Page 21 - West Virgina 811 Magazine 2018 Issue 3

ran rnlo both of my regular readers nnl only had nme lo hslen la where you losl eemelery and pul that pile of roeks
an a slrle slreel m Baton Rouge wanlerl lo go, hul he had «he ablllty la al lhe head of lhe grave so lhal some
a eouple of weeks ago and was help you gel lhere. l Lhmk w:’d he a day a seaunng parry lrke u~ eould find
asked about my old lnenrl and lot fuxtlmr m our damage prevemlon lhem and lell lhe world about lhe losl
everyday hero Dlllard. They sald, enorls larlay ll we had more people lnhe ul Eglais. l askerl hlm who huned
"Tell us anulher slary r1buulDlllard.” wnh sueh alnlrly. lhe lasl one when he dlcd anrl who pm
It has always been easy In loll slunes _ lhe raeks al lhe head of lus grave? He
about my mend, parlly heeause he P“ :‘“°’“§“"‘,“*’“;‘““: :Tl““‘f'Y "“ “"1 figured ll musl have been a banrl of
Wm a legendary slury-leller. lwas 1”!“ gm!‘ "mfg “"'“ :°°fi‘“‘ fumlgnlzrs ['mmTexr1~t1mlhadIravclL‘d
rmmedlalely remrnrled of days long t‘1‘ll’B U“ ‘:5 W‘ H E “ ,,;‘I‘P ‘?d‘° ,1“ lhrough Lhc eounlry durmg the summer
pasl ..baEkll'Il1'1L‘ limes down a long I‘: M‘_ F; ‘ ’l“‘l‘“ b ‘’ ;“ ,,°" of '23.
single lane din road in suulhwesl “ ‘” ‘“ “ ‘ “ °“ ‘ °° °“' ,
, . he remmded me, knuwmg I! wash l we lhen hearrl lhe volee of my Aunl
Arkansas Lhal dearl-ended al Dlllard s
_ allowed al home. Beulah hollenng mv name lhruugh lhe
eabm al lhe edge of Lhe lug woods WOW“ MN‘ ‘MW, hug um [hf Wand
rhrlshrér aummurhdlay mma me sung Ev$:“:§‘:‘;::(;",}};:!;";:‘:‘;jffijd tlmn and I knew .ha.du.‘e scuutgnfi ,,S,.,,
on ls mm pore earung agamsl one Y Y ' ’ ,, was eomlng to an en gave l ar
of Lhc eeaar pnel. columns I walled 3‘:"f»1‘°t';f;"V*Vf1-; ;' *;22f*f§;§ d}: W: .1 auek hug and ~ru see you
patlenlly for Dlllarrl la pour hlmselr nu ft m“ u n 1 (Emu M ‘_O'r:cti“n lumumaw, uk?” and ran lhrough lhe
a Cup of coffee and sellle mlo his (1 5” M f“ ‘ b *‘ R Y 3 woods to reassure my Aunlle lhal no
old ruekmg ehalr on Ihl: imnl porch. L" t‘L‘}"““ 2”" {“'”°f ‘{‘‘Md‘‘ ‘“ ban or uger had ealen me alrve. l euuld
Finally he walked oul of lhe house wllh °“ “ _‘“‘f“ “1"_:“ “j “I SW“ hardly Wall to cell her ahuul Ihl: Eglafs.
hrs coffnc, He slrelehed malblg as he ‘“ ‘,“"‘"‘"’ ° “ °’ °“" ““ '°“* ’ lfrmhfully told her lhe lragre sloryol
slepperl an lhe porch He had the look ‘1‘‘‘‘ 5 ‘”1““D‘"“d ‘°'d "‘“ “'1‘°“ ‘ lhe losl lnlae and lhe mc'm|ng of Lhe 5
or a kmg about la be eoronaled He “"‘°d hm‘ “b°“‘ ‘°‘'““' '’''°‘' °‘ ‘wk’ saered prles ui rueks
that laokerl odd lo me lhere m lhe
paused and slared al lhe mcklng ehan ,, ,,
wuorls The roeks served as markers for cood graeloushoney, she sarrl.
He moved ll slrghlly and slowly sal . ,,
d — lhe lnbe, so lhal hundreds of years laler your unele Alva hauled lhuse roeks
own. He allowed u was lmponanl for
_ people woulrl rememher lhem. from our yard when we were bulldlng
a man of lus hreerlmg and years to rock h d h h I d ‘h d I
wuh lhe gram so as nol work lumseli Io Appamntlv, lhe enure papulanon was "‘" °"‘“ “" “ ““ ° “"‘ "‘ ‘"

— ulrl wagan that sus hehlnd lhe ham
dealh ruekmg uplull fl‘-$1105; wrped; oul bye Lhe bflllizardboi Them H mmmg mmd mm ‘hm Old
l dldn’l nghlly know how old he was, ““ d°", fh d’“‘";. f” :1 fl‘: “ roek plles "

l would have guessed somelhmg m 2”?‘ ‘“ ‘“" “"‘ °"‘ “Y ,, ,,

_ . , found lherr way In lhe lug woud~ yes, lhere rsl says I, proleeung lhe
lhe range of Melhuselah, hul ll dldn l ,
between Dlllard s home laee anrl m e le a of Ihl: E l.1i~.

really maller. All l really knew from U I d A h ,_ Y H ‘Pk 1 3 E ‘Y 5

my 5-year-old orphan kld perspeelwe 1 ,u;'3‘e“'_‘D‘r‘(; min’; And lhars when l learnerl lhal same
was lhal he had a hearl full of sense and ‘I >d « ’ urunlormed grownups wlll ram on
somehow found Lhe ume la leaeh me ‘ °“ °' your pararle

lhe lmporlanl lhlngs of lrle lhal grarle Dlllaxd lalrl me as we luokerl al lhe B .d I Lh k kn f

sehool yusl wasn'l cqulppcd In handle. markers Lhal lhey had dlerl one al a 1:: 1:; :’“:’m °k:°;el*’mv:l‘3"ll‘;’n:“’“"‘
lgu-will-1l's pm of what I mmcrnbcr “"‘“ “"d ""‘1“" “3““ ““ ’“"‘“‘“"‘g laeeause heghadglhe best sloryl Q
mmabom dmgmt ‘_my_mlkL HE lnhe membnnbunnd Lhcm lherern the

2D1s,lssu: 3 West Wglma an . 19