Evening star., 1942-12-24

Henry McLemore HOudini is said
I to have learned his most ingenious
disappearing act from watching
children disappear from their
homes during vacation time. Just
when mother and father settle down
for a long talk with the children
you know, one Of those quiet, COM
Portable talks in which they plan
to draw the children out on how
they like their schools. how they're
getting along, what friends they've
made, and if they remembered to
call mothers old friend who lives
only few blocks from the campus
there are no children.
They are gone. They have va
moosed. They are off on those ten
thousand and one mysterious err
rands and visits with which the va
cationing child fills his time. II
he isn't meeting Charley, he is
meeting Jim. If he isn't meeting
Charley and Jim, he is meeting
Charley and Jim and Mary and
Susie.
Eat Fast and Sleep Little.
The way children home on hon-
day tear around seeking the COM
panionship of youngsters their own
age, you would believe that the
schools they attended. furnished
them no companionship with youth,
and that they had been living in
caves with old, bearded hermits.
OF course, there are times when
the children are at home. Like
boarders, they eat and sleep there.
They eat very fast and don't sleep
much. I'm quite sure that one of
the chief reasons mothers prepare
extra good meals when the children
are at home is IN the hope that they
will stay at the table and in the
house a little longer.
But there isn't much to be gained
by having them stay in the house,
because when they are there they do
one of two things: ID talk over the
telephone, or, % change their
clothes.
The telephone conversations are
oeWildering to a grown-up. About
the only thing you can make out of
the long jabberings over the Bell
System is that the conversationalsts
have been together all day up until
five minutes ago, and will be to-
gether again in another 10 minutes.
1t is difficult to figure out what
they find to talk about unless it be
any changes in weather since they
parted five minutes earlier.
Full time Phone Job.
1t is full-time job for some one
IN the house to answer the tele-
phone when the children are out.
1t rings from morning until night.
The proper technique for answer
ing home telephone during vaca-
ton time is to simply pick UP the
receiver and say, mo, they are not
IN, and l have no idea when they'll
be in. Yes, III have them call you
Immediately. Yes, I'll tell them
its awfully important"
If were the society editor of a
newspaper, I would change the style
OF those announcements heralding
the arrival of children from school.
l would make them read this way:
Joe and Jane Jones are home for
the holidays to spend as little time
as possible with their parents, DR..
and Mrs. Joseph Jones of Poplar
Circle. Friends desiring to see these
popular youngsters are advised to
set bear traps near the front door
on the chance of catching them as
they fly in and out"
Mr.. and Mrs. Robert Edwards
were delighted to learn today that
their children, Robert and Lucy.
have been at home on vacation for
four days. We haven't actually
seen them yet,' Mrs. Edwards ex-
planned, but We have heard them
as they go in and out"
If memory serves me right, it was
just Is years ago today that 1 was
pulling the disappearing act. As a
matter of fact. I came home so sell
dom that my family considered put
ting me up a package of pemmican.
jerked beef, and hard tack to use as
field rations.
distributed by McNaught Syndicate. Inc