Remember that crazy "party line" phone we had? A single phone line that would ring at every house. Our ring was four long rings. You could pick up the phone and listen in to any one else's conversation.
-Meagan
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OK, party line. Here's a story on that. One day I was home from school with the flu, and (I know this sounds unbelievable now, but in the early 60s, I think it was SOP) my mother was at work. Meagan must have been at school too. St. Mary's called to say that Peter was sick and needed to be driven home. (There was a terrible flu epidemic that winter.)
ReplyDeleteSo I hung up the phone and immediately two neighbors got on and yakked away. I was trying to call Mrs. Landig (next to the Thompsons) to ask her to pick up Peter, but the two yakkers would NOT get off the phone. And I was a meek, what, third grader? So I kept picking up the phone and hanging up, hoping they would get the message.
Finally the line was clear and I reached Mrs. Landig, who said, "Oh, but I just saw Peter walk by our house 5 minutes ago." And with that he walked in the gameroom door. He said he got tired of waiting for someone, and it was cold, so he just kept walking.
That was about 2 miles to the church driveway and another mile down to the school, so imagine poor, sick Peter walking all that way. How long could that have taken him? An hour? Probably more! Now that I think of it--can you imagine a school just letting a child walk out like that?
-Wendy