Wayne in BC
New member
There was no chance in a small community in those days and at that age 12-13, we could get any girls to drink booze with us and we knew it but the thought was always there, we had heard it worked 
Trotting in and out of the dance all evening to alternate between avoiding the "opportunity" of dancing awkwardly with some fat girl or our mothers, and while running around in the warm dark plotting, we noted a couple guys going back and forth to their truck along with a couple different local guys. They were from a town 15 miles away and we reckoned they were kinda rich cause the truck was newer than most. (found out much later that they were bootleggers
)Pretty sure it was a '53 Dodge and still fair shiny. They would reach in and bring out a paper bag, everybody raising it to their mouths a time or two then head back in to the dance.
A quick sneak, carefully opening squeaky door and omygawd! There were no less than 8 bottles of Lambs Navy Rum bagged up on the seat! Two were opened, the rest uncracked and we immediately reasoned that they would not miss just one, specially if we took that empty from the box and bagged it to replace the one we stole
Around the hall and out back to a grove of bushes us hardcore drinkers scampered. Setting in a blacker shadow under a Caraganna hedge, we began sipping, each pretending it was "good stuff" while grateful for the dark not showing the looks on our faces and the trouble swallowing :angry: I suspect we got down about 3 oz each before heading back into the hall and i remember a warm glow starting to work its way up from my belly as i joined the crowd. Maybe 10 minutes later cousin said, lets go outside for some air.
Oddly, i remember the Crickets and the warm night air smelling sweet, the Nighthawks buzzing. The ever present scent of fresh hay mixed with the sharpness of Silver Willow and Tumbleweed, nice but silly things to remember, Another 10 minutes and maybe 3 oz each, had us both getting talkative and feeling much older as we went back to the dance, stumbling only occasionally or maybe regularly, i can't quite remember....... i was later told by an early developed neighbor girl that i said some interesting things to her while we danced kinda sideways, but would not tell what they were.
She did not seem real mad though and i wondered why......young, drunk, and dumb!
Third time out, maybe 12:30 am ish we found that we were getting down near the bottom of the bottle and some folk were leaving. We left a bit in the bottle as we were called to come get in the car. Getting IN the car as i remember was a bit tough and i squabbled some with my little b**ch sister (who i still love a whole lot) when she said we stunk real bad and were gonna go to hell for sure! She was soon shushed by Mom and Auntie, and oddly they went over to the truck and argued some and loudly with Dad and uncle Dave, then returned all tight lipped, told us all to be quiet and headed home.
I do remember hanging my head out the window as we traveled and puking something fierce, but thats was the end of my recollection until i and cousin woke to an awful headache at 5:30 am, with Dad and uncle Dave yelling "HAY!" in our ears. Omygawd! We did not usually work a full day Sundays unless we were behind real bad and i was beginning to suspect that we were busted but nothing was said although the kitchen seemed mighty cold and quiet for July. The rest of that day is a nightmare only partially remembered. Hot as hell on the hayfield, we sweated it out, not even eating much but thankful for the extra water jug
Nothing ever needed to be said, we paid the price! Later years, a bit of maturity and some judicious questions helped me make up that missed argument between the family heads, this has got to be it, all i could ever get from Dad or Dave....
Mom.......Douglas! Those boys are drunk! How did that happen??!!!
Dad.......yes i know my love, boys will be boys ya know.
Mom......not on my watch they won't!! (Mom was ex Army also and i am the reason she was discharged just before the war ended )
Uncle Dave......its ok, we will handle it but not right now, my old shrapnel wounds are acting up...... (Italy)
Auntie Mary......take a buggy whip to them right now!!! (she was a sweetheart like Mom but if you pushed it too far
)
Dad......just say nothing we will handle it and thats an order!
I guess that would be when they came back to the car all stonefaced and said nothing all the way home.
Next, the White Horse..........
Trotting in and out of the dance all evening to alternate between avoiding the "opportunity" of dancing awkwardly with some fat girl or our mothers, and while running around in the warm dark plotting, we noted a couple guys going back and forth to their truck along with a couple different local guys. They were from a town 15 miles away and we reckoned they were kinda rich cause the truck was newer than most. (found out much later that they were bootleggers
)Pretty sure it was a '53 Dodge and still fair shiny. They would reach in and bring out a paper bag, everybody raising it to their mouths a time or two then head back in to the dance.A quick sneak, carefully opening squeaky door and omygawd! There were no less than 8 bottles of Lambs Navy Rum bagged up on the seat! Two were opened, the rest uncracked and we immediately reasoned that they would not miss just one, specially if we took that empty from the box and bagged it to replace the one we stole
Around the hall and out back to a grove of bushes us hardcore drinkers scampered. Setting in a blacker shadow under a Caraganna hedge, we began sipping, each pretending it was "good stuff" while grateful for the dark not showing the looks on our faces and the trouble swallowing :angry: I suspect we got down about 3 oz each before heading back into the hall and i remember a warm glow starting to work its way up from my belly as i joined the crowd. Maybe 10 minutes later cousin said, lets go outside for some air.
Oddly, i remember the Crickets and the warm night air smelling sweet, the Nighthawks buzzing. The ever present scent of fresh hay mixed with the sharpness of Silver Willow and Tumbleweed, nice but silly things to remember, Another 10 minutes and maybe 3 oz each, had us both getting talkative and feeling much older as we went back to the dance, stumbling only occasionally or maybe regularly, i can't quite remember....... i was later told by an early developed neighbor girl that i said some interesting things to her while we danced kinda sideways, but would not tell what they were.
She did not seem real mad though and i wondered why......young, drunk, and dumb! Third time out, maybe 12:30 am ish we found that we were getting down near the bottom of the bottle and some folk were leaving. We left a bit in the bottle as we were called to come get in the car. Getting IN the car as i remember was a bit tough and i squabbled some with my little b**ch sister (who i still love a whole lot
) when she said we stunk real bad and were gonna go to hell for sure! She was soon shushed by Mom and Auntie, and oddly they went over to the truck and argued some and loudly with Dad and uncle Dave, then returned all tight lipped, told us all to be quiet and headed home.I do remember hanging my head out the window as we traveled and puking something fierce, but thats was the end of my recollection until i and cousin woke to an awful headache at 5:30 am, with Dad and uncle Dave yelling "HAY!" in our ears. Omygawd! We did not usually work a full day Sundays unless we were behind real bad and i was beginning to suspect that we were busted but nothing was said although the kitchen seemed mighty cold and quiet for July. The rest of that day is a nightmare only partially remembered. Hot as hell on the hayfield, we sweated it out, not even eating much but thankful for the extra water jug
Nothing ever needed to be said, we paid the price! Later years, a bit of maturity and some judicious questions helped me make up that missed argument between the family heads, this has got to be it, all i could ever get from Dad or Dave....
Mom.......Douglas! Those boys are drunk! How did that happen??!!!
Dad.......yes i know my love, boys will be boys ya know.
Mom......not on my watch they won't!! (Mom was ex Army also and i am the reason she was discharged just before the war ended
)Uncle Dave......its ok, we will handle it but not right now, my old shrapnel wounds are acting up...... (Italy)
Auntie Mary......take a buggy whip to them right now!!! (she was a sweetheart like Mom but if you pushed it too far
)Dad......just say nothing we will handle it and thats an order!
I guess that would be when they came back to the car all stonefaced and said nothing all the way home.
Next, the White Horse..........
You paid the price, probably felt like you were going to die! 