Matt Weinstock -- January 5, 1959

Men of Good Will As the chill of dusk settled over 2nd and Spring streets Newsboy Bill Franklin noticed his helper, Juan Jiminez, 10, was shivering. Juan sells papers for him after school. "You'll freeze in that T-shirt," Bill said. "Why didn't you bring a sweater or jacket?" Juan said he didn't have one. As if a good fairy had been listening, one of Bill's customers, a real estate appraiser in the Wilcox Building named Sparks, a few minutes later handed him a $5 bill as a belated Christmas gift.  "Sorry I didn't get it to you sooner," he apologized. BILL WENT to the Bargain Store at 210 S. Hill St., a little place, and asked for a jacket that would fit a 10-year-old boy -- cheap. The owner, who handles mostly used adult stuff, managed to find one. When Bill explained the circumstances he refused to take any money. As Bill passed the Civic Cleaning shop at 318 W. 2nd St., Milt, the owner said, "Let me have it; and I'll make it look like new." He cleaned and blocked it and put it on a hanger. No charge. Things get a little sordid sometimes around 2nd and Spring but Bill and Juan think people are pretty wonderful. * * A COPY OF Think, the IBM magazine, has come my way and I've been reading it with interest. So far I have detected no noticeable result. To put it another way, it is too soon to decide whether it's true that you can lead a man to a magazine but you cannot make him think. But watch out! I've got a year's subscription. * * HANDYMAN Nothing can fill the bill For a typical Jill When her car's out of whack Like a typical jack -- Joseph P. Krengel "One of my big resolves for the new year," a man named Everett writes, "is to make better use of my time and get some reading done. This means throwing off the hypnotic spell of the cyclops in the living room, no easy task. Nevertheless, I can report progress. The first night I was able by sheer grim will power to deny myself the late late show, which, by pure chance, I'd already seen. "My hopes are high." Strictly from Pixieville, that Everett. * * IT ISN'T generally known that Joe Hernandez, who has called every race at Santa Anita -- more than 8,700 -- since the track opened in 1934, also owns some horses. They race in his name and their silks are scarlet and silver, his old junior high school's colors. One is named Lock Out, another Lahore, which Joe pronounces La-hor-ray. Joe never falters at a pronunciation. However, there's a horse named Damat on the grounds and the betting is that when it runs Joe will accent the second syllable. * * A BEVERLY GLEN resident asks a typographical posy in behalf of himself and his evacuated neighbors for the unknown firemen who saved their homes. "It was like a dream to come back the next morning and find it still there," he said. He was particularly touched to discover that a fireman had helped himself to a can of beer, nothing else, from his refrigerator -- and left a quarter.

Comments

[cody mccall]

After she got home from work, I showed my wife the Ruth Millett piece. After she did her best John McEnroe imitation--"you can't be serious!!!"--she invited me to spend the night on the old couch in the basement--by myself. My, what a difference a half-century can make.

[Sam Flowers]

If Firemen had saved my property, the next day there would be a keg at the fire station.