Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a short few paragraphs were written as a joke. They were in the basic style of radio or television "daytime dramas", or soap operas. In that format and tradition, this initial writing ended with "To Be Conintued..." There was no actual intention to do so. However, Treadleonians took to the story idea and demanded additional episodes! The author found himself continuing to write this drama for some 18 months, with each episode becoming longer and more bizarre than the last. The story can't really be explained... just accept, ignore or deplore it's existence, as you willÖ

The file presented here is the first four installments. A complete script of the whole 18 month show is availabe from Treadleonia Publications through either The Book Store or on The Flea Market. (See links on Main Index Page.)

1998 Romance in the Afternoon is a copyrighted feature of Captain Dick and Treadle OnÖ the list that ventures where no other list would dare to goÖ or want to!

Romance in the Afternoon .. A Love Story

June 1998, Episode No. 1

He gazed across the patio and saw her. Her enamel gleamed in the sunlight.
Her decals were perfect. He longed to turn her crank.
"Excuse me," he saidÖ "Have we been introduced?"
"No," she replied. "I'm Miss Singer 99."
"You're one of the loveliest girls I've ever seen," he said. "Might we try a turn or two?"
"Certainly," she murmured softly.
He turned her crank. She purred gently.
"Excuse me," he said, "but you seem a little tense. Might I make an adjustment or two?"
"My pleasure," she sighed.
Gently, he adjusted her tension, both top and bottom. "Ah, perfection," he exclaimed! "Never have I seen such a stitch! And such smooth cranking! Surely, you are a jewel, and I shall call you Jewel forever more!"
Oh, my love!" she sighedÖ
"Uh, excuse me," he said, "but I see Miss JonesÖ I did promise her a dance."
He turned to Miss Jones. "Miss Jones," he said. "You're looking lovely.
Such beautiful gold decorations! Might we take a turn about?"
"Of course," she replied.
"Hmmm," he murmured. "Your bobbin seems a bit tight. Would you mind if I loosened it?"
"Oh, you kid!" she giggled.
He adjusted her bobbin. "Ah, the perfection of your stitch is matched only by the smoothness of your motion. I'm certain we shall have a long relationshipÖ Oh, excuse me, but I see Miss Vesta over there. There are a few things we must discussÖ."
Miss Jones turned to Jewel, "Men!", she said, vehemently. "They're so fickle!

To be continuedÖ

We pick up our story following the June events

A Little Later...
Miss Singer and Miss Jones, flushed with their recent exertion, retire to some strategically placed tables. They're stitching together amicably at a friendly pace, when a cold electricity circuits the room.
All eyes turn to the entrance, where a glitzy bronzed number, her metallic gold outfit fairly glowing, has just entered.
Miss Singer hisses to Miss Jones, "Why that little hussy, showing up at an affair like this for those of us from the refined, upstanding, old-fashioned families! What's she doing here?"
Miss Jones replies, "Well, she with her flashy paint saying she needs 'special' bobbins before she'll do any work! You know what kind of reputation she's got---they call her 'Free' Westinghouse!"
"Oh, Yes," said Miss Singer, "I've heard those electrics are easy!"
La Vincendora, a lady visiting from Spain, overheard them and commented, "Don't worry so, ladies. With her plain finish, easy or not, she won't hold his attention for long. Now, with decals like my red and gold..."
The discussion was now becoming more general, and an elderly, rather plain Model 66 chimed in, "Girls, girls, remember, their attention may stray, but in the end, it's how well you do what they want to do that brings them back!"
There was a rather shocked hush following this bold statement, then all noticed a quiet sobbing in the corner. All looked in that direction, where a quite elderly and plain black machine was sitting. It was Mrs.
Household. Once, she had had beautiful decals, but they were all long since worn away. "You may think they'll come back," she said, "But I can tell you, once a Household is broken up, it isn't always easy to recover. I was deserted for a zig zag machine. I thought he'd come back, but I guess he liked the way she twitched her needle!" (General gasp!)
At this point, the door opened and the cause of all the consternation re-entered the room, carrying Miss Vesta.

To Be ContinuedÖ

Note: I did the original piece as a joke, and put the "To Be Continued" on
it simply because that seemed to contribute to the soap operaish tone of the
the thing. I had no intention of doing any more. However, Mary Waller
in South Dakota sent me a couple of paragraphs of continuation (the opening
lines used above) and said she hoped I could use them. Quite a few others
wrote and said they couldn't wait for the next installment. So, I figured,
maybe once a month I would do something with it. So far, in addition ot
the fickle male sewer, we have Miss Singer, Miss Jones, Miss Vesta, La
Vincendora, Model 66 and Mrs. Household (who was left by someone we haven't
met yet). I think we could use some male sewing machines, but we'll see
what happens.
I'm open to any scenarios, script, ideas or whatever that anyone wants to
submit... I can't promise to use anything in particular. Obviously, we are
tending toward puns on model names and sewing terms.
I hate to admit it, but this absurd thing has captured my fancy. If it
continues, it may earn it's own page on the web site.

Romance in the Afternoon.. A Continuing Saga of Love Among the Sewing
Machines

August 1998 - Episode No. 3

Part One

We pick up at the end of the July Installment...

...As he sauntered in carrying Ms. Vesta a shocked hush fell on the ladies. All focused on the way he carefully carried her into the room. He held her almost tenderly. He placed her carefully on the table without as much as clunk.
Jewel said to Ms. Jones in an almost inaudible whisper, "Do you see how he spoils her? She has done nothing that any of us cannot do." Ms. Jones replied sibilantly, "Men! They will never learn that some are all show and no go. That
one will have him in knots before he knows it."
Mrs. Household was quite aware of what was going on in the exchange between Ms. Jones and Jewel. She was also caught up in the tenderness that he was showing toward Ms. Vesta. She remembered a time when she was the object of such adoring care. She looked in the mirror hanging on the wall behind her
and remembered the days when she was young and shiny with the delicate leaves that twined down her arm, across her shoulder and down her faceplate. She longed for the touch of one who had forsaken her. She remembered the smooth taste of the high grade oil, the feel of thread caressing her faceplate, the
softness of fabric beneath her foot. It was almost too much for her to bear. A small,quiet sob escaped her. She would never give up the hope of feeling useful again. After all, keeping a Household running was a simple enough thing.
Something he said captured the attention of all...and they listened intently to what he was saying to Ms. Vesta. He had been murmuring some unintelligible words to her, like sweet nothings in an ear, but then there was a loud exclamation! "What on Earth caused you to do that!?", he cried! "Do you know how hard it is to find needles?"
A wave of mirth rippled through the onlookers.....

Part Two...

At the sound of the laughter, he looked up. Seeing several of his past affairs all in the same room, talking together and comparing notes, was embarrassing. He blushed and blustered... "Ahem, ahem.. Well, I hope you ladies are getting along well.... Actually, I have to be leaving... I have agreed to help another lady find her family. We know only that she was made in Germany for an English company... She has a name on her arm...two words... the second is "Treasure" but we can't make out the first. The German company that made her used a logo of a three turretted castle, and also made a machine called "The Royal Ruby". I leave to assist her in finding her true name, I shall not return till I have done so, for I feel she may be of royal blood!" With that, he turned and left, leaving a shocked group behind.
'Well!", gasped Miss Jones.
La Vincendora was heard muttering, "Why would he leave for someone who doesn't even know her name, when I'm here?"
Jewel, the Model 99 was in the corner advising Mrs. Household that she might seek assistance from the legal firm of Frister and Rossman... old line representatives... rather stodgy but with a solid reputation.
Sudddenly, the door was thrown open, and the most magnificent speciman of manhood the ladies had ever seen swept into the room. Large, with a powerful frame, he was obviously one of the legendary Model 201's! He announced, "Ladies, I am Arnold Schwartzenstitcher... I can handle any problem... Who called?"

To be ContinuedÖ

Will the mysterious owner with no name find the background of Miss Treasure?
Will Mrs. Household be able to establish a New Home? Will Jewel find a new
love? And what trouble will the sultry La Vincendora cause? Tune in next
month, for more "Romance in the Afternoon".

(Note... special thanks to Debbie in Stanwood who wrote and sent in the
first half of this month's installment, and to Susan in Minnesota for
suggesting the inclusion of a "Mr. 201". The search for the full name of
Miss Treasure is for real... if anyone knows the full name of this machine,
a German made hand crank, marketed in England by the same company that made the Royal Ruby...
I'd love to know it. No matter how we turn the machine in any light, we
can't make out the first word. Makes a nice mystery element to our story.)

Romance in the Afternoon or "Love Among the Ruins"- A Continuing Romantic
Saga of Vintage Sewing Machines

September 1998 - Episode No. 4

Part 1

We pick up after the July installment (how original!) The 201, Arnold Schwartzenstitcher has just entered the room...

The ladies were agog at the power and beauty of Arnold Schwartzenstitcher... Jewel gasped, "what a pillar, and on a ball bearing sewing machine!" and fainted.dead away!

"Actually," said Mrs. Household, "you could help me move to Whidbey Island. I have had the offer of a room in a good home there, and I know I will get no assistance from my drunken, unfaithful husband... that old Red Eye!"

La Vincendora batted her presser bar and purred, "You don't want to take an old lady up to the wilds of Whidbey Island... I'm sure you'd rather spend some time here with me..."

"Do not flirt with me!" said Arnold. " I am promised to another and my heart it true. The arrangements were made long ago, when she was but an infant. She was carried off by Gypsy junk dealers, but even though I saw her when she was but a tiny thing, light as a feather, I continue searching and shall seek solace with no other."

"Mrs. Household, I will be glad to assist you," said Arnold. "in fact, we can stop at the offices of Frister and Rossman on the way, and perhaps you can look into freeing yourself from this ill fated relationship that is blighting your life."

Arnold and Mrs. Household leave the room....

Part 2 - Later, offices of Frister and Rossman

Frister welcomes Arnold and Mrs. Household and seats them.... they perform introductions...

"Mrs. Household!", exclaims Rossman. "How fortuitous that you should come in. We were about to seek you out."

"For heavens sake, why?" she asked.

"It's an odd story," he replied. "There is a young man named lying in a coma in a New York sewing machine hospital. Apparently he desperately needs a needle clamp transplant and they cannot find a suitable donor. They have no clue to his identity, but refer to him only as 'Patient 185J'. The only real clue to his identity is that he had your name on a postcard in one of his drawers."

"Oh, my!", Mrs. Household cried. "I have a missing son, Franklin. I have not seen him in years. I can't imagine that it could be him. Certainly he could not be mistaken for a 185J. However, I must know for sure!"

"I can help!", said Arnold. "This is exactly the kind of mission I love. As soon as we finish getting you moved to Whidbey Island, I will travel to New York and see if Patient 185J is your missing son, Franklin. If so, I will not rest till I find a suitable needle clamp donor to save him! Who knows, on a journey that long, I may find clues to aid in my own search for my lost promised love!"

"Oh, thank you!", gasped Mrs. Household. "I shall wish you Godspeed!"

"Keep us informed," said Messers Frister and Rossman, in harmony.

To be continued...

Is Patient 185J the missing Franklin? Will Arnold find his lost betrothed? What mischief will La Vincendora get up to? Will Mrs. Household be freed of her drunken Red Eye husband? Tune in next month for the next exciting episode of "Romance in the Afternoon".

To Be Continued... Indeed!

... and it was, for 18 months. The installments became longer and longer. The story line generated a near revolt in Treadleonia when Teddy Bears were added to the cast. The Sewing Machine Actor's Guild threatened to strike. This issue resulted in a national plebecite in Trealdeonia, and the population voted in favor of including the bears. Adventures in foreign lands, balloon trips, mysterious strangers... all became a part of the very complex and continuously evolving plot.

The complete transcripts of the whole story, including Station KTRED's coverage of Treadleonian reaction to events, are available from Treadle On Publications, or through The Flea Market. See links on the Main Index Page.