Paper Boy

It was in the mid-sixties when I volunteered to serve as the “substitute” paper boy in Leighton delivering the Tri-Cities Daily. I was his assistant, riding shotgun and serving as the “designated thrower.” We met at the red light on highway 20 and Main Street where the newspaper van dropped bundles of papers before daylight.

They were unrolled meaning that for the first 30 minutes, we would roll the papers and stretch rubber bands over them. They would then go in plastic wrappers to keep the dew off the print. I had big plans to spend my well-earned $3.00.

Since the driver didn’t know the streets of Leighton like I did, I also served as his personal GPS.

He drove. I threw. We headed south on Countyline Road hitting the Paul Cross house on the right. Eddie, Martha and Mary Ann were getting ready for school followed by the methodist parsonage. We hit Mrs. Leonard Pruiett and the Abroms family and turned on New High School Street.

I threw rolled-up papers across the car to Herbert Carpenter and Leonard Crosswhite. Earl Terry got his paper and headed to work at Reynolds. Of course, our house was next to Earl’s. If Daddy’s paper was late, the third world war would start and end before breakfast. With one casualty: me. I couldn’t miss the Wombachers, Arnold Thompson or Frances Manley.  Dr. Ashmore’s car was already gone, probably making his hospital rounds but Bev and the girls got theirs on time. Doug Flanagan and Vester Hallmark got their papers, as did Dwight and Nelda Beene. I couldn’t miss Scotty Jones by the baseball field.

We made a quick loop past the football field for LC Jeffreys, Bill Inman, Cletus Johnson, the Utleys, John Robert Townsend, the Fishers and Richard Allen King all got their papers on time. We turned on 20 by the elementary school and hit the Leatherwoods then Leon Fitzgerald’s house as we turned on High School Street. Of course, Fat Ritchie was so tight that he would have gone haywire if his dime newspaper was late. Gene Rhodes, Mrs. Underwood, the school secretary, and Mrs. Flossie Paden were waiting on theirs. The Paden kids, David and Paula, were reading the paper when they were under 3 years of age. I threw one out to Mrs. Lucille King, Jimmy and Henderson’s mama.

As we turned west in front of the high school, Horace Holland, Mr. Paul King and his sister, Mary Christian, got theirs in the driveway. We couldn’t miss Mr. Newman, the principal, who lived next to the old gym. My arm was getting tired as I threw one to Marvin Morgan, Robert Layton, Ed Sneed and Mr. Smith on the corner.

We turned north toward the red light and back east on highway 20. Traffic was thick meaning more precise throws to the Berryman’s, Sylas Free, Old man Robert Layton, Cooper King, the Leon Stancil family, the Conleys, John Bunn Hall, the Richard Preuitts and Percy King.

My arm was getting sore as we turned toward the railroad. The Frank Huchinson family, Mrs. McCoy, Ross Sizemore, the Landers, the Hurleys, Gene DeLoney and the Riners got their paper. We turned on Oak Street and tossed to LC Wright, Paul Jones and sons, Linda Ford, the Easteps and LC Lenz. Hob Corum got his paper before heading out to a Rook game. Woody Campbell, father of Ouida Anne, was waiting for his paper.

We skipped downtown, except for the Watsons and Morgan families on Railroad Street. We crossed the railroad and turned on College (Baptist) Street. I threw one out at the Leighton Clinic on the right for Doc and Dorothy Thompson to read. George Chamblee, the Wimberley’s, the Myhans, Dana Posey, John Landers, and the Maurice Ford family where all four sons probably fought over the funny pages. Floyd Thompson and the Campbells had to get theirs also.

I was able to rest a little as we headed toward the Grove, the predominantly Black section of town. The Neolms, Preuitts, Fords, Goodloes, Douglas’s, Sledges, Hughes, Freeman’s, Nalls, Qualls, Browns, Bates, Cobbs, Abernathy’s, Maddens, Hayleys, and Hogans got their copy of the Tri-Cities Daily, before it became an afternoon paper.

We headed south toward highway 20 and traded Lillie and Cordell Riner a newspaper for a cup of coffee at the Dixie Dip. As we were finishing our route going back east toward the red light, we tossed a paper to the Haywood Lowery family, Robert Dawson and finally to Mrs. Terry on the corner with her sons Fred, Edward and Johnson.

I knew I would get in trouble if I left out Mrs. Reed King, Eloise Clark or Felix Felton who lived by Crawdad Creek on Main Street.

My paper throwing days were short and sweet. Like most of us back then, I felt like I was stealing to get paid $3 for less than 2 hours work.

The trade off?

I spent the money on Ben Gay for my throwing arm.