North Carolina State School for the Blind - Astron Yearbook (Raleigh, NC)

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THE ASTRON ' 19 During our short flight across the Potomac, he told me this was his second term as Speaker of the House of Representatives, and declared that the duties of his otnce were most fatigzning since the adoption of woman sutfi-age in the year 1930. This explained to me the graying temples and the worn lines in his face. Scarcely had the House been called to order, when a huxom lady representative rose and asked the privileges of the floor. She then proceeded thus: t'Mr. Speaker and women of the House. it is this man Cand she pointed to a frightened, shrinking man by her sidej and his kind who have kept us from Iiaving a majority in both houses hy refusing to slay at home and look after the welfare of the family while we attend the social functions connected with our office and assist in the ati'airs of the government. lf all male brains he like his, our country is doomed! l'pon this,'I took a closer look nt the man. and recognized our school-mate and class presi- dent. Moses Ilolloinan. When we left the capitol-we walked slowly down the street and came to a spacious tent, into 'Which thtmsamls were packed, and from which the crowd overdowed to the sidewalk. Suddenly the words. Poodle-kissing. powdered-faced, painted-lipped, society sis- sies, reached my ears from the direction of the platform. HOI1, Billy Sunday! l said, turning to Buford. No! Coy Todd, his successor, Buford answered. The next surprise occurred that evening, when, after a few hours flight and a stop in Boston, we found ourselves at Harvard Uni- versity, n'here the International Literary and Scientific Society was holding: its annual lll00fl1l2'. The address of the t V0lllll,El' was to he delivered hy the Dean of American Letters, subject, I Ylfant a Good Egg. and l VVant lt Bad. Being: eager to see how the speaker would handle this delicate suhjeet, we hurried to the crowded audi- lorium. Ex-President lVoodrow lllilson introduced the speaker of the evening, referring: to his tame as world-wide, and speaking of his three great works, Launching Love' Letters, Heart Beams, and lf You Can't, l Fan, as literary gems. In response to pro- longed applause, Ulll' Class Poet, Sion Lynam, rose and took his place beside the speaker's stand. A peculiarly familiar sound of whirring Wings and throbbing machinery made me hurry from the hall. I gained the open air in time to see my machine disappearing as magically as it had arrived. My heart sank, for the future of one melnher of our class was unknown. ,

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18 T II E A S T R 0 N CLASS PROPHECY Br Simon. ZtIURsToN CA1-mir In olden times a prophet either had to dream. see visions, or full into 11 truxme. Today we are too busy to dreum, too near-sighted to see visions, and too praetieul to indulge in trainees. Therefore, you can imagine the ditiiuult position in which I was placed when the class assigned to me the task of revealing the future. NVhile I wus lost in troubled thought, l heard a dull ronr in the distance. The sound grew louder. Looking up, I saw an airship circling above ine. Suddenly it annie gliding down and lundetl in ur green meadow neur by. As this wus at strange occurrence, I went over to investigate. The sent looked so comfortable that Iisti-upped myself in. As I buckled the safety belt about HIE. the motor started as if hy magiv, and I begun climbing up, up, until the earth had passed from view. The recent. bottles with I-Inn airplanes were childs ploy, com- pared with lllj' experience. dodging shooting stars und Hushing tnils of lic-ry eomets. After what seemed eenturies of whirling: and turn- ing, at l'llSlllElg! wind swept uwziy the fog of forgetfulness whieh had enveloped ine. Just as I was looking at. the compass, whim-h showed that I was headed due north, the xuuehine begun to descend. An unseen hund seenled piloting this strange craft to it landing, and with tt jar and u thump we Wllllt' to a stop upon xt terraced lawn. where stood at pnlntial mansion. NVhile taking il look at my surrouudingrs, I sow, approaching from the direction of the house, a short, lll'0tlCl-SllOlllClQl'Cll lllilll. who appeared youthful in spite of his iron-graty hair and close-trinnned vundyke. As he came nearer, I recognized upon his hand the class ring of 1919. Before I could ask a question, he reached into his hip pocket und pulled out fl plug of Brown Mule tobacco. I yelled, By gully, Buford ! and grabbed his hand. Tell me everytliingf' I exclaimed: the pluee, the year. the month, the week, the day. and the hour, for I have been u regular Rip Van XVinkle. 'W VVhen I had! told the story of my strange flight, Buford explained that it was the 29th duy of May. 1938, and that we were upon his estute on the outskirts of NYushington. D. C. IIe proposed that I should tuke him in lllj' machine to the eupitol and attend the session of the House. of which he wus Speaker,

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, I Y W 20 THE ASTRON NVitlx an fooling of diszippointniont, we took the prosaic railroad truin to return from that fur land of vision. Seated on the train, our uttontiou wus u,ttrncted from tiuu- to time by some ful, chunky boys und rosy-checked, ou1'ly-haired girls watched over by an anxious mother. Two of the boys were engaged in a water battle near the cooler. lnmgiuc our 'surprise when' We overheard the mother cull To the oldest girl, Pearl, tc1lMoscs and Buford to some here. Whereilpon we recognized in the mother the flower of our class, P9ll1'11l1CL8Hll, now the lnindsonie widow of the late Governor Ji of North Carolina. l , YW, ,