It might be said that Bert was a dandy. He dressed in a strange way, had a tiny moustache and drove around in a very large and long green Nash.
Bert (and his last name will not be used to protect the innocent) worked in the shoe department of the Lou Lucke Company for many years. In fact one could say that Bert grew old selling shoes at the Lou Lucke Company.
He wore black and white saddle shoes all summer long and even wore something that I think were called puttees and what had gone out of style in the 1920’s. Puttees were strips of cloth that buttoned to one’s trousers and went under the shoes and buttoned to the other side of the trousers. Strange to see a grown man with them on in the late 1950’s.
Bert was a very good shoe man. Ladies adored him and I think he had never married so was considered a good catch for some of the local widows.
Never did Bert venture into the other departments of the Lou Lucke Company. He loved his shoes and his ladies nylons as well. One of Bert’s favorite store duties was during World War II to call the ladies when we got a shipment of nylons in. Nylon was used for the war effort and it was rare that we got that hosiery that women loved.
As the years wore on Bert got older and older and started really creeping around the store like he was just too old and tired to walk anymore. My uncle Al, who managed the Lou Lucke Company at that time said that even though Bert really was slow at the store, he positively ran up the stairs to the Elks every evening after work to play pan I believe.
Bert would come out and use the cabin at Clear Creek that had been a log school house. When there he would just love to be waited on and never would go to the well to bring any water to the cabin. So, one of my uncles bought a tiny pail and painted on it, Bert’s Own and Bert was expected to fill that up and not use any more of the water brought to the cabin by others.
Since the Lou Lucke Company sold nylons, we had several plastic models of women’s legs to display our nylons and one of those models ended up at the cabin. One day Bert was sound asleep after eating a huge breakfast that he did not even help cook. Someone got the women’s model leg, propped it up close to him and took his picture of him asleep close to that leg.
I will look for that picture and if I have it, I will include it with this story.
Bert retired and promptly died. His life at the store was very good for him and not having that life any more sent him over the brink.
Anyway, I will never forget Bert and his long Nash and his puttees and his strange look that always seemed to draw a following of mostly older Havre widows.
