| (Kiddy-Corner, Farm, 1952) | | | | call in a bulldozer to level the land out, and then |
| I was only five-years old back then, when this | | | | got one of those big tractors with a scoop on it |
| occurrence took place: the 'brick,' the situation | | | | to dig out a big hole, which she did in both cases, |
| that led to the brick, this is what the story is | | | | shaping the pool to look like one of those old |
| about, a simple medium sized brick, used for | | | | cast-iron bathtubs. |
| cobblestone streets, or building houses or buildings. | | | | The water must have been several feet deep at |
| My brother Mike was seven years old, and we | | | | the deepest end, when it was filled up to the rim |
| were living at that time, at a boarding farm called | | | | all along its sides that is. From the most shallow |
| Kiddy-Corner in North St. Paul, Minnesota (during | | | | end it was but a few feet deep, and as you |
| the weekdays, we'd stay over night, until the | | | | swam inward a gradation appeared, making it |
| weekends came when my mother would pick us | | | | deeper as you went from north to south it would |
| up after work (she worked at, Swifts Meat | | | | eventually go over my head at the other |
| Packing Plant in South St. Paul) and take us to her | | | | end-way over my head by a couple of feet. As a |
| small apartment on Iglehart Avenue, over on the | | | | result the gradual increasing steepness became a |
| Cathedral side of town). | | | | challenge to all of us small kids wanting to swim |
| The antagonist in this story is really unknown, but | | | | from one side to the other, or one end to the |
| I will share with you the story, and perhaps we | | | | other. |
| can narrow it down to a few names, if not one. | | | | Well, during this process of building the pool, |
| Steve, the owner's son Janet Riddle's boy, was | | | | digging the hole, bringing in materials, and so forth |
| about eight or nine years old at the time, had a | | | | and on, I really couldn't do much, or for that |
| sister named Jill, she was ten or eleven years old. | | | | matter, remember doing much, but I helping to |
| Jill used to come into my bedroom: about dusk, I | | | | carry a brick or two, at a time: laying them down |
| was on the top bunk in the far back room of the | | | | on the extending tiles. |
| large house, so she had a hard time reaching me, | | | | Let me explain: after the hole was dug, they put |
| but she did: poking that needle or pin into me, she | | | | some kind of rocks in it, and other things, and |
| was my anatomist, we all seem to get one or | | | | then tar if I recall right: then put more tar over |
| two in our life times, if not more. | | | | the tiles: roof tiles, or so I remember them to |
| On occasion, her mother told her to stop, and so | | | | be-scratchy roof tiles at that and around the top |
| when she did stop, she used psychology 101 on | | | | rim where the tile extended bricks to hold it |
| me, she'd come in with the needle, wake me up, | | | | down. |
| and say she was going to stick me, but didn't, | | | | The pool was perhaps fifteen feet wide, eight |
| building up a fear factor I do believe, until that got | | | | feet deep, and thirty feet long. Under the tiles |
| remedied. | | | | was that black tar again-that I mentioned, and I'd |
| Jill's mother, Janet who owned the foster farm, a | | | | put a brick on the tiles sticking out like weeds, |
| stern and strong, if not bold woman, had to deal | | | | that seemed to bend around the dirt, and tar |
| with a jealous daughter, to say it kindly, and I | | | | under it, the tiles that stuck up that is. At any |
| suppose it was not much different than many | | | | rate, the brick would hold it down, so it would not |
| children, seeking her mother's attention. | | | | get ripped, or torn apart, and one rip led of |
| It would seem we stayed at the farm so much, | | | | course to another, and bigger ones, and then |
| Janet almost accepted us as family, which | | | | you'd have to find where the hole was and tar it |
| eventually resulted into being our home, hence, so | | | | back up again, and so forth and so on: so it could |
| it would have appeared to an onlooker, let's say | | | | become significant, should you not use preventive |
| Jill. | | | | measures. |
| During those days, months and years, at the | | | | Well, during the building process, Mike, Jill, and |
| foster-farm we'd help build a big swimming pool in | | | | Steve were up their playing around by the pool, |
| the back of the farm house; Janet owned | | | | trying to help, and so were the other kids: a few |
| perhaps four acres of land behind and around the | | | | of the workers, likewise, and myself. When I |
| house, and was forever fighting with the | | | | looked up this one early afternoon, when I looked |
| authorities over the right to have us children stay | | | | up to see what the disturbance was, I saw |
| overnight. I never knew quite, what the problem | | | | everyone was staring-and Janet saying: |
| was about, and she never said, it was just a | | | | "Who did it, who threw the brick?" |
| thorn in her side from the county it seemed. | | | | Tears came from my eyes; I saw my brother |
| But as I was about to get into, Janet decided to | | | | drop to his knees, his hands over his eyes and |
| make a swimming pool in the backyard, way back | | | | then his head: blood coming from his scalp. No one |
| in her acreage, by what I called 'the fence,' where | | | | said a word (I'm not sure I knew what to do but |
| the cow meadow started, adjacent to her | | | | cry, helpless I felt), but the memory would stick |
| property. | | | | into my mind, as well as Mike's I'm sure. |
| In those far-off days it was not easy to build a | | | | Well, we all survived that awful day, but it was a |
| pool, you just didn't call up the pool man when | | | | sad few days after that. |
| and if you decided to have one built. But you did | | | | |