SHARDS TO HERSEY

I cannot consciously remember how hersey looks, and one summer on a trip through Wyoming I stayed overnight in a small town. Strolling after dinner through town I found a park I had seen before, wooded space tucked into the curve of the river. later I visited Hersey and there was the park. I had forgotten the river which cuts through Hersey. I winged my way around town on my roller skates. The hollyhocks were higher than my head and the cicadas were singing. The sun seemed hot to me and the air was breathless. The grass was higher than my head and I was afraid of all the mysterious beasties lurking in the greenery. My best friend was Avis Johnson. Every Sunday after church I went home with Avis to have dinner and play all afternoon, riding back with the Johnsons to evening church service. I remember staging a wedding with Avis. For us the big attraction was bridal finery. We each had a window curtain for bridal veil. Another day we played Indian among the corn shocks. Farmers raised field corn to feed their stock over the winter. After the ears had been harvested, the corn was cut and stood in shocks to dry out to be used as silage. Corn was stored in huge cylindrical buildings called silos, where it fermented to make fresh fodeder for cows. And then there was the end of the world. One summer we visited Uncle Phil in St. Louis, Missouri. It was hot there. Aunt Pauline had two neices staying with her, and one hot night they babysat my sister and me. Those two girls had outlandish names which I cant remember. I guess they were teen agers. They had been reading in the papers about some man who was predicting the end of the world. I lay in bed shivering in the hot night -- terrified. For weeks I was terrified about the coming end of the world. finally, in desparation i suppose, my fater began to indulge in strange antics. We would be sitting at the table eating a meal when suddenly my father would exclaim "The end of the world is coming!" He would run out on the front porch to look for the end of the world. Of course, he was mistaken. It wasn't coming just then.