He was an old gentleman as long as I can remember. Sellin watermelons cantalope and other "summertime goodies" when they were in season. Don't ever remember him usin harsh or foul language or even havin a short temper. He was just always easy to talk to and be around. I remember he would park his old truck in a little barn when it was loaded with melons just so they wouldn't get sunburn't and ruin them. One hot summer night a neighbor teenager [no, wasn't ole jeep or any of the Gibson family members] and his cohorts decided to raid "old rubber gut's" stash of melons and have a watermelon party. The truck was parked in the barn again and was kinda hard to get inside but it was accomplished without too much difficulty. Melons were bein passed out by the human chain to the waitin car. In their haste to get all the melons they could a lot of noise was also bein made. It woke the old dude up and he was quickly headed towards the barn---with his shotgun! As soon as his presence was known these melon thieves scattered like rats--got in their vehicle and left! All of'm---except one, that is! He was the neighbor that has organized this little exercise of "melon snigglin". Rather than run back out towards the road his buddy's had left on--and that shotgun--he decided the only way to escape was to run the opposite direction. He did! Onliest thing--he forgot about the "gap" just north of the barn-that led into a field. The gate had been replaced by a single strand of BARBED WIRE! Now, this young, muscular dude was really hot footin it when he encountered that "chest high" barbed wire-----! No, it didn't kill'm and he never got caught either. That was the LAST time he borrowed any melons from "old rubber gut" or anybody else for that matter. Oh, the name of "Old Rubber Gut"? Don't ever remember of anybody callin him by his real name. The old guy had had a colostomy [sp] from a cancer years before. NObody disrespected him by the nick name as he was well known and well liked by all the folks around. He died about 50 years ago and was really missed for years, by all who knew him whether customers or not. Absolutely nothing remains of his old homeplace anymore includin any of his many trees. He did leave a good name and that is certainly something to be proud of. Will you leave a good name when you leave this life? Oh, BTW, Jesus Christ is lookin for folks that have really messed up their lives. He WILL change a lost soul and "messed up" life-- just for the ask'n. Matt.24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), June 13, 2001

Answers

HELLO HOOT, GLAD TO SEE YOU BACK!

-- JERRY TRAVIS (travis938@excite.com), June 13, 2001.

Love watermelon stories. Used to grow them when I was a kid, had my own patch of garden in the family garden. Friend of mine who grew up on Prince Edward Island told me of an old farmer who had a farm up on a hill. He had a huge watermelon patch. When they were ripe, the old guy would sit out on his back porch in the rocking chair, listening to the radio, with a shotgun full of rocksalt at the ready. This was a challenge the local boys simply could not resist. They figured out more ways of sneaking off with the melons, usually just about made their getaway when the old feller would holler and there'd be a blast in the air...but they managed to sneak away with several melons every summer. Years later my friend was visiting his friend's father in a nursing home, and ran into the old farmer. The farmer recognized him, and said "You're So-and-so, one of the boys who used to steal my melons." My friend admitted, yes sir, I was one of those boys. The old farmer laughed and told him "I had more fun with that melon patch, put it in just for you boys. I used to love to grow those melons, and couldn't wait for them to get ripe. I had the best entertainment just seeing what scheme you boys would come up with next to get one of those melons!"

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), June 13, 2001.

Hoot, you don't know me, but I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy all your stories and words. Hope to keep hearing from you!

-- Sheryl in ME (radams@sacoriver.net), June 17, 2001.

Thanks Hoot. I've been away from my home and commputer for a while. Good story. May God Bless.

-- Tom S. (trdsshepard@yahoo.com), June 20, 2001.