Stoneface: A Musical Comedy Based Loosely on Nathaniel Hawthorn’s the Great Stone Face

By Robert Franklin Jackson

It is predawn as a young boy and girl sit on a hillside, awaiting the sun’s first rays to expose an outcrop of granite that, from a distance, resembles the profile of a man.

The outcrop has been called for centuries the Old Man of the Mountain, or the Great Stone Face. (Note: For centuries, it has been a prophecy by local Indian tribes that a great man would appear some day with the same profile.) The young girl, Becky, believes the prophecy to be that if a young girl first sees the profile at dawn on the first day of summer, she will, in time, marry the Great Man when he arrives. Along for support, the little boy, Ernest, is pulling for himself as the eventual person whom Becky weds.

Five years pass, and the first of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Mr. Midas Gathergold, the world’s richest man, but unscrupulous business deals send him running. Becky is disappointed.

Another five years pass, and the second of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Gen. B. T. “Blood ’n Thunder” Beauxcamp, the nation’s greatest military man, but prejudice and bigotry send him running too. Becky is, again, disappointed.

Five more years pass, and the third of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Stonham “Stony” Phiz, the nation’s most popular politician, but waffling on issues and womanizing sends him running too. Becky is, once more, disappointed.

By the time yet another five years pass, Ernest, through his reading and wisdom becomes widely known as a noted philosopher. Among his favorite authors is Walden Wordsworth, a sagacious poet. Since Wordsworth has an equal appreciation of Ernest’s beliefs, he decides to visit Ernest.

The two meet, share ideas, and their mutual admiration of each other grows. Ernest informs Becky that her prophecy will no doubt come true tonight as he intends to make the announcement to the town that the poet is indeed the Great Man. Becky smiles knowingly.

At the meeting, as he introduces the poet as the Great Man, the poet says, “Townspeople, can’t you all see? I am not the Great Man. Ernest is.” The town explodes into shock.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796019520

Robert Franklin Jackson

Your Author, Robert Franklin Jackon, following an enlistment as a U.S. Navy Seabee/deep-sea-diver, four years in elementary school teaching/administration, twenty-seven years as a high school geography teacher, the office of Historian General NSSAR, is not content unless he is working on a writing project. Projects include: Family Genealogy, Sons of the American Revolution - History Vol. III, plus several pamphlets, just completing a 3,200 page encyclopedia of his home town, Oroville, Oroville 1915 - A Place in Time, ninety acrylic paintings, and presently, The Blues of Portsmouth P.D. a Series of eight episode, four other novellas, The Truth Book, wewillfindyouamach.com, No Vacancy, and Pene-lope and Anti-gone, and the book of a musical comedy, Stoneface.

Book preview

STONEFACE

A Musical Comedy

Based loosely on Nathaniel Hawthorn’s

The Great Stone Face

By

Robert Franklin Jackson

Copyright © 2019 by Robert Franklin Jackson.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2019902376

ISBN:               Softcover                             978-1-7960-1915-5

                         eBook                                   978-1-7960-1952-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 02/28/2019

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

Cast of Characters

Synopsis

Stoneface

CAST OF CHARACTERS

SYNOPSIS

It is pre dawn, as a young boy and girl sit on a hillside awaiting the suns first rays to expose an out crop of granite, which, from a distance resembles the profile of a man. The outcrop has been called for centuries The Old Man of the Mountain, or The Great Stone Face. (Note: For centuries it has been a prophecy by local Indian tribes that a great man would appear some day with the same profile.) The young girl, Becky, believes the prophecy to be that if a young girl first sees the profile at dawn on the first day of summer, she will in time marry the Great Man when he arrives. Along for support, the little boy, Ernest, is pulling for himself as the eventual person whom Becky weds.

Five years pass the and first of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Mr. Midas Gathergold, the world’s richest man, but unscrupulous business deals sends him running. Becky is disappointed.

Another five years pass and the second of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Gen. B.T. Blood ‘N Thunder Beauxcamp, the nation’s greatest military man, but prejudice and bigotry sends him running, too. Becky is again, disappointed.

Five more years pass and the third of three possible candidates to fulfill Becky’s prophecy appears. It is Stonham Stony Phiz, the nations most popular politician, but waffling on issues and womanizing sends him running, too. Becky is yet once more, disappointed.

By the time yet another five years pass, Ernest, through his reading and wisdom, becomes widely known as a noted philosopher. Among his favorite authors in Walden Wordsworth, a sagacious poet. Since Wordsworth, has an equal appreciation of Ernest’s beliefs, he decides to visit