Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, June 19-24, 1953

Work on drawings –

Every so often I feel a pang ever missing the beautiful June season.

Evening – To Paramount to see “Shane” – a color picture on a large screen with special sound, a wonderfully beautiful picture – with spectacular scenery – storms in the mountains – and a tense well done human drama. A thrilling experience –

Parked by the Market – Twilight in the city – everything seemed unusually beautiful – while we were discovering the source of an intermittent lightning effect – a man who had just come along spoke up and said “That’s the top of the Buffalo Theatre sign” – then “Look out for those ants, they’re on your shoe” and I was indeed standing in a swarm of small red ants.

 “Watch” he said “I’ll scatter them – and he dropped a lighted cigarette among them.

 “The best thing for them” he continued “is chlorinated lime – wait, I’ll get some & show you. I live right here.” – He came back with a box of lime- sprinkled it around the edge of the swarm & they all became frenzied.

Almost before we knew it, he had drawn us into the vacant room of his apartment, fronting the street and was showing us an electro-lux vacuum cleaner – he was maintenance man for the Electro-Lux Co.

 “See this steel ball? Feel the weight of it – (it was indeed quite heavy – but the cleaner picked it up – on & on he continued with his demonstration until we began to feel that the next move on his part would be “O.K. – now if you’ll sign right here”. “How can we get away?” whispered Bertha. – all the while two small negro girls were fascinatingly watching proceedings from the door-way.

Eventually we did get away; and thinking it over afterwards we concluded that he had not really had ulterior motives, but was lonely.

Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, June 19-24, 1953