Living on the farm is very intresting. There are a lot of things that happen that makes life as not being so dull. For instance,
there was the time that Johnny had been plowing with a turning plow. I was with him at the end of the day when he was ready to take the mule back to Mr Wrights barn. I had a file in my hand and there is a certain way you can throw a file or wood slat and make it hum. I threw the file over the mules head while he was still hooked to the plow. The mule took off toward the barn pulling the plow and tearing down just about every fence post with the plow. I don't recall anyone ever knowing what happened.
There was a time that i really got into trouble. There had been a play at school and one Saturday several of us kids that lived close was helping clean up. Two of us was carrying some things to the Principal's house. There was some money on a table so we decided to take it. We went to the store down the road and bought candy with it. The Principal found out and told my mom and brother Bennie. My brother took the razor strap and blistered my bottom. I will never forget that whipping. It was one of the few that i ever received. There was one other time that i got a paddling by the principal for leaving some jump ropes on the playground and they disappeard.
For the most part school proved to be beneficial and i suppose what i learned at school and on the farm would prove to be an asset in later years. I remember one occasion when i was in the second grade and my brother Johnny was in the seventh grade. The seventh grade teacher sent word to the second grade teacher that she needed to use one of her students from the second grade. I was sent and the teacher gave me an illustration on tenths in math. After the illustration she ask me to give the answer and i did. She then told the class, "See i told you a second grader could answer the question." This embarassed my brother that i could solve the problem.
Sometimes there were tragedies as well. I stood on our front porch one night and watched as one of our school mates burned to death. I really did not know what happened then but my brother went up to the church building to see what was happening but he made me stay back. They were apparently pumping up a lantern of some sort and it exploded catching this boy on fire.