Letter of the Day: Our summer of '29

Editor, Daily News:

Summer vacation 1929 was extraordinary. Harry, Garland, Cabell and me (age 8) took off shoes the last school day and walked barefoot until September.

We cut lawns mornings to get money for cowboy movies, candy and popcorn. Tom Mix, Hoot Gibson and other cowboys never disappointed us.

We went to the quarry pit every afternoon to play in the water.

On our first summer trip to the quarry, a homeless mutt followed us and guarded our clothes. He followed us home and split off with Harry. The next day he went home with Cabell, then me, then Garland. He did this all summer. Each of us prepared porch pads for Jack to sleep and eat.

One day as we were splashing around in water Jack began barking. We rushed over and saw Jack fighting a water moccasin. The snake would coil, spring at Jack and miss him by inches.

On the snake's third attempt Jack picked up the snake by the back of the head. He shook the snake until its head was bitten off. The snake's body wiggled on and on.

Two things are a mystery: How did Jack know how to fight poisonous snakes? Where did Jack come from?

Jack disappeared when school resumed.

Since our hometown (Colonial Heights, Va.) was on Route 1, then the only direct route from the Northeast to Florida, maybe a snowbird dropped Jack off to spend the summer in our hospitable hamlet.

Jack did like Boston baked beans.

Buddy Eubank , Naples