How fortunate Alice and I were, to grow up in peace and serenity in the little town of Montvale, New Jersey. Golden days they were, and that is how I will remember them! Alice and I were childhood friends. We started school together, going into the first grade. There were no kindergartens, and so we were very young. Alice lived across the street from the school, so she could always arrive just as the bell rang, and often times afterwards. I remember one morning as I was going into school, Alice hollered from her bedroom window, "Hello Mary!" She was just getting up. Alice skipped the third grade, so I guess it didn't hurt her any!

On St. Patrick's Day Alice arrived all in green, from head to toe. Even her shoes were painted green!

Alice Huff lived next door to Alice. They had a rope connecting their bedrooms, and they would send notes back and forth at night, when they were supposed to be sleeping. I thought that was so cool!

I had a birthday party when I was in the 4th grade. I didn't invite Alice, when I gave the invitations out in class, because we weren't "on speaking terms". My mother sent me to her house with an apology and an invitation. When I knocked on her door, she and her mother came, and her mother said "See dear, I told you it was a mistake." Young girls can be mean!

All the kids went sleigh riding down Grand Avenue. It was a great ride. In those days, we always had a lot of snow. I guess we never thought of the danger.

One Sunday I went over to Alice's house to play. I wore my new Easter coat. We climbed a tree, and I got a big tear in my coat. I told my mother that Alice pushed me!

I remember how we cleaned out the chicken coop to make a clubhouse. We bought silly things at the 5 & 10 to make it attractive. We couldn't stand up in the chicken coop! Leter, we moved to a "real" clubhouse, a distance from the house. Bill said it was the boys' hunting shack.

All of our friends, boys and girls alike, were invited to belong to the club. Everyone contributed curtains, furniture or whatever, to the clubhouse. If you had a disagreement with Alice, she would say you were "out of the club", and you had to cart all your junk back home. Usually in a few days you were invited back in, and you brought all your stuff back again.

On the first day of every month we were required to put on a veil that was old and torn, and walk in a procession from the Rectory to the church for Mass. We hated that, and so we would try to sneak into church, but Mrs. Ahern, an elderly lady in charge, would sit on the church porch, and send us back to the Rectory. After Mass, there was breakfast set out on the lawn, and everyone was welcome.

One day, on Good Friday, everyone at the clubhouse went to church to see the beautiful display. Father Schonhart had a crucifix on the floor at the foot of the altar, surrounded by so many beautiful flowers. Then Father would give us money to buy ice cream, which is why the boys came. So few of them were Catholics.

After grammar school, Alice went to School of the Holy Child in Suffern, NY, and I went to Park Ridge High School, but we kept in touch. How excited Alice was when she showed me a Christmas gift that she bought for her sister Ethel. It was a very prety perfume bottle. I thought that it had to be very expensive.

Then -- one day, I married her brother. Alice and I went to a shower for a friend, Alice Marshall. She said, "Mary, my brother Bill wants to meet you. He said he sees you at the train station." She offered to introduce us, but he said, "No, I'll do it myself." And he did! Alice was a bridesmaid at my wedding and she was beautiful.

Alice was married in Belmar. It was a great wedding, with the reception by the sea. She had a lovely painting of her as a bride, by Bachrach, which hung in the Burlington living room. Everyone always admired it!

we had our first babies about the same time, and we took pictures of the two of us, taken in front of the school, holding our bundles of joy. Pamela and Patsy. She had a monkey hanging over Pamela's crib, and I said "Do you think that would frighten her?" It didn't - Pamela loved the monkey.

After you had a child, you had to be "churched". The priest held two candles, crossed under your chin, and said some prayers. For some reason, it started us laughing. He stopped and asked if something was wrong. That made us laugh even more. Was that rude, or what?

After Alice was married she moved to California. One day she came back for a visit. She couldn;t stay at Burlingtons because Walter had the mumps, and so she stayed with me. She borrowed Bill's car and we went everywhere. We had the best time!

Those were the times when the world was a better place in which to live. Alice and I had a long and happy friendship! Memories are made of this!