Daddy Bob and
Eloise by Len Trammell
Patton
A
favorite story of mine regarding days gone by is about my
great-grandfather, “Mr. Bob” Huddleston, who owned a good
portion of the land that is now known as Peachtree City. He
was a self-made man, a farmer and a country gentleman.
Daddy Bob, as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren
called him, was one of those people to whom others came
when they needed help. He was known for making loans to
folks who had come on hard times without requiring the
usual collateral charged by the local bank.
That being said, this story is not really about who he was
but more about what he said one day as he and Mr. Dave
McWilliams, another local character, drove up to the house
of his son, Hugh Huddleston, for a visit. As they
approached the yard, Daddy Bob saw his young
daughter-in-law, Eloise, outside stirring something in a
black pot over a fire. Now Eloise was somewhat of a “city
girl” since she had been raised in the middle of
Fayetteville and her ways were puzzling to her
father-in-law. Daddy Bob and Mr. Dave got out of the car
and walked toward Eloise.
Daddy Bob asked, “Eloise, what are you stirring up out
here?”
“Turnip greens,” she said. “I can’t stand the way they
stink up the house.”
Daddy Bob looked over at Mr. Dave with a disgusted look on
his face and said, “Dave, I never thought I’d have a
daughter-in-law that cooked outside and
sh__ (censored)
in the house.” A commentary
on the indoor plumbing that was part of his son’s new home.