By
Norris Chambers
In the back country where I grew up kids kept pretty busy. We hunted a
lot, fished some, did considerable work and had a lot of fun. At the age
of seven we started our book learning at the closest country school. The
little town where
About the second week of the school term
“Halt!” One of them hollered. “You got to stop and pay
tribute.”
“What’s that?” I asked, not knowing what he was talking
about.
“Take everything out of your pockets. Let us see what you’ve
got.” We didn’t know
what the tribute thing was but we did understand the pocket command. We
reached in both pockets of the overalls we wore and pulled out our
treasures. I had an old pocket knife, a nickel and an old spinning top.
The long-necked one who had taken my wealth complained about us
not having much and then he slapped me in the face. The shorter one
uttered some ugly word and they ran off toward the school house.
This encounter shocked and surprised us. We hadn’t been robbed
before and were a little uncertain as to what to do.
We found John on the other side of the school building involved
in a softball game.
“When we get there,” John told us, “Let Clifton approach
the tall, long-necked one and start harassing him and then while they
are busy talking Norris will come up behind old Long Neck and lock his
arm around his neck.” John
turned to me and said, “Hold on tight and don’t turn loose.” And
then he instructed
John caught the other villain by the arm and asked him if he
wanted some of the same treatment. A crowd was gathering around us. A
fight always draws a crowd of onlookers.
John asked the one he was holding if he wanted to get a few licks
or did he want to give back what he had stolen. I guess he wasn’t a
fighter because he said, “I’ll give it back! Don’t hit me.”
Old Long-neck was already begging
“Are you ready to give back what you stole?” John inquired.
The answer was a quick “Yes” blurted out between blows to the nose
and cheek. John told me to turn him loose and The crowd
started dispersing and the affair would have been closed but Mr. Stone,
the School Superintendent, walked up and wanted to know what the trouble
was.
John told him what the boys had done and that they had returned
the items they took in the robbery. “It’s good that you repented and
returned your ill-gotten gain. A crime always leads to punishment so you
two come with me to my office and we will take care of that.”
The two hoodlums walked toward the school with Mr. Stone. Old
Long-neck was rubbing his face and his buddy looked a little down in the
mouth!
Could this incident be described as fun? Fights were never fun
but during those early years we were involved in a few. We didn’t win
all of them as easily as this one but we survived!
|