Very fond of it. “And last but not least, Isaac Ernest Hardy went to the famous state of Utah where he became a Mormon. The last I heard from him he said he was coming to see me and bring some of his wives. “So this is the end of the finish of my class history, children. Not such slow class, after all, is it? Eh?”