|
|
|
|
 This
is the church where I performed in my first and only Christmas play. It's
the Barnes Chapel church located near the old log and frame house where we
lived on Rattle Creek in Washington County, VA.About 1935 when I was a small boy we went to church here and that Christmas the elders in the church decided it would be good to have the children perform a Christmas program. We were given short verses to memorize for the event and I worked on mine until I had it down real good. Christmas Eve, Mama took us out to the church and they prepared for the program. Gifts would be exchanged and bags of "treat" would be passed out after the "Play" was over. All of us who were to perform were given a large letter from the word "Christmas". My letter was the first "S" in the word and it corresponded with my little verse. We were told to get up on the stage and line up with our letters but I wanted to 'See" the show, so I refused to get in line! My sister begged me, Mama begged me and several others pleaded with me to get in the line but I still refused and sank into a seat on the front row. I was a hard-headed child! All the others lined up with their letters spelling "CHRI_TMAS and the program began! I watched them until it came to my "S" and I jumped up on the stage and said, "S is for star which shines through the night!" Then I jumped back down! After the play and some singing the gifts and treat were distributed and I got a little tin horn which I immediately began "tooting" very low." I was sitting there tooting my horn and looking around when I saw Daddy and two other men come in the door and slide in on the back bench. I jumped up and ran back and showed Daddy my horn! He didn't pay much attention to me so I sat there beside him "tooting". Daddy and the other men had sold tobacco and had been to town drinking and shopping for our Christmas. I could smell the corn whiskey they had been drinking. Everyone stood for the closing hymn and when it started Daddy said, "Let me see that horn". He took that horn and blew it along with the song they were singing! I never dreamed it would blow that loud! We walked to the house and I found a little steel truck loaded with "roman candles" which I wanted to shoot immediately! Daddy lighted them and they went high into the air across the road and exploded. Everyone thought they were real "purty"! That was one of the few Christmases I remember getting anything and having so much fun but as I think back, I'll bet Mama wished she had gotten a Shotgun for Christmas because I'm sure she felt like killing me and Daddy both for the embarrassment we caused her that night! The End....... G. Lee Hearl
|
