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

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IUST TEN TINY PENNIES Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. All it costs is ten cents, ten tiny pennies for the ride of a life time! This was the day Cousin joan and I had been waitingfor, the day on which Mother had promised to take us to the Fair if we would behave as all young ladies and gentlemen should. We had eagerly agreed that we would certainly be the best children in the world, and at the time we honestly believed it ourselves. What a marvelous day it was for a Fair! It was sunny and warm, not a cloud in the sky. Everything seemed quite wonderful to two excited children that day. When we first reached the fairgrounds Joan and I were a bit bewildered by it all. Our eyes were as big as saucers as we tried crowding in everything at once, thinking that we would surely miss something if we didn't open them as wide as possible. We both began to jabber at once, What's that? Can I do that? What's that man doing? Let's get some popcorn. Can we ride on that? . We were much perplexed at the way in which Mother seemed to be taking everything so calmly. Finally quieting us down a bit, she explained that it would be much easier and cer- tainly much more fun if we did things one at a time. What can we do first? I questioned anxiously as we walked past a large wheel that went around and around. There were people riding on it, laughing and talking. They seemed quite happy about the whole thing. Whats that, Mother? I asked. A ferris wheel, said Mother, but don't get any ideas about riding on that. Sort of high up to be riding on, isn't it? said Joan rather skeptically. Oh, it isn't so high, I said. Those people certainly seem to be enjoying it, anyway. Everything was so exciting, we thought, as we munched first on some peanuts and then on some over-salted popcorn. Then Mother took us into a large, low building. Crowds of women were talking, as they always do, and pointing to the jars, fruits, and vegetables which were on exhibition. What fun is it to look at food if you can't even eat it? I thought, rather provoked to think that we were wasting our time so foolishly when such wonderful, exciting things were going on outside. forty-:ix

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Our impatience must have been quite apparent not only to Mother but to the rest of the crowd, because Mother gave us each ten cents to have a ride on the ,flying horses, tell- ing us to take one ride and come straight back. The coin in our hands, we pushed through the crowd, and I think Mother was probably a little embarrassed at the way we went about it. When we got out into the sun, there was once more excitement all about us, and we giggled with glee as we ran hand in hand toward the merry-go-round. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. All it costs is ten tiny pennies for the ride you'll never forget. We stopped and gazed once more at the ferris wheel, and I guess we both thought of the same thing at the same time. What's the difference between a ferris wheel and a merry-go-round? The only thing is, one goes up and the other stays on the ground, I said, trying to make a reasonable excuse for what was in our minds. We paid the ticket man and climbed into the seat rather clumsily. As the wooden chair began to move, I began to feel less confident but, of course, I wouldn't show it. I was almost a half year older than Cousin joan. joan didn't say much of anything except, Do you think we should have? As the wheel turned, going higher and higher, and the chair began to rock back and forth, I began to feel very sorry for myself. Then Joan burst into sobs. Look down! she squealed. I did. I couldn't talk and I couldn't cry. I was too frightened to do or say anything. I just closed my eyes and hung on tight. By this time all the popcorn had spilled out of the box Joan had before been holding so carefully, and she was still sobbing. I'm sure I would have joined in if I hadn't been so frightened that I couldn't. Were we ever glad to feel the ground under our feet! Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. All it costs is ten tiny pennies for the ride of a life-time. With those truthful words ringing in our ears, we raced back to Mother. Have a good ride, children? u Ye-s, we said, half-heartedly. WeH, what will we do next? There are lots more things you can ride on, Mother said. We'd better not spend any more money, Mother, I replied. We'd just as soon watch everything. Mother gazed at me, quite puzzled at my words, and I guess to this day she still wonders. Mayril Fowler Form V forty-seven