Everyone in the room burst into laughter—including her father whose stinging elbow was almost feeling normal again—as the little girl, with a sheepish grin on her face, picked herself up. While doing so, Arlene noticed two highly visible skid marks she had made with the mud-covered toes of her boots when she slid headfirst across the floor. The little girl had been very careful to clean the bottoms of her boots on the welcome mat as she came into the house, but she had failed to clean off the sides and toes. Arlene now clearly recalled her father telling Lillian and her to clean the mud off before they came inside, so the little girl thought for sure she was going to get a good scolding and maybe even a butt slapping. Indeed, Murdock and Margaret had often chastised their girls, and sometimes even punished them for running in the house and for not cleaning the mud off their boots after playing outside, especially during muddy season. But, much to the benefit of the Haley children, this day the circumstances were entirely different. Upon seeing the frightened look on Arlene’s face, Murdock sought to diminish her fear.
“Don’t worry, Arlene, we’re not gonna get mad at you today. We know you were just anxious to see your new baby sister. But from now on, be careful to clean your boots and please don’t run in the house.”
After Arlene heard her father’s words and realized that everything was okay, she said “Yes, Papa,” and moved quickly to the bed to see the little baby resting face-up on her mother’s chest. It was wrapped warmly in a small pink blanket, the one she had seen Grandma Eunice knitting the last four days. On tiptoe, Arlene watched her little sister seemingly float up and down, like a feather caught in the wind, each time Margaret took a breath.
A huge smile came across Arlene’s face when she saw what appeared to be a smile on baby Leona’s precious lips. The baby’s head was between her mother’s breasts, resting gently against the left one, and her head periodically rolled from side to side in response to Margaret’s breathing. Each time Leona’s head turned to the right, facing Arlene, she appeared to smile again. Of course, the little girl was too young to know that babies aren’t able to see when they are first born, but no one wanted to disappoint the 3-year-old and miss out on the squeaky little laugh that was emitted each time she thought that Leona was smiling at her.
“Move over, Arlene,” Lillian said while gently nudging her little sister out of the way. “Don’t be such a hog. I want to look too.”
The two children stared at each other with fire in their eyes, and then both turned to gaze in amazement at their new baby sister.
“She’s so cute. Can I hold her?” Lillian asked.
“Not just yet, honey,” Margaret replied. “Your baby sister needs to get some sleep now. Being born had to be very exhausting and most likely very traumatic for her, not to mention for me. So you children go outside and play on the swings at the park for a while. In a couple of hours you can take turns holding little Leona.”
With that, the children turned to leave the room. As they were leaving, Lillian spoke to Arlene.
“I think Leona looks just like me.”
“No she doesn’t, she looks like me,” Arlene replied.
Margaret laughed when she heard her two girls arguing.
“Nothing has changed,” she said to Murdock. “Now it’s little Leona they’ll be fighting over.”
“Yup, but at least it doesn’t look like they’re gonna be jealous of the new baby,” he responded.
“It doesn’t seem so. I have to admit though: I was a mite worried about that. That’s all I’d need: the two of them arguing and being jealous, all at the same time.”
Murdock chuckled and made his way to the head of the bed.
“Well, I’ll let the two of you get some sleep now, Maggie. I love you,” he said while leaning over the bed to kiss his wife.
With tears of joy filling her eyes, she replied: “I love you too, sweetheart.”
As Eunice followed Murdock toward the door to let Margaret rest, the proud new mother spoke.
“You know, Mom, I can’t explain it, but I have the strangest feeling about this cute little girl of mine.”
“What’s that, sweetheart?” Eunice asked.
“You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but something inside tells me she’s gonna be a very special lady before all is said and done.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all, dear,” Eunice replied. “After all, with her mother and father, how could she be anything but special?”
“Thanks, Mom. But seriously, I have a calm inside of me that I’ve never experienced before. There’s something about this baby that I just can’t put into words.”
“What are you talking about, Maggie?”
“I can’t put my finger on it, but I just sense that there is something very unique about her.”
“Maybe so, dear. Time will tell. Well, I’ll leave you two alone to rest.”
“Could you open the window some more before you leave, Mom? Suddenly I’m feeling a tad hot and some cool refreshing air would sure be a welcome relief.”
Eunice walked to the half-open window and raised it up as far as it would go.
“How’s that, dear? It’s not gonna be too cold on you is it?”
“No, Mom. It’s just right.”
“Good. I’ll check in on you in a little while to make sure the room doesn’t cool down too much. In your state, you don’t need a cold.”
Eunice left the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her.
—2—
Within seconds of Eunice closing the bedroom door, Margaret was starting to fall asleep. She was about to doze off into a deep sleep when she heard a loud, shrill screech and then heard a powerful fluttering sound coming from outside the bedroom window. Margaret turned toward the direction of the strange noise just in time to see a large eagle land on the sill of the open window. The eagle sported a large area of pure-white feathers running majestically from the top of its head, all the way down its long neck, making it obvious to Margaret that she was staring at a mature American Bald Eagle. The giant bird was so huge that its body practically filled the whole window, and its gigantic claws were gripping its window perch so tight that it made deep impressions in the painted wooden sill. Just as impressively, its head reached nearly halfway up the top pane of glass. At first, Margaret was terrified at the sight of the giant bird of prey sitting only a few feet away. She knew that its huge talons and sharp, curved beak could easily rip her and her new baby to pieces if it so desired; but after looking into the majestic bird’s penetrating eyes, she felt a calm inside and was no longer concerned for her safety, or for that of her baby.
“What are you doing here, big guy?” she spoke, hardly able to believe just how huge the eagle was. “I’ve never seen an eagle this far from the river. And I’ve certainly never seen one quite as imposing as you, nor near as lovely.”
The Haley home was close to a mile from the Penobscot, and eagles were seldom seen in the sky more than a quarter-mile from its banks. Oh, occasionally one might be seen flying high above Chapin Park as it circled back toward the river. But a low flying eagle, never mind a grounded one, had never been seen beyond the park, and most certainly nowhere near the far end of Palm Street where the Haley home was situated; and that fact alone made the eagle’s presence at the Haleys’ residence even more intriguing.
Margaret stared peacefully at the enormous feathered-beast that perched on her windowsill, watching its head jerk quickly from side to side as it eyed the contents of her bedroom. Suddenly the eagle flapped its huge wings and, with one strong leap, flew toward the foot of Margaret’s bed. As it did she felt a strong breeze sweep across her face. When the eagle landed on the footboard her bed shook, as if a strong earthquake had jolted the house. That movement caused baby Leona to awaken from a deep, peaceful sleep. In amazement, Margaret watched the tiny infant effortlessly lift her little head and surprisingly hold it erect
while peering into the eagle’s eyes, something she knew a newborn shouldn’t be able to do. A wall mirror behind the eagle allowed Margaret to clearly see her baby’s eyes staring curiously into the eagle’s. And, to Margaret, the giant bird looked for all the world as if it was peering into Leona’s eyes, almost like it was trying to communicate with her. Both eagle and baby remained transfixed for ten seconds or more, until Margaret saw Leona smile and then gently lay her tiny head back onto her chest. Almost instantly, the infant was in deep sleep once again.
What happened next astounded the new mother even more. The eagle stood erect and spread its wings wide while eyeing her sleeping baby. Margaret could hardly believe her eyes when she saw that the eagle’s wings spanned well beyond the confines of her four-foot-wide bed, by more than a foot, or maybe two, on each side. After the gigantic eagle brought its wings back to its side, it flew back to the window with just one flap of its powerful wings. It sat there on the sill with its back to Margaret and she could see its regal white-feathered head through the top windowpane. And with its back to her she could now clearly see its similarly pure-white tail feathers, which before were hidden from view by the bed-board, but which now the eagle periodically spread wide, as if shamelessly posing for her.
“What beautiful feathers,” Margaret thought. “I’ve never seen anything quite as white as those—not on an eagle anyway.”
Then Margaret’s attention turned to the bird’s shiny dark feathers, which lay softly between the white ones of its head and tail, magnificently covering the rest of its sleek, but powerful body.
“Look at those feathers sparkle in the sunlight,” she said to herself in awe. “They’re just as stunning as the white feathers, if not more so.”
The majesty of the large bird had Margaret mesmerized. It appeared to make one last regal pose for her and then turned its head and looked at the sleeping baby before it turned to look at Margaret again. The exhausted new mother found that she had no choice but to look into the eagle’s eyes, and when she did she suddenly felt groggy and soon became almost comatose. When that happened a peaceful feeling came over her and the eagle gave out a loud eerie screech, flapped its wings, and took to the air. Even in her groggy state Margaret was able to hear its loud, haunting screeching getting weaker and weaker as it flew away. And finally, when the eagle’s cry was barely audible, she awoke from her inexplicable semi-hypnotic state.
—3—
“Murdock! Mom! Get in here quick!”
“What is it?” Murdock asked, after bursting into the room expecting trouble.
“Quick, Murdy, look out the window! There was a giant eagle in here! See if you can see it flying away.”
Murdock rushed to the window.
“I don’t see anything, sweetheart. What do you mean there was an eagle in here?”
“You’re gonna think I’m crazy, but an eagle came through the window and flew onto my bed. It was the biggest eagle I’ve ever seen. And it was so beautiful. It wasn’t talking, but I sensed that it was saying something to Leona.”
Murdock’s eyebrows raised and he looked askance at his wife, as if she were insane.
“Well, Maggie, I sure hope it wasn’t talking.”
Then he turned toward Eunice and winked.
“Eunice, before the delivery, did you give Maggie a swig of whiskey for her pain?”
“No, of course not, Murdy. She’s as sober as you or I. She must’ah been dreaming.”
“No! I wasn’t dreaming, or off my rocker. It was as real as the two of you standing there.”
“Come on, Maggie,” her husband responded. “Do you expect us to believe that an eagle was sitting on your bed? You know as well as I that eagles won’t come anywhere near a person unless they’re trying to protect their nest.”
“Well, this one did.”
“You had to be dreaming, dear,” Eunice said.
“Well, if I was dreaming, then how do you explain those marks on the windowsill? And those scratches on the bed?”
Murdock inspected the strange marks on the window and bed-board. When he turned toward his wife, he looked puzzled.
“Are you sure those marks weren’t there before?”
“Of course.”
“I can vouch for that, Murdy,” Eunice said. “I dusted the windowsills only two hours ago and there weren’t even the tiniest of scratches on them, let alone huge marks like those.
“Hmmm?” he said while rubbing his chin. “I hav’ta admit that those marks sure look like they could’ah been made by an eagle. But from the looks of ‘em, it would hav’ta be a wicked big one.”
“It was, Murdy. I told you, it was the biggest eagle I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, looky here, Murdy,” Eunice said as she leaned over near the foot of the bed to pick up something white from the floor. She looked it over and then handed it to him.
“Well, I’ll be,” he exclaimed. “That’s an eagle’s feather all right. It’s a tail feather; and look at the size of that thing! I guess you weren’t dreaming after all, sweetheart.”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m not daft you know. And, Mama, do you remember what I told you?”
“What’s that, dear?”
“You know: What I said about Leona.”
“You mean, about her being special and all?”
“Uh-huh. I guess my intuition was right, after all.”
“How so?”
“Think of it, Mom! How many newborns do you know that have been blessed with a visit from an American Bald Eagle? Not to mention, with Halley’s Comet flying overhead.”
Chapter 10
The Fire
To Margaret, her third child was a godsend: A good baby who even during the first few weeks slept most of the night. In fact, Leona seldom cried, and if she did then her parents knew immediately that their baby girl was hungry or wasn’t feeling well, rather than stubbornly crying just to get attention, as babies are prone to do. On top of that, the Haleys’ newborn appeared to be as healthy as Lillian and Arlene were, if not more so. By the time she was three months old the slender girl had a long thin neck typical of babies her age. It was barely strong enough to hold up her head, but when she was able to hold her head high, everyone said that she looked like a curious turtle as she scanned the room with her tiny eyes, searching out and discovering things she had never seen, or maybe just never noticed before.
One thing little Leona could always count on seeing was her devoted sisters. And that was because Lillian and Arlene adored her, as she did them. The girls were always hugging and kissing their cute sister at every opportunity. Each loved it when the baby girl would grab their nose and not let go. In fact, the two would intentionally place their little fingers in Leona’s delicate hand and scream with delight when she clamped onto them tighter than the claw of a Maine lobster. They also loved to roll around on the floor with Leona and let her crawl onto their little stomachs. Indeed, they played with her constantly, so much so that “Arween” and “Wilwian” were the first words out of the infant’s mouth, followed soon thereafter by “Mama” and “Papa.”
When Leona took her first wobbly steps at nine months, Lillian and Arlene were also there to help her. They would walk with her around the house and catch her if she started to fall. At the age of eleven months she was walking adroitly, thanks greatly to her sisters’ constant help; and, as Leona grew older, the girls would each take hold of her tiny hands and strut proudly around the neighborhood with their bowlegged little friend. Without fail, when the two girls bumped into their neighbors along Palm Street, or met visitors at Chapin Park, they told them all about Leona, especially about how quickly she learned to walk and talk; and their praise for their little sister was not unwarranted. Even her parents were amazed at Leona’s ability to talk so adroitly at such a young age. In fact, it was not long after learning to vocalize words that the
little girl uttered a short but profound sentence that would be a precursor of her abilities, but more important, a sentence that marked the beginning of a historic event long remembered by the Haleys; and even more so by the city in which they lived.
—1—
It was Sunday afternoon, April 30th, 1911, and the Haleys could be seen walking down State Street with their children, as they so often did. Leona had just turned one on the previous Wednesday and the parents promised to take her and their other children to downtown Bangor the following Sunday, in celebration of that occasion. Along the way on that sunny, yet unusually windy spring day, Murdock was pointing out various things to little Leona, all the while knowing that she likely understood little of what he was saying to her. Regardless, the Haleys often spoke to Leona as if she understood everything that was being said—as they had to Lillian and Arlene when they were little—in hope that it would help her more quickly grasp the English language.
“This is where I had my first date with your Mama,” Leona’s father said as they passed Judy’s.
When they came to Broadway, it was Margaret’s turn.
“See that vehicle over there, Leona. That’s called a trolley. I used to ride it all the way to Glenburn, for a good 6 miles. And then I had to walk almost a mile to my home on Ohio Street, good weather or bad. It’s where my mother—your Grandma Eunice—lives. And my sisters Mae and Maude live in Glenburn too, side-by-side on Broadway. I only had to take the trolley about 4 miles to visit them. In a while you’ll see where your father and I first met; or maybe I should say where we first eyed each other.”
As the Haleys continued on their way along State Street, crossing Oak and Broadway, and started down the steep hill, Margaret spoke again.
“This is Purgatory Hill, Leona. At least, that’s what your father calls it.”
And when they approached the intersection of State, Exchange and Harlow Streets, Margaret spoke to her daughter again.
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