What a Job!!!

We rode the school bus all the way into Ephrata and walked the few blocks to Weit's. After we had folded our papers, a man named Jack would take us by car to the start of our route. He also took half our papers to a porch near the midpoint of our route so that we did not have to carry them all at the beginning. It was hard work, but we also had some fun together as we went down the road. Arvilla thinks that is where we developed a life-long relationship.

I was reminded of all this one morning when I read in our local paper that the evening Reading Eagle was published for the last time on Fiday, June 28, 2002 after 134 years. You see, it was because of the Reading Eagle that we lost our job as delivery persons.

One evening the weather was particularly bad. There was a sleet storm comb ined with a freezing rain. We were ready to begtin our deliveries, but we had 5 Reading Eagles to deliver on our route. They had not yet come in. Jack said, "Go ahead, I'll see that they are delivered." So we began our route. We finally got home, cold and soaking wet. After we dried off, we sat down to supper. Just then there was a knock at the door. It was Leon Weit. He wondered why we didn't deliver the Reading Eagles. I explained what happened, and that Jack promised to deliver them. He didn't believe me. My dad looked at him and said, "If my children told you that's what happened, then it is the truth." He then told Mr. Weit that we would not deliver another paper for Weit's News Agency. I was so pleased that Dad stood up for us. He didn't always trust me that implicitly.

Frankly, I was never sorry that I lost that job. I had grown to hate it, especially on nights with bad weather. That's the closest I ever got to being fired, but my Dad saved the day. Thanks, Dad.