The Christmas gift that Leona got the most use out of, and definitely had the most fun using, was the new glossy wood-stained American Glider sled with beautiful blue-and-yellow decorative stripes and shiny red runners that seemed to slide almost frictionless on packed snow or ice. It was the perfect gift for the 8-year-old, one that would be used over and over throughout the coming winters. Although an occasional speedy toboggan ride down a snow-covered hill was exciting, there was nothing quite like the youthful exhilaration Leona experienced after jumping on her new sled and going “faster than the wind” on the snow-covered and sometimes icy roads near her home.
After getting a running start in the Haleys’ long, slightly descending driveway, she could jump belly-first on the sled and slide straight across Ohio Street onto the Winter Fun Road. Then it was hold on tight as the sled darted a quarter-mile down the steep road to a wide valley, before coasting up a slight incline and slowing to a stop at the top of a small hill. Over that hill the road sloped downward again for another quarter-mile or so, although not nearly as steep as the first quarter-mile, before flattening out and coming to Broadway, another three-tenths of a mile further.
It was at the beginning of the flat part that the Six Mile Falls Road intersected the Winter Fun Road. Usually Leona decided against sledding the full length of the Winter Fun Road because the final leg just wasn’t steep enough to provide the kind of sled speed and excitement she sought. So after traversing the first quarter-mile to the valley she would coast to the top of the small hill, and quickly turn around and slide back to the valley, coasting as far as she could up the steep hill before dismounting the sled and trekking back to her driveway to again experience the thrill of that much steeper part. Since that much used Winter Fun Road hill near her home had no name, Leona decided to call it Haleys Hill.
—1—
The first time Leona was able to use her new sled was the morning of the 26th. She had pleaded with her sisters to go sledding on Christmas day, but to no avail. First she asked Arlene.
“It’s way too cold, Leona. I’ll go tomorrow if it warms up,” she offered.
“What do you mean?” Leona queried. “It’s twenty, the sun’s shining, and there’s no wind.”
But Arlene could not be persuaded; if there was one thing she had an aversion to, it was cold weather.
“You’re such a sissy, Arlene,” Leona said.
“Leona! Don’t go calling your sister names,” Margaret admonished.
“But she is a sissy, Mama,” Lillian agreed.
“I know, dear; just don’t go calling her that.”
The girls laughed hysterically, causing little Wally to giggle, and Murdock to wink at his wife.
“It’s just that I don’t like the cold, Mama,” Arlene said after she stopped laughing.
“That’s all right, dear,” Margaret sympathized, “can’t say that I’m too fond of it myself.”
“Lillian, will you go sledding with me?” Leona asked.
“Sure, let’s go.”
“Hold your horses, young lady!” her mother said. “Where do you think you’re going? Nice try, but you know I need your help.”
“Darn!” Lillian responded.
“Then I’ll go by myself,” Leona said.
“Not on your life, Leona. I don’t want any of you girls sledding alone. Do you hear? The three of you can go sledding the first thing in the morning. Okay, Leona?”
“Yes, Mama. It’s okay, I guess,” the extremely disappointed girl said.
“But I’m not going if it’s too cold,” Arlene said.
“Don’t worry about that right now, Arlene; from the looks of it, tomorrow should be fine. You know what they say: Don’t go counting your chickens before they’re hatched.”
“That’s right, Arlene,” Murdock chimed in. “Don’t be putting the cart before the horse. Just take one day at a time.”
—2—
The next morning Leona awoke at 6:30 and ran downstairs to look at a thermometer that hung just outside the window above the kitchen sink. Her mother was already fixing breakfast.
“Mama, it’s over twenty outside. It’s gonna be warm enough for Arlene to go sledding today.”
“Yeah, by nine it should be close to 30, and there’s no wind for Arlene to complain about either. But I don’t think Arlene’s the one you have to worry about this morning. Getting Lillian out of bed is gonna be the real challenge.”
Leona knew exactly what her mother meant. When she was little, Lillian was a typical youngster when it came to getting up early, but now it was different.
“Nowadays it takes a herd of wild horses to drag your sister out of bed,” Margaret laughed.
“I know, Mama, but I’ll get her up this morning, even if it kills me,” Leona said with unmistakable determination in her voice.
And then she turned and ran toward the kitchen door, heading upstairs to wake her sister. As she did, her father walked into the kitchen and she ran smack into him, almost knocking him over.
“Whoa, Leona!” he said. “What’s the rush? Did someone die?”
“You might say that, Papa,” she said, rushing past him. “I’m on my way to wake up Lillian so we can go sledding. I want to start by 9:00.”
“Good luck with that,” Murdock called out to his daughter. “Hey, Maggie, two bits says Lil will still be in bed at 9:00. And another two says she won’t be out the door until well past 11:00.”
“Do you think I’m daffy, Murdy?” she asked. “I wasn’t born yesterday; I wouldn’t touch that bet with a ten-foot pole.”
Not only was it hard to get Lillian up in the morning, but getting her going after she did get up was quite a challenge too; and Margaret knew that better than anyone.
“You know, Murdy, I look forward to summer vacation more than the kids do. At least then I don’t have to wear myself out all the time trying to get Lillian’s butt off to school.”
“Yeah, something must’ah happened to that girl when she reached puberty,” he replied. “When she was smaller she never used to sleep so late, or procrastinate the way she does now. My sister Georgie was draggy like that, but I’ve never seen anyone near as bad as Lillian. I sure hope Arlene and Leona aren’t that way when they get older.”
“Oh, don’t even think that!” Margaret joked while rolling her eyes.
—3—
“Lillian, for God sake, it’s 7:30! Get up so we can go sledding,” Leona shouted upon entering her sisters’ bedroom. She saw no movement under Lillian’s blanket, but heard a soft moan. “Come on, Lillian, wake your sleepy butt up!”
“In a minute,” her drowsy sister was barely able to utter.
Although Leona’s shouts had little affect on Lillian, Arlene was another matter.
“What time is it?” she asked while rubbing her eyes.
“Seven-thirty,” Leona replied.
“What’s it like outside?”
“It’s beautiful. The Sun’s out and there’s no wind, so it should be nice and warm by nine.”
Arlene rolled out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and headed downstairs in her pajamas to wash up. Before leaving the room, she looked at her sleeping sister and spoke to Leona.
“Let some light in, sis. That should help. But don’t expect her to get up anytime soon.”
Leona walked to the window that looked out over Ohio Street and raised the shade. The morning sun shined directly on Lillian’s bed; and, as if she were a nocturnal vampire terrified of daylight, she instinctively pulled the covers over her head.
“Lillian! Get your lazy butt outta bed!” Leona shouted once more before heading downstairs for breakfast.
An hour later, Lillian still wasn’t up, and Leona was becoming perturbed. Once again she went to her sister’s bedroom.
“For cryin’ out loud, Lillian! It’s 8:30; get your sorry butt up! Arlene and I are done eating and we’re just waiting for you; so, hop to it!”
There was no movement on the bed, so Leona walked over and pulled the blankets down. By now the sun was shining directly in Lillian’s eyes. She reached for the blankets and tried to pull them up, but Leona wouldn’t let her. The struggle with her young sister caused Lillian to waken enough for Leona to finally get her nearly comatose sister to speak; and she could almost understand what Lillian was saying.
“Please go away,” the groggy girl mumbled. “I just want to sleep a little bit longer.”
“Not on you life, Lillian. You promised to go sledding this morning; so get up, or else!”
When Lillian was finally out of bed and walking downstairs to wash up, the scowl on Leona’s face was replaced by a smile. The same could not be said of Lillian. During the next half-hour she washed up, ate the oatmeal and toast her mother had fixed, and then went up to her bedroom again to get dressed. But another half-hour passed and she had still not come downstairs.
“Lillian, you’re slower than death,” Leona said when she walked into her sister’s bedroom and saw that she still wasn’t close to being dressed.
Because Lillian never changed her habits in the years to follow, the “slower than death” phrase would jokingly be used over and over by all members of the Haley household. Finally, Leona and Arlene managed to cajole their sister into getting dressed, and they were out the door before the clock struck 10:30.
Murdock joked: “You should’ah taken me up on the bet, Maggie. I never, for one second, thought they’d get Lillian out the door before 11:00.”
“I told you, Murdy: I wasn’t born yesterday.”
—4—
That morning Leona became hooked on sledding, much more so than her sisters; although they too had fun and enjoyed the good-natured banter that the siblings invariably engaged in whenever they played together. Even while sledding, Arlene and Leona razzed Lillian about being so “draggy,” because she was always the last to walk back to the top of the hill after a successful, or not so successful, run to the bottom. Still, despite the razzing, Lillian and her sisters got a great deal of enjoyment from sledding in the days and weeks after that first Christmas; and their parents often joined in the fun. Margaret would take one sled and have Leona and Arlene sitting between her legs, and Murdock took the other with Lillian and little Wally sitting between his. Only after their children begged endlessly would the parents lie on their stomachs and allow their little ones to lie on top of them; however, for their children’s safety, no more than one at a time was allowed on top. Regardless of the method used, the children always screamed with delight as they speeded down the steep roadway.
It was especially exhilarating for the children when their parents raced, and that was because the sleds—with runners polished as smooth as glass and waxed to perfection by Murdock—ran side-by-side almost all the way to the bottom of the hill until one or the other squeaked by for the victory. The kids would more often than not taunt each other all the way down, yelling: “We’re gonna beat you, we’re gonna beat you,” or “The last one down is a rotten egg.” Sometimes the parents would lose control of their sleds and one would accidentally bump into the other, causing it, and many times both, to careen into a snow-bank on the side of the road. The children often loved the crashes more than the ride itself because their parents would playfully cuss each other out and joke about whose fault it was, and then seemingly laugh forever when they did.
The first time the parents’ sleds collided and they chided each other, Leona couldn’t stop laughing, and she prayed that their sleds would collide again. As it turned out, she wasn’t disappointed; four runs later the sleds smashed together and everyone ended up in the snowy ditch.
“Damn women drivers,” Murdock yelled. “Where did you get your driver’s license, Maggie? At the Eagle’s Nest Gift Shop?”
“You’re one to talk, Murdy,” she replied. “You drive like a drunken sailor; one who never even learned how to drive. Maybe you should let little Wally drive the next time.”
After the children finally stopped laughing, their mother told them it was time to head inside for supper. The disappointed kids did as she said, realizing that there were plenty of sledding days ahead that winter.
—5—
Occasionally the Haley children went sledding on nearby Ohio Street, even though its hills were significantly steeper and their parents considered it much more dangerous than the Winter Fun Road. Nonetheless, with danger came excitement, and no matter how hard the parents tried, the children always managed to take two or three slides on Ohio Street before they were finally caught and told to stop. Of all the Haley children, Leona was the most daring, and as such was always trying to talk Lillian and Arlene into sledding on Ohio Street with her, usually successfully. Although that road was nearly flat near the Haleys’ driveway, it had a very steep slope just north and just south of it, with the starting point for sledding adjacent to the Terrill house, about 600 feet north of the Haley driveway.
When the children came speeding down the hill, they had the option of continuing straight down Ohio Street or of making a left turn onto the Winter Fun Road. If they chose to go straight, the slope was somewhat mild for about 700 feet beyond their driveway. At that point, a few feet beyond Eunice’s house, there was another steeper portion that went downhill for about 500 feet before it leveled off into a valley that just happened to fall on the east-west boundary of Bangor and Hermon. That steep hill, the one Bobby’s horse had trouble climbing the day the Haleys moved to Glenburn, was appropriately called Carver Hill; and the valley at the bottom was referred to as Death Valley by the children in this part of Glenburn.
The anticipation of flying down Carver Hill excited the Haley kids because it was the steepest one on Ohio Street. As such, when they were finally speeding down it, they could be heard screaming all the way to the bottom. Sometimes, however, making the turn onto the Winter Fun Road was the most fun of all. The sled’s speed was usually so great when they reached the intersection that, as they turned the corner, its momentum would cause it to slide high up a manmade bank of snow. Then, if all went well, gravity would mercifully overcome its momentum and pull the sled back down the curved bank and carry its riders safely down the Winter Fun Road.
The enormous mound of snow, typically 6 feet high or more, was strategically placed at the corner of the Winter Fun Road by Murdock to keep the turning sled from careening into the ditch. However, sometimes the sled’s speed was such that even gravity couldn’t counteract its momentum, and the new American Glider would go flying over the bank, with the sled and anyone on it ending up splattered in the soft snow on the other side of the bank.
—6—
Leona enjoyed snow sledding so much that many times she went alone if no one else wanted to go. Even with the long and, at times, lonely walk back to the top of the hill, she would typically spend more than two hours sledding, sometimes in frigid weather. Doing any other outside activity in such weather would force Leona into the warm house to seek another form of entertainment; however, when she was sledding, the temperature had to be way below zero before she gave up and headed inside; even then it usually took a strong wind to accompany the cold temperatures.
Of course, Margaret would always keep an eagle eye on her youngest daughter through the kitchen window, the one over her sink that looked directly out onto the Winter Fun Road. She waited in anticipation each time Leona crashed into the snow-bank or ditch to see if her daughter would be okay. Fortunately for Margaret, Leona was quite skilled at sledding and seldom crashed, or got hurt when she did. Just the same, each time the inevitable crashes occurred, Margaret’s heart would nearly stop.
One cold and icy day in February of 1919 Leona was sledding alone on Ohio Street and Margaret saw her daughter approaching the Winter Fun Road at a very high rate of speed. The worried mother prayed that she would not attempt to make the turn onto it. But Leona did, and her sled flew up the bank of snow, seemingly headed over it, where Margaret was sure her daughter would go flying into a nearby cluster of trees. Fortunately, Leona was able to keep the sled from going over the bank, but when gravity forced it down off the snow-mound and back onto the road, the sled picked up way too much speed. Leona was going so fast that, even as skilled as she was, she could not control the sled as it swerved from side to side on the icy road. Finally, she lost all control of the sled and it headed dangerously for the ditch. When it by chance hit a small clump of frozen snow the sled went flying through the air, and so did Leona. Her sled slammed headfirst into soft snow, and Leona went tumbling head-over-heels along the snow-filled ditch, out of sight of her mother’s vision.
Margaret held her breath until she saw her daughter’s head peeking over the snow-bank as she crawled up and over it, back onto the road. Although covered with white from head to toe, Leona was laughing hysterically, and Margaret was relieved to see that. She felt like running outside to scold her daring daughter, but instinctively knew that it would be useless to do so. She could make Leona stay in her room for three weeks, and as soon as her bedroom prison time was up, her fearless girl would be right back at it again.
When Margaret’s breathing returned to normal she thought about what had just happened and began to laugh, albeit nervously. Just then Murdock came into the kitchen and asked: “What’s so funny, Maggie?”
“Leona,” she answered.
“What’s she done now?”
“Oh, nothing too serious, other than crashing the sled, almost killing herself, and me too I might add. I don’t think my heart can take too much more of her daring.”
Murdock looked quizzically at his wife and was about to say something else, but thought better. Instead he just turned and walked out of the kitchen, saying to himself: “Women!?”
Margaret, somewhat amused by his reaction, turned to look out the window and once again saw Leona singing to herself as she walked casually up the road toward the house, all the while brushing snow from her clothes. Margaret was relieved, knowing everything was fine; at least, until the next time.
—7—
No doubt the scariest sled ride of all for Leona happened the winter of 1920. While sledding on major roadways was relatively safe on the sparsely populated west side of Glenburn, one still had to keep a watchful eye out for travelers in horse-drawn sleighs. They posed the most danger. Even though most sleigh drivers were careful not to go too fast during the winter, it was not unusual for them to come around a corner into the oncoming path of a fast moving sled, especially when both the sled and sleigh were hidden by a high snow-bank; and that’s exactly what happened to Leona when she was making a run on Ohio Street.
The road was very icy that day and she had picked up so much speed on the steep hill near her home that the flat portion next to her driveway didn’t slow her sled much. Although she wanted to make the challenging turn onto the Winter Fun Road, this time she decided against it, knowing the turn would be too daring, even for her, so she continued on down Ohio Street. Just as the 10-year-old was approaching the Cemetery Road intersection she saw a light-gray horse pulling a small two-person sleigh gallop right in front of her. Its blinders kept the large muscular horse from noticing Leona’s sled speeding toward it. Thankfully for Leona, just before the sled was about to crash into its powerful front legs, the horse caught a glimpse of something and was spooked, causing it to rear up on its hind legs. In the meantime, Leona was trying to turn the sled sharply toward the far side of the icy road, but instead it spun sideways and continued spinning like a slow-motion top, heading straight for the frightened horse. She slid dangerously beneath it, passing under its kicking front legs.
As she often did, Eunice was in her kitchen watching Leona sledding that day, and the sleigh driver—old Mr. Kelley—was momentarily distracted when he saw her waving at him through the kitchen window, politely waving back. When his horse reared, Mr. Kelley finally noticed Leona coming on her sled and frantically yelled “Whoa!” while simultaneously pulling back on the reins, keeping the horse standing on its hind legs for an instant longer. The skidding sled was barely out from under the horse when its iron-shoed hoofs hit the ground, just missing Leona’s head by inches. After the sled finally stopped, she found herself a few feet beyond the Cemetery Road lying face-up in the snowy ditch, curiously staring and marveling at the passing clouds.
Leona heard Mr. Kelley ask: “Are you okay, Leona?”
She nodded her head yes; then she saw a horrified Eunice come frantically running out of her house, shouting:
“Heavens to Betsy, Leona! Are you still in one piece?”
Leona was just beginning to brush the snow off her clothes when Eunice spoke. She got to her feet—her winter hat and jacket still white with snow—and responded:
“I’m okay, Grandma. Just a little scared, that’s all. I think my heart’s pounding faster than a frightened deer’s though.”
“Mine too, dear,” Eunice said. “Now, come on into my house to let your clothes dry off.”
Leona, thinking of Eunice’s fine cooking and funny stories, didn’t have to be asked twice. While walking toward the house with her grandmother, she began to laugh in a way that took Eunice by surprise.
“What’s wrong with you, dear? Did that fall knock a few marbles loose?” she joked.
“No, Grandma,” Leona laughed. “What you said hit me funny.”
“What did I say?” Eunice asked.
“Heavens to Betsy!” Leona said, trying to mock Eunice’s voice and expressions.
“Oh mercy, I’ve been saying Heavens to Betsy all my life. Picked it up from my parents, I suspect.”
“What’s it mean?” Leona asked.
“Can’t say as I know, dear. Just use it when I’m shocked or amazed about somethin’ or th’other. Saying it just comes natural, I guess. I didn’t realize it was that funny though.”
“I guess it isn’t, in itself,” Leona said. “But it brought something to mind.”
“What’s that, dear?”
“When I was younger, maybe 5 or 6, I heard Mama use it a couple of times. And all this time I thought she was saying Heavens to Bessie. I couldn’t understand what she meant. I thought maybe she wanted me to go to heaven, or something. The only thing is: I couldn’t figure out what on Earth I did wrong, or why she used my middle name and not my first. She never did that.”
Leona and Eunice began to laugh hysterically, and then the little girl said:
“Maybe you’re right, Grandma. Maybe I do have a few loose marbles after all.”
“Well, don’t feel bad, Leona. I think we all do, if the truth be told.”
The two began laughing hysterically again, and they found themselves laughing all the way into Eunice’s kitchen; doing so long after they got there. By the time they stopped, Grandma Eunice had prepared a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Leona and gave it to her, along with a large glass of milk. Then she got serious.
“Boy, Leona, you were sure lucky that horse saw you coming and reared up the way it did. If it hadn’t, you’da taken the legs right out from under him for sure; and he’da probably fallen right on top of you. If that’ah happened, I’da been scraping you off the road—like a pumpkin smashed on Halloween.”
After she stopped laughing, Leona spoke.
“The horse didn’t see me, Grandma. It was scared by the eagle.”
“The eagle? What eagle?”
“The bald eagle that flew in front of him.”
“What are you talking about, young lady? I watched the whole thing; there was no eagle out there.”
“Yes there was. I saw it, plain as day.”
“That’s impossible, dear. There’s no eagles around here, only chicken hawks. And I sure as heck would’ve seen a chicken hawk, not’ta mention a bald eagle.”
“But I’m sure I saw an eagle, Grandma. It was huge! I don’t know how you could of missed it.”
“Me either, Leona? Though, come to think of it, I’ve heard you have a thing about eagles. I guess your Ma and Pa were right: You have a very big imagination. I think the only thing bigger is your appetite. Now, go on and eat your sandwich.”
When Leona was done, Eunice offered her granddaughter a fresh date-filled cookie, for which the little girl was extremely grateful. Leona was even more grateful when Eunice agreed not to tell her parents about the near collision, most grateful indeed. Leona could only hope that Mr. Kelley, who lived a mile up the Cemetery Road, would not mention the incident to her parents. For if he did, she knew it would be “goodbye sled” for at least two weeks.
Fortunately, after she pleaded with him before heading home, Mr. Kelley kept his silence, and an appreciative Leona went on sledding and went on experiencing the thrills that came with it for the rest of that winter, and for many more to come.