The Goat Man and Stock Market Day in Wise Va

THE GOAT MAN, AND STOCK MARKET DAY IN WISE COUNTY. In our town’s we all knew that Wednesday was stock market day and that meant a lot of action would be going on for the lucky one’s who got to attend or in a child’s eyes it did because back then it was not just yard sale items to be found no sir they had live stock and you never knew what kind unless you went.Some people would buy with cash, others traded around and got what they wanted. and so was the case of my neighbor, Bill who was a kind and always happy man some what older than my parents and he had a very jolly wife Rosie. who just happened to be a MAIL ORDER bride from some big city and together they made a very happy couple ,except on Wednesday’s .You see Bill was said to catch trading fever on those days and on top of that he always walked the rail road tracks about six miles to get there and as a child it was great fun during the summer months to set out side and watch for his return now my brother who is three years older than I assured me he knew when to get off the tracks when the train came .And it was so much fun to see him come up those tracks just a singing a good old mountain song like old Susanna and leading a string of goats well most time he led or maybe they were leading him it all depended on how high he was stepping or how loud his songs were . Now just as he would pass in front of the house we could see he most times had found another banjo and it would be hanging from his back and he sure could play any one he had and if he was really happy why I bet you could have heard him over that old coal train. Now my mother could be strict at times and she often did not find his ways funny but my daddy sure did and he would just laugh at mom and say
where could you find a "Happier" neighbor, than Bill at and mom would reply not to say things like that in front of us children .I Did not see why because everyone should be happy, but Rosie agreed with her at least on Wednesdays because you sure could here her yelling real LOUD!!!!....

A Visit From The Tooth Fairy in The Appalachian Coal Field's

A visit from the tooth fairy----In the Appalachian Coal Fields In the coal fields men getting out of work from time to time was not uncommon ,But it did cause things to be hard on their family money would run out until the mine was up and going or until they found other work and such was the case in our house daddy had been out of work for some time ,People had gardens and cows so most people could at least feed there family but no one had any money, I am telling you this in case you do not know about the coal fields and how people survived now to children life went on and so did our hopes and dreams and when it come to a lost tooth among myself and my sisters and brother we still believed in things like the tooth fairy I mean after all it was simple if you lost a tooth all you had to do was put it under your pillow and go to sleep knowing that when you awoke your tooth would be gone and a dime would be in place of it. Now the day before when I was four years old I lost a small tooth and I was happy you see because it meant that night the tooth fairy would come and as I danced around waiting for night fall, My parents were very unhappy because as the story goes there was no money to be found in the house at that time they had emptied out every jar of change to pay the light bill payment that was one thing that scared all miners when they were out of work ,How to keep the lights on, So when I lost my tooth that day my parents were not as over joyed as I was they was wondering what to do when night fall come, Now my mother had a cross necklace that I liked to borrow and wear to church as in our home church was like school you went unless you were really sick,So she thought I would be just as happy to receive the necklace and she had thought that she would tell me she had given it to the tooth fairy to wear, Now this may not have been the best plan seeing how my mother did not like or approve of little white fibs, But she said she had thought she would do some extra talking to the , Lord that night and she slid the necklace in place of the tooth and she reach my dad the tooth to place up high on the shelf in there room where I could not see it, Now with mother talking it over with the Lord she told daddy she felt sure all would be ok, Now they were early risers and got up with the sun to start the day and although they had what was called a,Big Ben clock they wound up and set the alarm each night but most mornings were up before the clock went off, But on this one morning I awoke first and was looking under my pillow now I might add that being still small I slept with my parents as at that time I was still the baby one ,Now mother said she told me to keep looking and then she said a ray of sun caught her eye threw through the window and it was like a sun beam that led to the floor, And there lay a mercury dime, And she said it was as bright as if it had just been maid she said daddy sat up and was as puzzled as she was but I had saw my tooth fairy dime in the floor and was out of bed dancing around, Now what became of the necklace well I will tell you both my parents said it was in mothers pillow case, how did it get there, and where did that dime come from , Both of my parents said they never placed it there and my mother added that when she let me wear the cross she felt that I was safer as though a warm felling would come over her when she placed it on my neck by the way she placed it on me a few years later when it was my first day of school and she felt comfort from this and why some children cry the first day mother said I was happy and that when she left me in the school room I was chatting with my new teacher about my necklace ,and she said tears came down her cheeks as she knew that I would be ok and this story is a true fact that both my parents told over the years, and God rest there soul’s I “BELIEVE”.......By, Oaneatta Stanley Smith .........For more story‘s visit often.