Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-01
Hi. Grandpa!
Still Got
Your Teeth?
Old Friends ShouIdn I
Meet Face 10 Face

Meet Face 10 Face
BY HENRY McLEMORE
nURING these strenuous times
~ when every one wants to
feel and needs TO feel that he is
as fit a. possible and capable of
assuming any burden that the
war effort might place on him.
there should be an unwrltten
law against old friends meeting
after years of separation
Let them keep in touch with
one another by letter or mess
ages from mutual acquaintance,
but never let them come face TO
face. There are few things more
shocking 10 the morale of a man
than 10 bttnlp suddenly into
man he hasn't seen since boy
hood or college days.
This happened 10 me twice in
the past week, and l have yet
TO recover fully from tho shock.
One more meeting of an old
friend and l am going TO apply
for my social security pension.
retire TO some quiet old mems
home, and rock away my few
remaining years on the shady
side of the porch.
THAT'S how old and decrepit
Il running into Charley and
Homer after all these years
made me feel.
Charley kept staring at me as
I waited in line for a ticket at
Grand Central Station. As /
turned away from the window
and started for the gaNos he
stopped me.
Pardon me-" he said, "but /
believe 1 know you. There's
something about your face that
is familiar. You couldn't be
Henry McLemore, could you?
| admitted that / was.
He let out a whoop that froze
the red caps in their tracks.
Hot dog. My hunch was
right" he said you know me,
don't you" I'm Charley Keeler.
Went to high school with you.
Boy, have YOU changed, I'm
pretty good little OF detective
to recognize You at all"
I LOOKED at Charlcy'S bald
Il head. his horn -rimme d
glasses. his comfortable wide
shoes, and took great pleasure
in informing him that | NEVER
would have known him.
1t didn't seem possible that
this obviously middle-aged man
had gone TO high school the
same years l had The Charley
Keller l remembered had curly
blond hair, was a whale of
basketball forward, and did the
hottest Charleston in town.
you used TO be the skinniest
thing in school," Charley said.
could see your ribs through
your sweater. Look at You now.
And, where's all that red hair
you used to have? Boy, YOU
used TO have mop of IT. How
old are you now, Henry"
/ told him.
"Quitcha Kidding" this man.
who looked old enough 10 be my
father. said. II would have
said you were around 40"
held my tongue as 10 how
felt Charley looked, because
when a fellow has aged and
changed as much as ne has IT
would hardly be cricket TO rub
il in.
HOMER got hold Of me on the
IL telephone and dropped by
to see me. ] was still fgura-
lively Stroking my beard from
the meeting with Charley when
Homer arrived, and he made me
feel like an octogenarian, even
though he lied through his teeth
and said | hadn't changed a bit.
Homer turned out TO be the
old friend type who starts every
sentence with do you remem-
Der when we"
There is nothing that will
make a man feel older than TO
be unable TO remember the do
ings of his childhood.
l couldn't remember anything.
Homer remembered everything.
He remembered the time his
aunt spanked us for taking her
best hen and nearly killing it
by trying to hypnotic it by
holding its head on a chalk line
on the sidewalk.
He remembered the time we
dropped hickory nuts from the
balcony during church services.
He recalled with relish the
time a Roman candle backfircd
and went up my brothers sleeve.
He made it obvious that he
felt my mind must have slipped
from age not TO be able TO re-
call, in detail. everything / ever
did between the ages of 3 and
10.
HOMER remembers every per-
II son he ever knew or met.
Remember Birdie Lee >" he'd
say, and before / could say
No" he'd 60 right on. well,
this'lI shock YOU. After going
around with CIem-you remem-