Hattie and Moses

I was 4, maybe 5.

Richmond, Virginia, early '50's. There was a Milk Man, Bread Man, 'Cleaners', 'Time Dispatch' (newspaper), and Hattie and Moses. They'd all come to the front door to 'collect.'

Moses would pick up the garbage, 2-3 times per week. He would steer his mule-driven buckboard off the road and down the alley next to the house, and perform his service. In the spring, the ruts from the wagon grew 6-8" deep. Sometimes Hattie would join him on the bench at the front of the wagon. She always wore a hat, as was the style of all ladies of the day.

They, like everyone else, were always very friendly to me, and seemed genuinely glad to be alive, of service, and appreciative of the customers who depended on them. Seems like times halcyon.

One day, we got the news that Moses and Hattie's house, about a half mile on the road to the big highway, had burnt down. All the neighbors contributed, including my parents, and Moses and Hattie built a nice house better than the one before. The city newspaper ('Times Dispatch') published a picture of the new house on the front page.

All was well that ended well.

What? Have I left something out?