 Your Coca-Cola bottler presents Claudia based on the famous play 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 Climbing this hill too fast for you. Oh, I'm doing fine. Oh David look what the mist line on the road Just like smoke. Mm-hmm. It's there every morning at this hour every warm morning. Really? I never know Well, we're not usually up and out at this hour quarter after eight Still very early nice to be up early. Yeah Let's stop and catch our breath. Oh darling. You're so tactful cat to my breath. You mean Say how much time have I got to catch it in what are we supposed to meet Matthew Warren going about five minutes? Oh, I don't want to keep him waiting. It'd be terrible to get up this early and still be late We'll see him coming across the fields His fields are ready for planting. I think I think some of them are planted already There is smooth and riches good brown velvet Don't frown David. I also look like that someday Sure they will Look over in the far pasture Mr. Warren's cows How many has he I wonder not pretty fair heard for this part of Connecticut Looks about like 18 and 20 all broad and white must be jerseys. They're the best for cream I know Maybe some of them will wander into our pasture be nice to have something grazing in our pasture Besides crows Warren's cows won't wander into our pasture after this morning. Oh, what a shame. Why not the darling? Why do you think we're up so early? I don't know. Why do you think I'm taking a later train to New York? What do you think we're meeting Matthew Warren for at the edge of our property? Don't you remember? I give up Matthew Warren called you and said the winter has made the wall break down in many places and You and he better get together this morning and repair it David how long do you think it'll take what? What are we talking about? Demand the wall of course. I don't know Depends on how much damage the winter has done half an hour maybe Half an hour at least a few hours that long. That's not so long. It's ours Every other morning you can't wait to rush off catch your train and start being an architect again This morning just because you're going to repair a boundary wall. You don't care how late you're going to New York Well, this is different How different If we're friends of mr. Warren whether his cows do come through a break in the wall or whether his cows Do graze in the lower pasture. What's the difference? I don't think mr. Warren would like it. Why not if we don't mind It's our property. It's his cows Mr. Warren has pastures of his own for them. Oh, you're not making any sense I'm not it. I think you're being very stuffy. Not stuffy just practical. I say stuffy And I think stuffiness and walls make life unfriendly and I'm maybe Darling Why do you think the new englanders who first settled here bothered to clean their fields of stone and and build walls with them? Well, it's obvious they couldn't farm or plant their land where it was scattered stones Why David even you know that? Anyway, that was 300 years ago darling. Oh, but that's not a long time long enough for me longer than we'll ever Well, I've caught my breath again. We better start walking Okay, now watch where you're going. It's awfully brambly around here, isn't it? Someday I'd like to get this side of the hill cleared the beautiful walk to the top My ankles come home scratch to the bone You have to keep after every minute. Don't you have to who nature? Oh her you're coming. Yeah, right behind you That's a little ways and we'll be at the top of the hill. I Wish you had stayed home. That sounds as if you're trying to get rid of me. I Wonder that my feelings don't get hurt Well, you shouldn't be climbing around these hills says I'm climbing Besides we're there and we're going to go home by the road No more of this mountain goat stuff for you just because you're not as young as you were you want your Future son's mother to spend the rest of her life in a rocking chair Mike oh It's a lovely warm breeze up here. It's nice to put your face into it there There's Matthew Warren coming across the lower pasture and we better start down to him Now wait a minute darling what David? See the wall between our two properties between the Elms. Yes, and it follows all the way out To meets the road. Yes, I see it, but I still don't see what difference it makes if a few Stones have fallen down But I don't care. It's a lovely day to be out meeting a neighbor if you want to mend the wall darling It's fine by me You know, I'm starting to think that you don't like the idea of having a wall around our land Maybe I don't That's a fine attitude coming from a woman who's always cleaning out her closets closets and walls I don't get the connection. You will You are fundamentally a very neat person. So come on We'll meet Warren at the bottom of the hill much easier going down Isn't it hey no running who's running here. Yeah, give me your hand. Oh, that's a nice invitation. Well, it's a nice hand Oh David I'm glad our land has a hill on it Makes the place seem so much Bigger have a hill. How do you figure that? You can see so far around Way beyond our land There's no end to things when you have a hill. There's no end to things anyway darling Yes, there is when you have walls and things and oh So serious and such a nice day. Hello, mr. Warren. Take your time Ground is treacherous. It's a nice deep voice. I like his face. It matches his voice. That's good Very your face matches your voice. That's one of the reasons I married you. I'll put that away to understand later Hope we didn't keep you waiting. Mr. Warren. I just got here myself Was held up this morning One of my cows has pneumonia Can they have it too indeed they can you must be a mrs. Not hello Glad to meet you mr. Warren. I've been looking forward to it my new neighbors and your eyes You weren't joking cows can have pneumonia. Yes, ma'am cows can have pneumonia Cow's can have mostly anything people can't always. I hope she'll be all right. Well, we'll try to pull her through Going to farm your land mr. Norton. Well, I'm looking forward to it But I'm having quite some trouble getting started take your time about it This land is going to be here a long time David Mr. Norton has been so anxious to have a farm. We just can't help being a little impatient Patience never hurts but having no patience is bad. I never thought of it that way Well, I know you'll be anxious to get back to your barn mr. Warren. So yes, the vets coming so we'd better get on to mending this wall Broken up pretty bad from the winter. It was a record snow this year, wasn't it? Yes. Nature gave us quite a beating She likes to show she's got the upper hand every now and then it's a year-round fight getting a living off the land Guess it always will be but we get along Now let's say we walk along the wall and patch her up as we go You pick up your stone and set them back. I'll do the same on my side. Good. Good enough Every year as I do this with Jared Tucker now with you I Like to think back to the first year. It was done 300 years ago this land was in my family then on my mother's side Putting up these walls meant quite a deal that first you The land was ready to yield The fields could be plowed and planted more than that My great-great-grandfather had won his first fight He'd pushed nature back beyond his walls and he found he could keep her there. No, but that was only the beginning Yes, only the beginning There it was before him cleaned and marked off Farm broken so to speak a square of tamed land in the world that didn't take kindly to law and order and the Walls your grandfather built are still these. Yes with these same stones That one there you're holding in your hand. He could have held it and his son's held it and I have God willing maybe my sons and yours will hold it someday But these walls aren't keeping nature back anymore. Mr. Juan they're between you and us same thing You've heard good walls make good neighbors, Mrs. Norton. We'd be good neighbors without walls. I think I think so, too But a wall will never hurt Because it's good to know that what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine And we'll never step on each other's toes You think that without a wall yes, I do but every year something comes Snows and storms and trees that are spreading their roots. They all come and tear down our walls Break them up. So you and I might get to quarrel in about a boundaries and suspicious of each other Ready for a greedy for a piece of the other's land. Maybe Keeping good neighbors takes a lot of care. Doesn't it David? Yes. Yes, it does a lot of sweat a lot of care Darling, why don't you stand under the shade of that tree? We'll be here quite a while. Maybe I will son's getting warm here. Here's my coat, Mrs. Norton Just throw it down and make yourself comfortable. Thank you Some of these stones roll clear over here got a mind of their own it had seemed There's a great American poet who wrote about what mr. Warren and I are doing today. What'd he say David? Robert Frost and the line that haunts my memory runs Something there is That does not like a wall. I remember it That's something isn't good. Is it Disorder confusion In men it can be envy avarice sometimes the lack of privilege and the withholding of every man's right to possess something of his own that he can protect and Nurture that makes some men not like wall I'd rather build a wall so I could cross it in friendship than not have a wall and know I needed it I think we live beside a friend and we'll cross this one off David if I sit quietly under this tree while you and Matthew Warren mend the wall We walk home up by the hill instead of by the road darling. You want to climb to the top of the hill again? Yes, and the crest will see a straight tall wall joining our land of mr. Warren. All right darling Oh David such a beautiful warm day. I love you so much When you're lunching at a fountain or counter you enjoy a coke with your sandwich or salad Why not make lunchtime? refreshment time at home All you have to do is to include a bottle of ice-cold coca-cola and a mere snack becomes a festive meal Keep plenty of coke on ice buy it by the carton or the case now that there's enough to go round again Have you known the Norton's long mr. King or quite a few months now mr. Warren quite a nice young couple I welcome them with my neighbors Mrs. Warren is looking forward to meeting them too. Well, I hope it'll be soon I'll tell Mrs. Warren to get one of our chickens ready and bring up some of our best preserves And we'll have the Norton's cross the fence and come to dinner sounds like a mighty fine invitation But it'll sound even better after tomorrow night tomorrow night It's gonna be a mighty hungry evening for Claudia and David a beautiful chicken in the oven and nothing for dinner, but beans That's what we'll find out tomorrow. See you then mr. King. Goodbye, mr. Warren And as I was about to say 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 or a voir and remember Whoever you are whatever you do wherever you may be when you think of refreshment think of coca-cola Or coca-cola makes any pause the pause that refreshes an ice-cold coca-cola is everywhere This broadcast of Claudia was supervised and directed by William Brown Maloney And now here's a word from your friendly neighbor who bottles coca-cola