Racine High School - Kipikawi Yearbook (Racine, WI)

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might consent to bring true the dreams which he had cherished for months. He could not bring himself to the point of asking her, however, and so he feared he would be forced to do it by writing. The next day Wvilliam made the leap. In the assembly during the third period, when the teacher in charge was not look- ing, a note propelled by VVilliam Henry's strong right arm flew through the air and landed on Her desk. She opened it and read, Are you going to the Prom? A moment later a note Hew back along the self-same path. In feverish haste, W'illiam Henry recovered it from where it lay on the floor six feet away, and opened it. He read, turned pale, and read again, I ca:i't. Ifm a Frerhmanf' In that moment VVilliam Henry's world went black. His ideals were shattered, his ambition gone, and all desire to live was suddenly snatched away. To think that he, afunior, had been worshipping a mere Freshman! VVilliam Henry felt dazed. He remained slouched in his seat, deep in thought, until a look of determina- tion suddenly appeared on his face. Evidently his mind was completely made up. He turned in his seat and smiled at Her. She smiled back, and with that smile there came to VVilliam Henry the thought that, after all, this old world was not so bad as it might be. At the Junior class meeting which was held on the next day, the class was astonished to behold VVilliam Henry rise and tear down all the barriers he had so vigorously erected before. lN'Ir. Chairmanf' he began, after giving serious thought to the matter, I have-erh decided that I was mistaken in the views which I held last Tuesday, and I have-er- decided to withdraw them completely. I believe that the Freshmen are-er- as good as we are, and I hereby make the motion that they be allowed to attend the Junior Prom to be held on next Monday night.'7 A.. The room was so still that one might have heard a pin drop. The class was astounded. Never before had so great a Freshie Hateri' as VVilliam Henry Simp- kins made such a speech in the annals of hIelville High. The 'depth of their amazement may be better understood when it is realized that before the class woke up and became their natural selves once more, Wfilliam Henryfs motion had been voted upon and passed. Wyilliam Henry went home that night in a mood such as he had not been in for weeks. At last he could ask Her for that cherished privilege which would make all his dreams come true. He retired that evening still thinking about it, and when he arose in the morning the thought was still uppermost in his mind. Vkhen he arrived at school and walked through the halls, he found that the news of the junior meeting had spread all through the student body. VVherever VVilliam Henry walked, he was followed by the admiring gaze of several dozen Freshmen who had found a new idol to worship. That celebrity paid no heed, however, for his thoughts were centered solely upon Her. If the teacher in charge of the assembly during the third period that morning had not been so busy preparing questions for a test, she might have seen a small wad of paper, sent from seat 870, fly swiftly through the air for several feet and alight silently on the desk of seat 928, wherein sat She. She took the paper, opened it and read, Are you going to the Prom? She frowned, turned the paper over and wrote something on the back of it. Then She sent it back. Wvilliam Henry took the note, opened it hastily and read the message which shattered forever all his faith in the fair sex. Staring at him from the crumpled sheet of paper were these words, 'fYes, with Jimmie Bartlett. A longing for revenge filled Wvilliam 77

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easily out-maneuver the Gotha on account of its speed and lightness. In the midst of the battle l saw a bright red flame shooting from a machine which soon came spinning towards the ground. This was one of the German planes out of the way, but where were the rest? They must have started back again, for in a short interval the firing ceased and rockets were shot up again giving signals for all clearf, The next morning I learned that the plane that had been brought down was in a heap at Ealing Common, a suburb of London. Six Germans had lost their lives and the machine was nothing but a smoldering heap of junk. One of our motorcycle dispatch riders had been in the raid and he came back and told us that Jerry had done very little damage to London. A few buildings had been hit by the bombs and a few civilians had been killed, but this was nothing compared to the first raid on London. This dispatcher showed us a piece of shrapnel that he had picked up during the raid. The raids on London were not success- ful towards the last because London was well protected by anti-aircraft guns and by the force of planes that helped defend the city. CLARENCE Ho1.M, l2U. CThe two preceding articles were written by two members of our class who are ex- service men. Donald Klclilroy was with Ambulance Company 127 and Clarence Holm was a member of the Aviation'di- vision of the A. E. F.-Editorsj Eiuniur Hiilliam Henry Simpkins was mad! Not merely out of sorts, but really mad. This was a rare thing for a person with such a calm disposition, for him who had A risen to the lofty position of fmtior in hlelville High School, where one was supposed to have got beyond the stage of such tantrums as now possessed VVilliam Henry. However, all persons have their reverses, and when a Simpkins backslides, he always slides hard. William Henry walked along hlain Street on his way home from school. He was muttering to himself, and his thoughts were, evidently, not very pleasant. VVhy should they be, since if the truth were told, Vfiilliam Henry had been infultedl 'Worse, the insulting party had been a Frffhmanf Think of it! Wiilliam Henry could notl It was preposterous anyhow. The idea of Freshmen, mere Freshmen, wishing to attend a Junior Prom. Still more pre- posterous was the idea of Ringler, a Junior, bringing it before the class. Think of itl A Junior asking his class to accept Freshmen in their social functions. William Henry had put his foot down on it, however, and through his influence the idea had been abandoned. He had shown Ringler a thing or twol A smile crossed his face as he thought of his success in upholding the dignity of his class. Then the smile disappeared once more as he pulled a niece of paper from his pocket. lr was a note which he had found pinned to his locker at the close of the afternoon session. He read, Junior, Junior! Think you're smart! Thou grewest from a Freshman to what thou artl VVith a curse on all living Freshmen, Vfvilliam Henry threw the note into the street. These Freshmen were only kids, anyway. Held -A William Henry gave a gasp. Across the street, just a block ahead of him, he spied Har, Her Whom he had worshipped from afar for many months and who only lately had con- descended to smile at him and speak to him as they passed in the hall. VVilliam Henry had, as yet, no partner for the Prom and he faintly hoped that She

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Henryls heart. Immediately he sent a message over to Seat 928 bearing this legend, Vl'ho is he, anyhow? At least he had a right to know who his rival was. Vlihen the reply came back, he read it hastily, gasped, and then read again, 'fjimmie Bartlett is president of the Freshman class. At that moment William Henry lost all desire for revenge. He wished only to die, to leave behind this cruel world with all its troubles, caused, for the most part, by women, with their wiles and cunning ways of trapping men into their snares. Never again would he fall in love. That very evening Vliilliam Henry could eat no supper, refused to talk, and for once in his life neglected to tease is younger sister. At last Klrs. Simpkins became so worried that she gave him a dose of castor oil and made him go to bed two hours earlier than usual. As Vliilliam Henry -lay in the dark with three extra covers on him to keep him from getting cold, and an ice pack on his head and neck to keep away the fever, he thought as he had never thought before. Finally, however, he found partial comfort. at least, in the fact that all really great men meet with misfortunes at one time or another in their lives. From that time on, he vowed, he would weigh his actions carefully. He would never again fall in love, he would never again do anything for the Freshies, and, furthermore, he would never, never asso- ciate with a Freshman, or even con- descend to speak to one. He would always remember his position, his diginty, and his importance to the world as a Junior. Lewis Nlkkvlckix, '21, Prospects I dearly love a smallish man, He's jolly and he's fat, He's full as broad as he is tallff Oh yes, heis all of that. He says that he will marrv me, And take me off to dwell ln .fairy land, far, far away, And welll stay there a spell. But if we ever tire of that, Viihy then we'll move away, Wie won't say where welre going to, Or where we'll maybe stay. We'll live on honey bees have brought, And drink the sparkling dew, Ur maybe just because we like, VVe'll live on love for two. Believe or not this wondrous tale, The proof is plain to me, The man who promised all these things, l'd guess is not yet three. g 7 7 JOSEPHINE VTKAGONER, 21. The tbiapssep uf a Senior Speak to me, hluse, of the delinquent senior who received only pink cards after weary years of bluff. Many hard knocks he took and many a pang he bore, while struggling through a sea of Virgil, which threatened to engulf him. Yet even so, by his zeal he did not gain a credit, for through a miscalculation he flunkedg fool, who would rather dance than cram. Of this, O master of these halls of learning, beginning where thou wilt, speak to me. As soon as the rosy-fingered dawn of childhood had disappeared, he assembled as a freshman with the untried of R. H. S. Straightway the long-faced teachers bade him study and into his gentle nature was born a deep distrust which grew and was strengthened as time went on. Through four years he wandered as one in a trance, sometimes with renewed hope at some strange freak of fortune, but al- ways with a disastrous end. Through four long years of torture was our Senior buffeted, for, by the hand of Fate, while suffering between MP and HF Clike unto