Dennis Crocker Memories - Part 2 (May 15, 2013)
When I was in the 6th grade, I was invited by a girlfriend to a night - time party at the old “Girls'Club" in the bottom floor of the Hall. As the party was breaking up, her Dad offered me a ride home (we lived over in "Burgess Town") on the Pacolet/Cowpens Highway, a little over a mile from the "Flat" there at the mill. I was too bashful to accept the ride, so I walked home in the dark - it was probably 9 o’clock. I did real well until I cleared the mill village lights, and then I didn't do too good. There is a sharp curve about 250 yds up from the Spartanburg County/Cherokee line. Back in the 30's my Uncle Cap Loftis was accosted and robbed in this isolated spot.
Well, as I approached that dark curve, I began to run on tiptoe, as quietly and as fast as I could. It would have taken a fast robber to have caught me. From that point on, I had not far to go as we lived across from Burgess' store, which was owned and operated by Mr. Floyd (Uncle Floyd) Burgess.
Uncle Floyd was quite a character. He loved teasing my best childhood pal, Bob Shackelford, and me. We were at the store one night as it was getting dark, and he and his sidekick, “Ol” Jesse Greene, began relating stories about a "Whangdoodle". Seems this awful creature was in the habit of dining on little boys, and just last week had eaten a boy over in the Goucher Community. They went on to tell us that it made a funny loud roaring sound just before it pounced! Well, it was time for us to go, “O” Jesse had already gone, and Uncle Floyd's parting shot was "Don't let that Whangdoddle get 'chall".
It must have been a 100 yds up the driveway to our backdoor, and we started out at a fast walk. All of a sudden we hear this loud roaring moaning sound, and we broke into a run. Bob had a step on me, and I knew that was going to let the Whangdoodle get me, so with a burst of speed I passed him, only to have him try to re-attain the lead. We hit the back door as if all the devils in hell were on our heels, and we didn't slow up until we were under my bed!!
Mother came in (Dad worked second shift at the mill at that time) and wanted to know what was wrong. We sputtered out our story about the Whangdoodle and the awful racket it makes. She tut tutted us, and offered to walk Bobby home (across the "middle field" between our houses). I accompanied them and we saw Bobby safely home, and was walking back across the middle field when that roaring moaning sound started again. Man, I put it in overdrive, and just did beat Mother to the backdoor. Next day she went down to the store and read the riot act to Uncle Floyd and Jess, who couldn't stop laughing while she was giving them what for!!! Jess showed her the stick, string and piece of lath, that he used to make such a racket, which I do believe is called a Whangdoodle.
One night, after scout meeting, Buddy Foster was Scoutmaster, we chose up for a game of fox and hounds. I was just shy of 11 years old and Bob had invited me to come to the meeting at the Methodist Church. As we scattered, I snuck back to the porch of the church and hid in a dark corner, where one of the older scouts found me. In choosing up sides, Bobby was chosen opposite the side I ended up on, and the older scout was also on that side. When he grabbed me, I blurted out "I'm changing sides, I want to be on the side with Bobby". Later, as the group reconvened, the scout who caught me said "Men, we have a traitor, a turncoat, among us!" I didn't wait to hear more, I left as fast as I could, with a number of people chasing me. They didn't catch me, and I didn't go back for another scout meeting for about a month!! Funny the things we remember.
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