PLAYING HOOKY.....................I GOT CAUGHT !!!!!!!!!!

Growing up in small towns kids are likely to get into some trouble. Now days kids face more trouble than in my day as a youth. Back in the 50's in my small home town life was free from drugs, alcohol and other vices. We had no liquor stores and we thought drugs was what our doctors prescribed when we were sick. Oh, yes there was a woman in town who sold whiskey from her home. Moonshine was available if you knew the right people. Years later we all learned who the players were. Old Miss Eller, I never expected she was selling liquor from her house and I mowed her yard.  Bobby Y's grand father selling moonshine. Now looking back my little town wasn't as clean as I remember. Progress??
In the fifth grade some of the buddies I ran with had played hooky from school and had got by with their efforts. If you lived close to the school you could leave school at lunch time and go home for lunch. Our school served one side of town and another school served the other side. No school buses back in my day. Kids walked or rode bikes to school.
Plans were made by several of my buddies to skip school the next day at lunch time. I had never skipped school but was asked to play HOOKY with three classmates. I think I had second thoughts about going along with the group. Bobby T called me a chicken so what do you do?? At lunch time the four of us were off to play hooky for the rest of the school day. Corky came up with a good idea to pass the time away till school was over. A grocery store was near the school and lets get some cokes and some cigars and go into the woods behind the store and smoke . Yeah, we are bad?? The next 2 1/2 hours seemed like an eternity. Cokes and cigars were only a nickel back then. I'm thinking this isn't as much fun was I thought. Finally three o'clock rolled around and what happen to me next was a stupid blunder on my part. Corky said, " Nick I will let you ride my new bike if you will go get it at school." How could I refuse to ride a new bike, I didn't even have one. At school I get to the bike and the Principal calls out to me. " what are you doing?" Corky said I could ride his bike home. You boys skipped class didn't you?? I'm caught, yes I confess. I'm told to let Corky come and get his own bike. We are in deep trouble.   The next morning we are all called to Mr. Eoff's office. Bobby Y is called first and get 5 licks with the paddle, Bobby T gets his 5 , Old Corkey comes out with a tear in his eye and it's my turn. Why am I so stupid as I enter the room of doom. I'm in for a big surprise?? " Nick since you told me the truth I'm not going to paddle you but let this be a lesson to you and don't do this again." I never played hooky again. The next year Mr. Eoff picked me to be one of the school's patrol boys.