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

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Prophecy It was a bright spring day in 1967 when the huge steamer slid effortlessly into the dock, hailed by the cheering throng below. As a small woman tripped daintily down the gangplank, a great cheer rose from the throats of all to greet her, Charlotte Freeman, poetess laureate of Little America. The reception committee surged forward, led by a young woman with flowing red locks, bearing an old, tattered ribbon heralding her as Miss America of 1950. If ever there was a surprise, this is it! Why Grace, you haven't changed a bit! cried Charlotte. The rest of her words were swallowed up by the shouting crowd as she was whisked away. ' An hour later Charlotte and Grace were strolling arm in arm up Broadway, admiring the sights. Glancing upward, Charlotte stopped abruptly and stared at a billboard above her. Methinks it is a familiar face, But what's it doing in such a place? quoth she. Egad! Gadzooks! I do believe 'Tis Frank Backos's face I here perceive. Why, yes, I think it is, replied Grace. Look, it says: 'Frank Backos, Powers model and Cover Boy, says: I always use Depsopent Tooth Paste with Miriam for tooth appeal!' !' They were suddenly startled by a screech of brakes and, looking up, saw Emily Perrins leaping out of a somewhat banged-up car. After exchanging greetings, Emily revealed to them that she was now a Bill Collector and found it a very profitable trade. Bidding her goodbye, Charlotte and Grace walked on. As they passed a huge one hundred story skyscraper, they were struck speechless by its great neon sign bearing the words Thalheimer Telephone Company, emblazoned in red, blue, and green. Susan had at last realized her childhood dream of owning her own telephone company. Farther down the street a crowd was gathering outside one of the stores. Hurrying forward, they found that the people were watching Marvin Perlin paint a mural on the ceiling of a new A and P Super Market. Above the noise of the crowd there suddenly burst forth a soprano voice render- ing Onward Christian Soldiersf' By craning her neck and standing on tiptoe Grace was able to see the singer standing on the corner wearing a dark uniform. Joy, Joy Sundgaard! she screamed as she pressed forward to meet her. Major Sundgaard of the Salvation Army, if you please. I've been converted, joy retorted. Her singing has brought us over half a million dollars, contributed a small man beside her. Twenty-two

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joy then began singing their organization song, Onward Soldiers of the Salva- tion Army, which she told us had been written by her old friend Natalie Jaffe, now a celebrated tunesmith of Aluminum Pot Street, the Tin Pan Alley of Siberia. They left her soliciting funds, and as they pushed their way through the throng, three exuberant young men suddenly pounced on them, thrusting a long paper and several pens and pencils toward them. When they recoverd from this unexpected onslaught, Charlotte and Grace recognized their attackers as Dick Powelson, Bob McGrath, and Lloyd Ayer-now successful engineers. The boys, after speaking hasty words of greeting, started waving the paper around and shouting something about boats, New York, Broadway, canal system, and Mac's lifelong dream. When Charlotte finally succeeded in quieting them with one of her sonnets, she learned that the paper was a petition drawn up by the aspiring engineers for the installation of a canal system in New York to run the length of Broadway. Bob always did have a soft spot in his heart for the sea and all things nautical. Since they couldn't get away without signing the petition, they hastily affixed their signatures and beat a swift retreat. After wandering about for some time, Charlotte admitted that she was rather tired and would like to go to a show. Grace agreed and suggested they see Margaret O'Brien's latest mystery thriller in the new five dimensional sky-blue-pinkacolor developed by Russell Sperry. When they came out from the show, they decided to go to the Sundae Shop operated by Shirley Murray in the lobby of Fred Earle's swankiest hotel. Boarding a Fifth Avenue bus they were greatly surprised to find Teddy Smith driving. He disclosed that he owned all the bus companies in the city but enjoyed driving occasionally himself. Charlotte decided he must surely be the most polite bus driver in New York City. Puzzled by a huge pile of rubble the bus had to detourearound, she asked Teddy what it was. He explained that it was the remains of the mansion Carol Nutile and Rita Conway had finally succeeded in blowing up with their small, economy-size blockbuster Cretail price, 551983. When they at last reached the Sundae Shop, they found John Dowman, Grace's worried press agent, nervously pacing the floor. On seeing Grace he burst into an angry harangue, berating her for not wearing her newspaper clippings and her crown. Remember, he said, the public must never be permitted to forget that you were Miss America of 1950. E-good-gad! What is that shade of lipstick you're wearing? How many times have I asked you - His voice seemed to fade farther and farther away as Charlotte cheerfully chomped her sundae while dreamily adding the finishing touches to a poem she had been composing. Hmmmm, she thought, iambic pentameter. Let's see now., what rhymes with 'june'? Ah! 'moon'! Twenty-three