EDITOR’S NOTE: Old File’s Store down on Bringle Ferry Road has been gone for more than a year now, moved to Gold Hill to be part of a historic village.
But Greg File remembers what he saw and heard there, remembers the tales told and opinions argued by the men who gathered around the pot-bellied stove when he was a kid, tagging after his daddy.
And one day he decided to write them down so they’d never be forgotten. And gave them names. And is sharing them with us last year and has more we haven’t hard for a second helping during this year’s holidays.
Shocked
My brother Jim is 18 years older than I am.
My first cousin Cliff — I call him Laddie — is three years older. So I had to grow up fast.
One day when I was about six, Jim was hooking a T-model coil to his car to break the dogs from messing up his tires. He got the idea from our Uncle Ernest Wyatt. He would fasten a tin plate to the coil and watch the chickens try to eat from the plate. The chickens would go wild when the electricity hit them.
Once Jim had his car hooked up to the coil, and he asked Laddie to touch the car.
Laddie saw what was going on and refused.
Then Jim called me over and asked if I wanted to play a trick on Laddie. I was glad to be on the joking end, so I went along. Jim explained that he would place a bucket of water next to the car, and I could step into the water and the water would insulate me from the electric shock. Then I could dare Laddie to touch the car, and he’d really get shocked.
Boy! Was I ever shocked when I grabbed hold of that car! And did they ever laugh!
Resourceful
John Holmes bought a tract of land off of Price Road. The man who sold it thought that John would never be able to pay for it and bragged that he got a big down payment and would soon get the land back because John wouldn’t be able to make his monthly payments on time.
But John Holmes, a black man who had some things going against him in those days, was right resourceful and nobody’s fool.
John figured that 100 acres was more land than he needed, so he sold 50 acres right away. Then he put in a small orchard and a big garden spot where he would raise vegetables to sell to stores and people in town.
And he not only kept up his payments and eventually owned his land, but he also raised four kids and put them all through college.
Scattered tools
Years ago David Trexler, better known as Butch, worked for Wood’s Motor Co. as a mechanic and body man. He always kept his area clean and put his tools up in his tool box when he was through with them.
One weekend, Wood’s was broken into, and Butch’s tools were stolen.
Mr. Wood talked to Butch and explained that the company’s insurance would not replace his tools. This bothered Butch very much. He borrowed others tools that first week, having to wait for the other mechanics to be through with their tools for a while before he could use them.
When the end of the week came, Butch had a talk with Mr. Wood and told him he was going to have to quit. He couldn’t afford to buy his tools back and not know if they would be there from one day to the next.
Mr. Wood asked Butch to stay.
He would replace the tools, he said.
Before that day was over, Mr. Rouzer was there from a local parts and tool store, and Butch was picking out the tools that were taken.
A week went by, and Mr. Wood came over to Butch’s station and noticed that tools were scattered around the floor. He asked Butch what was going on.
“Butch,” he said, “you always kept a neat station and put up your tools in the tool box.”
“But,” Butch told him, “if someone’s going to break in and take these tools, they’re going to have to work for them and not just pick up a box and carry them off.”
Coming tomorrow: Playing possum.
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