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There
sat a box on the side of the road loaded with all kinds of groceries, flour, corn
meal, canned goods, cereal, and just about anything a family would need to survive
for several days. It was 1935 and this bonanza would be equal to discovering a
truckload of food today. We were riding in our old Buick, converted into a truck,
and loaded with the four in our family plus four neighbors who had hitched a ride
into town with us. I think we probably inspired the opening scene of “The Beverly
Hillbillies”. I don’t know who actually saw the box first but as the truck stopped
our four neighbors leaped off and made a dash for the prize before them. My dad
and mother sat quietly and said nothing.
There was a chorus of “I saw
it first” even before they reached the treasure along the roadside. They all stopped
short of their goal and started arguing about whom should be the rightful owner.
For a while it appeared a couple of the men and even a women would become physical
about property rights. My father was always the peaceful sort and made no claim
of his own and neither did my mother. Sam and I just sat and watched. This was
promising to be better entertainment than the cowboy movie we had seen earlier
that day. All the contestants had been good, friendly neighbors as long as we
knew them, and so their conduct on this occasion was surprising. While the conflict
between the three was about to reach its boiling point the fourth started walking
over to the box of groceries. When he was detected the other three began to warn
him not to touch them, or else! The fourth man started laughing. We all wondered
what he found so amusing about finding a valuable box of much needed food. Without
warning he suddenly gave the box a mighty kick. It looked as if he had gone berserk
until we saw a huge dust cloud rise in the air. The items scattered all over the
road. All the sacks, cans and other containers were empty except for the ones
that were filled with dirt. It was a cruel prank to pull on people who had to
really scrape to put a meal on the table. Everyone slowly climbed back on the
truck. Their red faces revealed the embarrassment and humiliation they felt. It
was a quiet ride for the rest of the way home. The incident was soon forgotten
and everyone involved remained friends for the rest of the time we knew them.
After all, times were tough and the sight of a gift from heaven did strange things
to hungry people. |
© George Lester
7-29-2004 | | |
