Back in the mid 60s our Dad, Cecil, leased our place out for deer hunting. I only remember him doing it for a few years. Several of the guys were connected through marriage. I think they mostly came out of Austin. Richard Ward and Bill Hayden I remember for sure. There were several others, maybe a half dozen in all.

One other fellow, Harrison was his name. He was a really large guy as I remember. He had a business out on North Lamar just south of US 183. It was a craft supply place, I think. I remember us going there and buying a big bag of Plaster of Paris, for some reason. It was called Harrison’s or Harrison’s Crafts.

This fellow seemed affluent, at least he appeared to be doing better off than most people I knew in that day. He drove a big Buick Station Wagon.

The hunters made a campsite just down under the hill for our house, close to our water well. That way they’d have water and electricity. They set up several tents, that was the way they didn’t it back then. No travel trailers. Of course they nailed together a little lean-to to help keep the weather off of them when they set around the campfire.

I looked forward to the weekends and going down to check out the happening around the deer camp. Something any boy 12 or 14 years old would have loved to have done.

These gentleman we all pretty well behaved but enjoyed their beer and whiskey. They would sit around a fire and drink and tell stories. Sometimes they liked to play cards or shot dice. I never really understood the card games they played, but I did know about shooting craps.

I’d usually have a little money on me and a little was what I mean. Three or four dollars would have been a lot.

They had this dice table setup with a couple of lightbulbs strung up over it. This one night I got in the dice game with them and before long I had a pretty nice little roll of bills. This Harrison fellow got a ways behind and somehow his wristwatch ended up in my possession.

I remember Bill Hayden getting me off to the side and telling me that watch was worth several hundred dollars. After that night Ol Harrison kept after me to sell him the watch back for $20 dollars I think it was. I never did let him have it back nor did I ever wear it. It wasn’t the style I’d have ever worn.

It laid in a dresser drawer until I was grown. I don’t have any idea where that watch ever ended up.