Lesson for Today

    A group of firemen have been engaging lately in baffling exercises with the fire hose at the north end of Echo Park Lake and a lady who lives nearby says she is losing her mind with curiosity and wonderment.  They squirt water into the lake, then they place the end of the hose in the lake and pump water out.  "What are they doing," she would like to know, "filling the lake or emptying it?"

    Neither, lady, they're just practicing drafting, another word for pumping.

    Almost all water used in firefighting these days comes from hydrants and drafting is rare.  But firemen never know when they'll need to use it and it's part of the training.

    SUPPOSE THEY WERE SUMMONED to a brush fire isolated from an immediate source of water and had to tap a nearby swimming pool.  They'd have to draft, and to perform the operation they'd have to be sure the connections were secure and know how to avoid air spaces and vacuums.  Otherwise it would be like trying to suck a soft drink through a soda straw with a hole in it.

    By the way, among other things the firemen have pulled up a couple of dead ducks from Echo Park Lake.

    A BRIGHT young man with a large downtown organization was promoted recently to a position on the semi-executive level.  After a week into his new job a former fellow slave asked how he was getting along.

    "Well," he replied, "I'm high enough so I don't get the office rumors directly but I'm not high enough up to find out if they're true."

    A CLASS in an elementary school in Beverly Hills is receiving instruction in Spanish with the help of  a twice-weekly TV program.  Occasionally the woman who conducts the program visits the class and checks on progress.

    On a recent visit she asked the question in Spanish, "I have four rooms in my house, how many rooms do you have in your house?"

    She meant, of course, for the sentence to be translated.  But one boy, carried away with the acquisition of new knowledge, raised his hand and replied enthusiastically, "Diez y seis!"  (Sixteen).

    EQUALLY incredible but true was the case of a boy in a smog-free west side junior high school who was ordered to remain after school because of some misdemeanor.  His mother phoned the vice principal and complained that his detention would interfere with a scheduled dancing lesson.  "I was wondering," she said, "if my maid could serve the detention for him."  Quivering a little, the v.p. said no.

    THIS IS THE season for awards, all kinds of awards, which brings us to Herb Oxstein of Whittier.  During February his jacaranda tree brought down three kites — one yellow, one green and one red, white and blue.  Unless somebody can top his jacaranda, Herb hereby claims the L.A. County Kite Snagging by a Single Tree Championship.

    ALL'S WELL
The snail's on the thorn,
The lark's on the wing,
God's in His heaven,
They've crowned Elvis King.
        G.L. ERTZ

    MISCELLANY — There's a story going around about the boss of a parking lot who calls his attendants together and says, "I haven't had a  report of a creased fender for a week."  The boys beam proudly.  Then the boss snarls.  "How are we going to make any money when you leave all that space between cars!"   . . . Oops, this ad appeared under Lost and Found in a Highland Park paper:  "Two graves.  Forest Lawn section H. Private Party."  Lost and found??