Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Books for Wine

Life on a ranch in the 1950s was a world unto itself.
A place where a family could grow together, leaning on each other.
Quiet. Peaceful.
Isolated.
A place where the world seldom intruded.
Except for that . . . erm . . . exception . . .
Three brothers were growing up on their family farm.
Just down the road from a Hutterite colony.
Both settlements were rather remote.
But it’s hard to say which was the most un-worldly.
The three teen boys had comic books.
Something the Hutterite boys wanted.
The Hutterite boys had access to homemade wine.
Something the brothers wanted.
The two groups made a bargain. Comic books for wine.
The only obstacle to the conclusion of their mutual agreement was the actual . . . conclusion.
Because neither family approved.
Go figure . . .
They finally worked it out.
The brothers would leave their offering of comic books at a pre-appointed spot in a nearby field.
The Hutterite boys would retrieve said books and leave, in their place, a bottle of the colony’s finest.
This went on for some time.
To the mutual satisfaction of all parties.
Reading and drinking were continuing apace.
Then, that eye-opening event.
When the boy’s dad brought home a bottle of wine.
From the same colony--but carried in through the front door and in full sight of all who lived there.
Huh. Weird.
The boys were given a glass.
And discovered that the colony’s best they had been receiving really wasn’t.
Hmmm . . . who do you complain to when your ultra-clandestine deal goes awry?
Exactly.

7 comments:

  1. Those Hutterite boys had a good thing going . .. until they were found out! Now if it were me, I'd not let on and the next time leave a comic book with a few strategic pages ripped out, but that's just me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brilliant! See? They just needed someone with a creative (slightly bent) sense of justice! :)

      Delete
    2. LOL, I'm gonna take that as a compliment. I think? Maybe? Yeah, I guess I will.

      Delete
  2. The comics were when all is said and done second hand. And I doubt that the very best comics were ever part of the exchange. It seems pretty fair to me...

    ReplyDelete
  3. So funny! All good things must end...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Something tells me the comic book boys weren't giving away their best, either. So - an even trade?

    ReplyDelete
  5. There's no honor among thieves, nor, apparently, among boys bent on mischief.

    ReplyDelete

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