When Daddy was made gatekeeper at the road entrance that led up the mountain to the 'spar mines where he worked, we encountered some unusual and unforgettable memories.
Daddy often brought home mineral specimens he'd discovered during his work. Soon, Belle and I had amassed a collection of beautiful and unusual gems. We added something new to our collection almost daily, displaying them along our long porch.
On day, as Mama worked in the garden, a big touring car made its way slowly up our road. Mama saw the license plate and whispered to us that the car was from Texas! Two women began to labor to emerge from the car.
Big women, they were dressed in jodhpur pants. Talking with Mama, they kept their eyes on the porch rock collection, making their way toward it.
Finally, one of them asked if we would sell them the entire collection. We split to Mama, asking her to answer the question. Mama replied to ask the ladies what they were willing to pay. Back to Mama we went with the sum of three dollars as their offer. Mama thought for a minute, then replied to do whatever we wished.
We knew that Daddy didn't make three dollars a day for his work in the mines, so it sounded like a fortune to us, and we made the deal.
You can imagine how many times over the years we discussed what a collection such as ours would bring on today's market.
Dad usually locked the gate as his last chore of the day. But one summer, as we ate supper, we noted one particular car began to make weekly trips up the road toward the mines. Yet, it never stayed long enough to make the trip to the mines, which was almost impossible for a car to do in the first place, with the ruts made of sharp spar gravel.
Dad and Mama began to speculate in low tones that made me wonder about the nice-looking gentleman driver and the young woman who sat beside him.
Well, the problem was solved with a visit from one of my all-time favorite people. Aunt Hettie came for a week's stay, and in no time Mama had filled her in about the mystery couple. As soon as she heard it, Aunt Hettie began to make plans to play a trick on the unsuspecting couple.
All I could gather was that it was something so funny that Mama kept vowing she could not go through with it without laughing.
Sure enough, the couple kept their weekly schedule, and Aunt Hettie went into her plan. She and Mama began to wash the dishes, giggling, while dad made his way down the road.
What I didn't know was he locked the gate, then crossed a fence, walked through a wide cow pasture and crossed a creek to our neighbor who was in on the trick.
When this took place, and the poor man came walking back up to our yard to ask that the gate be unlocked, Aunt Hettie was as stern-faced as she could be.
"Sir, the man who has the only key to that lock is gone for the evening, and I don't know when he will be back."
Dad and the neighbor watched from their view, giving plenty of time for nerves to be frayed before deciding it was time to end the anxiety.
Later, when Daddy explained how fast the car sped onto the highway, the laughing began all over.
Some days later when Dad had done a bit of investigating to learn who the couple were, I piped up with, "Are they married?" My short answer was from Mama, "Yes, but not to each other."
We never saw them again.
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