Hamden Hall Country Day School - Perennial Pine Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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GHOST MUSIC Everyone with the exception of myself wondered just what the haunting melody was that came from the queer old dilapidated house at the far end of town. I did not wonder because I had made several visits to the house. I again had the urge to go into its cold, dark interior. The night was dark and stormy and the silver rain came down in vicious torrents. I donned a heavy black raincoat and an equally heavy pair of boots and made my way up the dark shadowy street. I turned the corner and pr,ceeded by the forbidding woods-- then a dark gigantic figure loomed in my way. It was the shadow of the decrepit old house. I picked my way up the rickety old steps and stumbled awkwardly across the porch. I say I stumbled and I did just that because the poor old porch was minus many of its boards-- boards that were in their day heavy and majestic. I turned the rusty door knob that creaked so ncisily and shoved the huge oak door open. Nothing but torturous darkness met my eyes, and a clammy stale odor reached my nose. I felt into my large pocket for the tiny but faithful flashlight I always carried. I flashed it about and the same familiar sights greeted me, the hundreds of dust laden cobwebs, the gray sheets darkened by age that covered the now antique furniture, the fallen in staircase at the end of the hall, and the venerable grandfather's clock that had stopped so long ago. I went into the drawingroom. On my way I drew my finger over a crumbling broken down table, covered by layers of dust. I stepped through a door hanging precariously by its rusty hinges and found myself in the once beautiful music room. My eyes travelled over the rotting furniture and came to rest upon the object that drew me to that haunted old house-- the organ. It was not dusty because I had dusted it so many times before. I sat down on the faded velvet bench and ran my fingers over the prefious ivory keys. A soft, floating melody filled the large somber room. I never knew how long I played but every minute was heaven, Finally, but with much hesitation, I tore myself from it and proceeded on my dread and melancholy way home. ' Bettie Barnes, '43 WINTER FUN Gliding, sliding, down the hill, Oh, what fun and what a thrill! The skating is so very nice, Take a flop and crack the ice. Skiing is a lot of fun, when my day of work is done. Making snowballs for a fort, Where we'll have a lot of sport. James Hershman, Grade 6

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SUMMER SPRING A Summer, summer! I like spring, because birds sing, The sun is warm. They make people happy, even Summer, summer grandpappy. It is coming along. Flowers grow, so we go for the hoe ' And clean out the weeds f Lynn Stevens, Grade l So the flowers can grow. David Dick, Grade 4 COASTING AT HANDEN HALL At coasting time, how we run, For then our recess has begun. We get our sleds or Hamden Hall's And don't stop sliding till HSirW calls. The boys have got the tobaggon, Sue! There won't be room for me and you. But sleds are very good until, By some mishap we get a spill.H Sue, Gene, Betty, Emily, and I.' Feel we almost mount to the sky, As over the hill we ride and bump. when we fall off, we have a lump. John runs quickly with his sled, He falls down now and bumps his head. Behind him comes the rescue squad, Of Jimmy, Lee, and little Maud. Larry and Philip like to go, Down the hill and theyfall in snow. ' Often they get a black and blue knee, But that just adds to their merry glee. Miss Nutting and her Red Cross group Will patch us if we do the loop the loop. Charlotte Freeman, Grade 7 SNOW IN APRIL AT THE BEACH It snows in April I am swimming. when flowers bloom. Can you swim? Swell for snowballs, The water is blue. But it's flowers doom. The water is fun. I see a boat. Reyna Schwartz, Grade 6 Charles Florey,Grade 2