Transcription Mystery Disc #87

Here we have a very short transcription. It's an audio test. The engineer identifies himself as Merle Charles Slotterback. The Audiodisc transcription recording is one-sided, and side A has two non-contiguous recordings about one minute long each. He gives the date each time so we even know that about three months passed between his "airchecks". The audio on each differs noticeably I'd guess he was using a different microphone, or related gear. Mount Carmel is in Pennsylvania, north of Harrisburg. He attends STC and I'd bet the "TC" stands for "Technical College" but the "S"? In PA that could be any number of schools. I will point out that the recording was made at 33 rpm. Which in 1955 would have been a relatively new convention.

The introduction of each vignette was similar and both were followed by a somewhat mangled reading of a folk tale and two limericks.. The etymology of the text is uncertain. The limericks are both by Edward Lear. The limerick was almost 100 years old when this was recorded, which is odd in itself. the fairy tale is totally unknown to me. I transcribe all; hoping for better answers to that.

"2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Today is Tuesday October 18th 1955. I was born in Mount Carmel and I've lived most of my life there. I came to the STC September 12th and expect to stay here 4 years. My name is Merle Charles Slotterback. A young fox named Raynard saw his shadow at sunrise on Wednesday and said: I'll have either a deer or a camel for lunch today. I think I'd better start out right now if I want to find one or the other by lunchtime. I'll probably have to walk many miles hunting for them because I am sure there is nothing around here. After a while he passed four or five older foxes who were running along a narrow path in the forest. They'd seen their shadows early that morning and were also searching for some large animals to eat for lunch. At noon our young fox went back to join them where they'd stopped to rest near the edge of a small body of water. They were tired and hungry too. But when they all looked at their shadows again they said a mouse will do. There was an old man who said how shall I flee from this terrible cow. I will sit on a stile and continue to smile which may soften the heart of the cow. There was an old person of Burton who's answers rather uncertain when they said how do you do? He said Who are you? that distressing old person of Burton. That's all."