Britches

I’ll not mention any names. One old timer was watching the wind blow up and down Main Street in Hazard. He said, “By granny, more women are wearing britches these days than I have ever seen before. I said, “Uncle, they have been doing that for many a day.” I said, “Did you notice them all summer with those short ones on?” He replied, “Son, dammit, those are not britches, they had on their bathing suits.” He said, “Back in my day I seen women wear overhauls over their dresses to help us men folks make a raft, or to feed the stock. That was alright for a woman to wear because she was helping do a man’s work. But now they come out here with all the plaids and so forth on.” He said, “Son, if one of them ever bent over to turn a log these kind would split right up the straddle, if they gave any kind of a heave at all.” He spit out a big wad of tobacco, wiped his chin and said, “son, I don’t know what is going to happen to our women folks. They just won’t wear enough clothes. They are going to take consumption and die off. Most men folks are trying to follow them too. I don’t know to this day who is the boss amongst us anymore."

"Times shore has changed since I was a sprie young fellow. Women in those days wasn’t dressed up unless they had on six or seven petticoats. You couldn’t tell when a youngun was going to be brought into this world in the olden days. Now you can tell when they start sprouting. Yes, son, times sure are different.” With that he bit off another hunk of Red Ox and walked down Main Street. 1962