The words were those of Sam--for Subliminal Argumentative Mouthing--my acronymic inner voice who materializes whenever I'm really groping for subject matter to use in my next Stereopticon piece. "Hypercritical" would be understating Sam's approach.

"You deliberately included a piece of wrong historical information so that in your next column, you could use up some space in correcting it," said Sam. "I'm talking about your reference to Sheldon Patterson as the one who had the stone wall built along Saratoga-Los Gatos Road when you knew perfectly well it was T.S. Montgomery."

"You're right that I should have known better," I said, "but it wasn't deliberate. I just slipped a cog. Call it old age."

"No," said Sam, "in your case, the word is 'senility.' " With that, Sam receded into his rightful place deep in my subconscious.

Mention of Thomas S. Montgomery and Sheldon P. Patterson does bring up some interesting insights into Saratoga history; they both played important roles in this area. But about that stone wall. Montgomery had it built around 1913 in front of his summer home, now the site of Our Lady of Fatima Villa.

Montgomery, a San Jose real estate man, was quite a presence in the Valley. He donated land for the San Jose Civic Auditorium--not to be confused with the Performing Arts Center--which opened in the mid-1930s, and Montgomery Theater bears his name. There is also a Hotel Montgomery in downtown San Jose, and I have an idea that city's Montgomery Street may have been named for him.

He had good reason for having that wall built. When the San Jose-Los Gatos Interurban Railway--later the Peninsular--sent its tracks through Saratoga, the hill that was there then was too much of a grade for the trolley cars. So a cut was made, creating embankments on both sides. Montgomery seems to have decided that a stone wall was in order.

Some time back I wrote a newspaper article about that wall, which I haven't tried to dig up (the article, not the wall). What I remember, though, is describing it as having been built of stones laid upon each other without benefit of mortar, a statement that could be proved by inspecting it, which I might yet do to reinforce my memory. Someone had compared that wall with the Roman aqueducts in its structural integrity. I'd appreciate the opinion of some engineering types on that. There was an embankment on the other side, which now has the appearance of having been largely leveled off.

About Sheldon P. Patterson, whom I mistakenly credited with the stone wall: He was a retired Chicago newspaper editor who played an important part in Saratoga cultural activities. He is remembered today by means of a plaque on the erstwhile Village Library, now the Book-Go-Round. It is entirely fitting, since he was a prime mover in the construction of the building, which opened in 1927.

Patterson was also active in the Blossom Festival and in the group that created the downtown plaza, which had the Memorial Arch, thankfully preserved, as an architectural feature. He was also on the committee that renamed Lumber Street to Big Basin Way, the change occurring in 1927. Patterson died in 1928.

While in the neighborhood of the Montgomery stone wall, I can't resist going across the street to comment on one of the distinctive houses there. That is the neoclassic house built in 1911 by George A. Wood, who, like Montgomery and Patterson, was instrumental in bringing about many improvements in Saratoga. For me, the property holds many memories since it was one of the places where I joined the labor force at the age of 10 back in 1934. I took care of the lawn and kept the garden watered for what was then an adequate 15 cents an hour. At the time, the house was occupied by two of the Wood daughters, Carlotta and Ruth, neither of whom was married.

A few years later I branched out from yard work to housecleaning, at 25 cents an hour. I got to know that house in a very thorough way, from the basement, where I stacked firewood, to the spacious attic, which had its own classic windows.

So much for memories. I must say, though, they are good company.