<TITLE>05. Par 15-18</TITLE>L-15 I remember going to school all winter long with one of mom's shoes on, and one of pop's. That's right. I had... We called it a boot-n-gagger. And I had one of mom's shoe on this foot, and pop's. And this is awful to say, but it's the truth. It's the truth.
I remember I didn't have any shirt to wear that winter. And Mrs. Wathan, a rich lady lived up the road from us, give me a little coat that had a little eagle emblem on it. And I'd pull that coat up like this, and go on to school.
I remember setting up there. It got kinda warm, you know. And the teacher said, "William."
I said, "Yes, ma'am."
She said, "Aren't you warm? Better take off that coat."
I couldn't take that coat off. I didn't have any shirt on. So I said, "Why, I--I... No--no ma'am." I said, "I'm just a little bit chilly."
They had a great big old stove setting over there. She said, "You ain't taking a cold. You go over and set by that stove."
My, my. I set there and the perspiration run down on my face. She said, "Aren't you warm yet?"
I said, "No, ma'am." I was plenty warm, but I couldn't take that coat off. I didn't have any shirt on.

L-16 And so I remember that spring when I got my first shirt. I had a cousin, a girl, Lucille Hare, my father's sister's child. They come over to visit. And when she left, she left one of her dresses.
And--and--and I--I cut the skirt part off, and--and wore the top part as a shirt. I went to school. And it had this here little... What is that stuff that runs up-and-down, you know, like that, they put it around the edges of garments? Rickelty-rackelty? Or whatever the... I missed that. Rick what? Rick-rack. And--and so we--we... All over it everywhere, rick-rack all over it. So that's... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...?...

L-17 Down the hill we'd go, rivity, rivity, rivity, rivity. Well, we wasn't sliding like the rest the boys, but we were sliding anyhow. We--we were getting there anyhow in this old dish pan. Well, that was all right, but rat... Some of the boys had sleighs. You see? So after a while, the bottom come out of it. So we had no more sleigh. And we went down the river, and I got me a big old log, put a wire on it, and pulled it up top of the hill. And we'd get on this log and ride, ride down the hill.
I never will forget a event--event taken place there, there's a boy named Lloyd Ford. Brother Graham, ever where you at, my associate pastor's here somewhere. Lloyd Ford, he got him a job. That was in time of the world's war. So he got him a job selling "Pathfinders," or something like that, magazines. And he got to wear one of them Boy Scout suits. And everything was a war then, you know, and army. And oh, how I wanted to dress like a soldier.

L-18 I'd see those soldiers come up from the quartermaster, and go up the road there, just at attention, walking. And at the school, we had an old sassafras pole there, and raised the flag, and those soldiers come by would salute the flag.
I thought, "How..." Oh, my heart just beat. "When I get big enough, I'm going to join the army. I'll get plenty of clothes to wear. And I'll... And if I can join the army." But when I got big enough, I was too scrawny at the--to get in the army. And they wouldn't even take me.
But Somebody accepted me. That's right. I'm in a Army today. You might not be able to see my uniform, but I know it's on anyhow. It's on the inside. I'm in the Army of the Lord.


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