Making Your Mark - Part 1: Five Cents Of Burial Insurance

Wash your faces and load up in the car were our favorite words from Daddy.

We would soon go down our long dirt road off of Battle Hill.

One of our favorite places to go was the Pratt City Feed and Seed Store.

Daddy would tell Mrs. Beavers that he bought us four children to graze.

He would give her a $4 grazing fee.

Then he would give us a small sack each.

He would set his stopwatch to one minute and say, go! When the watch would ding, we'd stop with our sacks filled with candy.

The summer I turned 15, I loved riding my horse through the woods, having parties at our home, swimming in our creeks all so free.

Daddy asked to talk with me about helping Mrs. Beavers out at her store for six days a week.

from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for 50 cents an hour.

I couldn't imagine being inside all summer, but of course I said, "'Yes, sir, I will.' Asking me was just a polite, for sure way to make sure I'd do it.

On my very first day there, Miss Beavers showed me around the store, then a small closet-like space with a ledger in the cash register." Luckily, the first customers were my boyfriend Billy and his cousin James, who'd walked six miles to buy a pack of Camel cigarettes.

I told them, no, they pledged in Sunday school not to smoke.

Mrs. Beavers told me to put Billy's 50 cents in the cash register and give him back a pack of Camels and seven cents.

So I said, yes, ma'am.

Mrs. Beavers told me at the end of the week she would let me take over for the day.

She'd watch.

Two very nice, friendly people came in.

Mrs. Beavers told me they were Mr. Sweets and Miss Sherry.

I shook hands with them.

Ms. Sherry said Mr. Sweets wanted five cents worth of burial insurance and one pound of white meat.

I didn't know about the burial insurance in the feed and seed store, but I'd watch Mrs. Beaver slice the fat back, weigh it, and wrap it in perfect folds of butcher paper.

Mr. Sweets told me it looked just right.

Then Mrs. Beavers opened the little closet up and told me to go in and open the window out to the store.

I did that, and Mr. Sweets and Ms. Sherry were lined up at the window.