Clark and Me

These are little stories about my friend Clark Hardy and me, growing up in Massachusetts during the Depression years.

Chapter 1

Clark and I worked together on any games or races that we took part in against any boy scout or other camps, but we usually had fights over girl friends when we were in high school. Clark was always jealous if a new girl came to our class, and we would have a fight over that, either boxing or wrestling, if she showed a liking toward me as opposed to him. I usually won out on that deal!

Any way, on a different matter, Clark's mom and dad had a player piano, which consisted of a roll with perforated holes, and , by pumping on the foot pedals , the piano would play songs, and Clark and I would sing along with them. We got along very well with that arrangement, even tho' I had a better voice than he did.

Also, we both had collections of toy soldiers which we could line up for parades. His dad gave Clark a new mold in which he could create soldiers, Indians and other things like sharpshooters and artillery. One time we created a parade on the first floor of Clark's house.(they lived on the second floor),which included hundreds of little models which extended about 20 feet in length. This was, of course a recreation of the American Legion part of the real parade.

Clark's dad knew a colleague who had served with him in the first world war, and who now traveled with a circus, which happened to be playing in a nearby town. He took us to the show and Clark and I could go backstage to where the clowns and acrobats were getting dressed up, and then gave us the best seats in the house where we could watch the actors come out from backstage to do their acts in the various rings of the show.

I also had my first ride in a train, when we took the B and M to Boston to go to the BAA track meets at the then to Boston Garden to see Glenn Cunningham, who recently achieved the 4 minute mile run. We took and ate sandwiches on the trip and, when we got to Boston , we were early for the meet, so we got ourselves downtown and went around Washington Street to look at the shops and stuff, and had a milk shake at a local drug store. We were 12 years old and on our own on that trip!.

Chapter 2

One time, Clark stole a few "sweet caparole" cigarettes of his father's, and went behind his garage and smoked them, until his dad put an end to it. Then he and iI took a couple of friends and two or three girl friends up into the woods and smoked them.

Clark had a sister named Betty, who was a couple of years older than he was. One day, Betty and a girl friend of hers decided that they wanted to play"house" with Clark and me. We had set up a tent in their yard. They wanted us to"sleep" with them, which neither I nor Clark wanted to do, becauseIi really didn't like betty too much, so clark and I begged off on that idea!

Chapter 3

Altho' we had many fortunate adventures, there was one unfortunate adventure which we must take note of.

Clark and I thought we would like to go to Canobie Lake Park and go on some of the rides and the rollercoaster. Wo we took thetrolley which goes to the park. In those days, the trolley consisted of one lengthy trolley car which started from North Broadway in Haverhill, passed through a section of Kingston, New Hampshire, and went all the way to the entrance of the park.

We went on several of the rides, including the rollercoaster. Then we decided to go in the Fun House. So, about halfway through, Clark said,"I've got to pee." Well, I thought that , maybe I might as well pee too, so we stopped in front of where there were some body-less heads bobbing up and down, and let the peeing go.

Well,wouldn't you know that when we exited the Fun House, there were three men standing there waiting for us. Turns out they were owners of the park. They made us walk to the park office with them, sat us down and said "Why did you do it?"

Well, we said, "We had to go." And they said "Well you shortcircuited the bobbing head lines." They told us that we were no better than dogs and were shocked that one of us was the son of a doctor. Tthey made us give our home phone numbers so that our parents could come and get us, dirty dogs that we were.

In a little while, my mom and brother Foster and Clark's father came to pick us up.
Well, my mother laughed so hard that I thought she was going to bust a gut over the fact that "Bobby peed in the Fun House!" I don't think that Clark's father thought it was quite so funny though, and he really lit into him. I'll tell you, it was a long time before we went back to the Canobie Lake Park again!