by Ed Nelson
That night I read the third book in a series. It was about a group that had mutinied in the South Seas and wandered till they found an island to settle, to this day their descendants live there.
Chapter 27
Tuesday flew by, there was nothing worth talking about, at school it was just another day. I did get teased a little by Tom Humphreys about typing my homework paper. Everyone knew that girls did the typing.
My response was a very mature, “Your mother wears combat boots.”
He came back with a better, “Yep, and she’s going to kick your butt.”
We both laughed at that and parted with no problems.
After school the routine of the day continued, with us kids translating into Spanish signs you would see while driving. The Burma Shave signs were hilarious.
After Denny and Eddie finished their chore of doing the dishes, with only the normal amount of whining by Eddie, they went to watch TV. Mary was playing dolls in with the boys. Mum drank her tea while Dad and I had an after dinner cup of coffee.
Mum handed Dad an envelope and said, “The gas well royalty check came today.”
Dad opened it and stated, “Seventy four dollars the same as last year.”
I dimly remembered talk of the check from other years but had never paid attention.
“What is the deal with a gas well?”
Dad related that it started a long time ago in 1847. One of your great-great-great grandfathers on my mother’s side by the name of John Butts was released from the Ohio State Penitentiary on a technicality.
He had been convicted of first degree murder and two counts of manslaughter. They didn’t establish the degree of manslaughter so he was released. Family legend has it that he was attacked in his own home by slave chasers, who were trying to rob him.”
“He was a known abolitionist and they were hunting for hidden slaves, or just plain wanted to rob him. What they didn’t realize you don’t break into the house of a blacksmith who kept an axe under his bed.”
“He was railroaded into jail as southern Ohio was pro-slavery at the time.”
“Wow, I thought getting off on technicalities was a modern thing.”
“It has been happening since lawyers existed and probably before they were even called lawyers Rick,” Dad replied.
“Once he was released he left Ohio and went to California by ship around Cape Horn. He joined the gold rush in 1849. He later returned to Ohio and purchased land in Morgan County where his family lived.”
“It descended down to two of my bachelor Uncles who both died in 1935. The federal government forced a sale by the family, as they were putting together a national forest. However the family was allowed to keep the oil, gas and mineral rights for ninety nine years. Those rights will expire in 2034.”
“There is a small natural gas well pumping on the property. As one of one hundred and nineteen descendants I get a royalty check every year. So we are getting money from the California gold rush.”
“That is really neat!”
“Yes it is Rick, but the money was obtained by a known killer. Is it blood money?”
“Does it matter after so long,” I asked?
“Not really, but it does make you think and it is a heck’va good yarn to tell and the best part is it is all true. There is no give or take a lie or two in this story.”
“Do we know anything about the trial?”
Dad replied, “Unfortunately no, my Aunt Merle tried to obtain the court trial records, but the Ohio counties where combined and subdivided so many times that she never found them. She did get a copy of the warden’s description from when he was he prison. I will show it to you someday. It could be a description of me.”
“That is really weird. I wonder if anything is buried down on that old farm.”
“We will have to check the place out some day. I think I could still find where the buildings were. The government tore everything down after they bought the land. I remember the area well because we summered there and used to play in the old Conestoga wagon that your grandmother came back from Kansas in.”
“Tell me more!”
“Some other time Rick, I’ve had a long day.”
When I went to bed my head was spinning. I had Indians and the California gold rush running around in my head. There was a century old theft from Blackhoof’s house to wonder about; was there anything hidden on the old farm and if so how would we find it. This was better than any story I could read. I wondered what my dreams would be like.
When I awoke Wednesday morning it was to another six inches of snow and no dreams. This time we all listened to the radio for school closings. The county schools were closed for the day and the kids who rode buses to Bellefontaine had the day off but us city kids had to walk.
Life is very unfair. I cleared the drive way so Dad could get the car out. He was going to drive us to school. The snow was still coming down hard with no sign of letting up.
On the way to school we picked up Eleanor Price who was walking by herself. Many walks hadn’t been cleared and it was tough going for her. She didn’t hesitate in getting into the car. “Thanks Mr. Jackson, it is nasty out there today.”
“Yes it is I wouldn’t be surprised if you kids were sent home early today.”
That started it. Eddie all of a sudden was worried that they would let school out and he would have to walk home alone and probably get lost and freeze to death. Dad assured him that he would listen to the radio and if school closings were announced he would come pick him up.
Eddie might get himself lost but Bellefontaine was a small town. As far as freezing to death he had on a hat with built in earmuffs, a scarf, with a one piece snow suit over his regular clothes and five buckle artic boots. Mum didn’t believe in taking chances with the cold.
She didn’t want us, “To catch your death.”
Today Mr. Brown was shoveling the school side walk. I bet he would rather be mopping the floor. The snow today was a light powder and the wind was picking up so it was blowing it back as he cleared the walks.
We had classes up until lunch time when they announced everyone was being sent home. We were being kicked out in the cold without being fed. Tom and I decided that we might starve to death by the time we walked the half mile home, so we walked the mile down to Don’s for a hamburger. The place was full. Two Ohio State Patrolmen came in for lunch. They announced to all that the drifting was so bad that they recommended anyone driving not go out of town.
On the walk home the snow was blowing and blowing with drifts as high as four feet. It was kind of cool looking, but I was glad to get home and out of the cold. Mum had me start a fire in the fireplace.
The other kids had beaten me home so we all gathered around the fire. Mum brought out the old popcorn cages. They were a clamshell type of basket with a long handle so we could pop popcorn over the fire.
While we popped the corn she darned socks. She would put a light bulb in the heel to keep their shape and use a heavy darning thread. She would darn and re-darn socks until the knots got so bad they would rub your heels.
I was starting to cheat now that I had my own money. When the heels would wear through I would haul them out to the trash can and buy new ones without telling her.
“Rick, I noticed you have magic socks,” my Mum told me.
“What,” I replied?
Uh oh busted.
“You never have socks in the wash that need darning anymore.”
“They have seemed to last longer maybe they are making them better these days.”
“Maybe so, where do you buy them? I would like to get some for the other kids. I really hate this darning.”
She can be so mean!
“J C Penney is where I buy socks.”
“I will look for the other kids the next time I am out.”
I never saw Mum darn a sock again in her life so I suspect she found those magic socks. More to the point I think she had just realized that our finances had really
changed and that she didn’t have to make do anymore.
I practiced typing for several hours. I then had to learn how to change the ribbon on the typewriter because I had already worn it out. I used a trick Miss Wolcott had told me about.
I flipped the used ribbon and put it back on. The manual said nothing about this. I suspect this was because the people who sold typewriters also sold the ribbons.
That was just like the Gillette people didn’t tell you that if you removed the blade from the safety razor and left it in baby oil until the next use, you could make it last a month before it got to dull to use. I had just started to shave and Dad had shown me that trick.
He still had an old razor strop used for sharpening a cut throat razor. He had tried to sharpen the Gillette razors with that but he cut himself trying to hold the reversible blade so had given up.
He figured by soaking the blade in oil and using both sides he could make a twenty five cent pack of razors last for six months. The price of blades really bothered him. He admitted that King Gillette really had a good idea with the safety razor.
Dad had shaved with a straight razor for thirty years and would still nick himself occasionally. That is why he kept a styptic stick in the bathroom cabinet.
Mrs. Hernandez called and begged off of Spanish which was fine by us. We played pool in the basement then spent the evening in front of the television.
I read about Liza, Topsy and Simon Legree that night. I think it is ironic that at the end of the story Eliza is moving to Liberia Africa where one of the first things the returned Africans did was enslave the locals.
Chapter 28
There was no school on Thursday because of the drifting snow. I cleared our driveway and sidewalks. The drift on the side of the garage was so tall I could walk up it and step onto the roof. Well that is what I thought till I sank in up to my waist while trying it. Mum wasn’t real happy when I came in all soaked through.
Denny and Eddie got all bundled up and went out to make a few bucks by clearing sidewalks. They came back at noon looking like five foot long icicles but very happy ones as they had made nine dollars each.
They spent the rest of the afternoon building things with tinker toys and Lincoln logs. Mum and Mary were watching As the World Turns. I watched it a little. I hoped Bob and Lisa would get married. They seemed like they would be a perfect couple.
Mrs. Hernandez came over later. We sat and talked about the snow and all the problems it was causing. It took me about ten minutes to realize that I was thinking in Spanish! I had enough of a vocabulary that when I thought about what to say next I didn’t have to translate.
I told everyone about it. Denny said that happened to him a little, Eddie not at all. Mary said she had been doing that for a long time now.
Since she would go visit Mrs. Hernandez when the weather permitted she had almost double the lesson time we had. I think Mrs. Hernandez got lonely by herself every day since both of the Wingers worked and liked having Mary come over.
We read the Cuban newspapers. From the editorials I think Batista wasn’t very well liked and would have trouble in the future.
I finished up the story about slavery. To me all the characters were stereotypes and it was hard to relate to them. Well I guess I hated Simon Legree, so that was a type of relating. What was interesting about him was that he was a transplanted Northerner. I thought it was only Southerners who owned slaves and were cruel to them.
Friday I awoke to the sound of water. The temperatures had risen overnight and a thaw was in progress. You could almost watch the snow sink into the ground. The gutters in the street had running water. I bet the Mad River was mad today!
When we lived on Detroit Street one of the creeks was a brick tunnel which ran near Mary Rutan Hospital to under the house next door. It was for storm runoff. It must be flooded to the ceiling today. We had explored the entire length of the tunnel. Mum hated that and warned us of flashfloods and catching polio.
School was all about catch up for the missed time. That meant we would have quizzes all day. Since I was ahead on my material it didn’t matter to me. To hear some of the kids it was the end of the world. I mean they hadn’t had some classes since last Monday, how could they be expected to remember anything from that long ago.
As predicted almost every class had a snap quiz on Friday. How can it be a snap quiz when everyone knew it was coming? At least lunch was good in the cafeteria. They had barbeque sandwiches.
Not Texas barbeque but Ohio school barbeque. That was hamburger with some sort of sauce on a bun. They weren’t great but I ate three anyway plus two rice puddings for dessert along with four pints of milk.
Hey, I am a big boy. They also put something green on my plate but since I couldn’t name it I wouldn’t eat it.
At lunch I sat with Tom and Tracey, we talked about going ice skating on Sunday afternoon, if the ice was thick enough. The way it was melting today it wouldn’t be.
After school I went downtown and browsed for Christmas presents. The kids would be easy it was my parents that I didn’t have any ideas for.
I then stopped at the library downtown and spent more time with the Bellefontaine Gazette published in the early 1800’s. The advertisements were hilarious. I looked for but never found another mention of the robbery at Blackhoof’s. With his death the Indians seem to disappear from the area.
I got home in time to turn around and go with the family to pick out a Christmas tree. For some reason we always put it up about this time every year. Most people put them up at the first of the month or Christmas Eve.
We put it up and left it up for twelve days after Christmas. I don’t know if it had anything to do with the song or not. I should ask.
We always bought it from the Boy Scouts at my Troop so we went to the lot. Mr. Geist my Scout Master was there. We talked for a while. He knew about my involvement with the Council and encouraged me to keep at it.
He told me my Eagle had been approved and that we could have the ceremony in late January as planned. There had been a scheduling problem at the church but it was now confirmed for January 25 if I wanted to start sending invitations out.
I could order them from the BSA catalog or pick them up at the Council Headquarters in Springfield.
We picked out a blue spruce that was about seven foot tall. When we got it home Dad took a fresh cut off the bottom and put the tree up in our metal stand. We had bricks to put on each leg of the stand so it wouldn’t fall over. I filled the stand with a mixture of Karo syrup and water to feed the tree. We wouldn’t decorate it till Sunday afternoon. That gave it time for the limbs to settle in place.
At home our Spanish conversation was about what we wanted for Christmas. There was a letter from Marvin Christenson the patent attorney. He acknowledged receiving the updated drawings with a built in ball joint.
He told me that one of the engineers reviewing the system had asked about that. He also wrote that the first look at the patent search was looking good, but they had a ways to go before filing.
After the other kids went to their rooms I had a discussion with Mum and Dad of what I would like to buy my brothers and sister for Christmas so we didn’t buy two of the same item. I asked them what they would like, but they were no help at all.
Saturday I slept so late I had to rush through my pushups and other exercises, shower and gulp some breakfast down before Mrs. Rupert showed up. Of course she sat and had coffee and talked with my parents for another half hour so I hadn’t needed to hurry. It was good that she did, she was able to explain to my parents what was going on much better than I could.
Dad knew the owner of the lot where the Blockhouse was sitting and wondered who actually owned the Blockhouse. Mrs. Rupert told him that it was part of the Radford estate. “Brice Radford,” Dad asked?
“Yes he died about two months ago and Mrs. Radford would love to sell it. Brice had plans for a tourist attraction. That didn’t work out so he let the city use it as an Indian Lake tou
rist information center till he could figure out what to do with it. The Historical Society would love to have it, but Mrs. Bradford wants to sell it.”
“Yeah she was always tight with a dollar. I went to his funeral. I used to drive speedboats for him during the summer.”
“You mean those old beautiful wooden Chris Craft boats?”
“Yes I would pick up extra cash on the weekends during the summer when not working on the railroad. Rick spent a lot of time up there with me. Those were fun days.”
Mum put in, “I don’t know what you call fun we barely kept the family fed in those days.”
“I know Peg, but it was still fun shilling boat rides. Get your speedboat ride, Speedy speedboat ride, just one thin dime, just one tenth of a dollar, right here, your speedy speedboat rides.”
I had to laugh Dad, could have worked as a carnival barker. He had run away with the carnival when he was twelve, but the sheriff brought him back. Grandma says that was the biggest mistake she ever made, letting the sheriff know he had run away. I think she was kidding. With Grandma you never knew.
I dressed in old warm clothes and got out one of Dad’s railroad lanterns. We headed up to Russells Point to the old Blockhouse. It was locked solid with a padlock. We could have pounded on those doors for days without breaking them. I realized why it was called a Blockhouse. It was as solid as a block.
It was built log cabin style but the logs must have been three feet in diameter before they trimmed them. They were planed flat by hand using an adze. It must have taken them forever to do.
The wood had been cut in the early seventeen hundreds, so it was around two hundred and fifty years old. That wood would be hard as iron now.
Mrs. Rupert explained that the roof would have been replaced many times, but these were the original walls. She had a key for the padlock so we didn’t have to try anything desperate.
There was electricity in the summer, but it was turned off for the winter. Any furniture had been removed, now it was one big square room with a stone fireplace.