Only One Solution to Throaty Problem

Dorothy Saunders of Westminster is hungry for some black Smith Bros. cough drops ; nothing else seems to work for her family. Can you cough up a source, or should Saunders drop the entire matter before she chokes on the problem?

Barbara Birnie of Balboa Island would love to get her hands on a children’s game called Trouble that she saw played in Boston. It is like pachisi, but the die is in a plastic bulb and, thus, is more difficult to lose. Can you help without going to a lot of trouble, or will Birnie’s bubble burst when she finds out that the die has finally been cast against her?

Emmett W. Schoeberl of Agoura Hills is in the market for an old-fashioned hand-operated clothes wringer , the type grandma used with her washboard. Can you come clean with a source, or will Schoeberl end up wringing his hands because his idea was all wet to begin with?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Some of you may be just in time to play Santa Claus to readers with small Yule wishes. Miriam at (213) 672-6981 needs up to six sets of strings of 20 miniature Christmas lights (to light small framed trees) and has not been able to find them in stores. And Jean at (818) 992-8750 is looking for No. 10551 5-7 volt Noma replacement bulbs for a jeweled Christmas tree; these bulbs have tiny screw-in bases and are difficult to find. Any help would certainly light up a few lives during the holiday season. . . . Carolee at (714) 626-8122 has been hunting for a perfume called Bahamour , which she has remembered for 25 years and which at one time was available from the Nassau Shop in the Bahamas. Can you scent Carolee a name, so she can stop turning up her nose at all the other fragrances?

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items or for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that others may contact you directly.

For Pauline Wolfe’s tall brother, who was having trouble finding boxer shorts, we have only a brief announcement or two. Hedy Gourarie of Studio City says Eagelson’s (several stores in the area) specializes in clothes for tall men. And Reba Mazur of Los Angeles says to try King-Size, 24 Forest St., Brockton, Mass. 02402-4295; she has bought from them and says they are very reliable.

D. L. Burgess of San Diego, who was looking for chrome straw holders, need no longer clutch at straws. Right in Burgess’ neighborhood, according to B. Pollack of San Diego, are some: in Space 116 of the Antique Warehouse, Solana Beach, and in Space 47 of the Main Street Antique Mall, El Cajon. If neither of these places works out, a good bet, according to M. Nemec of Norwalk, June Lance of Long Beach, Lois Jenks of Los Angeles and Mrs. John S. Hoyt of Fountain Valley might be Group-R Specialties, P.O. Box 3331, Arcadia, Calif. 91006, phone (818) 359-0014; they advertise (in various magazines) a chrome straw holder for $16.95 plus shipping. In addition, according to Kathryn Wannell of West Los Angeles and Ann Reese of Bakersfield, beauty and barber shop supply houses would be worth investigating, because these straw holders are still being used to sterilize combs and brushes.

For Catherine Sheehan of San Dimas, who was looking for a sundial-globe, we have a ray of hope. Sally Fynan of Temple City suggests the Deluxe Galaxy Clock that is listed in the catalogue published by Direct Source, 225 Kearny St., San Francisco, Calif. 94108, might just strike the right chord for her.

Bea Landau of Los Angeles, who was looking for an iron without steam holes, can now get up a head of steam. Judy Guilmette of San Diego saw a Proctor-Silex Model 1-1915, Type 1-12, at the Village Hardware in Coronado. But another source may be nearer: Sally Fynan of Temple City says to contact Peter Krohn at (805) 969-1442; according to Fynan, Krohn has several of these irons, which he has restored beautifully. We also heard from two readers who are willing to part with such irons. Anyone interested might send us a self-addressed, stamped envelope that can be steamed open easily.

Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.