Evening star., 1945-03-04
/ lust Between
Ourselves
BY PhiHb III. Lops

by Philip II. Love -
II you read this co1umn Sunday
before last, you'll recall that it was
about tops-about the fun q friend
and ! had with them as boys, and
how we'd like to try our skill at
spinning them again. Only trouble
was. neither Of us had a top and,
since we hadn't seen one for years,
we wound up agreeing there prob
ably weren't any to be had any
where.
But there were. Four of them. in
fact. and they showed up on my
desk along about Tuesday or
Wednesday.
They came by mail, in q box of
such size and proportions that. for q
fleeting moment, / hoped it might
contain q prewar chocolate-covered
Easter egg. The return address,
written In ink on the white wrapper,
was one I couldn't identify with
anybody among my acquaintances:
1910 Adams Mill road NV. And
the note inside didn't clarity the
situation any, either.
1t said: Enclosed find something
you didn't know you could find. En-
Joy yourself" And 1t was signed by
a name as new to me as the address:
Bertha Cheatley."
The tops were wrapped In tissue
paper, each with its own cord. Two
were red, two were green, and all
were brand-new. They were little
different from the ones my friend
and I knew as boys, but they looked
just as good. could hardly wait to
have 60 at spinning them.
4 \ y
At first, I thought there must be
something wrong with the tops. I
tried them all, one after another,
and failed to get spin out of any
of them. And my friend did no bet
ter.
Finally, in desperation, we began
asking other friends If they remem-
bered how to spin a top. Sure" they
answered, one after another. TITS
easy. Watch"
We watched, but the first half
dozen or so didn't come within a
mile Of producing spin. "You have
to cut notch in the top" one fel.
low suggested. So q notch was cut,
but still the top wouldn't spin.
AL together, 10 or IL persons must
have had a try or two or three at
the tops, but only three succeeded
two, really, because one chap used
an underhand throw which was
promptly disallowed on the ground
that it was SISSY style" And the
first overland spin was-if you can
believe it-achieved by a woman!
From the two successful overland
throwers. I learned I hadn't been
gripping the top properly. Every
thing was easy after that-and I've
since been having a whale of lot
Of fun spinning my four tops up
and down the sidewalk in front of
my house. And you'd be surprised
how many men want to join the fun.
And, of course, how few remember
how to wrap a top with cord, how
to grip 1t and how to throw it down.
Naturally, I was curious about the
reader who had been so kind as to
send the tops. 1t turned out that
she'd opened a gift shop about Is
years ago and bought them as part
Of her first stock. She hadn't had a
call for tops in years, she said, until
a few weeks ago. Then a middle
aged man asked If she had any tops,
prefacinG the query with the state
ment, I'll bet there's one thing
you don't have"
OF course, he went away just as
happy as I was when opened Mrs.
Cheatley's package. And my friend
and I hope he's relearned the art
Of spinning top.
If Ronny Peters story of the fun
he had in last years junior one
act play tournament makes you
want to "go on the stage" here's
some information that should inter-
est you:
This years tournament - the
fourth, incidentally-will be held at
Langley Junior High School, start
ing April 16. Nineteen groups from
as many neighborhood recreation
centers have entered so far and
casting tryouts are now being held
There are two classifications-"sub-
junior" for boys and girls from 8
to IL, and Junior" for those from
13 to 18. ANY girl or boy interested
in dramatics can try out for a stage
role by joining one of the groups
at the nearest plavprollnd