You learn a lot of things about people and life growing up in a country store.

Mamma tended the store everyday just after lunch while Daddy walked up the hill to the house for dinner, or lunch as we now call it. She would stay for a couple of hours while Daddy ate and took a nap, or checked on the cows or tended to other things around the farm. Other times, she would stay in the store all day while Daddy went to Macon to buy store supplies. Customers bought all kind of supplies at the store.

Cephus made whiskey and would come to the store to buy his supplies, like Red Lion wheat shorts, sugar and canning jars. Wheat shorts were the husk generated as a by product from milling wheat and was sold in 100# cloth sacks as hog feed. I later learned that some people used corn, but Cephus use wheat shorts which was used as hog feed by most people.

Daddy was careful about selling canning jars because the federal revenue department kept track of jar sales through the wholesale distributors. A storekeeper who bought an unusual number of cases of canning jars from the wholesale grocery house was subject to a visit from a revenuer - asking questions. Daddy didn't like answering questions and especially to revenuers. But, there was a lot of canning done in the country especially when fruit trees were bearing or vegetables were in season. This, of course, served as pretty good cover for having a good stock of fruit jars, at least for part of the year. Cephus came to buy sugar and jars especially during the summer canning season. I guess he went to other stores during other seasons of the year.

Cephus was a likeable fellow, always in a good mood, laughed and joked a lot about everything. Listening and talking to him was fun. I liked him. He always whispered a lot when he was telling things - like he didn't want everybody to hear. He also cast his head around, looking about when he was talking to see who was around. Nobody might be around but, he always acted the same. I guess that's just an acquired manner when you're in a trade that demands secrecy and caution.

I overheard Cephus and my Daddy talking one time. I didn't hear my Daddy ask but he had apparently asked Cephus to bring him some of the whiskey being made because I remember Cephus saying quietly as he looked around, "Mr. Willie C., wait a couple of weeks. I'll have my copper still working by then. I don't want to bring you the stuff that I'm making now. This is sellin' whiskey. Wait and I'll bring you some drinkn' whiskey."

I was young at the time, but I sort of understood. I'd seen enough old stills in the woods blown apart by the federal revenue agents to know that "sellin' whiskey" was made using old car radiators and galvanized piping. It was apparently bad stuff! Drinkin' whiskey was made using an all copper cooker and condenser made with new materials. Cephus didn't want to bring Daddy bad whiskey. I guess you could say that Cephus was an honorable man.

This short conversation between Daddy and Cephus taught me real early on that it is always important to know who you're dealing with. Deal with people that you can trust. Bad whiskey doesn't always come in jars, you know?

©2003 - William C. Humphries, Jr.