He called my mom, Edna
which was OK for those days.
He called my pappy, Jack
which was OK for those days.
They called him Mr. Shattuck
which was necessary in those days.
He was her boss and her husband
was a part of that "work for me" package.
Burt was not ahead of his time in social sensitivity
but he paid well
and that was very nice for those days.
His office was full of
law books ,yellow legal size tablets
and those wonderful green #2 pencils.
In those days it was the perfect place for a kid
to play lawyer and dream of being called "Mr. Minnis"
instead of "Doug".
But as I sat there
and wrote the legal briefs I would present
to the Supreme Court,
he would walk by with
that responsible demeanor
and I would panic.
I was always afraid that I was doing something wrong
when in reality he probably never saw me.
But, the fear came from the serious face he was always wore
which was all right for those times.
In those days the law was serious business
practiced by serious men.
So ,who would trust a lawyer who smiled?
Serious men served the community
on school boards
and boards of directors.
Serious men for serious depression times.
I probably wouldn't have liked Burtis Hunt Shattuck
if he hadn't of lived in a kickback,
Southwestern house
hidden in Pinion Canyon .
The romantic in me wants
to believe that in his Bohemian
lair he smiled
at how well he played the serious role
just right for those days.