The trip to town
I remember as a boy, I always looked forward to Saturday when I was visiting with my grandparents. That meant we would be taking a trip to town. It could mean some time in the 5&10, the grocery store or a stroll around the Courthouse Square or visiting with folks at the farmer’s market.
Going to town was special and meant the folks would put on their best clothes and their best manners.
Today, such excursions are really taken for granted; we hop in the car and run about like gasoline comes out of a water faucet sometimes. I do reminisce fondly about those days, the ice cream sundaes at the fountain, the folks smiling and waving as they go by. I want to share with you one of my favorite goin’ to town stories
I do not know if I have ever told you about my great-uncle Elige Doolittle. Elige has two twin boys, Will Doolittle and Won’t Do-alot.
I really believe that Will was blessed with all of the smarts in that branch of the family tree.
When they were boys the county was so impressed by them, they had a special ceremony out by their house to honor them. They put up a big sign out by where they lived commemorating the event. It’s still there today. It reads “Slow Children at Play.”
One time Uncle Elige decided to take the boys on a trip. They had not been too far away from Tunnel Hill in their lives so Uncle Elige figured he better start small with a drive through the mountains towards Dahlonega.
Won’t just had a notion he wanted to pan for gold even though Will assured him that he couldn’t actually find any gold there.
The boys had a full day and sure enough Won’t did not find any gold. On the way back, though, he kept seeing some signs on the side of the road, which said “Take Ex-Lax and Feel Young.”
Uncle Elige pulled off in Dawsonville to get a Moon Pie and RC Cola. The boys joined him, getting a Grape Crush each and two pieces of Beef Jerky. Won’t saw one of them little boxes of Ex-Lax and added it to his order. After their meal, the boys decided they would see if the signs were true. They split the box between ’em and had those chocolate bars as dessert.
They rode a while. Will looked at Won’t and asked, “Do you feel any younger?”
Won’t said, “No.”
They rode a while longer. Won’t asked Will, “Do you feel any younger?”
Will said, “No.”
As Uncle Elige neared the apple country of Ellijay, he started wondering himself, turned and said, “Well, boys, do you feel any younger?”
Will said, “No.”
Won’t agreed and said, “I don’t feel any younger, but I sure did do a childish thing.”
The characters and antics of Elige Doolittle, Will Doolittle and Won’t Do-alot are the sole property of Peach Picked Publishing and are used by permission.
