THE EAST

Apparently, life went along in somewhat normal manner, Dad was workng with the Government. I believe perhaps the Navy Department. While living in Washington Jean was born. A few years later, I was born in Virginia ìGreenwood Station, Cherrydale, Arlington, Virginia.î ìHarry Jr.î At the time this place was really in the country. I believe that during the time we lived there the ìChestnut Blightî killed most of the Chestnut trees in the East.

We kept chickens on the place and it seems that rats began to infest the chichen house and kill the baby chicks. The answer seemed that Dad would sit on the back steps and wait until a rat would come out of a hole in the chicken house and then he would shoot it in the chest. Apparently, it was a successful exterminating program. On occasions, Dad would be in the yard and would hang a can from a string and take is pistol and shoot it and keep it swinging.

While living there, Bob was everything a ìBig Brotherî is supposed to be. He would take me riding in his wagon, or on his sled. The house was near the Old Dominion Railway track. It seems that Bob would coast down the track from school. This worried our mother.

The time came that the family could no longer keep up the payments on the house, and apparently, foreclosure was immanent, Bob told me that he was given the Deed to the place and was told to take it to the County Court House. This was not a short trip for a boy of twelve. He said he cried all the way there and just left it on the clerkís counter and ran out.

The next place we lived that I am aware of, was in Hyattsville, Maryland. I am conscious of there being long steps up the front, and long steps to the back porch. We had chickens here also, and the rooster took a delight in chasing me. One time, I am told, I ran up the back steps as fast as I could and looked around because
I thought the rooster was after me. My Mother says that I was all out of breath and said, ìI Fott it was a Woosterî I was told that many times as I grew up.

When I was about two years old, I was taken to Nebraska. This was before Frank had been kicked by the horse that crippled him. I have a dim recollection of sitting on someoneís lap on the porch, a ìBucking Cartî was driven from around the house and then on across a field out of sight. I think Uncle Frank was giving me a show of Western life. This is a recollection of my own.