Miss Tibbett’s Typewriter

By Eve Merriam

Illustration by Rick Schreiter

Copyright 1966

Just last week, I was given the reminder that since we are no longer using typewriters, it is not necessary to double space after a sentence.  Actually, it was more along the lines of “Really, don’t double space after a sentence!”  Having learned keyboarding skills on a typewriter and spending all of college using one, it is a really, really hard habit to break.  (Don’t tell, but I’m doing it right now!)

 

Anyway, the reminder to stop double spacing made me reminisce about the olden days – the days of using all my finger strength to hit the A and P with enough force to make a mark, and the days of hearing the delightful ding at the end of every line.  It also called to mind this little picture book, Miss Tibbett’s Typewriter.

Miss Tibbett lived in a large city with a sweet potato plant, a cat, and a typewriter.  She liked the clickity-clack sound of the keys and the ping of the little bell.  Using all the keys, QWERTYUIOP, ASDFGHJKL, and ZXCVBNM, she could type out ‘the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’.  Unfortunately,  Miss Tibbett began having trouble with her typewriter.  One key always got stuck.  She just kept right on typing, though.  After all, just one key among so many wouldn’t matter.

One day, Miss Tibbett was asked to type out a sign for an auto repair shop.  She happily did so, typing out ‘Come to Golden’s auto repair shop.  We  ix  lats and  enders.  After a few more mistake laden signs, Miss Tibbett realized she better get that old typewriter fixed.  That F key did get fixed, so Miss Tibbett was ready to get to work again.  Her next sign was for a restaurant.  ‘Fish chowder,  oston style.  Fried flounder with  oiled egg sauce.   oston   aked  eans.  Oh no.  More trouble!  

It took several trips to the repair man, but eventually all 26 letters were fixed and once again, the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

I think Miss Tibbett learned a valuable lesson from this experience.  What’s one letter among so many? Very important, actually!  It turns out that each letter is just as important as any other.  Could that idea hold true with people, too?  I think so!  What’s one person among so many?  Very important, actually!  It turns out that each person is just as important as any other!