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Porterdale Mill on the Yellow
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DOWN
MEMORY LANE |
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Jack, that is my BABY brother, is having a fit for me to write something about myself. And would you believe he just wants me to tell the bad things? He already knows about everything, but I guess he just wants to see it in writing. Well here goes. You remember those three tiny rooms behind the Church in Porterdale? One Sunday morning after Sunday School I went around the Church Yard and picked me up an extra long cigarette butt and slipped it into my pocket. Soon there after I slipped into the kitchen and climbed up in a chair and got several matches. I did not know that Mother was watching me all the time. I then proceeded out into the woods and sat down behind a huge tree, which blocked my view from the house. I then took the cigarette butt and placed it in my mouth. I struck a match and had it about five inches from the cigarette, when Mother jumped out from the other side of the tree. Boy was I scared. I think I almost swallowed the cigarette butt. Needless to say I got in more trouble than an 8 year old could handle. It was a real long time before I put another cigarette butt near my lips. We now lived on the top of the hill on Elm Street and it was a Wednesday, and that meant Prayer Meeting Night in those days. Also scheduled for that Wednesday night was a big Basket Ball Game at the Porterdale Gym. I was developing into a fairly good basket ball player, in fact, I was on the starting team. I had begged Mother and Daddy to please let me miss Prayer Meeting just this one time so I could play in this all important game. They would have no part of me missing prayer meeting. I don’t think that they were all that set against my playing basket ball that night, but were more concerned about what other people might think about the preacher’s son missing prayer meeting, because he was out playing ball. Of course, I went along to Prayer Meeting that Wednesday night. However, as soon as the Church service got started, I sneaked out of the Church and ran non stop to the Gym in Porterdale. I think this distance was a little over a mile. When I got there I was really tired. When I arrived in the gym, I went to the dressing room and changed into my uniform and returned to the bench just as the game got underway. I was soon put into the game and that gym was full and the crowd gave me a standing ovation as I entered the game. I played one of my better games, scoring 19 points that night. After the game was over and I was in the gym shower it came to mind what was going to happen to me when I got home! I just knew I was going to get one of the worst, what ever, that I had ever had. As it turned out not a hand was laid on me. I got one of Daddy’s lectures, which was a lot worse than any spanking. This is enough of this story telling. I hope you are happy Brother Jack. |