It seems just like yesterday during my first couple of weeks at the Hennessey Clipper newspaper office when everyone, except me, had gone to lunch.

That was when an elderly man came in and gave the then-33-yearold me 15-cents for a copy of the newspaper.

I handed the gentleman a copy of the previous week’s paper, and thanked him.

“No,” he said. “I got this paper in the mail last week. I want this week’s paper.”

“But it’s not out yet,” I said.

“I know that, but it will be,” he said.

“Oh, you have a subscription then so I don’t need your money,” I said.

“Keep it,” he said, and turned to leave. “I’ve been getting the paper for years.” “But I need your name,” I said, but he was long gone.

When Linda Pribyl and Ruth Cavin (now Kelley) got back from lunch I told them about the man giving me the 15 cents.

They looked at each other, and laughed.

“He has always done it that way,” said Linda, who was the office manager.

“And you can’t convince him to pay by the year,” said Ruth.

“But the postmaster is coming for the annual audit of our mail subscriptions, and we have to be able to show that it’s paid,” I said.

“He only pulls a dozen or so subscriptions,” Linda said.

“Besides, he knows Mr. So-and-So (whose name I still don’t remember).” “I sure wish I’d known about it,” I said.

“Known about what?” asked Kenny Willams, production manager, who’d just clocked in. (Yes, there was a time clock).

“Mr. So-and-So,” I said.

“Oh did I miss seeing him?” asked Wilson Poulter, our building manager.

Now I’m wondering if even my late husband, Bill, knew that mystery guy, but didn’t tell me.