A MILK WAGON
- a short story by Bevan
There are few things I miss from the 1950's but I often think of the tranquility of that time and horse-drawn milk wagons.
I remember driving through the city of Victoria (Vancouver Island) on a quiet Sunday and did not see other vehicles on the streets and it was compulsory for shops to remain closed on that day. I was 18 years old at this time and funny as it may seem, I thought it was rather uneventful. The horse-drawn milk wagon was anything but dull and brings back fond memories.
 |
| Image: Wikimedia.org |
If you happened to gaze out your window at the right time during the early morning, you would probably catch sight of the milk delivery man exiting a horse-drawn wagon and carrying a container which held six to eight bottles of milk. Our family ordered two quarts a day.
 |
| Image: Wikimedia.org |
The driver would leave them on our porch then walk down the sidewalk to the next house with horse following him on the edge of the road. I do not recall any whistle or command from the driver to the horse, the animal was familiar with its daily route. How was that for a job? No stress and plenty of exercise!
My friend, Reg Shanks of Brooklands motorcycles, told me a great milk wagon story. He was returning home from a party early one morning on his motorcycle and was surprised to see a milk wagon on the road ahead of him. It had stopped at an intersection and Reg thought it was a bit slow getting started so he drove around it. As he passed the wagon, he was amazed to see it had no driver. When the horse decided it was time to move forward, Reg thought it rather strange so decided to follow it. As the horse wound its way through the streets, it finally came to a stop outside the city's local dairy. Reg stopped his motorcycle, walked over to the wagon where he found the driver, drunk and lying on the floor on his back. The horse had safely taken his driver to the stables beside the city dairy.
There are few things I miss from the 1950's but I often think of the tranquility of that time and horse-drawn milk wagons. 
The driver would leave them on our porch then walk down the sidewalk to the next house with horse following him on the edge of the road. I do not recall any whistle or command from the driver to the horse, the animal was familiar with its daily route. How was that for a job? No stress and plenty of exercise!
My friend, Reg Shanks of Brooklands motorcycles, told me a great milk wagon story. He was returning home from a party early one morning on his motorcycle and was surprised to see a milk wagon on the road ahead of him. It had stopped at an intersection and Reg thought it was a bit slow getting started so he drove around it. As he passed the wagon, he was amazed to see it had no driver. When the horse decided it was time to move forward, Reg thought it rather strange so decided to follow it. As the horse wound its way through the streets, it finally came to a stop outside the city's local dairy. Reg stopped his motorcycle, walked over to the wagon where he found the driver, drunk and lying on the floor on his back. The horse had safely taken his driver to the stables beside the city dairy. 
No comments:
Post a Comment