Journey With the Comet

by Dana Wayne Haley

  “Why do you need that, Mr. Berry?” Leona asked.

  “It’s best to be prepared,” he said. “You never know when you’re gonna run into trouble, whether it be from the two-foot or four-foot variety. But don’t you worry your little head, it’s not loaded; I have the shells right here in my pocket.”

  Charlie slung the shotgun over his shoulder using a leather strap he had made special for it, so he would have both hands free to pull his wagon and still have the gun within quick reach. Then he released the brake and pulled the wagon slowly toward the woods path Leona had followed before stumbling upon his cabin.

  “Why don’t you use Ohio Street, Mr. Berry?” she asked. “Wouldn’t that be easier on you?”

  “I fancy the woods, Leona. There’s less chance of bumping into someone and that’s the way I prefer it.”

  “That’s just what my Papa said,” she thought.

  “I bumped into Mrs. Buzzell one time and I don’t want to chance that again,” Charlie explained. “She called me a scalawag or something. Why? I don’t know? It was way before people thought me crazy.”

  Although Leona understood why Charlie loved living in the woods, why he preferred the hermit lifestyle was another matter. Still, she accepted his decision; after all, today he had rescued her from those four hooligans and three years ago had likely saved her father’s life.

  Just as they were coming to the Stream Road, Charlie spoke.

  “Leona, I heard that your father was responsible for these trails.”

  “That’s right, Mr. Berry.”

  “Well, you can count me as one who’s happy he cleared them. They’ve made my life a whole lot easier. In fact, I cleared this path to my cabin to take advantage of them.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell Papa you said that,” she replied.

  Because of the longer more circuitous route he was taking, it took Charlie well over a half-hour to pull the wagon to within eyesight of the Haleys’ house. Of course, having to pull his wagon uphill most of the way didn’t help matters. The little that was downhill didn’t help him that much either, since he could only go so fast with the wagon on the bumpy road without bouncing Leona around and risk causing her more pain than she already had.

  As they approached the field behind her house, Leona spoke.

  “I hope this time you’ll come in and meet my family, Mr. Berry. I promise you, you don’t need to be concerned about my Mama and Papa; they’re good people and they’ve raised us kids to be good people too.”

  “From what I’ve seen of you, Leona, and from what you’ve told me about them, I have no doubts about that. I’d be more than happy to meet ‘em. But don’t expect me to stay for long. That’s just not my nature anymore.”

  “No problem, Mr. Berry, you can leave any time you want to. But I know my parents would want to thank you properly for helping me, and my father. And with my mom that usually means a hearty helping of chow and some of her fresh baked cookies.”

  “You sure know how to tempt a person, Leona,” Charlie joked. “With an offer like that, how can I refuse?”

  Chapter 48

  The Haleys’ New Friend

  Margaret was sitting in her rocking chair near the large back window listening to music on the phonograph and keeping an eye on the back field, watching for Leona to come back from Jill’s.

  “She’s over a half-hour late and that just isn’t like her,” she told Arlene.

  Murdock had just come home for lunch and was readying his wagon to go looking for his girl when Margaret came running out of the house.

  “Murdock!” she yelled while waving frantically. “Come quick; something’s wrong! Someone is hauling Leona on the back of a cart.”

  The Haleys ran toward the back of the house and met the man hauling their daughter.

  “What happened?” Murdock asked.

  “Leona just had a little accident,” the man answered. “But she’s fine. Let’s get her inside where she’ll be more comfortable, and then we’ll tell you all about it.”

  Murdock and Charlie gently carried Leona into the house and placed her on the living room couch. Margaret had the stranger sit in an old, but comfortable chair, while she and Murdock pulled their rocking chairs closer to hear what their daughter and the stranger had to say.

  Murdock spoke first.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t introduce ourselves before, but we were so worried about Leona we forgot our manners. My name is Murdock Haley and this is my wife Margaret, but feel free to call us Murdy and Maggie, everyone else does.”

  “I suspected as much,” Charlie said. “Your daughter told me all about you and your wife. My name is Charlie Berry. And you don’t have to apologize any about your manners.”

  When Margaret heard the stranger mouth his name, a surprised look came over her face and, indeed, on the faces of Arlene and Wally, who were sitting on the floor beside the couch.

  Seeing their expressions, Charlie joked: “You don’t hav’ta be worried, ma’am. I’m not half as crazy or dangerous as people say. And I’m not half as ugly as I look. ‘Course, I suppose that could still make me a pretty ugly fella.”

  With that, Leona and her siblings laughed, and Margaret was somewhat reassured. She was even more reassured when she heard Leona’s story.

  “Mama, Mr. Berry is the man who rescued Papa, the first year I helped him fetch a Christmas tree. And today he helped me out of some trouble too,” Leona began.

  “What kind of trouble?” Margaret asked.

  “On my way to see Jill, those four bullies who were always picking on her and the other kids at school were waiting for me, just beyond the turnoff onto Friendship Path. They tried to get even with me for making them look like fools, two years ago.”

  “Did they do anything to you, Leona?” Murdock asked.

  “No, ‘cause I ran like ah bat outta hell down the Stream Road to get away from them. When they almost caught up to me I turned onto a path headed in the direction of Ohio Street. They would’ah caught me for sure if I hadn’t come upon Mr. Berry’s cabin at the end of the path. When I ran in the back door Mr. Berry was there and he scared ‘em away with his shotgun. You should’ah seen those boys hightail it outta there. The only ones I’ve seen run that fast were the boys Mr. Williams chased away at Chapin Park.”

  “Thank God you were there, Mr. Berry,” Margaret said. “There’s no tellin’ what those boys might’ah done if you hadn’t been.”

  “That goes for me too,” Murdock added. “I shudder to think what could’ah happened if not for you. I can’t thank you enough for helping our little girl. We’ll never be able to repay you.”

  “Think nothin’ of it, Mr. Haley. Anyone would’ah done the same. I’m just glad that Leona happened to stumble upon my cabin the way she did.”

  Leona began to get up off the couch, but fell back wincing in pain.

  “How’d you hurt your foot, Leona?” Murdock asked.

  “She twisted her ankle when she came running into my cabin,” Charlie offered. “Her scream nearly scared the living daylights out of me.”

  When she heard that, Leona giggled.

  “Leona! Stop that!” Margaret scolded.

  “That’s okay, Mrs. Haley,” Charlie said. “It is kind of funny now that I think back on it. Although, the last time my heart beat that fast was when I stumbled upon a black bear up by the stream.”

  “You mean, you’ve actually seen black bears in these woods?” Margaret asked with concern evident in her voice.

  “Well, only one time,” he answered. “Wild bears normally hightail it way before they can be seen when they hear or smell people coming. But this time I was downwind, and the bear was taking a drink from the stream and couldn’t hear me coming, what with the sound of running water.”

  “What happened then, Mr. Berry?” Leona asked with immense curiosity.
/>   “Well, like an idiot, I was walking toward the river with my fishing poll over my shoulder and my head down, and I practically walked right up to it. I couldn’t have been as far away from that dang bear as I am from you right now.”

  Leona was shocked because she was no more than eight feet from Charlie and she couldn’t imagine getting that close to a large black bear.

  “What did the bear do when he saw you?” she asked.

  “Thankfully, it was as surprised as I was and jumped back when it saw me; much as I did when you burst into my cabin. Only, it wasn’t drinking cider at the time.”

  Leona and Charlie broke into laughter, while the rest of the Haleys looked perplexed, wondering what cider had to do with anything and why what he said was so funny.

  “Then, off the bear ran into the woods. And I suppose I’d do the same if I saw someone as ugly as me,” Charlie joked. “Anyway, after I got my breath back I just went ahead and fished the river. Although I’ve seen plenty of signs since then, I haven’t seen nary hide nor hair of that bear, or any other for that matter. He must’ah passed the word to stay away from the crazy old man.”

  The Haley children couldn’t stop laughing at the hilariously funny man in their presence. Murdock and Margaret also laughed, just not quite as hard.

  “I didn’t know there were bears in these woods. Did you?” Margaret asked her husband.

  “Of course, dear,” he replied nonchalantly. “I see their droppings in the woods all the time.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

  “Because I knew you’d be afraid; and for the most part there’s really nothing to be afraid of. People have been living around these parts for years and have you ever heard of anyone being attacked by a bear?” Murdock countered. “In fact, you’ve told me many’s ah time about how you enjoyed playing in the woods when you were a kid. Were you ever bothered by a bear?”

  “Well, no,” she replied meekly.

  “There!” Murdock said. “All the years that you’ve lived in this area you never once saw a bear; and once more you never even knew they were around. So there’s nothing to be concerned about, is there?”

  Without waiting for his wife’s response, he said:

  “But if I know you, and I do, you’da never let the kids play in the woods again if I had told you that bears roamed in there. And there is no reason in the world why our kids should be deprived of that experience. They need to be allowed to enjoy their childhood to the fullest. Your parents weren’t much concerned about you playing in the woods, were they?”

  “I guess not. And, you’re right: I probably wouldn’t let the kids play in the woods again if you had told me. But you still should have told me.”

  After being caught in a mini lie, Murdock could only say: “I know, dear. I know. But I did tell the kids to keep a close eye out for bears. And I told them what they should do if they happened upon one.”

  Then Murdock quickly changed the subject.

  “Margaret, it’s way past noon. Why don’t you fix Mr. Berry something to eat?”

  “Oh mercy me, I’m so sorry, Mr. Berry. I hope you’ll forgive my manners; I was so enthralled with your story I completely forgot to ask if you were hungry.”

  “Think nothing of it, Mrs. Haley. You don’t have to bother with me though. I’m fine.”

  “Just the same I should have been more courteous,” she said while heading to the kitchen to fix lunch and heat water for tea.

  —1—

  Five minutes later Margaret walked back into the living room carrying a large tray of food.

  “I hope you like warmed-over fish chowder and bread, Mr. Berry. They’re yesterday’s leftovers, but it’s the best I can do on such short notice.”

  “Don’t you fret yourself ‘bout that, Mrs. Haley. It certainly can’t taste any worse than what I cook for myself. I’ll never win an award for cooking, that’s for sure. Oh my; this is really delicious,” Charlie said after trying a spoonful of chowder. “If this is how your leftovers taste, I’d love to try some of your fresh-off-the-stove cooking.”

  Margaret smiled and when Charlie tasted her homemade bread his reaction was predictable.

  “I hav’ta say, Mrs. Haley, this has gotta be the best bread I’ve ever had, even if it is a day old. I have to compliment you on your cooking. I guess Leona wasn’t exaggerating when she told me you were the best cook in Glenburn.”

  “Why, thank you, Mr. Berry. It’s kind of you to say so. And it’s good to know that someone in this family enjoys my cooking.”

  “Now, let’s not get carried away, my dear Maggie,” Murdock said. “You’ve gotten so many compliments from me and the children over the years, you must be daffy if you think I’m gonna let you get away with that one. And, Mr. Berry, if you think Maggie’s homemade bread is good now, wait ‘til you taste it right out of the oven. Uhmmm, uhmmm. By the way, I have to correct you: Maggie isn’t the best cook in Glenburn; I think you’ll find she’s the best cook in Maine, maybe even New England.”

  “I think she’s the best cook in America,” Arlene said.

  Not to be outdone, Leona said: “I think Mama’s the best cook in the world.”

  Margaret smiled and blushed.

  “Now, let’s forget about Maggie’s cooking,” Murdock said, “and about the bear. Let’s get back to Leona. Is your ankle okay, sweetheart?”

  “It’s throbbing a little, Papa. But it only hurts if I try to walk on it.”

  “Then don’t try to walk on it,” Arlene joked.

  “That’s real funny, Arlene,” Margaret said.

  “I don’t think it’s broken,” Charlie offered while smiling and winking at Arlene. “But I didn’t want to take a chance, so I decided to bring her back in my wagon. You should probably have a doctor take a look at it when you get a chance, just to be safe.”

  “You’re right,” Murdock said. “Arlene, run down to Aunt Mae’s and asked her to please call Dr. Gifford for us.”

  “Can’t it wait ‘til after I hear the rest of the story?” Arlene asked.

  “I guess that will be okay,” Murdock said, with Margaret nodding in agreement.

  “Will you be all right for a while, dear?” she asked Leona.

  “I’m fine, Mama. Arlene can stay and hear what Mr. Berry has to say.”

  “I should be hitting the road now anyway,” Charlie spoke up. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that,” Margaret said. “What with all that you’ve done for my husband and my daughter, you can stay here ‘til hell freezes over, if you like.”

  Smiling, Charlie said: “Why thank you, ma’am; I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I would soon get mighty lonely for my cabin and my friends.”

  “You mean your animal friends?” Leona asked.

  “That’s right, Leona. They’re the only real friends I have around here now. Except for you, of course.”

  Leona beamed with pride when she heard that, especially knowing how much Charlie disliked people.

  “You can count all the Haleys among your friends now, Mr. Berry,” Murdock said. “Here, try some of Maggie’s molasses cookies. You’ll find they’re just as delicious as her homemade bread.”

  “Why thank you, Mr. Haley. I think I might just take you up on that.”

  “Have some tea with that, Mr. Berry?”

  “Please,” he said, gently taking the cup from Margaret’s tray.

  “Mr. Berry, Leona says that you were a professor at the University.”

  “That’s right, Mrs. Haley. I taught there for almost 24 years.”

  “Leona is going to attend the University after high school,” Margaret said proudly.

  “That’s wonderful, Leona. Do you know what you’ll be majoring in?”

  “Astronomy. I wanna be an astronomer.�
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  “How wonderful! That’s something I thought about myself when I was a youngster, but fate pushed me in another direction. What made you take a liking to astronomy?”

  “My teacher was talking about the Universe when she told us about Halley’s Comet. Ever since then I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about the stars and comets.”

  “Oh yes, I know that feeling. Unfortunately, the last time I used my telescope was to watch Halley’s Comet. Back in 1910 or ‘11, I think?”

  “It was 1910,” Leona said with pride. “That’s the year I was born, so even though I didn’t get to see Halley’s Comet then, I’ll never forget that year or the year it will be seen again: 1986. I’m gonna get to see it then, I hope.”

  “Going to, Leona. Going to; not gonna,” Margaret corrected her daughter before teasing: “If you expect’ta go’ta college, young lady, yah gonna hav’ta speak correct English; yah hear.”

  Charlie laughed when he saw Leona raise her eyebrows at her mother in mock disgust, and then he asked her a question.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll be around to see the comet in ‘86, Leona. Do you have a telescope?”

  “No, they’re too expensive.”

  “You know what? I have an old telescope that I can let you have, if you want it. I’ve had it since I was a teenager, but it’s still perfectly good.”