Halloween

I needed to hurry for it was late afternoon on Halloween, and I was getting the quart of fresh milk for Virginia, my youngest sister, from Fred Hanson. Ted Havey, Hanson's hired hand, was talking to Fred, loud enough for me to hear "...and I have loaded it with rock-salt!"

Early evening we youngsters, I was 11, were gathered around Frank Meggers, U.S. Forest Ranger, who was helping us plan our evening's frightful deeds of Halloween. The previous year it had been placing a 'two-holer' in the center of Main Street with appropriate decorations of toilet paper. "Let's take that old shed at the top of the hill and see how far we can move it, like downtown" suggested Frank. With guile and cunning we all moved in and surrounded the weather-beaten shed. With a shout, Ted Havey leaped out of the shed, and I started to run. When I heard a loud click behind, I knew that was the sound of the hammer coming back on a shotgun! I desperately needed to put as many bodies between me and the rock salt I knew was coming my way! I do remember slipping and falling once and still not believing there were enough people to prevent me from getting more than my share.

Ranger Meggers later explained "Ted Havey had turned and closed the latch after he had burst out of the shed! It was not a shotgun. Where did you get that idea?" Frank also remembered me passing him when I slipped and fell and was on my feet again without missing a stride!