The Waco Kid (S): Barefoot Girl with Cheek

Growing up in a warm weather city is one of the best things a child could possibly want. I went barefoot most of the time and when school beckoned, I sadly had to encase my happy feet in shoes. I remember rain; wonderful rain that left puddles in the soft sandy loam that was the street in front of my house. I would go out when the rains stopped and sit on the curb holding handfuls of the sweet smelling moist earth to my face. The scent of fresh cut grass came in second best. I inhaled the scent of Waco. I remember the Cotton Palace. Waco is in the heart of cotton country. A fair was held once a year and I would wander up and down watching snake charmers, dancing girls, strong men and of course, cotton candy. A large machine filled with wonderful toys was there for 5 cents to manipulate a claw and if luck was with you, you were a winner of some wondrous object. The only object I ever snared was a pencil clip and I remember that distinctly. I remember Juan. He sold tamales out of a box hung by a leather strap around his neck. The inside of the box was lined with shiny metal. The smell and taste of those steamy tamales still makes me sigh with pleasure. I remember W. Lee O'Daniels and his hillbilly band. He was running for governor and the crowd loved him and his music; he became governor. I remember downtown, Goldstein, Miguel - the largest department store in town. It had a small café that served blue plate specials for 25 cents and just about everything else you wanted to buy. The best place of all was the ice cream parlor "Palace of Sweets" long marble counter, ice cream chairs and tables for the big people and the little people. I remember walking with my mother on summer nights on long strolls past Baylor University, the oldest college in Texas, which has the world's largest collection of the works of Robert Browning. I remember going for ice-cream cones with my brother one day a week when cones were two for a nickel. I would slowly savor my cone on the way home