RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30779, 17 June 1965, Page 24

RANDOM REMINDER

FOOT IN MOUTH

There is a certain chill in relationships in a certain street of a certain suburb —and all because of one tiny, interfering hand, quite oblivious of all the trouble it has caused. It seems that Mrs A, Mrs B and Mrs C have been a fairly close-knit community. They are of similar age and interests and their children provide an almost endless source of Comment, debate and discussion. They take tea together regularly, baby-sit for each other and carry each other over the thousand and one hurdles and chasms that rise and yawn before the busy housewife and mother seven or eight days of •very week.

That is to say, they did. But if there is one thing these women dearly loved it was a little gossip; and if one of their number was not present for some reason, somehow the talk got round to her. If wet weather kept mother and children penned in their own quarters, there was always the telephone. So it was only to be expected that after two days of wet weather recently, Mrs A should break the morning’s activities by telephoning Mrs B. And it was only to be expected that after half an hour of this and that, the conversation should turn to Mrs C. What was unexpected was that a child in the A household, tired no doubt of the whole

thing, should reach up to the instrument and cut the conversation off dead. And what was totally unexpected was that Mrs C, who had been attempting to ring Mrs A for some time should choose that very moment to dial the number again. Mrs A is not overcautious. She assumed that Mrs B. was ringing back to complete the conversation and she continued it when she talk®* 5 U H 016 recetv er. She talks well and rapidly « Ut n Ve u 8116 was surprised finally by the lack of re th St ° PPed: and toUXce th h e e^ rtUnlty • U