<TITLE>08. Par 26-27</TITLE>L-26 The thing of it was, there's about eight of them little Branhams, and maybe he give about six sticks of it, you know. So there's just about eight pair of little Irish eyes watching that candy to be broke just equally among each one. We'd set out there, you know, it'd be cold weather. We cover up in quilts; we get that candy, and all the boys would go to eating their candy. And I kinda played a little trick on them; now don't you boys try this, 'cause it might not work. So, I'd take my candy and act like I was eating it, and then get a piece of the paper sack off of the--something, you know, and wrap it up, put it in my pocket. I'd wait until Monday. And mother would say, "William."
I'd say, "Yes, ma'am."
Say, "Go to the spring and get a bucket of water."
Big old cedar bucket and a gourd dipper, you know, and I'd have to go down to the spring; that thing was heavy. And I'd say, "Edward," I called him Humpy, was his nickname, brother next to me. I'd say, "Tell you what I'll do; I'll let you lick on this stick of candy till I count ten if you'll go get that bucket of water for me." Ha-ha-ha. Very few chores I had to do on Monday, so as long as that candy lasted. I was a businessman. Ha-ha-ha. Lick on that candy, and I'd, oh, I'd count, I'd say, "One, two, three..."
"Not so fast."
I'd say, "Two, three."
"Now, you're counting too fast."
Start over again, and he'd get a couple of extra licks, you know, and so, then he'd keep that candy there, wrap it back up till I had something else to do, you know. Had it easy then on Monday; I was a man of leisure. My, to go back to those days again. That was good candy. You know, maybe tomorrow I could go out and get a box of Hershey's, but it wouldn't taste just like that did, you know, that was really good.

L-27 Did you ever eat it with salted crackers, them old barrel crackers, big ones, did you ever eat that and peppermint candy? Did you ever eat brown sugar with it? I tell you, the second thing I ever stole in my life, and the only thing that I know of, was a handful of brown sugar from my daddy. They had some brown sugar in a box, and made molasses for breakfast. Did you ever eat brown sugar molasses? Oh, my. So, I'm going home with somebody for dinner after while.
I went in, my brother said to me, said, "If you'll go get the sugar, I'll get the cracker."
I said, "All right."
Mother and Dad was hoeing in the garden. And I went in and got a big handful, enough for both of us. I was walking out with that; you can't even look straight when you're telling a lie, you know. So I walking along like that, down along the garden, only way I had to get out. And dad turned around, said, "Where you going, William?"
I said, "Sir?"
He said, "Where you going?"
I said, "I'm--I'm going down at the barn."
And uh, he said, "What you got in your hand?"
And I thought, "Oh, oh." I changed; I said, "Which hand?" You know. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
"Come here." Oh, my, ha-ha-ha. I didn't want no more sugar for a long time. Ha-ha-ha. Sure tasted good though. I'm talking about the sugar yet. Ha-ha-ha. When my father gave us a whipping, he had a razor strap made out of a piece of belt leather. Oh, my. I'd... He had up over the door, the golden rule, and it had all Ten Commandments on it; it was out of hickory. A limb about that long, you know, with them ten branches out on it. We got our education out in the woodshed, just running around daddy as hard as we could go, like that. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] More dad's like that would be better off. Amen. That's right. Instead of pleasing your child and giving him fifty cents to go to the picture show on Sunday afternoon. That's it.


<A HREF="P9">Next Page</A>