The Life and Times of The CoffeyMen Part 2
As a little tyke my growing years were happy and carefree tromping through the woods in the safety of my dog Scamp a white pit bull my dad had imported from England. As the house was being build two huge cess pools were dug 18 feet deep by 12 feet across, the soil that came from them was very sandy so I guess I had the biggest sand pile in the county.
In 1937 on May the fifth my baby sister Mary Rita was born.And now there were two. .........I can remember
building roads, towns etc.. In those days my toys
were of the old tin type, so many were left there
when I moved on into my teenage years. Now a days,
they would be worth a fortune.
My world existed of family and those five acres my
father bought just a short time back.
Christmas was a deep family time
for us. On Christmas Eve my school, St. Agnes of
West Chester, Penna. let us out early. I and my
sister Mary would walk to my Grandmother Bray's home. In those days as Catholics this was a fast day {no
meat} and it was a contest to see who could make the
most delicious Oyster soup.
The house smelled wonderful , cookies, cakes, pies all blending with the aroma coming from a coffee pot that had come from Ireland. the coffee was boiled in a white Irish linen bag.
It was said that in all it's
lifetime the pot had never been scrowered, washed
clean, yes but no abrasives. Memories still remain
in my heart and brain of these smells and happy
times.
My Great Aunt Sara Delany
who always had a shot of hard liquor at bedtime sat
in her big soft chair surrounded by her Christmas
bottles of "Cheer" the young men in the family gave
her to make sure her supply was adequate for the
coming year.
We children understood this
was the adults night and did not expect toys or the
like. The most we received was a brand new dollar
bill, given in an envelope with a hole so George
Washington's face looked through.
At the end of the evening when we were home my father carried each of us kids sleeping in his arms up to bed, Mom and Dad earlier had trimmed the tree and had a Christmas toddy together before joining the evenings festivities in town.
From the old barn down toward the house when Winter snows came a sled run was carved out from the silver runners of Flexible Flyers the fastest sleds around. At night in the moonlight I'd water down the turns with my Mother's sprinkler can so tomorrow they'd be solid ice. The runners after cutting their grooves would hold fast to propel us at break neck speeds. We were frightened to death but yet we chanced it time and time again.
In the Spring, Oh ! how i loved the Spring, no pansy was I but i've always loved flowers, my favorites being Daffodils and Lilacs, on my Mother's dining room table was a very large blue Roseville vase approximately 20" high, she would fill it to overflowing with Lilacs Oh how grand our home smelled. How I'd love to have that vase today.
I was 7 now and one Sunday about noon I could feel tension from every one around me. Things were said in whispers around we children. It was December 7th. 1941.
Even school took on a different feeling, teachers were a bit stricter, looking back now I guess they wanted less mistakes not only from themselves but our whole country. Next to the Court house Annex a great pile of scrap iron sprung up. Farmers from all around scoured their land and fields for unused and worn out machinery, it was so very strange to see farm tractors coming into town on our main streets with wagons loaded high with scrap iron.
Yards no matter how small were blooming with a Victory garden, as they were called.
Tables that never had food right from the garden brought proud smiles from a city family that knew what set before them helped a soldier get more food at the front because of their efforts.
My father now into his 40's was not drafted, my brother, William Steven {Billy} rounded out the three Coffey children.
My Uncle Emmett owned a gas station, Married to aunt Kay he had a son Mike aka. {Freddy Mike} and a daughter Maryjane. Although the blackmarket was in existence He, Emmett, and Dad never seemed to ask favors from one another, once in a great while Uncle Emmett would find a recap tire for Dad.
At my age as the War raged on my life as a youngster moved on, asking relatives to buy a bond, buying .10˘ bond stamps till your little book was full, then trading it in for a bond of your own.
As in a child's life, time is endless, as evening time rolled around I in my pj's along with Mary and Bill would creep down the stairs from our beds to sit and watch a young handsome Army flyer court young ladies at the other end of our living room in front of a glowing fireplace, Wally as was his name would knell on one knee professing his love, the young girls knowing he was a little tipsy no doubt enjoyed his admiration but taking his offers as the fantasies they were. By todays standards Wally was as good looking as any movie star of today.
If any of the young women thought he was serious his single days would have been over in the blink of an eye.
Sailors, Marines, Army GI's all with leave after their boot camp training under their belts with ready smiles and a wink for every girl, the girenes {Marines} straight as ram rods , swob jockeys {sailors} caps tilted on the angle, a shock of new grown hair showing out from under. GI's finely pressed uniforms , all home to see Mom and Dad and friends before shipping out to the unspeakable horror of war, to become tested men , before their time.
Faces of weary men would return, wounded inside and out never those boyish twinkles in their eyes again. Train station platforms wet, blending with sweetheart , wives , and Mother's tears all for that boy they loved, wondering if they would ever see him again.
A pearcing whistle ..... His Sargent's bark ..... and He was gone. ...........................
I can remember the little gold banners that hung in in so many windows in our town, proudly proclaiming that our Son, our Father is over there fighting for our freedom. Some with 1 star some with 2 or more.
Then as time wore on the banners more and more began to show black stars, and you felt yourself walking past that house in silence. Trying to imagine the hurt and knowing there was a lonely Mother, wife, or sweetheart sitting there with a wet hankie balled up in her hand the shades drawn, so heart broken , so bewildered.
Just after the end of the War in Germany Wally along with the girl who would later capture his heart rented a small plane from the local airport, after buying rolls of toilet paper they flew over his parent's farm covering every thing in sight, his Mother in her apron, tears rolling down her cheeks, out in the yard looking skyward " That's my Wally , that's my Wally !" .......
|
Read my Dreambook! Sign my Dreambook! |
 |