“Great! How much land is there, Maggie?”
“About forty acres, and it’s in a good location. About five miles out Ohio Street, and within sight of my mother’s home.”
“Is the soil rich enough to farm?”
“Oh yeah, more than rich enough. There are two large fields, and either could be used to grow a garden. And there’s plenty of woodland if you want to cut your own firewood, and the woods are full of wildlife if you want to go hunting.”
“It sounds just like the place we’ve always dreamed of. Let’s take a look.”
“Oh-kee-doak. Come tomorrow we can take the trolley out Broadway and go have a look-see,” Margaret replied. “And if Maude’s home, we’ll stop in and say hello. I haven’t seen her since she had her little boy last fall. Anyway, I’ll let Mom know we’re coming so she can get the keys for us. I’m sure Mrs. Murphy will let me use her phone. Since the trolley only runs on Broadway we’ll have to walk three-quarters of a mile to Ohio Street. But it’s no big deal; the house is right there at the end of that road.”
Although Margaret was very familiar with the old Staples homestead, Murdock had never seen it. Despite being married to Margaret for almost eight years he never had the opportunity to visit Eunice’s home. The reason? He was always busy working long hours at the Bangor Freight Station, or part-time at the American Express Company, so he could save up for his dream home; and besides, since Eunice was always visiting them in Bangor, there was no real need to visit her. Finally, he was going to have the chance, and he was looking forward to it.
—6—
The Haleys left their children with Mrs. Murphy and made the trip to Eunice’s house the following day; and, after chatting with her for a while, they visited the Staples property. They spent a good hour looking at the house and surrounding land, and Murdock saw that, just as Margaret had said, it and its rural location was the perfect place to raise a family. When the Haleys returned to their home in Bangor they talked enthusiastically about making the move.
“I know the place in Glenburn is perfect for you and me, but what about the children?” Murdock asked. “They’ve never known another home except Bangor; all of their friends are here. After living here for so long, and growing up here, they’re bound to resist leaving.”
“They’ve got a lot more growing to do, Murdy; and Glenburn, and that house, is the perfect place for them to do it,” was Margaret’s answer. “Yeah, it’ll be a little hard on them at first, especially Lillian, but they’ll make new friends soon enough. And, until they do, they have each other to play with. And the timing is right; in June school will be out and the weather will be perfect for moving: not too hot and not too cold.”
“Okay then, let’s do it,” Murdock said. “Why don’t we ask Eunice if she’ll contact the seller for us? I’m sure she’d be thrilled to have you and her grandchildren living right next door.”
Margaret’s face lit up.
“No doubt she would. In fact, she suggested that very thing to me quite a few times in the past couple of months. But it was so far from your work that I never gave it a second thought, until she suggested it again a few days ago. Even then, I wanted to think about it some more before I ran it past you.”
“Okay then, it’s done,” Murdock said. “You can tell the administrator tomorrow that we want to rent the house starting June 1st, and that we want to buy it in the fall, or whenever it’s for sale.”
Although he dreaded the work that would be involved in moving and then fixing up the old Staples place, Murdock knew that in the end it would be worth it to insure that his family would be safe. Certainly he and Margaret would be happier living elsewhere, if for no other reason than the peace of mind that would be achieved by the move. So, after living together in Bangor for over fourteen years and finally deciding that a city, no matter how small, was no place to raise a family, the Haley clan moved to Glenburn, seeking the solitude and serenity of life in the country, and, in the process, increasing the town’s tiny population to 437. Being Margaret’s former hometown, and also being much like the small rustic town of Basswood Ridge where Murdock grew up, the rural town of Glenburn was ideally suited to the Haleys’ simple lifestyle.
Chapter 19
Moving to the Country
Although assured by their parents that they would love their new home, the Haley children were nonetheless upset when told that they would be moving to Glenburn; and when June 1st came their minds had not been swayed.
“But I don’t want to leave my friends,” Lillian pleaded to her mother.
“Me neither, Mama,” Arlene said. “I….”
“Calm down, girls, and stop your whining. Life is full of changes. You’ll make new friends in Glenburn. You’ll see.”
“I don’t want to make new friends; I like the ones I have. And I won’t go!” Lillian yelled.
“You don’t have any choice, young lady,” Murdock said with conviction. “Now go to your room and start packing.”
“Mama! Papa! Pleeease! I start high school in the fall. I don’t want to ride the doggoned trolley to Bangor every day.”
“I know it’ll be a mite inconvenient for you, Lillian, but you’ll survive. After all….”
“But it’s not fair,” Arlene pleaded.
“I’m sorry, girls, but your father and I have made up our minds. We can’t live here any longer. And that’s that. It’s just too dangerous for you in this neighborhood, so quit your bellyaching and do as your father says; get upstairs and start packing.”
Even Leona was upset about the pending move. She loved her peaceful little bedroom overlooking Palm Street, and she couldn’t bare the thought of leaving it and Chapin Park forever.
“But I like playing in the park,” the little girl pleaded.
“So do I,” Arlene said.
“I know this has always been your home, but you’ll get used to your new one in Glenburn. And before long you’ll like it there, even better than here,” Margaret told her girls, praying that she would be proven right. “And besides, you’ll get to see Grandma Eunice every day now. Now, do as I say: Get in the house and start packing. And no more ands, ifs, or buts.”
When it came time to leave, Murdock and Margaret were seated in the front seat of a fully loaded wagon that Murdock had borrowed from Bobby. Sitting between them was Leona, and cuddled in Margaret’s lap was little Wally. Looking down at its muscular back, Murdock marveled at Bobby’s beautiful chestnut horse. Then he reached for the reins with his right hand, and for the wagon’s brake with his left.
“Are you kids seated?” he asked. “It’s time to go, so hang on tight.”
“Wait a minute, Papa,” Arlene said. “Lillian’s not here yet.”
“Lillian!” Margaret shouted. “Lil—li—an!”
After waiting for a response, Margaret turned to Arlene.
“Where is your sister anyway?”
“She’s still packing her bag,” Arlene answered.
“What in Sam Hill’s wrong with that girl?” Murdock wondered. “She’s slower than death.”
“Tell me about it,” Margaret said. “I swear to God, she’ll be late for her own funeral. Arlene, go hurry up your sister, will you?”
“Okay, but don’t blame me if she doesn’t show up anytime soon; I’m not a miracle worker. If God couldn’t get her moving, how can I?”
“Never you mind, young lady! Just go get her!”
Arlene ran into the house yelling: “Lillian, get your butt in gear! Mama and Papa are waiting; and you’re gonna be in hot water with ‘em if you don’t hurry up. Papa says if you aren’t in the wagon in two minutes, you’re gonna walk to Glenburn. So, get a move on.”
As usual, Lillian still didn’t make it out of the house on time, so when she came running out the door the 14-year-old was relieved to see that the wagon was still there waiting for her. Though, her re
lief quickly turned to anxiety when she looked up at her parents and thought they seemed slightly irritated. Lowering her head and diverting her eyes from their gaze, she climbed as fast as she could onto the back of the wagon, afraid to say anything. Once onboard, Lillian looked up and saw her father’s head shaking from side to side, a gesture that was all too familiar to the elder Haley girl. However, what she didn’t see was the look on her parents’ faces. They were intentionally looking straight ahead, so the teenager could not see the look in their eyes, nor the smile on her father’s face, or the grin on her mother’s.
When Lillian was seated on the wagon, she spoke meekly:
“Okay, Papa, I’m here. We can leave now.”
“Did you hear something, Maggie?”
“Yeah, Murdy, I thought I heard one of our girls say something. But it didn’t sound like either Arlene or Leona.”
“Well then, it must have been the late Lillian Haley. She must be back from the dead.”
Everyone laughed, but no one laughed harder than a relieved Lillian, especially after she heard her father’s deep baritone laughter.
“We’re off,” Murdock announced as he reached again for the reins and the brake. Then he said “giddy-yup” and the wagon suddenly jerked forward when Bobby’s beautiful gelding was started on its way.
“Careful, Murdy. We’re all gonna have whiplash if you keep that up.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I guess Bobby’s horse was anxious to get under way. He must have less patience with Lillian than I do. Is that right, Brown Beauty?”
Right on cue the horse snorted, and again the Haleys laughed. From his driveway, Murdock turned right onto Palm Street and drove the wagon to Stillwater Avenue where he turned left, heading to Broadway. After reaching the busy street and slowly, indeed cautiously, crossing the trolley tracks with the loaded wagon—even so, its contents were jostled about and the Haley girls had all they could do to hang on—Murdock turned right and headed north. Two miles later he made a left turn onto the Griffin Road, went about a mile, and then turned right onto Ohio Street, once again heading north toward Glenburn. Just after Murdock did that he noticed that Margaret had a smile on her face. He surmised that it was there because of her joy in knowing that she was going to be living a stone’s throw from her mother’s home, the place where she was born and raised. Just the same, he asked:
“What are you thinking, Maggie?”
The Haley matriarch turned to her husband and said:
“Glenburn, here we come!”
—1—
Murdock was taking it slow and easy with the fully loaded wagon, especially with his young children onboard; and on the Haleys’ long ride out Ohio Street, Margaret took the opportunity to point out things to her children. Although they had visited her mother in Glenburn a few times in the past, they had always taken the trolley out Broadway and then walked up a side road connecting Broadway and Ohio Street, so the little ones had never been on this part of Ohio Street before today.
When their wagon had traveled about a mile on Ohio Street, Margaret pointed to the left and spoke.
“That’s the church where we’ll be worshipping, and where you kids will be going to Sunday School—weather permitting.”
“Is this Glenburn?” Arlene asked.
“No, dear, we’re still in Bangor. We have another three miles to go before we come to Glenburn. I’ll let you know when we’re there.”
Just past the church the Haleys rode down a small but steep hill and a mile later saw a small school on the left, sitting just before two railroad tracks and a very long hill, “a good half-mile or more to the top,” Murdock estimated.
“See that school, Arlene?” Margaret said. “The one you and Leona will be attending in Glenburn is about that size, maybe a little smaller.”
Nearly three miles and more than thirty minutes later—after Bobby’s exhausted horse took what to Leona seemed “like forever” to pull the fully loaded wagon up the long, semi-steep hill—the Haleys came to a dairy farm on the right and, shortly thereafter, another on the left.
“It’s not much further, children,” Margaret said. “This here is the Fogg farm, where your grandma gets her milk.”
A quarter-mile further they came to a farm on the right. It was just before a short but fairly steep descending hill and Margaret spoke again.
“Okay, kids we’re almost there. Down at the bottom of this hill is the Glenburn town line. And just at the top of that steep hill up ahead is where your Grandma lives. You can’t see her house yet, because of the forest, but I’m sure you remember this farmhouse here.”
“Oh yes, I recognize it now that we’re on this side of it,” Lillian said after turning around to get a look at the north side of the farmhouse. “I remember seeing it from the top of that hill; Grandma’s is up ahead on the right, right?”
“That’s right, dear,” Margaret joked.
“Boy, that hill up ahead looks wicked steep,” Leona said.
“It is,” her father replied. “Twice as steep as the one we’re about to go down.”
Then Margaret spoke up: When I was little I had lots of fun sledding on that hill, girls; and on the hills near our new home; and I suspect you will too.”
Indeed, Margaret spent an inordinate amount of time sledding on those hills, and she was glad that her children would now have that opportunity. As the wagon began down the less-steep hill, Murdock gently applied the brake to keep it from running away; and when it neared the bottom he let off the brake and said “giddy-yup” to Brown Beauty so the powerful equine would speed up and gain as much momentum as possible to pull the wagon up the “wicked-steep” hill. Even though it was quite muscular, Bobby’s horse struggled to pull the fully loaded wagon up the steepest part of the hill, so Murdock pulled back on the reins and said:
“Okay, everyone jump off and help push the wagon the rest of the way up this hill before Brown Beauty has a heart attack. Here, Maggie, you take the reins; I’ll help the children push.”
“Okay, Murdy, but watch out for little Wally.”
“Don’t you worry, Maggie, I’ll keep him right by my side.”
As Margaret walked beside the wagon, holding the reins and urging the horse onward, Murdock and the children pushed with all their might on the back of the wagon. Leona laughed when she saw Wally trying to push on it too. He was so short that he could barely reach its body, especially standing downhill from it as he was now, even with his tiny arms extending high into the air.
“You’re supposed to push the wagon, Wally, not lift it,” she joked.
Murdock looked at Leona and grinned. When they finally reached the top of the hill, Leona was the first to see her grandmother kneeling on one knee, intently pulling weeds in her flower garden.
“Look, there’s Grandma,” she said excitedly. “Hi, Grandma!” she yelled.
Eunice turned and waved to Leona, and a big smile came across the little girl’s face. And then one came across her grandmother’s.
“Howdy-do, kids,” Eunice yelled.
“Hi, Grandma,” Lillian, Arlene and Wally yelled in unison.
The next thing she knew, all four children ran to her and gave her a hug. She picked up Wally and said: “My, aren’t you the big one now.”
Wally smiled and wrapped his arms around his grandmother’s neck.
“I see you made it okay, Murdy,” the old woman said. “I fixed you folks a nice picnic lunch, Maggie. Give me ten minutes to clean up and I’ll bring it right up to you.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Yeah, thanks much, Eunice,” Murdock said. “You’re a lifesaver; I’m really famished right about now. We all got up early this morning, so it’s been a while since we’ve eaten.”
“Except for Lillian,” Arlene said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. “She didn’t get up ‘til nine, and even then wasn’t m
uch use ‘til ten.”
Leona giggled and said: “That’s still pretty darn early for Lillian. The only time I saw her up that early was when she thought her precious Marcus was coming to visit.”
Margaret, Murdock, and Eunice just smiled when they noticed Lillian’s face turning red.
“Okay, you hoodlums,” Murdock yelled, “back on the wagon; time’s a wastin’. We’ve got a long day ahead of us, and I hav’ta drive the wagon all the way back to Bangor this evening to meet Bobby. He’s offered to help me move the heavy furniture when he gets off work.”
With that, the Haleys climbed back onto the wagon for the final 700-foot ride to their new home. Although the children had seen their new house from a distance before, they had never been inside it, or even walked on the property for that matter. When Margaret and Murdock went to look at it that spring, the children stayed with Mrs. Murphy, so they were now very curious and excited to see where they would soon be living.
As the wagon was pulling away, an ecstatic Eunice yelled out:
“By the way, everyone: Welcome to Glenburn!”
—2—
Rural Glenburn was originally called Dutton after an early settler, but in 1837, for some reason long ago lost to history, the small town was renamed. Its new name was derived from the Scottish words “glen” for wooded valley and “burn” for stream, thus Glenburn appropriately meant: “a stream in a wooded valley.” And, in this case, the Kenduskeag Stream, which effectively split the town in half, east from west, was the inspiration for the name change. Although the Haleys did not live in sight of the picturesque southerly flowing stream of demarcation, or in sight of any other stream for that matter, they loved the scenic country setting that the town offered, and, as such, deemed it an appropriate place to raise a family.
The Haleys’ new home was actually located in West Glenburn, only a few hundred feet from the tri-corner boundary of Glenburn, Bangor and Hermon. In particular, the house they bought was situated on a hill at the corner of a three-way intersection with the main street being Ohio Street, a major road connecting the city of Bangor to the town of Kenduskeag, just north of Glenburn. The Haleys’ new home was on the left when traveling from Bangor to Kenduskeag, or more definitively, on the west side of Ohio Street; the intersecting road was to the right, directly across from the Haleys’ driveway. It was the secondary road connecting Ohio Street to Broadway that Margaret had to walk after getting off the Broadway Trolley whenever she visited Eunice.
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