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Cottonseed
Kid
Childhood Memories of a Texas Life
Chapter
Three
The Ear Trumpet
- Page 2
by Hariett Dublin |
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Page
1
Not every day, but often, she would ask Mary and Martha to post her
letters and I got to tag along. When we showed delight in such a responsible
chore, we would each get to carry one letter to the post place. I
skipped thru the tree-lined path to the main street. We had to walk
around the Courthouse Block, and I was in awe of the magnificent building.
It was the most elegant thing I had ever seen. I imagined all sort
of presidents, kings and dignitaries working in this place. I thought
of it as hallowed ground. My little hand would clutch the letter and
the extra nickel that she gave me to enjoy an ice cream cone at the
Main Street Drug.
This
drug store was special because it had all the treats a little girl
could only imagine and was in the middle of a block full of fascinating
treasures. On one side was a Woolworth, the famous five and dime store,
and on the other side was an old junk store that had a bunch of birds
in the window, some green parrots, three in fact, several yellow canaries
and one old black Myna bird that said “Hello” whenever I stopped to
gaze. I watched the birds before we ventured in to get our treat because
I knew we would be in a hurry to go home later. I never understood
why they called this store, a Drug Store, when what they had was soap,
lotions, Listerine, toothpaste, assorted toys, and ice cream for us
every time we entered. It also had these strange looking hot water
bottles. The bottles had tubes with weird looking spouts attached;
I always wondered what you did with that. A few years later I found
out. We paid for our ice cream near a rack of Wrigley’s Double Mint
gum. Well, we knew about Double Mint gum because Fady always had some
in his pocket. He would make a big production when he took the pack
out of his pocket and said, “Oh look, I’ve got something for you.”
Then, he proceeded to break a stick in half with great fanfare and
award us each half a stick. To his dying day he never gave himself
or anyone else more than half a stick of gum at one time.
The drugstore had a very tall soda counter. I always needed a boost
to get on the stool. The marble top felt cool to my little hands that
were sweaty from clutching my nickel. The great soda spouts were shining
because the boy working there was so proud of them. Mother and Fady
both liked ice cream sodas, so once in a while I got to see how these
operated. The big black lever would be pulled down and the soda water
would fill the glass already containing three scoops of ice cream
and chocolate syrup. But on those days with such an important task
as posting the mail, I just ordered a plain ole chocolate ice cream
cone. I could never resist biting the bottom tip off first, so I had
to eat it in a hurry to keep the chocolate from dripping out the bottom
all over my clean dress. I really thought I was special because the
“soda jerk” winked at me when I paid. Walking home I found out he
winked twice at Mary. The bugger.
Posting these letters opened up a wide, wide world of wonder so we
often, very kindly, inquired about more letters to post. After Aunt
Lizzie left us to go visit other relatives, it was very dull for a
few days (or maybe at least a half day). I’ll bet you she never had
such good mail carriers as she did in Cottonwood Falls!
When things get quiet, I remember all these precious moments. When
I listen real close, I can hear Aunt Lizzie’s English voice, and I
don’t need an ear trumpet to hear Fady singing, and I can still hear
the crack of the horses’ hooves coming thru the brush.
Published with permission.
January 17, 2006
Back to Ear Trumpet,
Page 1 |
Cottonseed
Kid
Childhood Memories of a Texas Life
by Hariett Dublin
Publisher: Friday's Child Press
January 31, 2005
Book review by John Troesser
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