All stooped over, hands knarled with arthritis, age and hard work-he was a prince of an old fella. Bib overalls, brogan shoes, long sleeve shirts year around and of course his old cob pipe. He bought "granger twist" chaw bak and carried it in his right hip pocket. When he wanted a smoke he'd reach back in that pocket and break off a piece of the "twist". He'd hold the baker in his left palm and with his right thumb and two fingers would grind the twist into a pulverized palm full of "smoke baker" as he'd say. Load up his cob and lite it wup with a "farmer match" which he'd strike on the cob pipe. After about one minute of smokin-the old fella would start slobberin. In fact, the slobbers would get to workin overtime and would drip off the end of his old cob pipe. Old Jeep and I would just about die laughin and tryin to guess just how long it'd take for'm to start. Now, old Sammy was a good old man. Never married but well thought of and respected in these here neck of the woods. He walked everywhere he went. Had chickens, sold eggs to heip support himself. Heated with wood, no runnin water and of course no inside plumbin. He was one of the best shuckers of corn around. The only on that was better was his brother. Of course, Sammy was a little older than Fred but had worked so hard he'd hurt himself years earlier that had slowed him down. Ruptured from lifting things way too heavy for him to even try. He was not a big powerful man. He was all bent over but even straighten up he wouldn't be much over 5 1/2 ft. tall. Pap would hire him to help on the farm while shuckin corn. We all helped out when pickin corn. Team of mules and about 6 people shuckin. We couldn't keep up with Sammy. Noontime was always good! Mom would have a table full of Country Cookin--and ALL made from scratch. We'd all eat until we were "glassy eyed". After a rest of an hour os so back to the field. At the end of the day we had old Sammy to stay for supper. When it was over-mom would load old Sammy down with food to take home. Pap would pay'm and he or one of my older brothers would drive Sammy home. Went to check on Sammy one time in the dead of winter. His old house you could actually see through the walls. While lookin thru the walls to see if he was inside the house-a BIG rat was layin on a fire break in the inside of the wall. Sammy was at the kitchen table eatin fried eggs and shivverin. His littl king heater was just a jumpin it was so hot but yet 2 feet away you would freeze. Sammy was happy livin that way as numerous times neighbors would want to help fix up a place for him and he wouldn't have anything to do with it. In his later years of life, he was used by neighbors to help babyset their kids while they did the hard work that Sammy could no longer do. I don't suppose he ever had an enemy! Kids loved him and he really loved kids too. He was a very religous man but never went to church. He knew where he was gonna go before he died. I can't remember just when he died but it was sometime in the early 60's, I think. We were all enriched by knowin and being friends of Sammy! His old homeplace is gone-if you didn't know where it was you would never know it even existed now. Nothing left of Sammy or his homeplace--only memories. Good ones at that! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 10, 2000

Answers

Sammy's brother Fred lived about 2 miles south on his own 40 acres and a house on a hill. Just east of that house down a slight grade was an old water well with a hand pump. In the ground was a waterin trough that was round and made from cast iron. The top was almost level with the dirt and about 2 inches thick. Well Fred died, his wife and daughter sold out and moved to town. A nieghbor bout the farm and cleaned up the barn, house and even this well. He had a sale several years later and sold that waterin torugh. I couldn't go because of work committments. I was down there a couple days later. This big iron kettle was settin there on the ground. THAT was the watering trough! It has set so long there and it was so heavy that it just sank into the ground. It was in that location for about a hundred years as near as anybody could figure. Well, I asked about it and he said somebody up north had bought it and was to come and get it as soon as he could find a trailer to haul it on. I told'm I'd give his money back and to call and see if it was possible to buy it. He did and the guy decided to sell. I had to pay $5.00 more as I recall but it was still a bargain. $75. for the entire kettle. I brought a 1 ton chev flatbed with heavy overloads to move it on. Mr farmer picked it up with the front bucket on his John Deere 60. It flattened both front tires and was so heavy he couldn't move. I had to back under the kettle with the truck and he let it down gently. The old Chev just kept droppin. The overloads were so heavy that I was afraid they would break. Finally made it home slowley because it was so heavy on the back the front was so light-very difficult to steer. Apparently the kettle was on a steam ship from the early 1800's and later used for making applebutter at an orchard close by. It could've even been on this very farm! It's settin in a cradle made for it -made from drill stem and heavy as a dead Baptist preacher. Can't move it but with a BIG winch truck. Oh, the size? Some estimates of capacity were from 700 gal to 900 gal. It actually figures mathmathically to be 248.6 gallons. Can you imagine makin that much chowder? Matt. 24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), August 11, 2000.

your peice on sam is great , very descriptive, you must have taken writing classes some were? your almost a male version of laure wilder.

-- kathy h (saddlebronc@msn.com), August 15, 2000.