laughter laughter jim what was the big crisis at your pta meeting that made it last so long . Margaret well, actually it wasnt the meeting, it was mrs. Cartley. She stopped me on the way out and insisted upon telling me all her troubles. Oh, will warmed up meatloaf be all right . Jim sure anything margaret put those away, will you dear . I wish people wouldnt always confide in me. I get to the point where im carrying so many confidences, i dont dare say anything for fear ill be talking out of turn. Jim well, just dont listen its not easy with someone like mrs. Cartley. I will say shes having a problem with her daughter evelyn who met some boy at a roller skating place. She doesnt approve of the boy, so she tried to put a stop to the romance. Betty oh, who are you talking about mother . Margaret your friend evelyn. Betty oh, hello father margaret open this, will you dear . Jim hello princess. Margaret but now mrs. Cartley suspects that evelyn is secretly meeting this boy at the roller skating place. Butters at the table, betty. Betty oh, all right. Lyns skates at her house. Jim oh, fine. Thank goodness you dont have the kind of boyfriend that someone has to smuggle roller skates so you can see him. Did you know evelyn was doing a thing like that . Betty yes, i believe i did hear something, but i also heard the boy is actually very nice. Jim well thats not the point, the point is shes deceiving her mother. Defying her. Now, would you do a thing like that, of course not betty no laughter betty id better go set the table. laughter but, i suppose they just reflect the training they get from their parents. Oh, i saw a terrific sale on binoculars, and i thought about buds birthday coming up in a few weeks, so i bought these only 7. 95 but actually theyre not bad. Margaret oh, thats a good idea, but i dont know how youre gonna keep em hidden from bud for three weeks, hes a regular bird dog jim oh, ill find a place to hidethem. When it comes to hiding places, these kids arent as crafty as they think they are. laughter jim are they. Margaret oh, a present he bought for bud. When you get through setting the table, will you make a salad . Betty yes, all right. Mother, theres something i have to confide in you, but remember now, this is in the strictest confidence. Margaret you sound just like mrs. Cartley betty please, please dont tell father, but im the one. Margaret the one what . Betty the one whos helping evelyn. Margaret helping ev, you mean betty yes, i have them, theyre up in my closet right now. laughter margaret now, about those skates. Is evelyn gonna pick them up here . Betty yes, shell start off for the library, but then shell come here, get the skates, and meet tony at the roller skating place. Margaret all right, now when she gets here, you give her the skates, but you tell her that this is the end, ok . Dont tell father margaret well, i dont usually keep things from him, but i guess theres no use in distressing him, as long as youre gonna put a stop to it. Betty will you promise, i mean really promise . Margaret of course. Betty thanks, i just couldnt stand to have father think what i know hed think of me if he ever thought what i think hed think. Take glass for example. Why is it you can see through it, but you cant hear through it and you cant blow through it . Kippy hey whats the matter . Bud shh shh shh shh laughter laughter bud i dont know, but i know the easiest way to find out here, grab my legs and dont let me fall. laughter laughter laughter kippy hey whats in the sack, come on bud look at these binoculars wow, wish i had some of these hey theyre not bad, for cheap ones. laughter kippy why do you suppose your old man was hidin em . Bud probably didnt want me to find em and ruin em before he had a chance to use em himself. laughter bud id better put these back laughter thud laughter kippy what was that noise . Uh oh, did they break . Bud what do you think . Boy, what a dope i am, i let em slip right outta the sack kippy yeah, but what are you gonna do now . Bud well i gotta get some new ones before dad finds out hey, you got any cash . Kippy a buck maybe. Bud thats not gonna do any good. You can always raise some money selling something down at mad charlies swap shop why, he might even have some binoculars and swap you for somethin. Bud oh, what have i got to swap . Margaret bud, where are you bud . Bud hey, look, you climb down in the basement and get the evidence outta there right away, and then well margaret bud bud comin mom hurry up, hurry up, ill be right back. Kippy ok. Bud comin mom margaret well find kathy and both of you come in to dinner thud laughter laughter bud where are you . laughter bud hey kathy, dinners ready, where are ya . Bud hey [sman] laughter bud where were ya, ive been screamin my head off kathy i heard you, im going. Bud well hurry up, mom wants ya in there right now look it, tell her ill be there in a few minutes. Hurry kippy boy, you sure did a good job on these, broke both lenses. Did you think of anything to swap . Kippy nah, mad charlie wouldnt give ya nothin for that, overstocked bud i dont know what ive got to trade. What the heck is this . Roller skates . With paint on em. Now how do you suppose these ever got here . Kippy well, are they bettys . Bud no, they dont belong to Anyone Around here. Kippy well theres your answer, swap those bud well i cant swap em, theyre not mine kippy well theyre in your car, arent they . Bud well, yeah . Kippy ok my uncles a part time lawyer, and he says possessions nine points of the law besides, youre desperate bud well, ok. Look, i cant leave right now, but ill be your friend for life if youll take these skates down to charlies and see if he has any binoculars like those, and get back here with em right away, ok . Kippy ok kathy mommy, i gotta talk to you, serious. In strict confidence laughter margaret oh, you too . Well not now, wed better eat, your fathers starving, come on kathy on something of bettys, and you know what shell do to me if she finds out margaret oh dear, what was it. Kathy well, you see, i happened to be in bettys room in her closet. Margaret in her closet . Kathy well, sorta, and i accidentally saw her put some roller skates in there. Margaret roller skates . Is that what you spilled the paint on . Kathy out in the garage. Margaret oh kathy, kathy, those arent bettys, they belong to a friend of hers, and shes coming to get them tonight. Now, wh kathy shh ing. When a certain person comes to pick up her you know what, dont let father go to the door, he mustnt see her. Margaret yes, yes, all right. Will you see whats keeping bud . Betty ok. laughter kathy so what do we do . Margaret just dont say anything about it, and then right after dinner, ill help you take the paint off the skates. No, dont get that, its probably for me laughter jim there, ya see . Theyre flying apart like a two dollar watch margaret just nerves, i guess. Kathy im kinda nervous too, arent you mommy . laughter margaret no, i laughter margaret if your through eating, you can run next door for me to myrtle davis, ask if i can borrow some sugar. Kathy sugar . Margaret and some turpentine. laughter bud well, didnt your swap shop have any binoculars at all . Kippy just some expensive ones, 25 bucks on up but mad charlie finally agreed to buy the skates. Here, seven bucks isnt much, but if youve got 95 cents to go with it, itll do the job. Bud well how do you mean . Kippy they got some binoculars exactly like your dads on sale at the Surplus Store for 7. 95. Thats probably where he got his. Bud well why didnt you buy some . Kippy well, they werent open tonight invite him in . Bud oh he was in a big hurry, had to rush. Jim what is all this rush and hurry, is it something catching . Ive never seen you and betty so doorbell laughter betty ill get it laughter betty hello ralph jim the Intercontinental Missile project could use her laughter betty forgiveness for calling you ralph, but ill explain it later. Et the skates. Oh, youd better stay here, evelyn, i dont want father to know whats going on. Evelyn why, did he Say Something . Betty well he, ill explain that later too. Evelyn all right, but hurry bud hey mom. Margaret oh laughter bud im in kind of a jam, i need your help. Can you keep a secret . Margaret secret . Oh no, im carrying more secrets than i can handle right now. Bud its real important. Dad brought home some binoculars today, and bud just by pure accident i happened to watch him hide em. laughter margaret oh no bud well, like a knuckle head, i took em out and dropped em, and they broke. Margaret oh, what a day this is bud i raised some money to get some new ones. So look, you take this and tomorrow morning you sneak downtown margaret sneak . laughter bud well, go downtown, just dont let dad know margaret now look bud bud you can get the same kind at the war Surplus Store for only 7. 95. Margaret bud, will you wait one bud well put em back in dads hiding place, kathy mommy mommy, come outside, hurry margaret you wait, ill be right back. Im not sure im in favor of your plan. Im coming kathy boy mommy, were in trouble now, the skates are gone margaret gone . Margaret gone, oh, they cant be, where did you leave them . Kathy well, i hid them in the seat here, in some old newspapers, and now theyre gone margaret but where could they, why buds cars been here all the time, he didnt drive it anywhere. Kathy i know he didnt, but betty mother betty mother, i cant find them, theyre not in my, kathy, have you been snooping in my closet . Kathy huh . Betty do you know where a certain pair of roller skates are . Kathy no, i dont know where any skates are, honest i dont betty now listen, this is very important margaret she doesnt know, i can vouch for that. laughter betty what am i gonna do . Evelyn is standing out there waiting for me to bring them to her. She cant wait much longer margaret yes, well, you go back waiting out there alone tell her anything laughter margaret in the meantime, ill hunt for them betty all right, but whatever you do, do it fast kathy oh, thanks for not giving me away margaret yes, well now, lets see, you say you put them in buds car. Oh, i wonder if he knows anything about them. Now, you keep hunting out here, and ill go in and check with him. D the less chance therell be that dad margaret bud please, just tell me this, did you by any chance find a pair of roller skates in your car . Bud roller skates . Margaret yes, shoe skates, girls. Bud well, yeah i did. Margaret you did . Well where are they . Bud mad charlies swap shop. laughter margaret mad charlies swap shop . Bud yeah, kippy sold em. Thats how we got this money margaret oh no bud i didnt know they belonged to Anyone Around here. Well they were in my car, and kippy says possession is 9 10 u listen to him . Now look, you rush right down to mad charlies swap shop and buy those skates back. Bud but mom, we need the money margaret bud, dont argue with me, just do it and hurry as fast as you, oh no no no no no, its no use now, were in too deep. Look, you just go out and tell kathy to come inside, and then both of you come in the living room. Bud why . Margaret please bud, dont ask any questions, just do it bud well. Margaret go but she cant wait much longer did you find the skates . Margaret yes i did. Betty ya did, where were they . Margaret well, youll never guess. Wheres evelyn now . Betty waiting around near the front door. Margaret fine, come along. Betty where are we going . Margaret to clear of the baffling case of the disappearing skates. Betty huh . laughter bud come on kid, mom said to hurry margaret now then betty, find yourself bud here we are, mom. Margaret thats fine, sit down, both of you thats it, now then well, evelyn cartley laughter margaret well dont stand out there, come in havent you . Jim oh yes, of course, how are you evelyn . Margaret oh, wont you sit down, evelyn . Evelyn well, i really have to be going. Margaret yes, of course now then evelyn, i understand you came here to pick up your roller skates. laughter evelyn well, yes i did. Margaret well, thats fine, but unfortunately, mad charlies swap shop. laughter evelyn swap shop . Margaret yes, however, bud still has the seven dollars he sold em for, so it wont be too much trouble to buy the skates back. Betty sold them, so you took them out of my closet bud no i margaret no he didnt. Margaret the credit for that one goes to kathy. Kathy mommy, you said you wouldnt betty it was you, you little snooper her big error was hiding them in buds car. And under kippys brilliant counseling, bud reasoned that anything found in his car was his, so naturally he sold them. laughter betty oh me, why, why did you have to sell em . Margaret why, because he needed to money to buy bud mom, you promised margaret to replace the ones he accidentally broke. Jim binoculars, what binoculars . R bud those were for me . Oh gosh, how dumb can a guy be laughter bud bustin up his own presents laughter jim wait a minute, how did you find those binoculars . Bud well, i didnt mean to, dad. Kippy and i were, well its kinda funny really. You see, kippy and i were right outside the basement window, and we just watched you hide em. Jim you mean you watched me go through all that laughter jim oh great laughter margaret well thats better im glad to see a few smiles, instead of the tragic guilty faces i was looking at a moment ago. Betty well mother, it wasnt very funny having father rant and rave about some low, miserable conspirator, when all the time it was i. And all the time i had those telltale skates up in my closet, or at least i thought i had them up in my closet. laughter margaret oh evelyn, i know this is pretty hard on you. Evelyn oh no, no really mrs. Anderson. I think its the best thing that couldve happened. Betty best thing . Well, how can you say that . Evelyn well, since ive been sneaking out to see tony, i havent really been happy. Actually ive been miserable. But i felt that i just couldnt tell my mother but now, suddenly, seeing how much better and easier it is to bring things out in the open. Now i think i can tell her. Everything. Margaret evelyn, in awfully glad to hear you say that evelyn in fact, im going home right now and do it. While the spell of this house is still on me jim i think youre on the right track, kitten, and i think your mothers gonna think so too. Bud hey wait, dont forget your money to be honest, i was getting kinda sick of roller skating laughter evelyn from now on, if tony wants to see me, hes gonna have to come to our house. Jim thats the way to talk evelyn good night betty, and everyone margaret good night Evelyn Evelyn and thanks. Margaret well, go on, say it. Boy mom, did you cross me up laughter it. Boy mom, did you cross us up and boy mom, how thankful we are that you did it from now on, lets keep it like this, everything above board. If youre in trouble, sure tell it to the mom, but dont load her up with your conspiracies and strictest confidences. Dont transfer your guilty consciences to her shoulders and then expect her to. Ive up laughter applause orchestra music [voiceover] robert young and jane wyatt with elinor donahue, billy gray and Lauren Chapin ell ringing [margaret] jim, the doorbell just rang. There it is again. Oh, who could be calling at this time of night . [jim] whoever it is, tell them to come back tomorrow