Rainy Night Rescue

Back to the Olden Days. By the way, Thanks to all you old timers (65 or older) sharing your stories!! Don't I have any old timers reading this?? Or don't you want to admit you are "OLD"?
My Brother (uh, 78?) could have at least made a comment.

Has anyone seen the old Lassie (dog) Movies (not TV shows) of the 40's? Back when we went to the moving picture show at the theater on Saturday night for a quarter, bought a bag of popcorn for (5 cents?). Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Flicka (horse), etc. My big husky Dad had a very tender heart which I inherited. We don't cry at sad things, we cry when everything turns out OK. Kind of a release to our bodies that have been sitting there LIVING every word of that movie. That was our family thing on Saturday Night. Go to town (5 miles) where Dad would head for the Implement Store to get what he needed for the farm & talk to other farmers. THE meeting place. Mom would go get her groceries for the week. Not much because we grew everything and she canned the excess for winter. She even made her own Lye soap. Then the ladies would sit together & visit in one of the cars till us kids would get out of the weekend movie. We now all headed for the soda fountain at the Drug Store to have a Malt or Milk Shake before going home. If the movie was one of the afore mentioned it was a family affair at the movies. Well, when the movie ended and everyone was saved & happy the lights came on, there sat Dad and I with tears running down our cheeks. Mom would look at us disgusted & walk out of the theater. We'd wipe our eyes and follow. Well, now to the REAL story. Dad got a beautiful collie - male (only needed one) dog to replace old "Boobly" who died at a fine old age of 11 yrs. I don't know Boobly's breed, (Heinz 57)? I just know he was a sweetheart & always walked across the yard with me to the mailbox on our rock road, to meet the mailman who was a wonderful local man that carried chewing gum or candy for any kid he met along the way. With every tooth in my mouth a sweet tooth I was there waiting almost everyday. I LOVED to chew gum!! Maybe that is why all my upper teeth today are false. We didn't have sugarless back then. Back to the new Collie dog. Since he was a boy we couldn't name him after our favorite movie actor so we called him Laddie. He was a SUPER dog. He knew about what time Dad would come in from working in the field all day somehow and would go down to the pasture and bring in the milking cows so they were there when Dad came in ready for him to milk. No one had to tell him this, wonderful animal instinct just told him. He saved my tired Dad from having to walk to get them (probably at the far end of the pasture) after working hard all day. When Dad & my brother would come in from the field my big tall 5 years older brother liked to pick on me if I was outside. Laddie loved us both but he knew I was younger and would grab my brother's pant leg and growl & pull trying to get him away from me. I soon caught on and would watch for them to come in and grab my brother and scream & yell even if he didn't do anything and Laddie would grab his pant leg thinking he was hurting me and do the same thing. Little sister's have to learn to protect themselves. A dog was always a comfort to a little kid when she had to go out to the old Outhouse in the dark by the Chicken House to "go" before going to bed. It was spooky out there! I would walk real brave whistling all the way out, but when the job was finished I would unlock that door and RUN like hell for the house like the Devil himself was after me. Obviously, by now you know Laddie was the best dog that ever walked this earth. One rainy night after Dad had been asleep in bed along time. Laddie (dogs never lived in the house) came to the window outside in the pouring down rain, barking and barking till Dad layed there NOT wanting to get up but Laddie had never done that before. Dad finally got up and yelled out the window to shut up. Laddie would mind but as Dad turned to go back to bed he started barking again. Finally Dad got up and went to the door to really give him a cussing and Laddie would run out a ways turning around and looking at Dad as if to say "Come on"! Finally Dad put his Raincoat & boots on and went out and Laddie took off in the lead to show him the way. We had a pasture by the barn & chicken house where the cattle were and that's where he took him. Half way across that pasture, laying beside a ditch full of rain water, was a new baby calf. The mother had given birth right on the bank and one little flop of the calf and it would have landed in the ditch running full of water and drown. Dad picked up the little calf with momma following and walked back to the barn with Laddie proudly walking beside. Well, if that didn't make Laddie No. 1 in my father's heart I don't know what would. When he finally got old and sick and the Veterinary said he couldn't help him and he would just give him a shot to kill him so Dad wouldn't have to shoot him like people usually did. Dad wouldn't hear to it. He brought him into the basement and kept him as comfortable as possible with water & food & love till he died. Now you can cry. I almost did and I'm writing the story. Have a good day. Jeanette