This is a series of short stories based on memories, embellished memories, and hearsay from my childhood in the rural farming area of Arkansas. World War II was going on and there was a big shortage in the work force. School let out half a day so the kids could chop and pick cotton, and do thousands of other chores because adults simply did not have enough time. When we had free time we played hard and did as many things as we could, and some of these things clashed with what was considered acceptable behavior. Stealing watermelons, putting a possum in the teacher’s desk, sneaking off to swim, and being where we were not supposed to be and finding a dead man are just some of the things we experienced while growing up. We were not bad kids, just typical little boys of the time.