Bill Shiver Articles 
No Comments Trick or Treat and Toilet Paper
About 1952 Larry Ring and I went trick or treating. I didn’t want to go but Larry twisted my arm. I didn’t like to ask people for stuff. Still don’t. I know that’s a character flaw in this day of entitlements. But, I swallowed my pride and we went trick or treating. We went down North Court Stree in Quitman. That’s where the rich folks lived. Larry said we could clean up.
Older kids were out and about and they were throwing toilet paper all over people’s yards. Larry said that was a terrible waste of good toilet paper. He said one day they might need some toilet paper and regret wasting it like that. Larry has always been a philosopher.
Well, we’d go up to a house and knock on the door and we’d take turns saying “Trick or Treat.” Larry said it more forefully than me. A nice lady would come to the door and give us a handful of Tootsie Rolls. I hate Tootsie Rolls. Cancy with no nuts in them are not really candy. Give me a Baby Ruth, Payday or Snickers thank you very much. I told Larry he could have all the Tootsie Rolls. Larry wound up with a sackful and I think I got three green Jolly Pops. That was the end of my trick or treating.
But, a thought occurred to me. I think we can start something new and exciting. What if we had Halloween for us old folks. We could go out in our wheel chairs and use our canes and knock on doors. They could give us stuff like cans of creamed corn, bags of dry lima beans and boxes of grits. Stuff us old folks really need. Wouldn’t that be cool? Maybe I could get Larry to go with me. I would even holler “Trick or Treat” really loud for a bag of dry lima beans.
But, with my luck all I’d get would be some Tootsie Rolls.
