Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-06-21


Of diversion this week-formal,
informal and downright nerve
Wracking.
One of those warm nights last
week when Kay McNulty came
home from Cub Scout meeting,
her teen-age daughters reported
that the younger children were
nestled all snug in their beds,
even eight-year-old Tony had
come in when called and gone to
his room without being urged.
Jim was also in bed-his job re-
quires breakfast at midnight =
and Kay was able to enjoy half
hours pause in the days occupa-
ton that is known as the "I-never-
ught-Td-make-it-hour."
On a whim, Kay made round
of the children's rooms, a prac-
tice she had discontinued some
time ago, and found one empty
bed. Tony was gone.
Kay called Jim, and the girls
called Tony. Then everybody
called Tony. They looked under
beds, in closets. out in the yard,
in the crawl space, and then
started checking with neighbors.
The neighbors looked in their
own houses, a posse set out along
the creek. The McNulty's live in
the house next to the bridge 60
ing into the park.
Then someone thought of the
pool, and someone else remem-
bered the fence had been down
during the day while some con-
struction was being done. What
had been annoyance and confu-
sion was suddenly fear. The police
were called. Jim rushed out to
his car, raced the engine, called
to his family to say he was go
ing up to the pool while neighbors
called advice and encouragement
to him and to each other.
Jim got out of the car at the
pool and called Tony over and
over-the other searchers could
hear him blocks away. He found
nothing. Got back in the car, and
pulled up in front of the house
just as his wife was furnishing
the police officers with a descrip-
ton of the boy.
Into this tumble of hysterial
adults walked one small, calm
and very sleepy boy, who was fin
ally startled awake by the sight
of the policemen. He listened a
moment and said incredulously,
They're after mel" and ran for
the house.
1t wasn't until the next morn
ing that his parents were able to
get coherent story from him.
He wasn't confused, he just
couldn't make them understand.
Seems he was about ready for
bed; his older sisters were tuck
ing the little ones in, when he
thought of something he wanted
that was in the back of the car.
He got as far as the car and
couldn't remember what he'd
come for so he sat down to rest,
and the next thing he knew
which leaves only the question of
how he managed to sleep through |
all the noise-and the answer to
that is, it's conditioned reflex.
Eight-year-olds never respond the
first 81 times they are called.
Ask the man who owns one.
Mrs. McNulty, who naturally
hopes to avoid any further emer-
gency was nonetheleSs treasured
by the speed with which the
police responded, and relieved by
their understanding attitude, once
the ease" was solved.
In the area of planned diver
sion. the highlight of the week
end in North Twinbrook was the
"porch warming" at the Ecker's
on Sunday night. The 50 guests
enjoyed a lavish buffet. CThere
were two actually, one in the
house and one on the porch, but
we don't know the plural of buff
fet. Japanese lanterns deco
rated the yard where a bar was
set up to accommodate the over
flow (of people, from the
screened porch, which Frank had
built with his bare hands.
The invitations carried a snap
shop of the porch taken last win
ter under a blanket of snow, and
the caption, Lets warm this up"