Rules of Thumb

As I have stated before my Great Grandfather Chesley Franklin owned and operated coal mines in Western Kentucky during the 1930s on until his death in 1967. These mines were located in an area just outside of Dawson Springs, Kentucky called Beulah. Chesley was the subject of one of his son's stories included in the series Characters I have known; published in the Dawson Springs Progress in the late 1970s. His son Decola Franklin, my grandfather, was the subject of a previous blog. For today's blog I would like to paraphrase another one of his priceless stories.

From what I know of Chesley he was a wise gentleman, who created a thriving business in his time. He and my Great Grandmother, Orva Teague, grew up in Mannington, Kentucky. He was a very family oriented man and also a civic leader in Dawson Springs. A man like Chesley would have known how to handle most situations, I would imagine.

One day he was in his office at the mines and he saw an old truck pull up and park. Taking a quick break from the matters at hand he began to watch the man in the truck take a bottle from under the seat. The man took a large swallow from the bottle before returning it to its hiding spot and began getting out of the truck. He soon entered the office and asked to speak to Mr. Franklin. After entering Chesley's office he quickly greeted Mr. Franklin and inquired about any available jobs. Concientiously Chesley asked the man:

"Do you drink sir?"

"No, I never touch the stuff!" The job seeker replied.

Chesley shook his head disappointed.

"Well I am very sorry sir, but we only hire drunks here."

The man headed back to his truck and left the mines with a very confused look on his face.