
In the Little House days, there was a “rolling store.” A large truck carried a supply of merchandise and circulated through rural communities selling the things that the poor country people needed. The rolling store came as far as Uncle Earl’s house, and most of the time we would try to be there when it arrived. It kept a regular weekly schedule. I really don’t remember a lot about the merchandise. But I remember clothes pins, matches, sausage in oil, Brown’s Mule chewing tobacco, Hitchcock, snuff, and various kinds of candy, like Hershey bars. Needless to say, there are reasons for my recalling the things I recall.
The clothes pins were useful for hanging out clothes, but they also made good toys. We could make wooden pistols, and tie a clothes pin on the back side of the handle, stretch rubber bands from the end of the wooden barrel to the holding part of the clothes pin, and then squeeze the clothes pin to release the rubber band as a bullet. Uncle Willie chewed Brown’s mule, and “took” Hitchcock—a laxative. Mama bought matches to build fires in the fireplace and light the oil stove and the lanterns. Aunt Ida and Grandma dipped snuff. Not very often, but occasionally, Mama would buy a Hershey bar, or Brock candy bar. O, by the way, there was a kerosene tank on the very back of the truck—for kerosene lanterns, and the oil stove.
I vaguely knew the Mr. Menefee owned the rolling store. I little imagined that he was my future father-in-law. But I did not meet Betty until we started to school.
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