Small (3" reel) tape recorders were just coming in. And the band went off on the annual Band Trip -- train all the way to Kansas City, clear across Missouri.

And inside the knitting bag of one of our group was concealed her brand new, battery operated, tape recorder.

I was sitting with the group, talking, when a young woman -- call her Shirley -- came running up and plopped into my lap. Shirley said the nicest things, and we all knew that she was kidding around. When Shirley landed, however, the tape recorder had been flicked into "record."

After a few minutes, someone reached into the knitting and turned the machine off with an audible "click." Shirley was HORRIFIED when we played some of her statements back to her, and nearly fainted when we said that we were going to play them at the annual Band Banquet.

We didn't. But the look on her face was truly priceless!