Mom's Little Boarders

Everyone, cousins big and small, loved to come and visit "Aunt Grace," as they called my Mom. Two, in particular, stand out in my memory--little Alton (Uncle Sam's smallest) and big Billy (Aunt Mary's grandson, from Boston).

Little Alton was an 8-year old mathematical wizard, a miniature Harry Potter type, serious and quiet, who would grow up to be a postmaster. He didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor, and preferred to hang around in the kitchen, watching Aunt Grace, or just watching Frank inventing "new stuff." He wasn't interested in being outdoors and preferred to do little puzzles or read, or spend time counting the change in his piggy bank. Every year, he begged to come and visit. Mom made great attempts to find things to interest him, as outwardly he always appeared to be bored.

Big Billy, Dad's nephew, was about six feet tall, a high school drop out, with a club foot and a very sweet but shy personality. He was much smarter than he appeared. His club foot and awkward walk was a turn-off to the children of the neighborhood, and he was more or less ostracized when he came near them. He also was subject to epileptic fits. His mother, Cousin Rose, sent him to Mom as a reprieve from his work--in a tanning factory where his job required him to walk across great vats of lye.

It happened that both Alton and Billy came to visit at the same time. I guess Mom figured they would be good company for each other. It worked to some degree, but one day she had had it with their hanging out in the house. Even though it was a cold, wintry day, she bundled all of us up and shooed us outdoors. "Go find something else to do!" she said.

We soon did. We found a huge tree had fallen on Sweet's corner and lay across some electric lines. Like little idiots, we decided to pull the limbs down. Little Alton grabbed a wire, and then his eyes widened. "I can't let go!" he yelled. I reached to pull his hand off. It wouldn't come, and then I could not let go either. I could feel a terrible magnetic pull and vibration. We both began screaming. Big Billy acted like lightning--he reached down and grabbed both of us and with a great effort, pulled both of us off the wire. I felt my skin would pull off my hand, but we were suddenly free!

Of course, word went around quickly that Billy had saved our lives, and he became the hero of the neighborhood, at least for that year. When it came time for little Alton to return home, Mom took him to the station. She hugged him, and said, trying to express how much she'd miss him, "What am I ever going to do for a little boy now?" He replied, "Send him something."