Butch had dyslexia, which caused him a host of trouble in the classroom, but it certainly didn't interfere with his ability to attract girls. One of my tasks as his younger brother was to read the notes that these girls would send. In one of these letters, a girl complained that her friends thought that she was a "hor". Since I had never seen this word before, I assumed it must be street slang for horrible. It became necessary for me to interpret as best I could to arrive at some meaning. So I said to Butch, "This girl isn't a very good speller, apparently her friends think she is horrible!". Butch just smiled there, sitting in his chair, and said, "Keep reading". This reminds me of one of his expressions, but I haven't a clue as to its origin. "You can lead a horse to water, but if it's a pencil, it has to be lead."
4 comments:
It's too bad there weren't cell phones/ipods...you could have been in charge of replies to the pencil brigade. :)
This reminded me first of the old slogan "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think!". Your brother's version is wonderful and I hope to remember it next time I have a cause to speak (or not). Perhaps your brother's dyslexia made even the plain girls look pretty - that would make him hugely popular. Or maybe he was just nice.
David, I think your slogan has even a sharper ring to it. Thanks for the input.
Tony,
Never heard that story before.. I love hearing about Butch. Wish I had hung around the kitchen table sooner.
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