I DON'T THINK YOU CHATTERS KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO TRY AND STAY WITHIN THE LAW, EVEN AT THE TENDER AGE OF 11. MY FRIEND, MARION,AND I, JUST TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO, WENT SCOUTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO FIND OUT IF ANYTHING NEW WAS GOING ON.

      COMING BACK TO MY BLOCK WE DISCOVERED THAT THE HOUSE ACROSS THE ALLEY FROM MINE WAS BECOMING EMPTY, BUT UNLOCKED. THERE WERE QUITE A FEW BOXES OF THINGS "LEFT BEHIND", AND WE SUPPPOSED THAT THEY WERE UP FOR GRABS, SO WE ENTERED AND BEGAN GOING THROUGH THEM.

      IN THE FAMILY THAT HAD APPARANTLY JUST LEFT WERE A WIDOWED MOTHER, HER 3 SONS AND 4 DAUGHTERS, SO AWAITING US WERE SEVERAL SETS OF CLOTHING FOR ALL OF THEM ............................ BUT THEY WERE NOWHERE AROUND.

      NOW WOULDN'T YOU THINK THOSE CLOTHES HAD BEEN ABANDONED? THAT WAS OUR THINKING ALSO, SO WE SPENT A HAPPY AFTERNOON TRYING ON ZILLIONS OF COMBINATIONS OF CLOTHES, IN THE PROCESS SCATTERING SKIRTS, SWEATERS, BLOUSES, DRESSES, BOYS OVERALLS, SHIRTS, SWEATERS, AND VARIOUS STYLES OF UNDERCLOTHING, AS WELL AS SHOES, SOCKS AND COATS. MOST OF THEM DIDN'T EVEN FIT US, BUT WE FOUND BELTS AND NECKTIES THAT WE TIED AROUND OUR WAISTS TO HOLD THE OVERSIZED CLOTHING IN PLACE......

      I ALSO BELIEVE WE FOUND SOME LACE CURTAINS WHICH WE USED TO MAKE TRAINS FOR OUR WEDDINGS. IN TIME WE TIRED OF THIS GAME AND LEFT EVERYTHING PRETTY WELL ALL OVER THE HOUSE.

      IN TIME THE MOTHER, ALONG WITH HER 7 CHILDREN, CAME LOOKING FOR THE CULPRITS WHO HAD DESTROYED THE CAREFULLY PACKED CLOTHING, PREPARING TO HAVE IT MOVED TO THEIR NEW HOME. THEY FOUND US, TOO, I'M NOT SURE WHICH OF US SQUEALED ON THE OTHER ONE, BUT WE GOT A GOOD LECTURE AND WERE MADE TO REFOLD AND REPACK EVERY PIECE OF CLOTHING

      THIS SAME FRIEND (?) BAMBOOZLED ME OUT OF SEVERAL WONDERFUL CRACKER JACK PRIZES, TELLING ME TO LET HER HAVE MINE TO GO ALONG WITH HERS, SHE WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEM AND LATER WE WOULD DIVIDE THEM UP. YEAH, RIGHT .............. I NEVER SAW THOSE PRIZES AGAIN.

      IT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD, BUT IT OBVIOUSLY TELLS YOU SOMETHING ABOUT MY INTELLIGENCE, WHICH CERTAINLY HAS SOMETHING LACKING.

      IN SPITE OF THE HARDSHIPS WE HAVE REMAINED GOOD FRIENDS FOR A HUGE NUMBER OF YEARS, I THINK MOSTLY DUE TO THE FACT THAT I MARRIED AND REMAINED IN AMBERG AND SHE MARRIED AND MOVED TO WASHINGTON STATE.

      BUT WHILE SHE WAS HERE WE SURE DID HAVE A LOT OF FUN.