 Your coca-cola bottler presents Claudia Claudia based on the famous plays and novels by Rose Franken brought to you transcribed Monday through Friday by your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola Relax and while you're listening refresh yourself. Have a Coke and now Claudia What's keeping that wandering farmer you marry is the farmer yet. Thank you. You better be you like to bring home a new chicken If he doesn't hurry and probably just bring home the other half of the tickety almost got the last time he went driving Just because you're not along I suppose every state trooper between here in Boston will be waiting to pounce on poor David He knows we're waiting and he's probably in a great hurry. That's just when you get tickets hurry He's probably dawdling along pretending. He's driving a tractor. He's driving a tractor very hard, mama My experience with them is limited, but offhand. I think I prefer a Rolls Royce I think I prefer a Rolls Royce too, and it wouldn't even have to be a Rolls Royce. That's not very lucid, but it's perfectly clear David didn't say anything about tractors last night Does every farm come with a tractor or some come with mules? I believe David didn't say anything about mules either He hadn't seen the farm last night, but Roger told him all about it and Roger didn't say anything about mules I don't think they'd be what Roger would notice. Oh, David knew about was architecture Grand Old Doors and a floor that's a hundred years old Mama, what's so wonderful about an old floor? The beams are you probably hewn by hand? Oh, is that it? Why didn't somebody tell me that long ago? What's so wonderful about beams that are hewn by hand? Well, they'd have the eds marks on them That's terrible. Can't they do anything about it? Some people like them Some people like living on farm like it or not a lot of people do it well a lot of people live in cities And I'll see why we can't be two of them There are a great many advantages to living in the country Claudia. It's a much better place to bring up children You seem to be planning a lot of that I do see what's wrong with the city for bringing up children I was brought up in the city then there's a feeling of permanence a pride of knowing where you belong the dignity of owning the land you walk on and the Satisfaction of putting back into the earth more than you take out a fine one to talk if it's so grand Why didn't you try it yourself? I might have I mean you and father? We talked about it Do you really think you know everything anyone ever talked about I would have they talked about it to me You're very lucky to have a husband who talks to you about anything at all Some men would have just bought the farm and told their wives about it the day before they moved in David couldn't do that. He hasn't even seen the farm. He has now. I hope he had a good time I hope he won't be terribly disappointed if he's disappointed in this one. I'm sure there'll be another another I understand that most of the country around there is covered with farms I hope he won't be terribly upset if this one isn't what he thought it was going to be At least you'll know enough to be disappointed You don't know how most men get about houses. Nobody told me that either They think houses are something they were born knowing about like pocket knives or how to whistle I can whistle too I know I taught you thanks Most men buy a house and then after they've carefully installed their family in it They get the idea that they could have built it much better than it was built in the first place That must be a lot of fun. They proceed to treat the houses though. They hate it They rip everything apart and try to start all over again from the beginning Oh, David wouldn't do that when it comes to houses. Your husband isn't a man. He's an architect Besides mama, I don't think David really wants to move up to the country right now any more than I do He's just going to look he's taking an awfully long look. It's a good sign mama He really liked it. He'd have hurried back to tell us all about it But you better hurry back and take a good look at that chicken of yours. Oh I practically forgot I had a chicken find farmer's wife. You'd make All right, all right Well, if it isn't little boy blue How are the meadows in the court? Hello mother hubbard. How's your cupboard a cupboard? It's fair except for one right up old chicken a fine way to talk about your daughter. David. Is that you farmer david I can't hear you. I didn't say anything. I'll be there in a minute. I'm just basting the chicken What are you basting it to? I did hear that But I'll ignore it try and ignore this Oh, I can't But maybe if you gave me another kiss I could ignore that one No, good if you can't ignore the first time around it doesn't count. Isn't that so mother? I have turned my back and I'm not listening. I think mother's getting very old fashioned. Don't you? She'd like us to call each other by our last name. She's an awful stick in the mud You're a stick in the mud. Did you fall in some bottomless Connecticut marsh? Do you know what time it is? Is it six yet? It is seven yet. Is dinner ready? Are you been ready for hours? Oh, sure. You always eat in your overcoat. They're getting fuzzier in this hotel every day. Next thing they want me to wash my hands Mama, he looks disappointed to me. If he isn't now, he will be when he sees that chicken Should I ask him what the house was like? Whose husband is he? I don't think I ought to. Now that you've made me take off my coat, I don't feel like eating. See mama, he is disappointing Can't we just sit around and talk for a while? I wish Roger hadn't said how wonderful it was. You're a fine wife, the two of you Don't you even ask me how the house was? Did you have a nice day? It was a terrible day As you can see for yourself looking out the window. Well, maybe the house would look nicer on a nice day It would. I don't know. That's no doubt about it. Maybe you shouldn't make your mind up all at once Maybe you should take another look. I don't need another look. Oh, no. Is it fair to Roger to make up your mind just on one look? He made up his mind on one look. The sun was shining when he saw it. I don't need the sun to make up my mind Well, that settles that. Don't sit down here, David. Poor little chicken is waiting. Oh, I feel like sitting down Oh, David, you mustn't be so disappointed. There are lots of other houses. Aren't there mama? So I've been told Mother, you've been misinformed. There isn't any other house. David, that is just silly. That doesn't sound like You mean you like it? Hmm. Something of the sort I think I'll sit down too. Tell us about it, David. It isn't just liking it, Claudia. It's something beyond that It's a feeling I got when I saw it Perhaps the same sort of feeling I I had that day. I took the sender out of your eye The feeling that this is the way things are going to be Without any warning at all suddenly I could I could see everything But David, I was me and this is only a house. Tell us more about the house, David. It's a pure salt box We don't have to go all the way to Connecticut to get a salt box. We can have it right here Well, they call them that because they resemble old-fashioned salt box. Oh, this house was built around 1760 Not all of it of course, but the main part the salt box I like the name salt box. It's cute. It isn't cute It's the valid appellation for that particular type of architecture. One side of the roof is longer than the other. Why? I don't know exactly why Sounds a little lopsided to me I don't know that I think it's such a good idea. It's been good enough for the last 190 years practically. Well, they are charming sometimes. This house is it's it's it's more than charming mother You can you can look at it and feel very close to the people who built it You can see how hard it was for them to build at all We'd say they they had nothing to build with and yet They built more than just a shelter It has it has a line Grace dignity Does it have much land land Only about 80 acres 80 acres That's an awful lot, isn't it or is it? How big is an acre? There are 640 acres to the mile the square mile it is 640 Is that a lot? That's a lot This is about one eighth of that. It's about as big as a Oh 10 big city blocks 10 blocks david that's tremendous. It's a farm claudia Not a window box and what land not not marshy bottom land, but but a beautiful beautiful slope with a Hill and a grove of walnuts on the summit and grazing land on the slopes and three farm fields and a meadow that Breaks off halfway down david you walked all over it. I didn't drive a tractor on a day like this If we lived on a farm you'd be getting your feet wet all the time. I certainly would there's a gravity spring and a brook Does the brook babble today? It was shouting. Would you farm it david? But not the cashew first We just put in a a few garden crops, but of course we had won a herd powers What do you think elephants could we have elephants? Well, not just as first my like elephants David you're really serious, aren't you about everything except the elephants Tell us more about the house. Well mother in the in the main part of the house The beams are all the original beam with ads marks. I should say so The four floor planks are are the old planks And you know that they have that that tonic color that they get as though they've been polished for years like an old shoe That doesn't sound so pretty some of the planks are even pegged. They're not nailed. It must be practically falling apart Does it have any stairs? I think the stairs are the best part of the house David, uh, are you going to have to do much to it? Well, I've been working it out in my mind on the drive home We won't have to do too much. How much is that? Well, now we'll want to make an extra room out over the kitchen in back for a nursery Eventually a nursery you might uh put our six sets of twins and a barn But then how would you face the neighbors? Seriously david Isn't that going to be a big job? Not so big The important thing is the studying of the first floor and it's strong enough to take it. I love I know you look But isn't there always something that you find out about too late? Not if you're a good architect And mother we do have to have a nursery good girl Then of course some of the barns aren't in such fine condition barns certainly for the herd I want to lay in a concrete floor a concrete floor. Isn't that a terrible job? Mama david knows what he is doing Thank you, claudia You see I think we can lay it right in without disturbing the structures themselves. They're resting on a stone foundation But you can't be sure why not buy a barn that has a concrete floor mama david is an architect But he's beginning to sound just like a man. Then there are some small things We'd want to do right away after a while. We could uh, we could tackle some of the others What sort of small things? A few more windows and the annex and an extra bathroom But we could wait for that and we'd probably want to make a few changes in the heating system What if you have to do all that why buy this house? Maybe you can find a house you want to have to do anything to If you saw the house mother You'd have more answer than I can give you Besides it isn't as though david were just anybody who doesn't know about houses Have you changed your mind about farming mrs. Norton? You've changed your tune What tune you mean what mine mama means at a moment ago you didn't sound so enthusiastic And now you sound as though you love the idea. Do I? It's just what I'd hoped That you'd be as excited as I am And I think we can move in by spring move in that's what I said But david No I didn't mean to sound as though I loved it at all Leave here. I couldn't What make up your mind Oh Darling darling wait till you see the house that there's no hurt. I wasn't thinking about the house. I just then remembered my chicken This broadcast of claudia was supervised and directed by william brown meloni Have you noticed how much easier it is to get coca-cola nowadays? Why that familiar red cooler is even finding its way into your favorite food store Now when you're buying a carton or a case to take home You can stop in the midst of marketing to enjoy the pause that refreshes with ice cold coca-cola Every day monday through friday claudia comes to you transcribed with the best wishes of your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola So listen again tomorrow at the same time And now this is joe king saying olivar And remember whoever you are Whatever you do wherever you may be When you think of refreshment think of coca-cola More ice cold coca-cola makes any pause The pause that refreshes