The place was my home town of Novinger, Missouri when I was a poor, raggedy boy of about 12 years of age and the year was about 1930 when times were extremely difficult for everyone during the depression years. My Croatian parents could barely make ends meet while trying to raise and feed six of us boys and one girl. How they managed to do so is still a mystery to me even to this day. There were times when we didn't have three cents in the house to cover postage for a letter. We all had chores to perform and one of mine was to tend to the two cows we owned who sometimes made the difference between eating or going hungry. We lived on the edge of a small town and didn't own very much grazing land so during the summer months I would take the two cows out and let them graze alongside the streets and roads as I watched them for hours at a time. One Saturday, perhaps as a reward, my mother gave me a dime so I could go with several of the neighboring kids to see a movie at the local Opera House in town. I was simply thrilled! And so excited! I could see Tarzan and all the exotic animals and even see a short serial entitled "The Claw". I was in heaven! Several of us boys gathered at our house and started walking to town together... my older brothers and neighbors Sielio Anesi, Jim Anesi, John Anesi, Jake Dorman and Joe Transano. But my ecstasy was short-lived and I was plunged into despair. After walking a short distance I discovered I had lost my dime! I panicked! I searched everywhere and retraced my steps to our house but I could not find my dime. I was crushed and heartbroken as I realized I could not go with the other boys who went on without me as I sat barefooted alongside the dusty road in tears. Yes, ten cents doesn’t mean much anymore today but what a difference it made to a small boy a long time ago. |