SECTION A — PAGE 2
THE DALLAS POST, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 1962
LN
DALLAS, PENNSYLVANIA
aa
= scripts, photographs and
THE DALLAS POST Established 1389
oe
“More Than A Newspaper, A Community Institution
Now In Its 73rd Year”
A mowpartisan, liberal progressive mewspaper pub-
lished every Thursday morning at the Dallas Post plant,
Lehman Avenue, Dallas, Pennsylvania.
Member Audit Bureau of Circulations
Member Pennsylvania Newspaper Publishers Association
Member National Editorial Association
Member Greater Weeklies Associates, Inc.
Entered as second-class ;matter at the post office at Dallas,
Pa. under the Act of March 3, 1879. Subecription rates: $4.00 a
year; $2.50 six months, No subscriptions accepted for less than
six months, Out-of-State subscriptions; $4.50 a year; $3.00 six
months or less. Back issues, more than one week old, 15c.
We will not be responsible for the return of unsolicited manu-~
editorial matter unless self-addressed,
stamped envelope is enclosed, and in no case will this material be
held for more than 30 days.
When requesting a change of address subscribers are asked
to give their old as well as new address.
Allow two weeks for changes of address or mew subscriptions
to be placed on mailing list.
The Post is sent free to all Back Mountain patients in local
hospitals. If you are a patient ask your nurse for it.
Unless paid for at advertising rates, we can give no assurance
that announcements of plays, parties, rummage sales or any affair
for raising money will appear ina specific issue.
Preference will in all instances be given to editorial matter which
has not previously appeared in publication.
National display advertising rates 84c per column inch.
Transient rates 80c.
Political advertising $1.10 per inch.
Preferred position additional 10c per inch. Advertising deadline
sonday 5 PM.
Advertising copy received after Monday 5 P.M. will be charged
at 85¢ per column inch.
Classified rates 5c per word. Minimum if charged $1.00.
. Single coples at a rate of 10c can be obtainei every Thursday
morning at the following newstands: Dallas ~ - Bert's Drug Store.
lonial Restaurant, Daring’s Mark: Gosart’s Market,
Towne House Restaurant; Shavertown — Evans Drug Store, Hall's
Drug Store; Trucksville — Gregory’s Store, Trucksville Drugs;
Idetown — Cave’s Maket; Harveys Lake — Javers Store, Kockers's
Store; Sweet Valley — Adams Grocery; Lehman — Moore's Store;
Noxen — Secouten’s Store; Shawnese — Puterbaugh’s Store; Fern-
brook — Bogdon’s Store, Bunney’s Store, Orchard Farm Restaurant;
Luzerne — Novak's Confectionary. ;
{ Editor and Publisher—HOWARD W. RISEEY
: Associate Publisher—ROBERT F. BACHMAN
Associate Editors—MYRA ZEISER RISLEY, MRS. T. M. B. HICKS
Sports—JAMES LOHMAN
Advertising—LOUISE C. MARKS
Accounting—DORIS MALLIN
Circulation—MRS. VELMA DAVIS
Photographs—JAMES KOZEMCHAK
Editorially Speaking:..
®
Cb SPE LE PRR TY A
Ed
=
+ good losers at Williamsport as the All-Stars were at Med- .
-.. ford. It is just as important to learn how to lose grace-
Strife Forgotten, Friendship Gained
It was unfortunate that this community wasn’t in-
formed that the Pitman, New Jersey, Little League
Baseball team would pass through here late Saturday
afternoon. :
We would have given them a royal welcome and
shown them that this great Back Mountain country bears
no ill will because its own All Stars were defeated at
_ Medford, Massachusettes.
‘We hope that those swell Pitman kids were jist as
FOE PIER ROR AER
fully as to win magnanimously. :
) That’s a lesson some of their elders haven’t learned
yet, but its a good one to learn early—and to retain
._ through life even though we
all want to be winners!
Looking at
T-V
With GEORGE A. and
EDITH ANN BURKE
© FIVE LUCKY CITIES — Viewers
in Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland,
Pittsburgh and San Francisco may
“be able to see six Broadway plays
free of charge. The Westinghouse
Broadcasting Company expects to
televise the productions at the
same time opening night theatre-
goers are watching the shows in
New York. The shows wil be taped
in a television studio a few days be-
fore the Broadway openings.
Westinghouse would provide most
or all of the show’ backing for the
right to televise them. . -
There will be live pick-ups in the
theatre before curtain time, at the
intermissions and after the curtain
calls. These periods would be used
for commercials. The shows would
not be interrupted with messages
; _ from the sponsor.
Warren Caro, co-administrative
director of the Theatre Guild is
quite enthusiastic about the idea.
He said, “This will create a mew
and fruitful liaison between the
stage and television. We hope to
do this on a long-range basis.
Westinghouse will have options to
telecast other guild plays in the
future.”
© “Musicals have their major
sources of investment capital largely
through the record companies that
finance plays in return for the
right to put out the show's album.
“The straight play, unless it has a
pre-production movie sale, has no
source of substancia] financing.
"The plays that are being con-
‘sidered include:
~~ “God Bless Our Bank,” starring
Ann Sothern. The guild and Joel
Schenker are producing the show.
The New York opening is for Nov.
26. \
“The Masculine Principle,” to be
presented by the guild and Subber
late in January, The play is adapted
from a gtory by Frank O'Connor. So
far the cast hasn't been selected.
“The Mackeral Plaza,” based on
the novel by Peter De Vries is
scheduled for the Spring. No cast
has been decided on as yet, Each
play is figured at $125,000.
Donald H. McGannon, president
of Westinghouse, said, “We are try-
ing hard to make this merger e re-
ality, Through the concept of Broad
%
way opening nights on telvision, it is
{my conviction that we shall enrich
| the television program structure by
| bring new and outstanding Broad-
| way productions to the audiences in
{our five markets.
One producer, David Merrick said
televised on opening night. He ad-
mitted it could mean the end of a
Broadway run in a few nights if the
show proved to be weak in parts.
But the money received would be
the equivalent of a year’s royalties.
But with a good show the publicity
received from the televised opening
would be a tremendous help.
Initially the shows will be done
in black and white.
C.B.S., through Columbia Records,
has invested in a number of musicals,
including “My Fair Lady,” “Camelot”
and ‘Kean.” C.B.S. also plans to
put up the entire backing of $165,000
for Sidney Kingsley’s “Night Life.”
REACTION— Two objections came
from Broadway producers, Leland
Hayward and Arthur Cantor. Each
thought ‘that it was not a good idea.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,”
said Mr. Hayward, who until recently
was associated with the Hartford,
Conn., pay TV experiment. “If it
were pay TV it would make more
sense. I don’t know why they would
give away a show that is being sold
for box-office prices in New York.”
Mr. Cantor called the project “an
act of desperation” for people who
can’t raise money elsewhere for their
productions. He noted ‘that a lot of
business comes to New York theatres
from Baltimore and Boston and that
the telecasts would hurt ‘that trade.
Motion picture exhibitors and the
home offices of producing companies
generally conceded that such an ex-
periment might adversely affect
movie box offices in ‘the cities where
telecasts were made. But they also
felt until the project got started
with more formidable properties,
there was no cause for concern.
Sponsors will be the least of West-
inghouse’s problems.
The Dallas Fair
The first Dallas Fair opened in
1886 mear the site of the present
Dallas Senior High School. Sponsored
by Dallas Union Agricultural Asso-
ciation, the grand event of the year
was headed by such famous Back
Mountain citizens as William K.
“Uncle Billy” Goss, Philip T.Raub,
Albert D. Hay, William J. Honey-
well, C. D. Honeywell, Jacob Snyder,
Dr. C. A. Spencer and William P.
Kirkendell, The last fair was held in
1916. {
he hopes to have one of his shows |
Only
Yesterday
Ten, Twenty and Thirty Years
Ago In The Dallas Post
IT HAPPENED 30) YEARS AGO:
Jane Corson, a former resident of
the area, now of Tunkhannock,
was badly injured in a traffic acci-
dent at Harveys Lake. She was
hurled through the windshield.
Frank Morris, 78, a former prin-
cipal of Dallas High School, died at
his home in Dallas. In the early
days, school teachers got $12 a
month and boarded around with
pupils’ families. © When times im-
proved, Dallas directors paid his
board, and Mr. Morris then moved
to the Dallas hotel.
Mt. Greenwood Kiwanis Club
sponsored a drive to can food for
the needy. Requests for donations
of vegetables and fruit were being
made.
‘When a kerosene lamp exploded
in her home in Franklin Township,
Mrs. Mary - Natt, 40, was fatally
burned. ;
Contract for 2.21. miles of maca-
dam road between Noxen and Bow-
man’s Creek was awarded to the
Spooner Bridge Construction Co. of
Albany, N. Y. Plans called for two
steel bridges.
A petition - that Miss Ruth La-
moreux be reinstated by Kingston
Township school board was success-
ful. She was assigned to teach the
fifth grade.
The AF of L predicted that 13 mil-
lion people would be out of work
by the winter.
The Meridian Club was building
a fireplace out of anthracite coal.
Both the coal fireplace and the field-
stone fireplace on ‘the lower level
were the work of William Wilson,
of Dallas. John Sullivan was pro-
prietor of the new night club.
You could get 7 pounds of sweet
potatoes for 15 cents; two large
cans of pineapple for a quarter; ring
bologna 10 cents a pound.
rr HAPPENED 2() YEARS Aco:
Residents were beginning to feel
the meat shortage, viewing the sad:
offerings at the local stores with
distaste, but figuring the boys in the
service and the training camps
needed the beef and the butter.
Thomas Watkins of Nesquehoning,
elected to direct Dallas Township
School Band, backed out because of
uncertainty about military service.
Rumor that Willard Shaver and
his cousins Ellwood and Willard
‘Whitesell might be seeing action in
the Solomons, was confirmed when
Mrs. Shaver received a letter from
Willard, her first in three months.
Andrew Bittenbender ‘drove. one
of Dallas Township’s new school
buses home from the Midwest.
Featured on the front page were
wartime infant evacuees taken from
London to country estates.
Heard from in the Outpost: Olin
E. Weber, . Richmond; Walter De-
Remer, Submarine Depot, Fort Mon-
roe;
Leg of lamb was 35 cents a
pound, if you could get it. Cheese
was 33 cents a pound. ‘
Married: Mary Alice Edson to
Charles T. Sayre. ‘Alice Hand to
Robert L. Hughes.
Contact for Service Men, a new
department, carried newsy items of
the boys.
Died: Mrs,
63, Dallas.
Alderson.
Nellie VanNortwick,
Mrs. Lucy Altemus, 86,
rr uaPPENED 1() YEARS Aco:
Area schools were about to open.
Rabies appeared again. Jacob
Stash, feeding his hunting dogs in
Orange, was bitten by a rabid dog,
and took rabies inoculations.
Westmoreland team was minus
seven crack players who graduated
in June. They were John Richards,
Eddy and Glenn Carey,Bernie Sher-
rin, John Garrah, Bill Fine and Bill
Oney.
Herbert Jenkins succeeded Fran-
cis McCarty as Kingston Township
Chief of Police.
Little Leaguers, narrowly missing
play in the Little League tourna-
ment, attended Williamsport for
finals in the World Series.
Married: Ann Mae Shaffer to Paul
B. Kelley, Audrey LaBar to Joseph
Lewis.
Tomato prices were low,
light.
Mrs. Ray Searfoss won third place
in the cow-calling contest as
Tunkhannock.
Died: Mrs. Sarah H. Flack, 80,
Dallas. Mrs. Margaret Bush, 59,
Shavertown. Mrs, Alfarata Os-
borne, 71, Noxen.
crop
Lake-Lehman Elementary
Enrollment May Hit 870
Lake-Lehman elementary schools
show a probable enrollment of 870.
Lake building, with seven teachers,
will have 210: Kindergarten, 20;
first grade, 30; second, 33; third, 34;
fourth, 27; fifth, 40; sixth, 26;
‘At Lehman, with thirteen teach-
ors, there are 37 children registered
for kindergarten; 51 in first grade;
48 in second; 65 in third; 62 in
fourth; 58 in fifth; 57 in sixth; a
total of 378 students.
Noxen building, with four teach-
ers show 18 in the first grade; 13
in second; 18 in third; 15 in fourth;
22 in fifth; and 26 in sixth, a total
of 112 children)
At Ross, with six teachers, there
are 170 pupils: 26 in the firgt grade;
29 in second; B4 in third; 25 in
fourth; 28 im fifth; 8 in sixth,
SCC CECE 33g
8 Rambling Around =
5 By The Oldtimer—D. A. Waters :
ICE EE 3S CS EE ET EES
Recently we were handed a copy
of Wilkes-Barre Record dated Mon-
day, June 29, 1896, 12 pages, priced
2 cents, on trains 3 cents, June 1895
circulation was shown as 9109.
The ‘entire front page, several
columns inside ,and the leading
editorial covered the mine accident
at Twin Shaft, Pittston Jet. in which
about a hundred men were en-
tombed, the exact number not de-
termined, as some mine and muni-
cipal officials were included. Trou-
ble had been anticipated and the
men were putting in additional
bracing when “several acres” of the
roof fell upon them. There was a
simple location map, no pictures.
This was a terrible blow to the
Pittston area and the Valley in gen-
eral and fully justified the space
alloted, but to us the same paper
is of more interest for the changes
shown over sixty-six years.
A lot of space was devoted to
politics. The official] committee that
day was expected to meet William
McKinley at his home at Canton,
Ohio, and notify him of his nomin-
ation by the Republicans for the
presidency. “Major McKinley's ac-
ceptance speech was eagerly awaited.
The Democrats had not met and
were torn by controversy on the
free silver issue, with full columns
quoting national figures pro and con,
the latter predicting dire conse-
quences to the party if adopted. The
classified column contained a long
list of “Candidates cards”, all read-
ing “subject to the decision of the
Republican County ' Convention”,
there being no primaries then. Even
the Dallas Borough news was headed
by politics. “At the Republican
Caucus Saturday night, Dr. James
G. Laing was elected to the Sena-
torial Convention; William H. Pealer
to the District Convention; and
George Hileman to the County Con-
vention . . , . Dr. C. A. Spencer
and W. H. Capewell were elected
Viligance Committee and P. T. Raub
District Committeeman. There was
a greater number of votes polled
(29) than ever before at a Repub-
lican Caucus in Dallas Borough’.
Another Dallas item fixes the be-
ginning of the street cars here.
“John B. Reynolds, president of the
Wilkes-Barre and Northern Rail-
road; says they will be ready to com-
mence laying tracks ih a few days.
Our people are hoping that the road
may be in operation by Fair time”.
Some brands now common were
advertised: [For example, Gold
Medal Flour, Carters Little Liver
Pills, Lydia Pinkhams Vegetable
Compound, etc. Last adv. in the
paper covered “The Keeley Cure”,
a Scranton institution for those un-
able to stop excessive drinking,
Some business firms still with ®udl .
. « « Safety
THEY LOVED THE EDITOR?
June 8, 1962
Dear Editor,
“Publishing a hometown news-
paper has many compensations,”
writes Editor Ray K. Dover of THE
VALENTINE (Neb.) NEWSPAPER,
“but being well-liked is not one of
them. Everyone,” he says, ‘‘hates
the editor.” More specifically:
“An editor who takes a firm
stand on controversial issues,
and tries to print all the news
in an unbiased manner, may be
respected (in a fair-minded
community), but he will never
be popular.
“Sooner or later,” promises
Mr. Dover, ‘such an editor
will tread on the toes of every-
one who reads the paper, be he
friend or foe, neighbor or
stranger.”
i
This editor lists as the “prime
‘sources of an editor's woes” wed-
dings, obituaries and court news,
noting such pitfalls as failure to
describe grandmother’s dress in the
wedding story or to include Uncle
Joe's favorite poem in his obit.
Those whose names appear in the
court news, he says, come in two
types: the abused, who suffered
rank injustice; and the noble, who
admit their guilt, but wish their
names withheld to protect the sen-
sibilities of others.
“We have often pointed out,”
he writes, “that we don’t make
the news, we just print it. All
anyone needs to do to keep his
name out of the court news is
to stay out of court.
“Other ways to incur the
wrath of readers are: Disagree
with them on a school issue;
misspell their names; give an-
other church more space than
you do their church , . , etc.
ete. ete.
“We sometimes think,” con-
cludes Editor Dover, “what
really irritates readers is the
crusty old editor's refusal to
drop dead. That seems to be
the only way to please a big
majority at one time.”
Mebbe so. Certainly the thing
most wrong with this strife-torm
world of ours is the people in it.
But, let the hometown editor drop
dead and what happens? Grief is
manifest on all sides. The Text from
all pulpits is We Mourn Our Loss,
The Marts of Trade close their|
doors for the Funeral. And in their
hearts the gripers of all species
know the town will not be quite the
same again. There is no hatred to-
ward him, people were merely
being their selfish selves. Come to
think of it, they loved the Editor!
Sincerely,
Bob Taylor
McLean, Va.
‘
advertised then. Vulcan Iron Works
offered light locomotives. Penna.
Supply Company, 60-64 Canal St.
is Now Eastern Pennsylvania Supply
Co.,, the street, now Pennsylvania
Ave, Lost and found reported cows
and horses, strayed in Wilkes-Barre,
returnable to city addresses. R. E.
Wallace manufactured carriages and
business wagons, and there were"
similar advertisements.
Isaac Longs 73-75 Public Square,
had a sale of piece goods, shown
for the purpose intended, as “dress
patterns”, “shirts patterns” ete.
Last item, “Every piece of muslin
undrwar must b sold—this means
no regard to price”. The Boston
Store had a furniture sale, each
item described with about an inch
of space. Parlor suits, 5 pcs. ma-
hogany frame, plush upholstery
$14.39. Three better grades ran
up as high as $58. Bed room suites,
8 pes. described in detail, $7.39 to
$21.98. Rockers, 98c to $1.58.
Couches $600 to $14.50. There
were no illustrations in the adver-
tising, plenty of adjectives such as
“elegant”. > 4
A short baseball column gave
schedules and scores in the Eastern
League, National League, and State
League. Boarding houses advertised
meal tickets, 21 meals $3.50. The
Grand Opera House had, “Edisons
marvelous Vitascope and High Class
Vaudeville.” Prices 10c, 20c, 30c,
matinees: children 10c, adults 20c.
Shirt waists sold for 39¢, 49¢ to
$1.00, summer corsets 50¢, childrens
parasols 75c.
There was a three column feature
story inside, with crude picture, re-
garding American horses sent over-
seas, being much preferred to the
local stock for drawing trams and
other work requiring high training.
There were several columns by regu-
lar columnists on all kinds of things,
including a column and g quarter
by the "well known “Wouter Van
Twiller” (pen name of a writer
whose real name I have forgotton).
Most of the last two columns on the
last page was occupied by railroad
time tables. Nothing was said about
any changes and this was evident-
ly a regular feature, at least part
of the time. Lehigh Valley, Penn-
sylvania, Delaware and Hudson,
Montrose Railroad, N. Y. O. Q. W.
RR, Jersey Central, D. L. & W.,
N.Y. S. & W. and W-B and E. The
last stated, ‘departs from depot
at west end of Market Street
Bridge.” About three inches was’
given to timetable and few fares
of “Electric Street Cars’.
Today there is not a single passen-
ger train or electric car on any
railroad serving = Wilkes-Barre.
Certainly times have changed.
Valve . . .
APPRECIATE PUBLICITY
Dear Editor:
Woman's Auxiliary of Nesbitt
Memorial Hospital takes this oppor-
tunity to thank you and your staff
for your fine cooperation in giving
such wonderful publicity of our 50th
Anniversary Festival.
Much. credit is due you and your
paper for the great success we now
enjoy and may you feel you have
had a part in helping to furnish the
new addition to the Nesbitt Nurses’
Home, since the proceeds from the
Festival will be used for this pur-
pose.
Mrs. Carl N. Brown,
Better Leighton Never
by Leighton Scott
HE WHO GETS BURNT
Know what keeps Lehman police
‘busy for a couple hours every day?
Chasing people out of the new high
school building. 7
It seems that one high-ranking
school official invited people through
the news papers to look over the
place and see what they thought.
But, by law, the contractor still
owns the building, and is liable
if anyone gets hurt. And there's
no place better than a construction
area to get hurt in.
I That reminds me of a Back Moun-
tain case several years ago, where
some kids fooled around a road-
roller parked in the contractor's
yard. They crossed the wires to
start it, and thereupon lost some
fingers in the fan pullies.
Tough darts. But the judge saw
it otherwise. It was an ‘attractive
nuisance” that the nasty old con-
tractor had left in his yard. How
do these judges do it?
I remember the days when you
learned, as a boy, that fire was hot
by getting burnt—not by getting
paid. Things are getting to be such
in this: country that I'd rather take
my problems to a'judge than to a
psychiatrist. Court costs are cheap-
er than doctor-bills.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
‘When the Republicans and Demo-
crats start playing political hand-
ball, our police departments feature
more scene-shifting than “Anthony
and Cleopatra”. Back Mountain
chiefs become Back Mountain In-
diang, and vice versa.
Not only that, but Supervisors
who never seem to be around when
appropriations for caution signs are
needed pop up like a white tornado
when close friends get tagged for
running stop-signs.
For this reason a number of
police-chiefs . who hold constable
badges prefer to work as constables.
It allows them freedom that their
police badge does not. * As it turns
out, the people are quick to reelect
an efficient officer, whereas poh-
ticians prefer teamwork, Con-
stables are elected.
Incidentaally, a constable can
make arrests anywhere in the state,
in or out of uniform.
FAIR TIME
The Bloomsburg Fair isn’t too far
in the future, Lots of Back Moun-
tain folks go every year. Their at-
tendance is welcome by my old boss,
Pat Reithoffer, Dallas ghowman.
And they always find one of the
best county fairs in the east.
The only trouble is, the fair isn’t
in Luzerne County. This county
could use commercial stimulation, |
and county fairs do a lot to help
business. The old Dallas Fair, which
died in 1916, was Queen of the
to see it, and were never 'disap-
pointed.
It came to an end because atten-
dance slowed down. But now our
population vaults every year. and
there might be quite some demand
for a fair, if someone got to work
on it,
Plaudits to the Idetown Fire Com-
pany for attempting to raise money
these past few years by some other
means than having an auction, Keep
an eye on their festival (starts to-
morrow), and see if such an enter-
prise doesn’t show possibilities of
what a fair could do for the Back
Mountain, and for Luzerne County.
Hospital Patient
Johrd Hennenger, Druid Hills is a
Mrs. Abram Nesbitt II,
surgical patient at Nesbitt Hospital.
I By Edward Collier
When 50,000 dogwood trees
bloom at Valley Forge, nearly as
many visitors converge on “the
most famous military camp in
the world,” where in 1777 Gen-
eral Washington and his be-
draggled army endured a bitter
winter of privation.
Our Magic Circle auto tour
starts at Washington’s Head-
quarters, focal point of Valley
Forge State Park. Colonial fit-
tings and furnishings of the 1760
stone house are intact, even to
the fishnet canopy over Martha’s
four-poster bed. A blue and gold
uniform hangs over a ladder-
back chair, as if just discarded.
The real feeling of Valley Forge
emerges at the inner entrench-
ments and the soldiers’ earth-
floored log huts. Facing the
parade ground is lovely Wash-
_ington emorial Chapel, with a
Copyright, 1962, Ethyl Corp.
56-bell carillon that plays the
Star Spangled Banner at
a hushed moment at sunset.
The route of history is to Potts-
town, iron production center since
Colonial days, and its fully-pre-
served, showplace 17562 Potts-
grove Manor. Northeast is
Quakertown, its old Meeting
House still in use. Tiny Liberty
Hall, today a barbershop, was a
hiding place for the Liberty Bell
—now in Independence Hall in
Philadelphia—to keep the British
from melting it down for can-
nonballs.
As you continue through pho-
togenic green hills, there is a
short side trip to Ringing Rocks,
a strange garden of boulders,
each emitting a different musical
note when struck. The final stop
is at Doylestown, famed for Mer-
cer Museum of early American
county. Families wagoned for days |
Ev SE NENE NENA NE EERE NANA S AEA N ERATE
un
§ Barnyard Notes
ZAMNNNNEENEENSNSNNSNERNERENNSNNNEENEEBARREREEENEA
CLAM—any of various mollusks, especially of certain
edible species. The two common clams of the Atlantic Coast
of North America are the round or hard clam, or quahog
having a thick shell of rounded outline, most abundant from
southern New England southward, and the long or soft clam
having a thin elongate shell and long siphons, whose range
extends further north, and which burrows in the mud, where
it is taken by digging at low tide. The quahog does not
burrow and is usually taken with rakes.—Webster’s New
International Dictionary.
It was Jim Lohman’s first trip to New England. He and I had
nicely settled at a window table in Mother Carey’s Seafood House
at Point Judith, Rhode Island, where we could watch the seagulls
diving in the surf, when he spied steamed clams on the menu.
“That's just my dish” grinned Jim who hates every vAriety
of fish served on Fridays. So loosening his belt and settling back
with a satisfied smile at the pretty little waitress, he ordered
“Steamed Clams. I love steamed clams.” :
There was a bustle at a nearby table as four men, obviougly!
from New York or Philadelphia, found their seats. Not familiar
with Rhode Island menus, they had the waitresses running in circles
explaining the nature of each kind of fish. Finally they, too, settled
on ‘steamed clams”. ‘ so ’ Tr)
~~ It wasn't long until the waitress brought Jim's order in two
agate dishes—and placed beside them on the table one of the biggest
bowls’ of drawn butter that Jim or I had ever seen. He was elated.
“Gee, they never give me butter like this at home”!
"Then he looked suspiciously into the agate dishes and tackled
the: clams with some misgivings. “These are the darndest clams I
ever saw. They're all out of shape, covered with seaweed and look
like garbage”, but he was game! gr
| . “How do you eat these things?” he asked innocently, as he care-
fully examined the. protruding long black tipped necks, looking for
all the world like a shrivelled Woolly Bear or chicken’s boiled wind-
pipe. For anybody but a native New Englander the fare certainly was
repulsive!
The tremendous appetite was beginning to vanish! x
Then I remembered. I had forgotten to warn Jim that clams
in ‘New England bear little resemblance to the clams served in
taverns and at clambakes in Pennsylvania. -
Years earlier I had gone through a smiliar experience with my:
mother, when on a trip through New England, she had innocently
ordered “steamed clams” at an inoffensive little shore restaurant
Her injured pride expessed itself in no uncertain terms: “You
, should be ashamed to sell such things as clams” ghe indignantly
told the incredulous proprietor.
| Then it was I learned that the seafood New Englanders love as
fried and steamed clams are in reality true clams—soft shelled, and
that the clams Pennsylvanians and Marylanders love to steam are
in reality quahogs. Ask for quahogs in any New England restaurant,
and you'll get what you want—the hard shelled variety and possibly
larger than the Little Necks so popular in the Middle Atlantic states.
Jim never did finish his soft shells, carefully covering one agate
dish with the other when he had finished half of them. “Darned if I
can do it” he said regretfully. Then wishfully looking at that full
bowl of drawn butter he added, “They never do give you enough
butter at home, and up here where you can’t eat the clams look
how much they give you!”
‘As we paid our check and departed sullenly from Mother Carey’s
establishment we could see over our shoulders that our friends from
Philadelphia,” or maybe it was New York, were also learning the
hard way—that when a New Englander says; “clams” he means soft
shells and what a Pennsylvanian really wants, are quahogs!
vd
tools, utensils and machines. ,
From
Pillar To Post...
by Hix :
In case you see Hix limping along on foot instead of driving
the English Austin, think nothing of it. The English Austin is in the
hospital in Richmond, getting its clutch removed, and a new clutch!
installed. From all the frenzied phoning back and forth, you'd
think it was in the operating room, attended by a pair of Dr. Kil-
dares equipped with retractors and head mirrors, masked to the eye-
brows, and breathing painfully under a general anaesthetic, with
nurses around the clock lying in wait. :
It turned out to be a pretty expensive vacation,” It probably
would have been cheaper to check in at the Ritz, with hot and cold
running servants and breakfast in bed.
* But there were a lot of compensations. And after all, the vaca-
tion was all but over when the car gave up sixty-four miles south of
Richmond, within stone-tossing distance of the spot marked with
a black X on my map, where disaster struck about fifteen years
ago. (Or was it sixteen? How can anybody keep track of time?)
This time, the car didn’t go off the road and climb a telephone
pole. It just quietly died. It followed the tow truck into Richmond
with ‘great docility, rolling,up the expense as it trundled along.
But, as noted above, there were compensations.
Going down to Charleston, there was that delightful ferry trip
across; the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, where huge equipment is
already anchored and bridge construction well under way. Some-
thing over twenty miles of bridge and tunnel will eventually put
the ferries out of business, but at this point they are making hay.
Everybody wants to have a look at the mammoth undertaking.
Miss a ferry these days, and another will be right along. To be
sure, by water it takes a lot longer than it will take when the bridge
is open, but the breeze on the upper deck is a welcome relief after
a hot day of driving along Route 13 down through Delaware, Mary-
land and Virginia, to Cape Charles. 3
Virginia Beach doesn’t look like it used to. It was a quiet
homelike beach before progress caught up with it. No possible
reason for lingering there. Twenty years add up to many changes.
| Tom and I went on through Norfolk, negotiated the turn onto
Route 17 south, and kept going. There would be a nice motel any
minute.
] There is a motel proprietor down thataway who coins money
late at night. He makes no effort to catch his clientele until after
dark. Then he sits out front with a crab-net, catching cars as they
hurtle out of the fagtnesses of Dismal Swamp. For miles and miles
of lonesome road there isn’t a thing. A driver begins to wonder if
all the motels have rolled up the sidewalks, and when lights show
up dead ahead, with the welcome Vacancy sign blazing, it seems
like- tempting providence to keep rolling, Who knows when the
next motel will appear? {
The proprietor claims he does very well indeed, late at night.
As we registered, two more cars rolled thankfully into the com-
pound, and by three o'clock in the morning all units were filled,
and Mr, Whozit tured off the lights and turned in. He catches up
on his sleep in the daytime.
It was an easy drive to the Tsle of Palms, near Charleston, on
Monday. and the swimming was superior all week. Next time, we'll
remind ourselves to get going on Friday instead of tempting pro-
vidence by waiting until Saturday. Garages have a way of closing
at noon on Saturday, and at noon, all was still going smoothly.
| It is just as well to draw a merciful veil over the rest of the
weekend. Garages not only close at noon on Saturday, they
remain closed until Monday morning at 8.
And on Monday morning I wag due back at the Dallas Post . , . and
got there on schedule. giv |
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