Category Archives: First Acquaintance

A Wife Worries as Her Husband Hurries

Leave a reply

Imagine living in a southern state in the US during the 1930’s, when your husband; “beastly in his dealings with all God’s creatures,” and “particularly harsh with those that didn’t meet his criteria; paradigms so narrow as to make most diehard WASPs cringe”; hears that a woman in town has been attacked by a black man, and sets out to bring the ‘criminal’s’ life to a quick end.

That’s the situation Hazel Ponders, today’s character in another First Acquaintance post, found herself in, while living in the town of Drewsport in 1939. Read on to find out how she dealt with the situation.

Avril Ponders slammed the receiver into its retainer.  His flushed, jowly face drawn into an angry, leering grin.  As he whirled to face the empty room, he yanked a huge bandanna from the hip pocket of his overalls and bellowed, “Will!  Eben!”

With a snarl, he brought the red kerchief up the back of his short, thick neck, over the shinning pate; and down across his boar like face; then, called a second time…”Get your damn butts in here!  NOW!”

Avril was about to call again when the clatter of running feet sounded on the back porch. Their cadence was briefly interrupted, then the door burst open, and the two boys, rushing past their mother, came to a halt before the squat, bear like figure of their father.

“‘Bout time!” He roared. “You two git the shotgun and rifles! We goin’ huntin’!”

The older boy beamed. “Huntin’! We goin’ for squirrel, Paw?”

“No, damn it, boy! We goin’ for coon, the two legged kind.”

The younger boy drew back, while the older began dancing about the room…”C’mon, Eben, we gonna have us some fun, we gonna shoot us one of them black boys.”

For Will Ponders, being included in this sacred mission was a thrill and challenge beyond his wildest fantasies.  Countless were the hours he and Eben had played at hunting black fugitives. 

Will punched his younger brother on the shoulder. “C’mon, dummy! This time it ain’t no game!”

The younger boy withdrew even farther.

“Eben!  Come on! 

The boy shook his head, pressing against the wall.

“EBEN!”  His father thundered.  “Git your gun, boy, you comin’ with us!”

“No he ain’t.”  The quiet voice came from the kitchen doorway where Hazel Ponders stood eyeing the three.  “I got things for him to do ’round here.  Ain’t no need for him traipsin’ off with you two.”

Quotes taken from pages 57-60 of Bluebell

The exchange between Avril and Hazel, about their youngest son, doesn’t end there, though I can tell you that she won and didn’t suffer physically for her victory. For more about the Ponders family, you’ll need to wait until I get “Bluebell” published. And speaking of that…

Some Ways to Help

  • Share this story using the Social Media links at the end of this article
  • Learn more about Bluebell so you might start looking forward to it’s debut
  • Show your interest by signing up for free email updates AND get 3 FREE short stories by my dad as a thank you.
  • Jump on our Social Media Bandwagon: Read My Dad’s Stuff on Facebook; Rowena Carlson on Twitter (Rowena mentored the black man mentioned in today’s post and prepared him to make correct life decisions even when he could be harmed in the process)

         

        

Bluebell’s Top Ten – Part 3

Leave a reply

It’s time to unveil the Bottom Two of the Top Ten! You’ve been introduced to the eight characters in “Bluebell” with the most mentions by name in the book, if you’ve read this article or the one that followed it, but you still haven’t met Dr. Bill Ferguson or Jeremy Claymore until now.

Our doctor character makes his first appearance on Page 16, in what soon turns out to be, perhaps, the worst emergency he’s ever dealt with.

          “Mary Lou!  Tog Ericson.  This is an emergency!  Get me Doc Ferguson! NOW!  And stay on the line!”
          Considerably less interested in gathering or spreading gossip than most of Drewsport’s party line wags; Mary Lou Trimmer was a competent, conscientious operator.  Having read the urgency in Tog’s voice, the line was ringing before he had finished speaking.
          The first cycle was complete, and the second started, when Bill Ferguson’s familiar voice answered:
          “Doc Ferguson.”
          “Bill…”  The name, in English, was recognizable; what followed would have made no sense, to anyone not fluent in Swedish.
          Bill Ferguson’s surprise was obvious.  There were a few seconds of silence; then, “Tog, is that you?”
          Additional seconds ticked by as Tog tried to coordinate his thinking and speaking.  Finally, he broke into English.  “Y-yes, Bill, it-it’s me.”  He drew a deep breath, in an effort to regulate his breathing and marshal his thoughts.  “I’m at the Watkins’ place.  Charlotte’s been badly injured.  I’m taking her to our house.  Can you get there right away?”

While Dr. Ferguson’s introduction to the tragic event was more direct, soon after we meet Jeremy Claymore, it becomes clear he too had knowledge of the attack.

Per the instructions of their parents, Edith Bergdorf and Jeremy Claymore had attended the early show.  As they exited the auditorium, the darkened lobby and lack of people entering the theatre surprised them.  Outside, finding the box office closed and marquee lights out added to their confusion.
          Edith glanced up at Jeremy.  “Wonder why they closed early.”  She looked about, and shivered apprehensively.  “It seems awful quiet.”
          “Yeah,” Jeremy said quietly.  “I wonder; they weren’t great movies, but… um, they always have two shows, ‘specially, Saturday night.”
          Both young people had heard of the attack, but because the defining words, beating and rape were not used, and neither was close to the Watkins family, news of the incident had held their interest only briefly.

Well, that does it for our Top Ten but there are a lot more characters in “Bluebell” to introduce you to, plus I’ll be revisiting some of these in future Character Confessions posts so stay tuned and see how you answer my three questions below.

  1. Ready to read the “Bluebell” excerpt?
  2. Know how to get 3 Free Short Stories by my Dad?
  3. Want a great page to share with friends?

Bluebell’s Top Ten – Part 2

Leave a reply

Sometimes thoughts of our first acquaintance with someone can bring memories that flood our hearts with joy.  Though not always the case, meeting up with new characters in the world of fiction can be nearly as memorable, and that’s what today’s post is all about.

In my last ‘First Acquaintance‘ article, you met the first half of Bluebell’s top ten characters, based on the number of times they were referenced in the novel.  Today, continuing that process, I’d like to introduce three more of the Top 10: Pastor Andrew Lindsey; Judd Connelly; and Heta Rawlins.

116 – Pastor Andrew Lindsey – “…the ominous sounds brought a sense of pending disaster.  Nearly tangible, it saturated the breathless night, and settled about him oppressively.  Fear laid an icy hand at the base of his neck, and he leaned heavily against the porch railing wondering how many of his flock were among those in the streets.”  Though Pastor Lindsey is mentioned earlier in the book, this scene, at the start of Chapter 23, of an angry mob in the streets of Drewsport, is our first personal introduction to him, and within pages, we discover his bravery as he informs his wife, “I’m going down there.”

116 – Judd Connelly – In the first issue of “Bluebell’s Top Ten“, Deputy Stacey Norton is the one who receives horrific news about a citizen of Drewsport.  Not much later in the book, we are introduced to his supervisor, Sheriff Connelly, through Stacey’s somewhat uncomforting thoughts about his ‘superior’.

” Judd’s absence had been no surprise, Stacey knew he was away, knew where he was, and knew approximately when he would return, but….

“Damn,” he muttered softly. “Still gone.”

Hearing the words, and being suddenly cognizant of the thoughts provoking them, brought a sense of shock.  Finding himself at odds with the man, who represented law, order, justice, and all things honorable, was beyond comprehension.  For this uncomplicated, trusting man, the realization that he could view anything Connelly did as unfavorable, no matter how ambiguous the thought, was confusing and frustrating; almost frightening.”

108 – Heta Rawlins – As page 547 opens to view, characters in Bluebell, including the pastor you met at the start of this article, prepare us to met Heta Rawlins, and not always in a complimentary fashion.

“Heta and I had several very frank talks.  She is an extremely intelligent woman.  I had a great deal of respect for—”

“RESPECT!”  Norton exploded, his skepticism giving way to anger.  “She’s- shhhe’s a common whore!  How can a man like… how can a man of your calling have any respect for the likes of her?”

“Being narrow of mind, and refusing to acknowledge the good in all things is what gets men of ‘my calling’ into trouble.  I’m not condoning Heta’s faults, or making excuses for her, but there was great deal more to Heta Rawlins than most people knew about, or gave her credit for!”

Stacey kicked the stone viciously, but Andy continued undeterred. “I used to caution her; because, for a woman in her profession, she was… almost naïve.  I feared for her safety, particularly concerning Aaron.  I was afraid he would—”

“I’m surprised, Pastor.”  The rich contralto came from behind them.  “Of all of them, I thought you would understand.”

Only two characters of Bluebell’s Top Ten remain to be introduced…Dr. Bill Ferguson and Jeremy Claymore, but I’ll save that for another day.  So what’s left…how about an ‘odd’ trip down memory lane?  Here are links to some earlier odd numbered articles you might not have read.

 

Bluebell’s Top Ten

Leave a reply

What does 1,555 have to do with “Bluebell”?  It’s the number of times the Top Ten characters are mentioned, by name, in the novel, and in this issue of ‘First Acquaintance‘, you’ll briefly meet the first half of the group, listed in order of references.

290 – Carl Schenfield: I’ve written about Carl, the newspaper reporter, already in a ‘Character Confessions‘ article, but when he first appears on page 322, we learn that the scenes he was viewing on the road into Drewsport, “were not that different from those of his childhood in rural Montana.  The comparison brought recollections of the fanciful dreams and aspirations those days had known…As he had matured, Carl‘s imaginings begot curiosity about the world outside, and the first seeds of a career in journalism were sown.”

234 – Stacey Norton: It’s on page 44 we meet Deputy Sheriff Norton exercising “greater than normal care guiding his old Dodge along Main Street.  Beyond that, however, there was nothing to denote the tension building within him…When Mary Lou had called, she was extremely distraught, and it had taken several minutes for Stacey to unravel the story.  His first reaction had been to call up a posse, but a second, less dramatic, thought persisted.  His quiet, personal reconnaissance had been the result.”

175 – Struther Tanksley: Struther enters the story on page 8 as, of all things, a mechanical magician, and a whole lot more.  Struther is able to get an old, old  tractor running, completing the task as members of the town are rushing to the aid of a fellow citizen.  “At best, Struther had difficulty speaking; and, when excited, could experience a complete block.”  Yet when he heard about the injured townswoman, “He shook his head.  “That’s a mighty shame!”  The last words, as a pure extension of his instinctive feelings for others, came easily in his rich, rumbling baritone, but no question followed.”

174 – Tog Ericson: We meet Tog driving his two godchildren home from a fun outing on page 7, but within two pages, as they approach the home, life begins to dramatically change for him.  “As they came in sight of the house, Tog was surprised to see a man emerging from the field, a short distance ahead.  Scrambling through the fence, he hurried along the shoulder for a few hundred feet, before crossing, and disappeared into the woods…There was a drifter, he’d seen occasionally in town, but he was blond.  This man had dark bushy hair; but, even though his face had been obscured, in the short time he had been visible, Tog had sensed a familiarity about the man.”

166 – TJ McCretchen:  190 pages into Bluebell, TJ is introduced and within a short number of words, we learn quite a lot about his background.  “Even though TJ felt no great love for his black brothers, his association with the Klan had little to do with its manifesto.  What he found in the brotherhood was a manly image.  His mother had been very prejudicial, but her biases were not those involving skin color; so, lacking an inherited color prejudice, TJ’s biases were more or less benign.”

Coming in another ‘First Aquaintance’, we’ll meet Pastor Andrew Lindsey; Judd Connelly; Heta Rawlins; Dr. Bill Ferguson; and Jeremy Claymore; the rest of Bluebell’s Top Ten Characters.

Love to hear what you think…

  • Which of the first five most intrigues you?
  • Who do you want to learn more about?
  • Can you relate to one of the characters and why?

 

 

A Glimpse of Ida

Leave a reply

We know we’re not supposed to make snap judgements about people when we first meet them, though we sometimes do it anyway.  If you’re tempted to do so when you meet Rowena’s new mother, Ida Carlson, in today’s First Acquaintance post, I’d suggest holding back.  You might be surprised by something you learn in the following excerpt and also in my closing note.

There was no doubt in Jason Carlson’s mind…From the moment he first tucked his new daughter into bed, he was her captive.  The pathetic need of the frightened child at the depot, had moved him deeply; but, as he gazed down at the tiny creature sleeping so peacefully, he was overcome.  Tears filled his eyes, and he reached hesitantly for Ida’s hand.

“Our little girl, Idee.”  He squeezed the unresponsive hand.  “It’ll be wonderful.  It’s gonna be easier for us, just you…”

For an instant, he had sensed response, then it was gone, and the hand lay cold and motionless in his.

Ida nodded sternly.  “It isn’t going to be easy, Jason.  The child has been bad hurt.  She could be spoiled awful, if we’re too easy on her.  A child’s gotta have security, but it needs discipline, too.”

“And love.”  Jason added softly.

Again, Ida’s authoritative nod spoke only of partial agreement.  “If she’s cared for, and brought up proper she’ll know she’s loved.”

Jason lowered his eyes, allowed the hand to slip from his grasp, and Ida moved into the hall.  I’ll leave a lamp on the hall table for her,” she said.  “You comin’?”

The big man sighed and nodded.  “In a minute.”

So— there would be no miracle.  Ida would not be transformed into a tender, loving person.  She would be for her daughter as she was for her husband: A friend, helper and, with the child, a teacher, but aloof and distant.  Why?  He wondered, and bent to kiss the soft cheek.

The salt of her dried tears lingered on his lips as he straightened.  “Don’t you worry, little one, there’ll be love, all you will ever need!”

Again, he sighed.  How wonderful it would be if Ida could feel as he did.  He shrugged helplessly, a sad smile playing across his lips.  “Well, we’ll just have to do the best we can.  Good night, little girl— God bless you.”

Turning to leave, Jason paused to look once more at the sleeping child.  Barely visible, she nestled deep in the down of the new feather bed, snug and warm beneath the gaily colored comforter.  Those, Ida had seen to.

From the moment they were certain that Rowena was coming, Ida had been up every night, often past midnight, working on the comforter, robe and nightgown.  This Rowena would never know of, unless he told her.  Certainly, it represented love…Jason lifted his eyes:  “Lord, please, let it be; let there be love— from both of us.”

This woman, who agreed to take and raise a child as her own, was a distant cousin of Rowena’s mother and, like her new daughter, also lost her mother at a young age.  In Ida’s case, it was at her own birth.

There’s lots more to learn about this lady and her family in “Rowena”, and the book is now available as a free download.  You’ll find the full story excerpted here on page 6.  Hope you’ll check it out.

 

The Jason Station

Leave a reply

It was bad enough that the large, glowering man, happened to be the little girl’s father, but when he left her at the train station, with someone she didn’t know, you could only hope her life would, somehow, take a turn for the better.  In today’s ‘First Acquaintance‘ post, we find just such a new direction.

A pair of trousers’ legs towered before her.  Dark blue and neatly pressed, they seemed to reach forever.  Her eyes traveled upward to the vee at the joining of the vest.  Then, on past the great gold chain hanging loosely across the line of buttons, to the point at which his black tie shown starkly against the gleaming white shirt.

From above the stiff collar, a face smiled down at her.  It was not like her father’s.  There were no dark bushy brows crouched above fierce black eyes.  These, nearly white, were laughingly placed on a broad forehead above two beautiful blue eyes.  At the moment, however, these seemed very sad, but she knew instinctively that they would twinkle like stars when they were happy.  Beneath a lovely mustache, the wide smiling mouth opened, and again the concerned voice spoke soothingly.

“Well, hello there.  I thought I might never see your face; what with your hands covering it up; but my… you should never hide it, it’s a lovely face, and you have beautiful eyes.”  He chuckled softly.

With these few words, we’re introduced to Jason Carlson, the man Rowena’s father had somehow selected as the girl’s new parent.  And with the same words, she recognized a change for the better may have burst into her life.

Jason has…oops, almost gave away a future episode of First Acquaintance.  Until that article appears, here are a couple of options to help you get better acquainted with Rowena and the characters in her book.

 

A Little Bit Before Five

Leave a reply

Welcome to the initial installment of “First Acquaintance“.  It was early in the Fall of 1886, as the opening pages of “Rowena” unfolded, when this scene took place…

“The coach was comfortably warm, but, huddled next to the large, glowering man, the child’s appearance suggested that no amount of external warmth could dispel the chill that gripped her.  Her proximity to him, although not that of an offspring enjoying the security of a loving parent, was close enough to indicate that they were, in some way, attached.”

As the train neared it’s next stop, the little girl…

“…shivered and glanced up furtively.  “Garwood, Papa?”

The voice, matching the child in size, confirmed what her appearance implied.

With the man’s brusque nod, offering nothing more than annoyed acknowledgement, a second tremor gripped the tiny body; and, drawing her knees tight against herself, she moved closer to him.

Glaring down, he snapped: “Don’t get so close, child, you’ll muss my suit!”  He cuffed her leg with a huge hand.  “And get your feet off the seat.”

Blinking back the tears she obeyed, and sought to become one with the cushions.”

Who is this young character we’re introduced to in one of my Dad’s books?

“There were those who would have viewed her as merely wistful, but intuitive observation would have revealed a child, if not abused, acutely aware of being unwanted.  Had this not been so, in another time, she would have been a living Rockwell.“

If you had met Rowena May Bruanhauser, who was rapidly approaching her fifth birthday in the excerpts above, you probably would have been drawn to “the sprinkling of freckles, peppered across the dainty nose, and spilling out over her cheeks.”  To learn more about this young lady, destined for big things, check out an early post from the Facebook Page for Read My Dad’s Stuff.