January of 55, Monday mornin, snow on the ground and it was COLD! We went to school by the school bus. I wasn't feelin real good when we left for school. Me and old Jeep were in the same class. Nopey, he hadn't flunked. Pap thought since we had grown up together it would be better to have us continue on together through school. He is a year and half older than me. Well anyhow, lil bro was in first grade and doin just fine in school. After we were in there for about 2 periods I wasn't feelin any better. I told Jeep that I wanted to go home. He said that we orta get Frank as we didn't wanna leave him there by himself-in this big town school. [Population of Noble back then was 500.] We told the teacher we were to meet pap uptown and ride to the dentist--Lie # 1. We walked to the first grade and told Franks teacher the same lie--Lie #2. Off we went uptown to just see if pap might be up there at the mill or store. He wasn't. Told the butcher we were lookin for pap--Lie #3. Had to go to the dentist. Well, we started walkin towards home-4 mile away and about a foot of snow on the ground. It was COLD! We didn't dare walk the road-- so--we walked through the countryside, down fencerows and wadin cross creeks. Frank was tired before we got out of town but we dragged, carried and helped him along. Finally we got home. Folks were not home so we stoked up the woodfires some and sat around the stoves and thawed out. We were wet to our ears and worn to a frazzle. By the middle of the afternoot pap and mom came home. They had been to Olney and then to the grocery store in Noble and talked to the butcher. They were really upset over this little ordeal. We just couldn't understand why. After all, we knew the way home and wasn't gonna get lost. The next hour or so wasn't too pleasant in the house but it was just too cold to go out and do our chores and besides - we were worn out! Next day wasn't just too nice either. Folks had already talked to the principal day before. He already knew there was NEVER a dentist appointment! Lie #4--Never did we admit anything different. Pap shoulda tanned our hides [me and jeep] but he didn't. Frank didn't know but what we actually had an appointment. Just one day in our ornery life back then. Haven't mentioned it to Jeep in awhile. Frank is dead since 72 and of course, pap is gone too. I ain't bout to mention it to mom. She STILL gets upset over it! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 06, 2000

Answers

Love the story, Hoot. You sure do live up to your name. I remember lots of stories like this being told about (and by) gramps and his brothers. My favorite is the one where they get the bright idea, from a friend or some such, to go out in the woods and experiment with lighting their flatulence. Mayhem and first degree burns ensue. Also reminds me of when we lived out in the country and Mom left for work before our bus got there, so if you missed the bus, you had all day to come up with enough butt-kissing house cleaning and chore doing to make up for missing school before Mom got home or she would tear you a new one, metaphorically speaking. Actually, Mom wasn't big on physical punishment, although she had a deviously creative mind for innovative psycological "spankings". Like the time my sister did something (who knows) and her punishment was to be dressed for school by us sibs for a week. You can bet that sis never repeated that mistake again, as we all had the diverse and passionate feelings about our personal styles that any group of yunguns has. Ah, the good ol' days of our youth!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 07, 2000.