<TITLE>08. Par 30-33</TITLE>L-30 I remember in 1917, we were in school. And come a great snow in Indiana, and the... Oh, the drifted sometimes as much as seventeen, eighteen feet high. And it started raining and sleet. It froze a crust, oh, some inch and a half thick.
And all the boys at school went sliding, you know, on their sleds and things. We was too poor to have any of that. We got something to eat, we done well. So they... We didn't have...
Brother and I didn't have any sled, but we got us a big old dishpan out of the dump. We'd put our legs around one another and slide. We wasn't in as much class as the rest of them, but we were sliding just the same. So we were--we'd go right on down the hill turning around, and around, and around in this old dishpan.
That served as a sled till the bottom come out of it. So we went down and got us a log. And we took pop's axe and we chopped it up like that, the end of it. We made us a sled. We'd pull this little log, you know, and go on to school. We got down there.

L-31 And I remember, that winter there was a--used to be a--a magazine they sold, called "Pathfinder." I don't know whether you ever heard of the old "Pathfinder." My, I might be talking to a lot of b--boys that sold it.
Anyhow, and that was of the time of war, and everything that was big enough to put on a uniform had a uniform on. Everything was... Oh, the highest respect was for a uniform.
When I used to see those soldiers come up the road. We had a big old sassafras pole out there, and we'd run the flag up on it. We'd get that flag up and see all those soldiers have to stop and salute that flag, 'fore they passed it at--at school, you know. And oh, my, we'd have a big time out of that.

L-32 And I'd see those soldiers, them wrapped leggings, you know, and everything. Oh, my, how I wanted to wear a uniform. I said, "When I get to be a man, I'm going to be a soldier."
Well, I was too little then. And when I this other war come along. I guess I wasn't man enough. I tried to enlist, and then they wouldn't have me.
So I finally got to join the army, a uniform. I might not show it on the outside, but I got it on the inside. That's right. I joined the ranks of Christianity. In there I have a uniform on called the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I'm in a great battle, doing everything I can. And I--I might not be able to... I can feel It. I know It's there. And that's the main thing.

L-33 And Lloyd Ford, a friend of mine, he went to school down there. I guess Brother Curtis is laughing now, the boy that's here. One of my friends, remembers Lloyd. And he--he was selling this "Pathfinder," and he'd got him a little Boy Scout suit. And oh my, how he--he looked so nice in that scout suit. I said, "Lloyd, after you wear that out, will you give it to me?"
He said, "Yes, I'll give it to you."
My, how that old suit lasted. Went off a long time. One day I said, "Lloyd, what about that suit?"
He said, "Well, Billy, I'll see if there's--where it's at." He come back, and he said... Next day at school, he said, "Well, Billy," said, "I tell you." Said, "I wore it out, and my mama taken the--the part of the salvage and patched dad's clothes." And said, "And the--they made dog pallet out with the coat, and it's all gone." Said, "I haven't got a thing of it left but one legging."
I said, "Bring me that." I wanted something.


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