Author: Donald Guenther
Obtained: October 25th, 2013
The five young boys, Richy, Johnny, Donny, Eddy and Davy, and the big twins Anjo and Annie, built a cabin in the woods. A one room pile of sticks really about four feet in height. We decided we’d form a club and meet weekly in the cabin. After discussion and a vote, we settled on the name The Penny Ante Club for our name. Every time we met we had to ante up one penny. Our treasurer kept the money safe in a jar.
We continued meeting and over time saved up $3.64. This may not seem like a lot of money but at the time we thought we were loaded. We kept the jarred money in mom’s dining room cupboard.
One summer afternoon big brother Bob happened to take note of our money jar in the cupboard. He suggested he play us a game of poker and we could use the money in the jar. We determined that we’d all play against him and would win. Between us we held one hand and discussed what we should do and he played the other hand. Over the course of an hour Bob had won all our money. We were down in the dumps.
Mom, watching from the kitchen, came in and asked Bob how he could take all the little kids money from them. He defended his actions and said he won the money fair and square. Mom told Bob he had to give our money back. Bob, acting out, begrudgingly returned our money.
How could our big brother treat us like that? We were so afraid we had lost all our money. Bob was not very popular for a while with us. He took advantage little kids. We thought him to be less than an honorable brother.
We held a Penny Ante Club meeting and voted to buy our youngest brothers, Eddy and Davy, fishing poles with the money. $3.71 proved to be just enough to purchase two kids fishing poles.
Big brother Bob took us to the ocean to fish with the poles. He’d take us places and we really did enjoyed being around him. I remember falling off the rocks into the ocean only to be saved by Bob who pulled me up amidst large logs that could have crushed me in all the tidal action.
Soon after we stopped meeting and the Penny Ante Club disbanded. We used the fishing poles for years and caught a large number of perch and bullhead in the bay. When I go fishing I often think of Bob and brother John whom Bob inspired to take young kids fishing. I don’t enjoy fishing but Bob gave me something I treasure to this day. Bob gave me a real hatred for gambling. I have never gambled in my life. I don’t think its fun but rather view gambling as scary. A guy could lose everything he’s worked so hard for. I’m so thankful for a big brother like Bob.
I’m also thankful for Anjo and Annie who voted to let the boys spend the entire club’s money on fishing poles even though they received nothing from the club. Anjo and Annie showed me how to be giving.
I got a lot out of the Penny Ante Club for the $.53 I invested.