Maryland College for Women - Marylander Yearbook (Lutherville, MD)

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Ja x CLASS PROPHECYP-'Confinued considering her occupationj, and told us to be sure to attend the Metropolitan Opera as Anita Spedden was appearing as Prima Dona. She had climbed to fame over-night, and at the age of twenty-six was the sensation of the season. Remarkable we thought, but considering her excellent training warbling hymns in Chapel at Maryland one couldn't be too surprised. By that time I was ready to wend my way onward, so we bid farewell to Ouida, after assuring her that we would keep our eyes open for good positions for her. We toured over to Fifth Avenue to look in the shop windows, mean- while chatting continuously. Jean's eagle eye espied a conservative sign over one of the shops, Gertrude Belle Crawford-Designer and Importer of Gowns . Without a word we entered, and Gertie advanced to meet us smiling graciously. Of course we knew she thought we were prospective customers, but when she recognized us as the old college chums, Gertie's smile turned to a full-fledged beam, and we knew that she still had a soft spot in her heart for us. We looked around her Shoppe, and it was indeed a credit to Gertie's ability and originality. We learned that Gertie had married Dee just recently, and would soon sell her Shoppe to take up her happy home life. She wasn't able to give us much information on any of our old classmates at Maryland, but Josefina Suarez had come into her Shoppe one day on a trip to the States from her home in Porto Rico. Joseina had returned home in 1927 after gradu- ating from Maryland, and started out her career by teaching Domestic Science in one of the schools there. However, so many little Porto Ricans contracted ptomaine poisoning from the strange recipes she concocted, that she was forced to give that up, and finally compromised by marrying one of her wealthy admirers and lived in idle luxury. . Jean and I continued our journey up the Avenue, and by that time our appetites began calling us, so we darted into the McAlpin Hotel for lunch. In passing through the lobby, I heard a voice that sounded strangely familiar, and upon tracking it down found myself at the telephone operator's desk, and there sweetly cooing, - Number, please into the transmitter was our old friend and classmate, Ann Elizabeth McCluer. Yelling from the fourth to Hrst floor at Maryland had given her the charming voice so necessary to telephone operators. We left Ann, as she was very busy getting a call through to Morgantown, W. Va., and couldn't talk to us. I heard' later, however, that she was still engaged to Jim, and it wouldn't be long until she would be leaving the bright lights to return to Parkersburg and Jim. ' After we had finished lunch four appetites were still as large as they had been at Maryland, so it took us some timej we started out for the matinee, as I I l I 5 1 .-,.,,..,... -Q- ,,4-in-.. V..- 4

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CLASS PRoPHEcY The Horrible Futures ofthe Class of '27 Hereby Foretold. 5.1 '--s 5.-E ---- I-IEN two girls get together, especially college pals, after a separation of several years, reputations are torn to shreds, dark pasts are rl -:,'-. 53'-Q14 brought to light-in fact none of the absent members escape with 2 15:-i-iT1.:' J less than petty larceny. It was the year 1934. I was tearing down 42nd Street in New York one fine spring day, being late for my appointment with the famous Swedish physical culturist whose class I was attending. His motto is get fat-results guaranteed, or your money back. While on my way, whom should I see sauntering along nonchalantly but my long-suffering roommate at Maryland College, Jean Schumann. I had no difliculty in recognizing her- the walk hadn't changed a bit-and after the customary gushings had been duly exchanged we got down to a little serious talking Qboth at once, naturallyj . Finally I managed to gather from the hub-bub that dear old Jean was conducting a correspondence school, giving lessons on toe-dancing at home by mail. It appeared that she was making a huge success at it, but when I recalled the numerous occasions upon which she had given us private performances of her own interpretations of aesthetic dancing I did not marvel at the career she had chosen. However, just from morbid curiosity I should have liked to have seen one of her pupils in action. I asked Jean to accompany me to my lesson and she consented when I assured her that she would not be implicated for she had 'been putting on a little too much avoirdupois. She sat in the anteroom and shreiked wee morsels of news which she had heard about our old class- mates. I chuckled at many of them. Suddenly her voice was drowned out by the sound of a popular song played on a hurdy-gurdy. It happened to be one of our old favorites ''Vo-do-de-o-do-do-do-deofdo''. Jean rushed to the win- dow and began to heap maledictions on the offender's head. She calmed down in a minute and began talking amiably with someone so I dashed out not wishing to miss anything. Imagine my astonishment when I recognized my old friend from Georgia, Ouida McCullough. She was the same old Ouida, and was soon chatting merrily with us from the street below. She explained that she was only temporarily engaged in the I-Iurdy-Gurdy business until something better turned up. She had attempted matrimony three times, and all three had been unsuccessful, so she remarked, and that unless someone with plenty of money turned up, she would not make another venture. We agreed that she was only right in her resolve. ' Ouida seemed well informed on news of the musical world Conly natural, Page 7 9

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N' CLASS PRoPHECY.-Continued 1 we had determined to make a day of it. Just as we reached the corner, I heard someone calling, Nice apples, bananas and grapes! Cheaper than anywhere else! This appealed to my economical spirit, and I turned around to cast an appraising eye over the fruit. There stood Little Mary behind her fruit stand, calling her wares. We hailed her and soon became clubby, and had a real old hash session right there on the street corner. Mary had taken up a wanderer's life and was engaged in hiking across the continent. When she ran out of funds she took up some genteel occupation until she was re-financed. Right clever of Mary, I thought, and there's nothing more commendable than independence. a I had heard that Lucy Sawyer, the President of the Class of '27, was living just outside of New York, so I suggested to Jean that we forego the matinee, and drive out to see her, which we did. We found Lucy happily settled in a beautiful home in the suburbs, leading a contented life with Marion and their children. It made me wonder 'if marriage and a home wasn't prefer- able to a career after all, and I decided by the time we left that perhaps mar- riage and home were preferable to a career, although I did like my position editing the Advice to the Lovelorn column in the daily newspaper. After we had heard items about some of the other Maryland girls, we were convinced that none had made the success of life that the Class of '27 had, and this is undoubtedly due to the superior talents and abilities of that class. A ' CSignedj J. W. B. Page 81 , xy-kk 1 i 1 i 1 a