The Red Flannel Rag

Uncle Shirley playing a tune in front of Uncle Ro b and Aunt Goldie’s house with his dogs, Sooner by his knee and Splinter in the background. circa 1940

Uncle Shirley drove the "Gap" bus from Hopkins Gap across the mountain to Mt.

Clinton elementary school. During his spare time, he hauled junked cars to

Pennsylvania, sold them, and hauled back loads of coal that he sold locally. Sometimes

he drove south to Georgia and picked up loads of watermelons to sell locally. He had

nine children. The ninth child, a girl, went without a name for a full year because he and

his wife, Ethel, had run out of names. One day as he drove through Georgia, he passed

through a town named Arvona. He named his youngest daughter Arvona.

Uncle Shirley taught me an important lesson about counting my money. I was

just about to turn sixteen years old, and I wanted a shotgun of my own to hunt squirrels.

Uncle Shirley had a gun he wanted to sell. I asked him the price. He wanted thirty

dollars. I counted the money I had earned painting Mrs. John I. Myers’ house during

the summer. I was so excited about the gun because my daddy had just given me

121