My dad told me stories of his childhood and young adulthood. When he was a child, hunting and fishing were important because they had a major impact on actual food on the table. If they didn’t catch or kill something, they might not have enough to eat.
My great grandfather bought a new L.C. Smith double barrel shotgun. The barrels are thirty-two inches and with full chokes. The gun has been handed down from eldest son to eldest son. I have it now and it will go to my oldest son.
My dad said when he was a young boy, he and Granddaddy were riding in a wagon when another man grabbed the reins of their horse. Evidently, the man and Granddaddy had a problem. Dad said Granddaddy reached down and pulled out the shotgun. He leveled the gun at the man and said, “Mister, get your hands off my horse.” Dad said the man dropped the reins as if they were hot. I have used that old gun to harvest squirrels, rabbits, quail, ducks, geese and deer.
Evidently, Granddaddy was double tough as he was a night marshal and would get calls of trouble at the local honky-tonks. These joints weren’t exactly fern bars. A honky-tonk in rural Louisiana at that time was a pretty rough place. He would go in to attend to the problem armed only with a blackjack; all 5’8”, 140 pounds of him. I can remember seeing that blackjack on his nightstand, along with his pocket (small) knife. My dad carried a pocket knife and told me that a man always carries a pocket knife. I still carry one.
