Yeatman High School - Yeatman Life Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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' ... ,,,.,, ....,-.-.-.....,..,.,,,. .. , J THIS PIlRFliC'l' FOOL CYRIL M. NICBRYDE. Say, Bob, how'd you like to be fa- mous?', said Hal Chase to his room-mate. Famous? Yeh, You know, have everybody talking about you! Say, Hal, said Bob in his usual se- rious way, ' 'if everyone was talking about me, it wouldnlt be fame, it'd be scandal V' Oh, get out. You 're always joking! Did you see here in the paper how a young college boy became nationally famous in forty-eight hours? Well, well, awful slow chap, wasn't he? ' 'Slow! Sure. Bet I could cut his time in half, said Bob more seriously than ever. He had a habit of betting upon any ques- tion upon which there was any possible doubt, and of taking impossible dares, which, to the astonishment of everyone, he invariably carried out. So Hal, not in the least daunted by Bob's bravado, came back immediately with,-A ' 'How much did you say you'd bet? Well, said Bob, considering, I'll bet you that I'll have my name on three first pages in headlines within two days. The loser pays for seats at any show the winner wishes to go to, and provides a swell feed after the show. How's that? Fine! howled Hal, enthusiastically. Here's where I call your bluff, old boy. You've got about as much chance to get your name in a headline without commit- ting murder, as I have to scale the side of the Woolworth buildingl' ' Bob grabbed his hat and said, 'fCome on, you old tortoise. Welll be late to the lecturelngand he ran out the door and down the steps. f'Coming! called the more careful Hal, as he closed the door behind him. So that's how it all started. I know, be- cause Bob told me all about it later. Both Bob and Hal have left school now, as they graduated two years ago. I was only a freshie at the time these things happen- ed, but I remember it all vividly and will try to put things down just as they hap- pened. After the boys had come home that night and gone to bed, Bob lay awake listening to Hal 's gentle snoring. He was revolving in his mind various plans by which he could acquire fame. He could set the school on fire, or rob a bank, but these would incur prison sentences. He might steal the school skeleton, but this would also involve him in difficulties. He wondered if Hal would let him back out. No, probably not, because with Hal, a bet was a pledge of honor. Besides, the news of it would have circulated all through the student body by afew hours after sunrise. Hal had spread the news that evening. Suddenly Bob ceased his restless tossing and lay still. He had a plan. After working it out care- fully in his mind, he rose quietly and dressed. He made sure that Hal was asleep and wouldn't follow, and let himself out of the door silently. Through the thick, murky blackness of the Egyptian Room of the Ancient History Museum cut a thin shaft of yellow light. A slim figure glided to the side of a large glass case in which reposed two mummies. In the light of the flashlight, one was seen to be small and wrapped in casings which still retained some of their elaborate hues. A card proclaimed, 'fThe Embalmed Body of the small Prince Elhaz di Khirgiz, who died at the age of seven years. One of the oldest mummies in existence. Found by our Prof. Kilgary and said to be worth over S40,000. The slim figure lifted the lid from the case and then took out the mummy. Carefully placing the mummy under its arm, it closed the case and glided from the Pays .S'i.x't-1-fllw

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'. 31 ...J .1 ,,,.: ,igiggs V.A. fz3QL1:3:g,gs:.1:g . A ' ' 'A ,V '1 'H ' .2f Q 7 f X ,,, , ,. ,, ,l,.. ,,, ff .A ,,,A ZZ A L.itiff11fjf?iT'fff:::i 'giififfifgifi ,'... .ff2fi5iiijfff.ffffiffxxfffiEflf ','. f ..,, iliiffffiiiziiiiL1:::::11ff1TZfff::g.N 3. K N I C K E R S By ALICE DAVIS One pleasant Sunday afternoon, I drove Sir Roger de Coverly out into one of our St. Louis parks. He was visiting in St. Louis and I was showing him our city. Sir Roger loved the natural beauties, and I de- cided that the parks were the best place in which he could see them in a crowded, modern, big city. But, what Sir Roger saw there was not wholly natural beau- ties, for there were other things to attract his attention. As we rode down Kingshighway, the fashion promenade of St. Louis, Sir Roger sat back utterly stunned. The whiz' of passing automobiles, the noise of street cars and the fashion parade on the side walk simply amazed the old gentleman. But when we entered Forest Park at Lin- dell and Kingshighway boulevardes, Sir Roger was astonished beyond words, for he had seen two young girls attired in the latest mode, knickers. What masquerade ball are those girls going to attend? he asked, horrified. Why, Sir Roger, I replied, holding back a strong desire to laugh, they're on- ly dressed in the latest fad. Fad, he uttered puzzled. Fashion-style, I corrected. Oh, you mean that they wear those breeches instead of real feminine clothes, said Sir Roger, still more puzzled. Why, certainly, I answered, as we passed several other flappers thus at- tired. Sir Roger's astonishment grew. To see members of the feminine sex clothed in masculine attire was more than this old- fashioned Englishman could understand. They don't call them breeches, I con- tinued. Knickers is the 'smart' name, derived from knickerbockers. T h e s e knicker suits usually consist, beside the bi- furcated garment, of a tailored coat and skirt of the Wrap-around style or with but- tons from belt to hem. The skirt thus eas- ily removed, may be thrown on as a cape. Buttoned on to the coat beneath the la- pel, the complete appearance of a cloak is assumed. Positively ridic'u'ous, Sir Roger scof- fed. What would their grandmothers think? Why they would actually turn in their graves if they could see these foolish females. Oh, but Sir Roger, I protested. Those girls aren't foolish. Knickers are so much more comfortable than skirts. They are more modest than the extremely short skirt, and more efficient for sport wear. A woman's place is in her skirts, the old gentleman replied indignantly. It takes a good deal of assurance or in- difference, said I, to be among the first to make this radical change of fashion, but it won't be long before we'll laugh at the fe- male in skirts. Oh, if we could only return to the good old days of my youth, exclaimed Sir Roger. Those days are gone forever, I said to myself as I suppressed a faint smile. F Page Sixly

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W' ' 'M ' , , , W, ,,,, Xxx I ,,f, 6, 7 f, W ,jay ,1... ,.,....,,, Q X ldv.. AIV, if Ziij ..A 1-3' ffgit: ' :i'1'f'f7 room and out the window, guided only by the pale gleam of the flashlight. Next morning Hal shook Bob frantically before he could rouse him to consciousness. Hurry up, he shouted. We've got a class at 8:45.' ' While Bob dressed, Hal sat on the bed and teased him about the bet. ' 'Say Bob,' ' he said,' 'I 've found you are perfect, absolutely perfect in one respect. ' 'Yeh? said Bob, sleepily. Yes. In foolishness you have no peer. Just imagine a fellow crazy enough to bet seats to a show and a swell feed such as I 'm going to order, on the belief he could be- come famous in 48 hours! You 're a per- fect fooll' ' Just then came a knock at the door, her- alding the landlady with a newspaper. Did you boys see this? she said. The first headline stated, ' 'Famous Mummy Stolen from School Museum, and underneath was the statement, ' 'Stu- dent wakes Prof. Kilgary at 4 o'clock to tell of seeing robbery and guarantees capture of burglar within 24 hours. Student's name not disclosed. Large reward of- fered. Ho-hum! yawned Bob. Same old stuff. Probably 'll find it in the basement somewhere. Let's go. The day passed amid much controversy over the robbery and wonder as to who the detective student might be. Professor Kilgary taught no classes, and was almost frantic with anxiety over the loss of this precious treasure. That evening Bob left Hal alone, saying that he had to see a teacher about making up an exam. He walked for quite a while before turning in at the Kilgary home. ' 'Well, said the professor: ' 'Any news? ' 'Yes, said Bob. I have suspicions of a very prominent student, who probably stole the mummy to sell to pay his tuition. If you like, we'll go over to his rooms now and find out whether he has it or not.' ' After Bob had ransacked closets about an hour and pulled out drawers until they were ready to give up the hunt, suddenly Page S i xty Tivo the professor, jumping up from before an opened trunk, shouted, ' 'My little Elhaz! Here he is! Come, come,' ' he said tenderly, and picked up the tiny mummy as if it were a child. Then turning upon Hal Chase he said in a low, angry tone, Mr, Chase, you will hear from me very shortly. I am very sorry to learn that a student of your standing and seeming integrity would stoop to such a deed! With these words, he stalked out of the room, followed by Bob. Before closing the door, Bob took a long look at Hal, who stood dumfounded, and rooted to the floor. He was so surprised he could neither speak nor make any motion to fol- low them. The next morning all four of the city pa- pers had in large headlines a statement similar to the following: Bob Dana, Student, Finds Kilgary Mummy. A detailed account of the search and re- covery of the mummy followed, with a pic- ture and brief life history of the now fa- mous student detective. An interview with Bob explained the detective's method of ascertaining the person responsible for the disappearance of Prof. Kilgary's Elhaz- which read as follows: ' 'Upon being questioned, the young stu- dent modestly condescended to give ex- clusively for the Cname of particular paperj the means by which he tracked dowln the perpetrator of this unusual crime. Notic- ing near the museum, foot-tracks in the soft earth, he examined them closely with the handy glass he always carries with him, a la Sherlock Holmes. The depressions were unmistakably made by rubbers. Mr. Dana said that from the fact that the foot- steps were deeper at the toe, he immediate- ly deduced the fact that the villain walked backward. From these small bits of evi- dence, the detective's remarkable mind im- mediately jumped to a conclusion which an ordinary person would have never thought of. ' 'I decided, said Mr. Dana, ' 'that, since the man wore gum-shoes, or rubbers and walked backward, that he undoubted-