St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1956-09-07
THIS N THAT
BY Hazel Underwood

I
OF Course I Am Big, The Idea!
Your dearest friend has Just
built a new house. II is beautiful.
Why do you find It 50 hard TO tell
them you think 1t is very nice and
be sincere about 1t. Let you say, I
am big
What did you do? The day the
men dug the first shovel full Of
dirt out Of the ground you began
talking. You certainly did not
mean to sound unhappy because
they were able to build a home,
you just wondered how they could
build one and you couldn't! You
unused, my husband earns about
the same as hers and we certainly
cannot afford 10 build
Let's refresh our past years
"doings." Remember how you
laughter when you saw them drive
up In their ancient" car. You
had bought one or two new cars in
the same length Of time You GER
tainly enjoyed driving those sleek
cars, didn't you?
Remember the night Of the big
formal? one Of you whispered and
said, Oh, no, look at her Here
she comes in that formal she has
worn several times! Your friends
had told each other how nice they
looked in their beautiful new for
mails and you did look lovely.
Remember all Of the wonder
full vacation trips you enjoyed? II
was wonderful going high up in
the Rockies or over the Black
mountains; seeing the Grand Can
yon; the Painted Desert; the Can
adlan Rockies and all Of the other
beautiful sights you saw. You did
enjoy yourselves and It is nice TO
be able to travel. II does broaden
ones mind as well as "flatten"
ones purse doesn't IL?
You and your friends actually
felt sorry for her because she only
took short trips within the state.
A great deal of the joy was
taken out Of your trips when you
came home and had TO face all Of
those Unnecessary bills" Nov
you call them unnecessary bills)
Your friend came back relaxed
and ready for work. She didn't
need any new clothes to go TO the
lake Oh well, they do have TO be
paid for, don't they? You said,
never again"
Remember when someone asked
II you had seen her engagement
ring few years back What did
you say? III / had a magnifying
glass l might have been able to
see H." She wore 1t proudly. She
knew he did the best he could.
BY the way, have you noticed
that gorgeous diamond he gave
her last Christmas?
Speaking OF Christmas
Remember all through the years
you have had the incest gifts
Wasn't Is wonderful the year you
gave each other that beautiful
ne wear? Then there was the
year you also gave each other
the very large Television set. The
picture did come in so clear, the
screen was so big and you both
spent many happy evenings sitting
in front Of II.
In answer 10 your question
your friend said they had a table
set
Remember the year you told
your husband you would Just die"
II you couldn't get the fur coat
YOU had seen in the store Window
He told you he would die II you
did get H. lie meant he would
die broke), You got the coat II
was gorgeous and you looked
lovely in IL. But 1t did have TO be
paid for,
Your friend took her old coat
and had II mended, She said she
would like a new one, but they
couldn't afford H.
Remember how you laughed
when your friend said she never
made a long distance call until
after six because the rates were
lower. You told her you called
when you felt like talking to your
family,
All OF the things YOU have are
lovely Don't misunderstood me. l
am happy TO see any one have all
Of the nice things they can have.
But one thing is certain. YOU can
not have your cake and eat II too!
Your friend did not know there
was such a thing "as keeping up
with the Joneses." She had what
she could afford and she was
never jealous nor envious OF
what he friends had. She knew
that one day her dream OF a new