The Hundred

In part four of this five-part series, Dr. J. Russell Felker, MD, shares memories of the summer during his adolescence he and his friend, Tom Critchlow, walked from Sikeston, Missouri, to Farmington, Missouri. The final installment of the saga will appear in the next issue of TBY.

Dr. J. Russell Felker, MD

DAY 3

Dr. Tom Critchlow, MD

Dr. Tom Critchlow, MD

Dr. Tom Critchlow, MD

It might have been a little difficult to leave Millersville and the luxury of Mr. Statler’s air conditioning, color TV and lake the next day. But, we were off again into the unknown, headed northwest about 15 miles on Highway 72 to Patton Junction. There lived, just a few homes south on Highway 51, an elderly couple that had kindly agreed to put us up for the night. I don’t recall their names, but he was retired from the highway department and known to my Major uncle. Most of the day’s a blank. We probably walked a bit, passing no watermelon patches along the way.

As I think back on it, the couple seemed so old. Older even than our parents! I suspect they were younger than I am now. It was a small, white wooden house, and we were given their sons’ old room in a converted attic. There were two twin beds, covered with quilts and a window looking out to the road. We washed up for dinner and headed downstairs.

I think we had ham, green beans and corn. But the only thing I’m sure about now was the “and corn.” Because, you see, it wasn’t just corn. Looking closely at the plump, yellow grains of corn, I noticed a peculiar kernel or two. The more closely I looked, the more anomalies I noticed: about every third piece wasn’t corn at all, but a small, yellow bug whose mimicry had probably served it well until it had gone into the pot and was then, well … served. I glanced at our two hosts to see if they knew or to see if they knew that I knew.

It did not seem so.

You must remember there was no cataract surgery at that time, and close vision was not as corrected as it is now. I must admit, the first couple mouthfuls tasted about like I expected, but I was done with the corn. Tom continued to shovel it in, heedless of the culinary adventure on which he had embarked. As he asked for seconds, I kicked him under the table in a vain attempt to get his attention and somehow warn him of his peril, but he glared at me and kicked back.

Fine. Enjoy.

When we returned to our room to sleep our meal off and prepare for the next day, I regaled him with my enjoyment of his enjoyment of the several helpings of “corn” he had ingested. He didn’t believe me then. He doesn’t believe me now.

Doesn’t make it less true.

Dr. J. Russell Felker, a Sikeston native, received his MD in 1973 and practiced urology in Cape Girardeau, retiring in 2016. He and his wife of 50 years, Suellyn, raised four children in Cape.