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many Army troops were about to go into Cambodia and Viet Nam. Still.., Harvey was disappointed about not being allowed to enlist. So it was on that night so long ago, Harvey pointed the Plymouth’s sailing ship hood ornament westward along Main St. The road paralleled a wide creek that flowed through town. He slowed to about 30 mph as they approached the “S” curve at the entrance of the residential area. Then, rolling ahead just beneath the speed limit, he said to Mike, “Look high up in the trees as we go uptown.” Mike leaned forward and watched intently as they motored on. My friend told me that he’d thought to see an owl or raccoon in the trees. He was aided to some extent by a |
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dent in the top surface of the car’s right front fender. The dent caused one headlight to shine up in the air like a beacon. After a moment or two, Harvey quietly shifted down to second. The old Plymouth contained a rather primitive Mopar combination… both a clutch and fluid coupling. The unit allowed the shift to happen while staying real quiet… even without tromping on the clutch pedal. The engine chugged the car forward slowly. The old six hardly clicked. Suddenly there he was! Revealed in the tree above in the darkness by the elevated headlight beam was the local constable. He sat high in a maple tree with his stop watch in hand. The local law enforcer, he was clocking cars in a speed trap. The two young men rolled a block farther up the road, and saw a deputy parked in the old mill’s lot. Had they been speeding, using his Boy Scout flashlight the constable in the tree would have signaled his deputy to stop the Plymouth. They would have gotten a speeding ticket. The trap, you see, was a set up that would have made any character on Andy Griffin’s “Mayberry” television show very proud. As it was, the deputy only stopped them and inquired about the headlight aiming. He instructed Harvey to get it fixed. |
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Sifting, cont’d... |
