The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-10-08
THE HIGHER
THE FEWER
There's Always Plenty of Room
At The Top
By
NANCY ]. MIDGETT

Once more it is the beginning
of a month and we are going
through that old and time hon
ored custom of sending bills
and of receiving them of course.
1t is with great relief that the
office staff sees the ending of
that monthly chore but the
trouble is that at the same time
the much revered P. o. Box
seems to hold nothing but those
please envelopes coming to
yours truly. Of course there is a
very simple way to get ahead of
the thing but the mail box would
look kind of lonely without all
those pretty little pink stamps.
When l start getting the tear
sheets to send with the advertis-
ing I'm reminded of the fact that
my mother told me how she used
to keep me quiet for quite a
while in my high chair days. She
would put me in my chair in the
kitchen, which being halfway
between the scullery and the
hall and living room around
where she would be working,
gave her every chance to lean
an ear my way even when she
couldn't see me. On the tray
in front of me she would place
bundle of old newspapers and I
would have the greatest time
tearing them up into 'itzi-witzi'
pieces. She must have known
that the art would come in use
full some time.
When first told of it, l wonder
ed whether l was even more
lacking then than have since
thought, but maybe it got all the
tearing up out of my system at
one time and early, for since I
can remember l always took
care of books. Both my brother
and 1 did so, in fact, but in those
days book was a rare treasure,
a gift received two or three
times a year, and not an every
week event as it is to some these
days.
Ken read as much as I did, but
much faster and l think, with
greater understanding. Much of
my time was taken up with re-
fering to the dictionary or some
other authority. l was, however,
graciously permitted to partake
in games with his friends and
when not permitted, would trail
along in the distance pretending
1 was with them. That phase
didn't last very long though for
like most children, we started
getting our own little gangs as
we grew older.
At that, l did come in useful
sometimes even when not first
invited into the game. This was
back in the days of World War
I, remember, and the game OF
games was battles. Well of
course none of the full blooded
British boys of six to ten years
could possibly be German so
little me was it. If / didn't fall
down when l was shot 1 was
pushed down, in fact l think l
had more training in the ways to
fall, moan and look generally
dead than any Hollywood act
ress. In time l wearied of always
being the villain and started out
in other directions.
l still see the children playing
the same games with different
names and characters and Won
der why on earth such horrible
thing as fighting and war has
fascination for us when young.
1t must just be the beast in us
for the kittens, with which our
backporch is Uttered, do the
same thing in fact, almost go
though the same motions, with
their claws in mostly. having
mock battles until one gets hurt
and squawks.
Well whenever there is dish
ing out done there is always the
cleaning up to be done, whether
it is war or anything else, like
the paying up of bills,-to get
hack where 7 started