The Gum-Chewing Rattler. Joe Hayes

      

      When I was a kid growing up

      in Arizona, I used to love to chew bubblegum.

      I always had a big, juicy wad of bubblegum

      in my mouth. I’m not talking about one piece of

      bubblegum. I would put two or three pieces of

      gum in my mouth at once. I might even put six

      or seven pieces of bubblegum in my mouth at

      the same time!

      I would be chomping away on bubblegum all

      the time—even when I was in school. My teacher

      would see the wad in my mouth and snap, “Get

      rid of that gum!” I had to take the gum out of my

      mouth and wrap it in some paper and throw it in

      the wastebasket.

      I didn’t really care. I always kept another

      package of bubblegum right in my shirt pocket.

      My mom was the one who would

      really get mad at me though, because I

      would forget to take the gum out of my

      shirt pocket. I’d throw my shirt in the wash

      with all the other dirty clothes.

      Now, I grew up a very long time

      ago, and my mom had one of those old-fashioned