Fiction

Sir,

As an avid subscriber (air mail) and Rolls enthusiast (I have a 1951 Silver Wraith and 1926 Phantom I), I am interested in “Cars in Books,” so pass along extracts from “Corporation Wife,” by Catherine Gaskin, published by Dell Publishing Co., 750 3rd Avenue, New York City. The book tells of changes in a small, semi-rural town when a major, outside, industry moves in. A principal character is Mrs. Harriet Carpenter Dexter, member of one of the original families, who is preparing to drive to a welcoming ceremony for officials of the new company :- “For the first time now she had misgivings about using the Rolls-Royce. Of course the townspeople were used to it:- ‘ Joe Carpenter’s old Rolls – but what would the strangers think of the old-fashioned convertible with the farnous, unmistakable square radiator, and the lines that still had more beauty than the most expensive product of Detroit. Joe had seen it in a showroom on Park Avenue back in 1938. He hadn’t been able to afford it but he had bought it after only three minutes’ hesitation; he had driven it proudly until he died, loving it and boasting that it hadn’t been extravagant because it outlasted five ordinary cars. He had demonstrated the polished wood of the dashboard and trim, the shining finish that never rusted or pitted, the gears that glided into place at a touch. Harriet had learned to drive in this car, and in the nineteen years ofa its life nothing had ever been wrong with it. ‘You can’t wear out a Rolls,’ Joe used to say, ‘ That’s what you pay for”

There are other references of how the Rolls stands out in a crowded parking lot; the fact that having an elderly Rolls is now “the smart thing” rather than eccentric, etc.

W. C. WILKINSON, Cdr.

Calabasar, California.