We had a wood fire going in the old stove
to keep warm and it made so much smoke that we coughed all night and
didn't sleep much. We were still too scared to come down from the
loft. L. Ray Stokie was our Scoutmaster and he ran a chocolate shop on
Main Street. We would go down to the store and he would let us go down
in the basement to watch him make chocolates and pull taffy.
Most of my possessions during these years were bought for me by my
brother Clarence. My most prized possession was a pair of leather high
top boots with a pouch on the side for a jack knife. He also bought me
a hatchet, which I still have today. It is the only one I've ever
owned and it must be sixty years old. It is getting dull, but it's
never been sharpened. He also bought me my first bicycle and it took
me forever to learn to ride it. I don't know how many years I had it,
but it was my only bike. My mother and father had little money in
those days, especially during the Depression in 1929 and 1930, so if I
had anything at all it was bought for me by my older brothers.
It was some time during these years when I was in the little corner
store on West Avenue and I stole a five cent candy bar. I was scared
for months that I would be found out. It affected me so much that the
feelings have remained with me throughout my life. It was a great
lesson because I never did anything like that again. Jack VanBrooker
ran the store and when he had bananas that were too ripe to sell, he
would tell Ray and I that if we could eat them all we could have them
for free.
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