THE PLEASANT INN

There was once a little place in Clovis
   called "The Pleasant Inn."
It was right across from Clovis Memorial
   Hospital, on the east side of Thornton...
Up there toward Todd's house.

It is  an important, likely-overlooked piece
   of Clovis history, as well as
Americana.

Its main efficacy to us kids was---that it
   was close to our homes---
(There were far more places with better
   selections of candy!)
But Pleasant Inn was quick and handy!

If you scrounged a dime from your mama
   on a hot summer day,
Or found a nickel in the alley---
   (It happened...there was money on the
ground in the forties)
   You could be over to the Pleasant Inn
in nothing flat!

I found more money (in life) in that two
   block area
than anywhere else---even walking the
   hospital's low rock fence...
or at that corner at 12th and Reid
   where the asphalt was badly patched---
and bumpy, there seemed to always be
   coins there.
I don't know who all lost 'em,
   but I know who found 'em.

Now the Pleasant Inn was not conceived
   nor established as a candy store
for little kids...
   It had only a small wire rack for holding
kids' stuff...with Tom's peanuts, Tom's
   peanut butter crackers (4), a few
candy bars, and I remember Bit 'O Honeys,
  and there was a five cent
potato chip rack.

But they had a coke box, and with an empty
   bottle, and five cents, you could
walk out with a big twelve ounce Pepsi Cola!
   ("Rubi-da-dot-ta...rubi-da-dot-ta...
Pepsi Cola hits the spot...twelve full ounces
   that's a lot...") Remember that jingle?

The Pleasant inn had two or three  dining
   tables, and a little grill, for cooking---
I once saw a guy eating a hamburger
   in there...but it never occurred to us kids:
that place (it had a second story) was there
   for people to stay, who had sick family
members, across the street
   in the hospital.

(The Clovis Memorial Hospital, two blocks
   from our house, was built about '39.
With its nice white brick, it was
   an imposing building of
four or five stories.)

A lot of small things---people, buildings,
   places, events go into making up
history, and I judge that more of
   them are lost...than ever recorded.

So this all happened to little kids, in
   a small town, in the forties---
A favorite place of ours,, in a quiet
    neighborhood... a place even
today, fondly remembered...by us,
    The Pleasant Inn, on Thornton,
up there toward Todd's house.

*******30******
BY MIL
01/26/14