From the Archives

Fifty-one years ago, the entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well in our readers – as this September 1964 letter shows:

When the subject of an increase in allowance raised its head at the breakfast table, I told our son that he would have to prove his statement that “everyone gets more than me” before I would do anything about it. Two days later, he presented a neatly drawn survey listing two dozen kids and their allowances – which ranged from 50c to $3 above his. I asked him if there weren’t some kids who had allowances lower than his.

“There’s only one kid,” he said. “And he wants to rent this list from me when I’m finished with it.” SUBMITTED BY ROBERT DELIGTER

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

After finishing our Chinese takeaway food, my husband and I cracked open our fortune cookies. Mine read, “Be quiet for a little while.” His read, “Talk while you have the chance.”

SUBMITTED BY CAROL BURKS

WATER BIRTHMARK

As my five-year-old son was getting ready to take a bath, I asked if he could turn off the tap when the tub was full.

“How will I know how

high the water should be?” he asked.

Spotting a freckle on his stomach, I said, “When it reaches that freckle, shut the tap off.”

With an amazed look, he said, “So that’s why that freckle is there.”

SUBMITTED BY JANET NEWBATT

MOD CON

My husband and I were standing in line at an ATM in Lucca, a small town in Italy. History, music, religion and art surrounded us, including ramparts, a statue of the

composer Giacomo Puccini and a beautiful cathedral. Ahead of us, two tourists were chatting. “You can always tell we’re near civilisation,” said one to the other, “when there’s a cash machine close by.” SUBMITTED BY VIOLET HUGHES

HOME INVASION

My brother had just moved house, so I went over to check out his new place. As I pulled up, I saw my nephews playing in the street with their new friends. “Hi, kids,” I called. “Is your dad in?”

“Yeah, he’s around somewhere,” they shouted back.

The front door was open, so I marched in, flopped onto the sofa, picked up the TV remote and channelhopped for a while. After a minute or two, a woman came through from the hallway, looked me up and down, nodded and said, “Hi,” then went back into the kitchen. She walked back past me a minute later and went upstairs before coming back downstairs with a chap. “Hi,” I said. “Hi,” they both replied, before disappearing into the kitchen. I heard them whispering, then they came back into the lounge.

“Do you know where my brother is?” I said. “I’m Roger.”

“Do you mean Alan?” the woman said. “He lives next door.”

SUBMITTED BY ROGER SCOTT