Turkey Hunting With Popo

My Grandpa...Horace Elmer Riggs...Elmer to the world at large...was just "Popo" to us grand-kids.  Popo never did anything by halves.  Usually it was full speed ahead and keep the dogs and small children out of the way!  When he was working or playing, he developed "tunnel-vision" and all that mattered was the task at hand.  It is very important that you know this...otherwise this story will make no sense.

Popo loved to turkey hunt.  As matter of fact, he was still serenading the old gobblers up into his eighties.  One frosty morning Popo was going hunting with his son-in-law and was supposed to meet him at Bridges Auto Parts on South Main.  They lived at 1310 West Main, beside the Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle, so it was just a hop, skip and a jump to the rendezvous point.  Knowing my Grandpa, after he ate the breakfast (that Momo had got up early and fixed him), he threw his shotgun and gear in the old red 66 Chevy long-bed, scraped a hole in the frost on the windshield about the size of a coffee saucer and roared off east down West Main Street!  Just try to imagine the man in the pictures below, driving down a dark street, slipping the clutch in third gear to get up the hill past Monks Street, all the while squinting through a little cleared patch of windshield...Got that picture?!

When he stopped the truck in the Bridges Auto parking lot, he gathered up his shotgun and his gear and jumped out to get in Jame's truck.  He was immediately blinded by a spot-light and given the command to "Stay in the vehicle!"  It was a West Plains City Policeman behind the spot-light and he was NOT happy!  Popo started asking "What's the problem?" "What's going on?"  The Policeman said "Old Man, you KNOW what the problem is!"  Popo obviously didn't have a clue so he finally persuaded the Policeman to give the reason for the early morning traffic stop.

It appears as Popo was motoring down dark West Main Street, trying to see through his little hole in the frosty windshield, he had ran the Policeman off the ROAD and onto the SIDEWALK!!  What are the odds?!?  The one car you play "Chicken" with is a Police Car!!

The Policeman ended up giving Popo a field sobriety test (Much to Popo's chagrin and protestation!) and then took him down to the Police Station for booking.  When they got there, it just happened that Judge Frank Hall was in the station for some reason or other.  Judge Hall got a good laugh out of Popo being hauled in for drunk driving!  He then informed the Policeman that he knew Elmer Riggs' character, knew Elmer wouldn't touch liquor and he would take care of the situation.  After the Policeman left, Judge Hall said to Popo, "Get out of here Elmer and go turkey hunting...But next time CLEAN YOUR WINDSHIELD OFF BEFORE YOU GO!!!"