Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Smoking Cap Guns

~ Looking for a movie to watch, I came across the DVD of A Christmas Story among the other titles on the shelf of my entertainment center. The story line triggered a sojourn to the good old days of the fifties back in rural West Virginia. Like Ralphie, I too had wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun. Like the bespectacled hero of that movie, I had tried a few plots and had cleverly dropped some hints. Unlike Ralphie however, I never did get that gun.
~ Nonetheless, Santa did leave a number of beloved toy guns over the years. To a young strapping lad that I was, or a whippersnapper as my uncle called me, the double holstered replicas of the pistols Davy Crockett used were the envy of the neighborhood. They weren't six-shooters, but the thrill of cocking the hammer to expose the cap plate was sweet. I had learned, but never did share the fact, that three caps from a roll folded to size of one laid upon the plate would result in a louder bang. The resounding blasts from two guns at the same time, hands down made my guns the loudest in town.
~ Kids being kids, we had been involved in a serious territorial war with the Hurons for hours. My mighty guns were ringing out above all the other kids' guns. The sun had already set, but there was still a glow of dusk in the sky. We were in the midst of planning a raid on the Indian's camp, nothing could cause us to stray from our play.
~ That's when the local policeman, Officer Parker had driven up. At our age, a policeman was held in awe, because he had a real gun. The Great Indian War was called off, a truce was in effect. The lot of us, frontiersmen as well as the Indians, gathered around him as he approached. We wondered what could be so important that he would come to our neighborhood. Secretly we were all hoping he was here to investigate a crime. Maybe, just maybe we would witness the capture and arrest of a dangerous criminal.
~ To our horror, he told us that were the perpetrators! It appeared that crotchedy old Miss Snyder had called the police. He was there to investigate a lousy disturbance of the peace! Our faces were white with fear. We were going to be arrested, led away in handcuffs, and tossed into the city hoosegow. In a small town like Clendenin, WVa., in the fifties, all of us kids had heard about those dungeons there. There were torture devices. You were fed moldy bread and given dirty water to drink. There were crazed prisoners there, who'd become cannibals with a taste for young children.
~ Some of the kids, especially the ones on the outer perimeter of the ring around the officer, took off in every direction. Our friends had abandoned us, sacrificed us for their own escape. Parker ignored them, kneeling down amongst us so that we were face to face. He told us about the complaints of a large racket, namely a series of single bangs. These bangs had caused the neighbors to think we had cherry bombs. He said he knew that we didn't have any fireworks. I realized then that we were being interrogated, aand it was a first time for us!
~ "Who has the loud cap gun?" he asked. He seemed to be paying a lot of attention to my Davy Crockett pistols. "It wasn't us," I lied. "It must of been one of those guys," I said pointed in the direction the others had fled. He placed his hand on my shoulder and motioned to the other boys, "Go home all of you. I have my man." His face was stern as he looked at me, "Hand over the guns,son." I nervously obeyed and a dread came over me. How was I going to explain to my parents that i had lost my pistols. I certainly couldn't tell them that they were confiscated by the law.
Facing my parents terrified me more than being tossed in jail.
~ He examined my pistols closely. I saw him peel the off the folded caps, unspent, from the cap plate. He looked up straight into my soul, so wide were my eyes. The big bust on Elm Street, as the incident would become known years later, centered on me. I was shaking like a leaf. Perhaaps to soothe me, or to get the questioning over with, he smiled knowingly.
~ "That's a pretty good trick, son, using three caps at the same time. Pretty neat.," he said to me. He stood up still looking me in the eyes and handed me my pistols. "Okay, here's what's going to happen," he declared. "You are going to take your guns and go home. It's dark outside and it is too late to be playing with cap guns." He then smirked and pointed to Miss Snyder's house, "You darn near scared the daylights out of her!" Then he laughed.
~ "Aren't you going to book me? Or fill out a report?" I asked sheepishly.
~ "No," he answered, "Not this time. But maybe I should drive you home."
~ "Oh, no sir! I live just down the street. The white house on the corner."
~ I think was inside my house before he even started the engine. I never even looked out the window, lest he see me as he drove by. After that day, I cut back on the caps. That had been my first and my last run in with the law. Yes, he had the goods on me that day.
~ Where there was a noise, there was a smoking cap gun.
~
~No. 48

16 comments:

denial james said...

it is so nice. i like it

Pest control Helpdesk said...

Thanks for sharing such informative content, you may contact us at Southwest Airlines Cancellation desk to make cancellations of already booked flights. For easy assistance, you can call our experts anytime and from anywhere as we have Southwest Airlines Cancellation available for our customers. You can call on Southwest Airlines Cancellation anytime.

Pest control Helpdesk said...

Flights From New York to Las Vegas
Flights From New York to Dallas
Flights From New York to Orlando
Flights From New York to Los Angeles
Flights From New York to Miami
Flights From New York to Atlanta
Flights From New York to Ft. Lauderdale
Flights From New York to San Francisco

Pest control Helpdesk said...

Book cheap flights tickets from New York to Chicago with our experts in no time. We avail you the best deals much below the market prices. The bookings instantly on phone. You just need to call our experts over phone and get the best offers right away! Book Flights from New York to Chicago. We also help you to find best flights and airlines. Our suggestions are the cheapest yet quickest. Reach our experts and get proactive solutions and Book Flights from New York to Chicago.

Pest control Helpdesk said...

You may call us at Etihad Airways Deals and Reservations help-line to book Etihad airways flights at a low price. Here our Etihad Airlines reservations experts are available to help you 24/7 with the latest deals and offers on Etihad Airways flights Tickets.

Pest Control CA said...

To protect your house and office, it’s vital to remove pests and make your spaces infectious pathogens free. The safest and quickest way to handle pest situations is to take professional pest control assistance. However, it’s also very crucial to select the best firm for the job to receive the best outcome. We can help you to get the best Pest Control Merced CA quickly.

Clark Pest Control said...

With fallen crumbs, enough of moisture and stored pantry items, pests can have everything just to survive. One of the most annoying creatures that is present in the category of pests is cockroach, which comes in an army and thus make your home a jungle. These little pests are the important pests to get rid of and its not that easy to remove them. Join hands with the team of professionals at Clark Pest Control Phone Number and make sure you get the desired results.

ABC Pest Control Near Me said...

Bugs, which count as pests, can cause a series of problems such as health risks, destroy property, and cause physical damage to the building’s structure. Whether your house or office is well-kept and always, bugs still can attract to your property for various reasons. These little animals are tuff survivors, increase their population quickly, ability to adapt with surrounding easily and small enough to hide anywhere in shorts, it’s very hard to get rid of them. Therefore, it’s necessary to take the help of professionals for ABC Bug Control. However, it also very important to select a good and reliable service provider like ABC Pest Control for long-lasting and effective solutions.

Cooks Pest control Phone Number said...

Our team present at helpdesk for Rodent Control, Cooks Pest Control team will help you to remove rodents from your place instantly with long term guarantee, so you don’t need to get worried over it. If you are stuck with pests for a long time and unable to reach the experts, then take a breath and feel relaxed because we are there for you. Cooks Rodent Control team has adopted the best parameters and techniques to remove rodents from your place with full decency and guarantee. You may also contact us at Cooks Pest Control Phone Number to get info about:
Cooks Pest control Cost
Cooks pest control Near Me
Cooks Pest control Pricing
Our team present at helpdesk for Rodent Control, Cooks Pest Control team will help you to remove rodents from your place instantly with long term guarantee, so you don’t need to get worried over it. If you are stuck with pests for a long time and unable to reach the experts, then take a breath and feel relaxed because we are there for you. Cooks Rodent Control team has adopted the best parameters and techniques to remove rodents from your place with full decency and guarantee. You may also contact us at Cooks Pest Control Phone Number to get info about:
Cooks Pest control Cost
Cooks pest control Near Me
Cooks Pest control Pricing

Orkin Pest Control said...

While going through the tough times of the life, pests can be a great problem in your life. They can surely make your life tougher by invading into your house through small opening about those you don’t have idea about. As it is commonly said, there is a solution to every problem. We have a solution to this problem. Book your appointment with Orkin by contacting us via Orkin Pest Control Phone Number.

Bug Control said...

Bug Control from Fox Pest Control provides you peace of mind by protecting your home or office from unwanted pests. Call today to schedule an appointment.

Customer Service said...

Kindle Fire Online Support only assists you to get the best and maximum utility of this fascinating device by removing all roadblocks along with relevant reminders, tips as well as follow-ups.Our Kindle Fire Online Support chat team is helped by the latest systems and innovative self-service solutions for its digital products.

Arrow Termite Control said...

Get Safe, Effective, and Odourless Arrow Termite Control Services for your home and office. Arrow Pest Control uses the only best brand that is safe to use.

williams jones said...

BUY WEED ONLINE
BUY IBOGAINE ONLINE
BUY XANAX ONLINE
BUY DANK VAPE ONLINE
BUY COCAINE ONLINE
BUY LSD ONLINE
BUY BLUE DREAM DANK VAPE ONLINE
BUY MOONROCKS ONLINE
BUY CARFENTANYL ONLINE
BUY IBOGAINE HCL ONLINE

Unknown said...

Most valuable and fantastic blog I really appreciate your work which you have done about the electricians,many thanks and keep it up. Very useful info. Hope to see more posts soon! I really like to read this post, it shares lots of information to readers.a

Graphic Design company in USA

Label Design

Box Packaging Design

Packaging Host

Die Cut Stickers

Static Cling

Lahore Smart City Payment Plan

Hosting Mart

Lahore Smart City

The Masters Real Estate said...

A good article is one that a person is aware of, to get something to learn from that article and your article is also one of them. We hope that you will share a similar article in the future and make us aware thank you.

Read more articles are as follow:

=> Lahore Smart City

=> Capital Smart City Islamabad