The story I'm about to relate
Is true, or so I've heard
Daddy told it many times
I remember most every word
On a long ago Sunday afternoon
Grandpa said, "I've got a surprise."
He'd hired a driver and his motor car
To take the family for a ride
The young man was their neighbor
In Thacker, West Virginia
He wanted to take his gal along
But there was no room for Lavinia
Grandpa and Louise, his wife,
Sat up front with the nervous driver
Crowded in the back seat were
Four kids who were none the wiser
Daddy, and his sisters two
And Hershel, their step brother,
Laughed and sang along the way
And kidded with each other
Things were going smoothly until
The driver let out a shout
"What's wrong with you?" my Grandpa asked.
He screamed, "The brakes are out!"
It just so happened that right about then
They were headed down Blackberry Mountain
The brake pedal now was to the floor
And the speed was beyond countin'
Grandpa was cussing and Louise was screaming
When the driver yelled, "Everybody jump!"
Grandpa grabbed him by the collar and said,
"You do and I'll whip your rump!"
The car kept speeding down the grade
But the load was a little bit lighter
'Cause Nettie and Brookie had both jumped out
But Daddy and Hershel held tighter
The two girls landed in gravel and thorns
Their kneecaps scraped and bleeding
They took off running after that old car
But the rattletrap kept on speeding
It wasn't long before they spied
the remnants of Hershel's cap
"Oh, no, he's dead," poor Nettie sobbed
"Cause he wouldn't just leave it like that!"
Running and crying and thinking that
Poor Hershel was in the ditch dead
They were able to breathe sighs of relief
When they spotted the car up ahead
The driver had finally got it to stop
As they crashed in a pile of dirt
Except for some bruises and crushed egos
They were scared but not really hurt
It was long about then that Hershel realized
He was missing his precious old cap
He started sniveling until he saw
That Nettie had brought it back
Grandpa swore that never again
Would he ride in such a contraption
The horse and buggy would suit him just fine
Without this embarrassing distraction
I miss the days of hearing Daddy tell
The story of that Sunday car ride
I guess it goes to show who the winner is
When an old man and a car collide
Kathleen McCoy EldridgeŠ
August 3, 2005
E-mail
Website
