THE OLD MAN WHO ATE BURNED HOT DOGS FOR BREAKFAST

George L. Wakefield's father served in the Civil War! He and his wife Olive were next door neighbors to my grandparents, Paul & Sara Potvin. Mr. Wakefield sported a handlebar moustache and Mrs. Wakefield wore long dark dresses and black nylons.They were antique dealers. None of my family understood antiquity being from Wine Village and Little Canada.Rich people would visit the Wakefields every Sunday according to my parents. They would come in their new Cadillacs mother said many times.As a boy of 5 I would wander onto their yard...andno one ever stopped me. Old man Wakefield was a character of sorts. Never having children the Wakefields must have been intrigued by this friendly little boy. They were old Yankees and burned wood in their Crawford cookstove.The Wakefields had a "one-lunger sawmill with a "put-put" sound. One day poor Mrs. Wakefield had a tragedy while helping George cut wood:

She cut off her thumb on the saw blade. Mr. Wakefield owned a 1929 Dodge pick-up.As I grew older I would tag along to the Ruggles Farm in Brookfield. The Ruggles were antique dealers and amused by my presence. "Got a new son, George?"Each Sunday I would deliver his Sunday Telegram and noticed one interesting thing:Yep, Mr. Wakefield ate burned hot dogs every Sunday. I enjoy burned hot dogs, myself! Old Wakefield passed on in 1955 and was an unforgettable character in my life! ROBERT LOUIS POTVIN