Sweet Mercy

7/28/2019 Sweet Mercy

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SweetMercy

Ann tAtlock

5


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2013 b Ann Talok

Publishd b Bhan Hous Publishs11400 Hampshi Avnu Souh

Bloomingon, Minnsoa 55438

.bhanhous.om

Bhan Hous Publishs is a division o

Bak Publishing Goup, Gand Rapids, Mihigan

Pind in h Unid Sas o Amia

All ighs svd. No pa o his publiaion ma b podud, sod in a ival

system, or transmitted in any orm or by any meansor example, electronic, photocopy,

odingihou h pio in pmission o h publish. Th onl xpion

is bi quoaions in pind vis.

Liba o Congss Caaloging-in-Publiaion Daa

Talok, Ann.

S m / Ann Talok.

pags ; m.

Summa: Whn Ev disovs h unls boolgging opaion, sh

knos is agains Pohibiion la. Bu an sh all ondmn h onl hing

suppoing h amil?Povidd b publish.

ISBN 978-0-7642-1046-4 (pbk.)

1. Unid SasHiso19191933Fiion. 2. PohibiionFiion.

3. Aloholi bvag la violaionsFiion. 4. Famil-ond businss

npissFiion. 5. Li hang vnsFiion. 6. OhioFiion. I. Til.

PS3570.A85S94 2013b

813 .54d23 2013002076

Sipu quoaions a om h King Jams Vsion o h Bibl

This is a work o historical reconstruction; the appearances o certain historical gures

are thereore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products o the authors

imaginaion, and an smblan o aual psons, living o dad, is oinidnal.

Th inn addsss, mail addsss, and phon numbs in his book a aua

a h im o publiaion. Th a povidd as a sou. Bak Publishing Goup

dos no ndos hm o vouh o hi onn o pmann.

Cov dsign b Dan Pis. Cov illusaion b William Ga

Auho is psnd b MaGgo Lia, In.

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


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Fo m siss,

Maha Shus and Caol Hodis,baus ouv bn m bs inds om h bginning


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7

Pologu

May 1981

No on has bn b his a o as, bu as I spup to the porch o the old abandoned lodge Im

certain I hear music. Music and laughter. Footsteps

and lphons inging. And a housand vois oming no

om a aa bu om long ago, ahing m no h a

the light o a burned-out star reaches Earth thousands o

as a h sa isl is gon.

I turn to Sean. He is gazing at me quizzically, head cocked,

ngs knading h ashlighs h holds in ah hand. H is

ag o g insid.

Whas h ma, Gandma? h asks.

Nohing, I sa. Im jus lisning.

To ha?

Bu o ous h dosn ha ha I ha. H an. Hdosn hav h mmois.

I un h k in h lok and opn h on doo. I as


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Sweet Mercy

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las losd in 1978 b Sua Maa, m s ousin on

removed and the nal owner o the Marryat Island Ballroom

and Lodg. Whn I old him h I and o go bak, Sugave me the key and said I could go in and look around beore

h ks ball did is ok.

No muh has hangd in as. Whn I sp ino h

spacious ront hall and breathe deeply o the musty air, time

snaps shu lik a pap an and Im oung again. Young and

idalisi. And smug, hough bak hn I didn kno i.

My grandson walks through the ront hall, head bob-

bing like a pendulum, looking let and right. On the one

sid is h vas dining oom, sill unishd ih abls and

hais and h lag bu abl om hih svd and

shd dinks duing mals. Aoss h hall is h siing

oom, h guss lind o ad, onvs, pla ads o

boad gams, o simpl o s. Saigh ahad is h ondsk, h mail slos, h os o hooks ha sill hold an odd

assomn o oom ks.

Wow, Sean says. Cool place. Why are they going to

a i don?

Too old o pass od, I sa.

Too bad. H shugs.

Ys, i is.

So ho old ou hn ou livd h?

Well, I was seventeen when we moved here rom Min-

nesota. Seven years older than Sean is now. He probably

hinks I as all gon up. I hough so oo, a h im.

So ha a looking o?

Somhing I l bhind hn I movd aa. Im psu i go pakd up ih som o m oh hings and as

sod aa in h ai.


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Ann Tatlock

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Bu ha is i, Gandma?

A oodn box. M pans gav i o m o Chismas

on a, hn I as v oung.Just a box? Ater all these years, why do you want it

no?

I paus and smil. Im a snimnal old ool.

H laughs lighl. No ou no, Gandma.

Well, theres something in the box your grandather gave

m. Id lik o hav i again.

All igh. So ho do ou g o h ai?

Follo m.

Th ai is a lag oom ih a lo sland iling and

windows across the ront and on both sides. With the electric-

ity o in the lodge, the attic is dim and stuy and smells heav-

il o mus and o hings ha hav bn sod o dads.

Sean and I go about unlocking and opening the windowsto let in both sunlight and resh air. Then we turn to the

ask a hand. W a suoundd b an li ollion o

dusty urniture, old steamer trunks, oor lamps with tasseled

shads, oodn as, and adboad boxs.

Wh do sa, Gandma?

I un on m ashligh; h ollos sui. Wll, I sa,

migh as ll sa ih hs boxs igh h. I shin m

ligh o india h pil.

San shugs. Oka. H sls his ashligh on h sa

o a ladder-back chair and pulls one o the boxes o the pile.

He opens the aps. While were looking through all this

su, h don ou ll m abou ha happnd h? h

sas. You kno, h summ ou movd in.I step to the box and move my ashlight beam over whats

insid. Do ou all an o kno? I ask.


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Yah. Youv nv old m h so, Gandma. Tll m

no.

I hink abou ha a momn. I suppos i is im o himo kno. All igh, ls s, I sa, sahing o h pla o

bgin. You kno movd h in 1931, igh?

Yah. Bu has abou all I do kno.

I nod. He pulls another box of the pile. Taking a deep

bah, I sa, Wll, Ill ll ou ha, had I knon ha as

waiting or me in Mercy, Ohio, I might not have been so eager

o lav Minnsoa. . . .


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11

Chap 1

Had I known what was waiting or me in Mercy,

Ohio, I might not have been so eager to leave Min-

nsoa. Bu o ous I ould nv hav imagind

ha la ahad, so o ks I happil aniipad h sigho St. Paul in the rearview mirror o Daddys 1929 Ford

sdan. I as Ma 30, 1931, hn nall pakd up h

a and mad ou ga sap om h Sainl Ci, ug

o ugiivs and gangss.

Somhing ls I didn kno hn as ha h unishd

apartment wed just vacated, #205 at the Edgecombe Court,

ould in o das im b nd ou o bank obb Fank

Jelly Nash, lately o Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

Hed managed to escape the year beore and had taken a

iuious ou o Minnsoas nooious havn. Lik mos

iminals, h kn ha on h ahd h sa apial, i

was olly olly oxen ree! Thats just the kind o town St.

Paul as in hos das.The sun was starting its ascent over the eastern edge o

h i as Dadd sad h a and pulld aa om h


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curb. The morning ofered enough light to showcase the

ondous aa o sping blossoms ha had unoldd lik

a mial a anoh hash in.In the passenger seat in ront o me, Mother sighed. Were

laving a h v bs im o h a, sh said.

It cant be helped, Daddy replied. At any rate, he

addd, hs sping in Ohio oo.

Do you suppose they have lilacs there the way we do here?

Pobabl. I no, ll hav som impod.

Mother laughed lightly at that beore sighing again. Truth

b old, Moh and Dadd n happ abou laving S.

Paul. I as h onl on among us ho and o go.

I elt a quiet satisaction as we drove down Lexington

Avenue or the last time, winding our way through the other-

is ashionabl ss o h i, lld ih sal Vio-

rian houses and luxury hotels, among them the Commodorewhere rich and amous luminaries like F. Scott and Zelda

Fizgald had paid aa muh o h Roaing Tnis.

I migh hav bn a ni on, his midsn mopolis

nestled along the banks o the Mississippi River, had its

hls no bn oild b oupion.

Wd livd h svn as, having aivd in 1924 hn

Daddy got a job as a spot welder at the Ford Assembly Plant.

Bo ha, d bn living in Doi, h I as bon,

and where Daddy also worked or Ford. But Mother and

Daddy didnt like Detroit, and eventually Daddy applied or

a ans o Minnsoa.

Whn aivd in S. Paul, h i as alad i ih

criminals, and yet it was a surprisingly sae place to live. Thisas a sul o h laov agmn sablishd b om

Poli Chi John OConno. Gangss, boolggs, bank


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obbs, mon launds, ugiivsall lom as

long as h ollod h agmns h simpl uls.

Fis, upon aival in S. Paul, h had o hk in ihDapp Dan Hogan, on o h Gn Lann spak-

as and supviso o OConnos ssm. H as himsl

a hoodlum, a mon laund, and an xp oganiz o

im ho as knon as h Iish Godah.

Sond, all inoming iminals o mak a donaion

o Dapp Dan, ho disibud i among h lamn ih

poks opn o paos: poli divs, aldmn, gand

ju mmbs, posuos, and judgs.

Third, once settled in the lie o St. Paul, these active elons

had o sa nv o ommi a im ihin h i limis.

Bank robbers could rob banks, murderers could kill, and

gangss ould blo ah oh o kingdom om ihou

intererence rom the law, so long as they conducted theirbusinss lsh.

John OConnor died the year we moved to Minnesota, but

Hogan went on instituting the agreement until he himsel

as huld ino h ha b a a bomb in 1928. A

that, without Hogan around to keep the peace, things started

going downhill. Harry Sawyer, Dan Hogans assistant as well

as his pobabl assassin, ook ov boh h Gn Lann

and onol o h OConno ssm. Sa asn nal

as interested in keeping the peace as he was in making money,

and igh a Hogans dah, im spikd and sd in

a v-a av. Sas inds om all ov h oun

sad olling inpubli nmis lik John Dilling, Alvin

Kapis, and Fd and Do Bak. Whn l in 1931, hworst was yet to come, and yet Id already seen one man

gunned down in the streets. That one murder was enough


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o m and h ason I as glad o s S. Paul in h a-

vi mio.

Daddy sat behind the wheel, his ace wan and pinched. Oh h o us, h as h on ho and las o all o go

bak o his hom sa o Ohio. W going onl baus

had no hoi. A a and a hal a h sok mak

collapse, more than a third o the countrys Ford dealerships

had losd, and mn bing laid o in dovs. Dadds

un had om a ks bak. Th nigh Dadd old us

h ns as h s im Id v sn m ah .

Mother and Daddy prayed to God or help, and Gods

unosn and somha bilding ans am in h

orm o a call rom Cyrus Marryat, Daddys brother, the one

ho ond h Maa Island Balloom and Lodg. Th

were plenty o rooms and plenty o work at the lodge, Uncle

C said. H vn sn us h mon o mak h ip, hihwas quite remarkable, since Daddy and Uncle Cy hadnt

sn ah oh sin 1926 hn n o Ohio o Unl

Cs dding o Aun Coa. Dadd and Unl C had had a

disagmn, bu I nv kn ha i as abou. I as a

ond Unl C invid him bak, sin hd nv all

gon along sin hildhood. Bu blood as blood, and in

dspa ims, amil ook a o amil no ma ha.

As hadd as on Gand Avnu, Moh said, Pull

ov ono Vioia on las im, ill ou, D?

Oh no, daling

Plas, D, o m.

Sighing, Dadd und l ono Vioia Avnu. In an-

oh momn, appoahd a amilia hous. Sop juso a minu, Moh said.

No Ros . . .


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Plas.

Dadd luanl asd h a o a sop in on o h

clapboard house where my sister lived with her husband andtheir two little girls. Mother pulled a handkerchie out o

h pokbook and bushd aa as. Oh, Cassanda,

sh moand.

I moand oo and olld m s.

Daddy patted Mothers arm. Shes a big girl. Shell be

all igh.

I an hlp hinking sh sill nds m.

Shes made her bed, Rose, and so ar shes adjusted pretty

ll o ling in i. You o oo muh.

I kn Moh as hinking abou all h as ha had

bough Cassanda o h sh as no. All h umulu-

ous and habaking as.

I crossed my arms and slunk down impatiently in the backsa. All I and as o b on ou a.

Moh ahd o h doo handl, bu Dadd soppd

her. We said good-bye last night, Rose. And anyway, theyre

pobabl sill aslp.

I suppose youre right. Mother dabbed at her eyes

again.

And just think, well be seeing them in a couple months,

Dadd mindd h. Augus, h said. Thll ak hi

vaaion in Augus and om on don and s us.

Mother turned to Daddy and tried to smile, but it was

lil mo han a ippl o soo passing ov h lips.

Daddy put the car in gear and we moved on down the

road. Finally. I would miss my brother-in-law and two youngnis bu, lik Unl C and Dadd, Cassanda and I didn

g along. Sh as h old sis I had nv admid and


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never wanted to be like. I was just as content to leave her

bhind ih h iminals and gangss in S. Paul.

The sun had ully risen by the time we reached the easternedge o the city. An equal measure o anticipation rose in

my heart. Good-bye, St. Paul!Good-bye and good riddance!

Th on o M la ahad o us, h pla I had lovd as

a hild bu hadn visid in as.

Dadd? I askd.

Ys, daling? H gland a m in h avi mio.

His brown eyes looked weary, and his narrow handsome ace

as sill ihou olo.

Wha did ou and Unl C gh abou?

His bos n up. Whn?

The last time we were in Mercy. You know, when we went

down or the wedding. Whatever it was, its kept us rom

going bak o v as.Dadd as qui a momn. H lookd a Moh, ho

shuggd. Thn h gav anoh glan a m in h mio.

Did we ght about something? I honestly cant remember.

Thn h havn gon bak? To visi in h summ

lik did hn I as lil?

Dadd snid and sahd a h olik on h on

o his had. His bon hai as hik and unul. Thas a

good question, Eve, he said. Im not sure I have an answer.

I do hink ou agud abou somhing. Moh pulld

one corner o her mouth back and shook her head. Though

o h li o m I an mmb ha.

Well, Daddy said, its water under the bridge. And you

kno ha I alas sa, igh?Dont tell me, I said. Let me guess. First Peter 4:8.

Righ?


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Ann Tatlock

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Thats it. Daddy nodded. For love shall cover the mul-

iud o sins.

Thas charity, D, Moh said. Fo hai shallov h muliud o sins.

Daddy chuckled. You correct me every time, Rose, but you

kno v ll I sa lov baus i mad mo sns o h

gils hn h lil. And ana, hai, lovsam

hing p muh, don ou hink?

So, Daddy, I interrupted, wanting to get us back on

track, whatever you and Uncle Cy ought about, well orgive

him and lov him ana.

Daddy hesitated just a moment beore saying, Thats

igh, daling.

Well, thats easy, I said. Its easy to love Uncle Cy. Ater

all, h as m ik ou. H as m ik o a n li. W

were leaving the city o sin behind. No more bootleggers,bohl-kps, gangss, oup lamn, kidnapps, o

muds. W on ou a o Maa Island Balloom

and Lodge in Mercy, Ohio, on the Little Miami River. We

on ou a o h Pomisd Land.

Daddy gave me one more glance in the rearview mirror

bo sling his s on h oad o h long haul ahad.

Moh ipd a as on las im bo signdl su-

ing h handkhi bak ino h pokbook. Sh und

her ace to the window, her eatures delicate and gentle in

pol, h so bon hai pulld ino is usual kno a h

bak o h had.

I too settled back or the ride. As the newly awakened Min-

nsoa landsap olld b, I noid h moning diion oh St. Paul Pioneer Press on h sa bsid m. Cla o h

i limis and aing h long sh o opn oad oad


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Wisonsin, I pikd up h pap o pass h im. Whn I

saw an advertisement on page six or Wilson Tailors, I shook

m had and likd m ongu sol. Evn h ailos making mon om h allou o S. Pauls slaz und-

world. In bold type the proprietor, Mr. Edmund Wilson,

boasd: Bullet holes rewoven perfectly in damaged clothes.


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Chap 2

L

a in h anoon o h hid da o ou joun,

aivd in M. W limbd ou o h a si

and weary, our clothes sticky with sweat, our earsinging om h huning o h ngin and h aling o

h is ov h oads. Bu vn as I sppd ino ha s

Ohio ai, I l a on shd.

I bahd dpl, glad o hav aivd. As movd om

h gavld paking lo o h lodg, I lisnd o h happ

cries coming up rom the river, rom the dozens o people

swimming, boating, and picnicking on Marryat Island. Even

the grounds around the lodge were bustling with visitors,

som moving o o om h island, som solling along h

riverbank, others taking part in a game o croquet on the

expanse o green lawn. I stopped just a moment to watch

h gam. Th omn lookd slish in linn hmiss ih

mahing lohs pulld lo ov hi as. Th mn onal pssd slaks, oon shis, and sa has o aps;

one o them was pulling on a pipe. Their laughter and chatter


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os and ll lik ingd aus a pla. I and o join

hm, o b pa o his simpl plasu.

But smiling, I turned away and moved on to the lodge.I as muh h sam as I mmbd, hough vn mo

beautiul now because it was home. Far larger than any Victo-

rian mansion in St. Paul, it was a mammoth two-story aair,

pobabl h lags suu in on asid om h M

Milling Compan up on h noh sid. Pa ldson, pa

clapboard siding, Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge sat

nhond on h banks o h Lil Miami lik h oss

I and i o b.

I airly oated up to the porch where vacationers reclined in

a neat row o rocking chairs. I was hardly aware o Mothers

and Dadds hav ooalls bhind m as I sppd ino h

xpansiv on hall and lookd aound, ing o ak i all

in. To h igh as h dining oom. Evn no dinn asbeing served on linen tablecloths. To the let, the spacious sit-

ing oom, lld ih omoabl hais and ouhs, alls

o books, a phonogaph, a pla. Saigh ahad as h

on dsk and bhind ha h lag iula saias lad-

ing up o h n o so gus ooms on h sond oo.

Uncle Cy was behind the desk, acing away rom the door.

Wih h lphon hands pssd agains his igh a, h

spok loudl ino h mouhpi hil his l hand sad

bus hanging up oom ks on h ak and sliding ls

into the myriad mail slots lining the wall. I walked to the desk

and waited. And listened, as he was unaware that I was there.

Thas igh, Chali, hs don i again. Plod up Wil-

liams Street and planted oats. Four neat rows, straight assix oclock, all the way rom Third to Fith. Whats that?

Another warning. Naw, thats not good enough. Its time


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Ann Tatlock

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o alk o h soliio. Im lling ou, Ralph has go o b

prosecuted. For what? Deacing public property, or one.

Ignoing h la, o anoh. Yah, has igh. I kno isno a main hoougha, bu popl hav go o div hi

as don ha s, and has had o do hn ouv go

oats growing under your wheels. I we could just get that

sh pavd, his ouldn happn.

Unl C sighd. I mmbd hn ho, as a v oung

hild, I hough his nam as Unl Sigh baus h sighd

so on. I as as hough a gula invals all h ois

in h old squzd h ai igh ou o his hs.

And then theres the matter o his wies chickens, he

went on. Yeah, the neighbors are complaining again. What?

Wll, ho ould ou lik i i ou ok up and ound Tud

Maes chickens pecking their way through your ower bed?

A ha poin, Unl C und aound and sa m. Hlooked at me quizzically a moment as though he didnt know

ho I as, and I don bliv h did, ill h sa Moh and

Dadd sanding a as o bhind m. Lisn, Chali, h

said, the ash o recognition lighting up his eyes, Ive got to

go. Yah, ll bing i up a h ming onigh. All igh,

ah. S ou hn.

H sld h hands bak in h adl and land o-

ward on the ront desk with both palms down. Drew, Rose,

h said. And his an b . . . H soppd and shook his

had.

I laughd. Ys, is m, Unl C. Ev.

Well, Id have never known. Listen, sorry about that.

He nodded toward the desk phone. Town council business.Im psidn his a. So h, lom, huh?

H smild and alkd aound h oun ih on b


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Sweet Mercy

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am xndd. H n o Dadd s and shook his hand,

hn gav Moh a hug. Tuning bak, h land oad,

and I stood on tiptoe so we could exchange pecks on thecheek. He was a tall man, the tallest o the three brothers

and big as a linebacker. Though he was somewhere over ty

years old, he still had a ull head o hair that he combed

straight back rom his ruddy ace. His hair was streaked

with gray now, though, and he was beginning to lose his

hin and gain jols insad. Cos annd ou om his

eyes, and even his brows had turned gray. Time was catching

up ih Unl C.

Wll, ou mad i, h said, and hil h aid o on

o us o spond, h ai as lld ih an akad siln.

I lookd a Dadd ho, a h das, sill hld ha sam

pinhd xpssion I had sn d in h avi mi-

o as hadd ou o S. Paul. H didn an o b h.Looks like business is good, Cy, Daddy said at last,

igning an insd glan aound h pla.

Nothing like a couple years ago, Uncle Cy said. Or even

a a ago. Popl hav bn hi had. Bu hav nough

o a od o kp us aoa.

While Daddy nodded, Mother asked, Hows Cora, Cy?

Uncle Cy sighed again. Shes about the same. Ive got

h a h bs pla in h oun, hough. I h an g

h b, nobod an.

Shll g b, Moh assud him.

Yes. He nodded, but his dark eyes said he wasnt sure at

all. Shs bn h onl a monh. I don xp h bak

bo Chismas.Another awkward moment ollowed in which I thought

abou Aun Coa. Id m h onl on, a h dding. Sh


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Ann Tatlock

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as Unl Cs sond i, his s having did in 1919 in

h nal das o h ga u pidmi. Thd had no hil-

dn. Unl C m Coa som as la and maid hin 1926. No Aun Coa as onvalsing in a ubulosis

saniaium a Saana Lak in upsa N Yok.

I shivd a h hough o h dad disas and hopd

none o the tainted air rom Aunt Coras lungs still lingered in

the nooks and crannies o the lodge. Consumption would be

an unlom gus in Paadis, and I and nohing o i.

Wll, Unl C ubbd his lag hands ogh. Ls

g ou sld. Hav ou an supp?

Daddy looked toward the dining room with reluctant eyes.

I knew what he was thinking, that eating Uncle Cys ood was

as good as taking a handout. And that meant, to Daddy, that

h as lil b no han h dunks and h posius

down at the St. Paul Mission where hed spent so many yearshlping ou. Id had him sa as muh o Moh hn h

thought I wasnt listening, back during one o their late-

night talks about whether or not to come down here ater

Dadd los his job.

Beore Daddy could respond to Uncle Cys question, I

jumped in and said, Were starving, Uncle Cy. Whats cook-

ing?

He smiled at me. All your avorites, I bet. Well go see, soon

as g ou sld in ou ooms. Whs ou luggag?

Ou in h a, Dadd said.

Ill hav somon hlp ou a i in.

We were given adjoining rooms, connected by a bath. The

rooms were at the very end o a long hall. Mine was a corner


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Sweet Mercy

24

oom ih indos ovlooking boh h iv in on and

the side yard where the croquet game was still under way.

The only true apartment in the lodge was on the groundoo in h bak. Tha as h Unl C livd, and Coa

oo, hn sh as h.

Having no kitchen o our own, we would take all our meals

in the dining room, which is what we did that evening. It was

a brie and solemn meal, punctuated by the small talk o two

bohs ho hadn sn ah oh in as, and Moh,

ho in h on qui a alas id o mak vhing

igh. I said lil and insad saisd m hung ih hug

hlpings o oas b, boild n poaos, and on on h

cob. Other guests came and ate and let; their chatter merged

and mingld ih ou on. A oupl o aisss busld

abou, aing as o ood and pouing glasss o a and

a. I kn hn ha all ou mals ould b akn in hmidst o constant motion, and yet, the busyness o the room

was tempered by the lazy ow o air rom the open windows

and h slo huning o iling ans ovhad.

Shortly, Uncle Cy excused himsel to go to his town council

ming, and hn h l, I did oo, alld ou o h island

b h bz aing up om h iv. A small sl bidg,

humpd lik h bak o a ighnd a, xndd om h

riverbank over the tributary to the island. I walked across, and

a ush o hildhood das am a m lik a gian av s-

ing and rolling over the shore. I welcomed themwelcomed

h mmban o ha innon im hn lis gas

wonders were as simple as a shovel and a pail o pebbly sand,

an hour o splashing with Mother in the cool clear water, anaternoon o rowing on the river with Daddy. Even Cassandra

was riendly toward me then. Shed play with me, keeping me


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25

naind b iling m aound on h dan oo hn

h bands plad in h pavilion on summ nighs. Thos

were good days, and I embraced them now like long-lostriends. Words could not describe how glad I was to be there,

h nighbos n ugiivs, no h loal dugso a

ront or a money-laundering business, where the greatest

problems to be dealt with were ill-planted oats and wayward

hikns, and h I ouldn hav o o abou sing

anon slid up b a hail o bulls h a sa h man

mudd na h S. Paul Mission.

Tha as h hing ha haund m mosha mud.

Moh, Dadd, and I alking donon, on ou a

to serve soup at the mission, when a Lincoln sedan drove

past us and slowed down. In the next moment the long black

bal o a Thompson submahin gun appad in an opn

window. Shots rang out, and little sparks o ame, and aman no hal a blok ahad o us os up om h sidalk

lik a ag doll ossd b a hild, his ams upaisd as hough

in surrender. He seemed to hang in the air a moment in a

shower o his own blood beore he crumpled in a lieless

tangle on the ront steps o a Jewish deli. The next moments

were pandemoniumwomen screaming, tires squealing,

o mn ushing o h bod o l o a puls and, nding

none, removing their hats and shaking their heads. And I . . .

I sood sphlss hil h nal momns o m hildhood

slippd aa. Th nx da, a ading abou h killing in

the paper, Cassandra told me thats what happened to hijack-

s ho ind ih anoh mans boolg businss. Id

had nighmas abou ha mud v sin.Taking a deep breath to clear my mind, I strolled along the

path leading to the picnic tables and the small pebbled beach


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26

h a sion o h iv as odond o o simming.

Dusk was settling and amilies were beginning to pack up

hi pini basks and had ou o h nigh. As i asnh knd, I doubd ha a band ould pla, bu ha as

all igh; h ai as lld ih h nigh songs o iks

and ogs, and hn I pu m had bak I ould s h

ain glo o Vnus and h pal a o a ull moon.

I was nally here and I was sae. I knew this was a sae

place because the temperance movement had begun right

here in Ohio. It was Ohioans who wanted the drinking to

stop, all the dreadul drinking that ruined so many lives, tore

apa so man amilis, l so man dsiu. I as h

in small towns that bands o women gathered and prayed

in on o saloons unil h ons agd o los. Mab

something o those prayers remained, making Ohio a sacred

pla o sos, pod om h vils o dink.Id ad all abou h mpan movmn o h ssa

contest sponsored by the St. Paul chapter o the Womens

Christian Temperance Union. My essay was awarded rst

piz o h a 1930. B hn, Pohibiion in Amia as

ten years old. I spoke glowingly o Prohibition and rmly

blivd von should kp all is las.

Wha I didn inlud in m ssa as ho badl Pohibi-

tion had ailed, how as soon as it was signed into law, the

la bgan o b bokn, ho i had opnd h oodgas

to illegal liquor distribution and organized crime, ruining

pl good iis lik S. Paul. Im su I as unilling

o admi i, vn o msl.

But none o that mattered now. Kicking of my canvasshos, I sppd baoo ino h iv, jus up o m ankls.

The water was cold and tingly. A ew people were swimming


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ah ou; on o hm, a gil abou m ag, os up ou o

h a and movd oad sho.

Hllo, sh alld o m in passing as sh an o gab atowel. She lited it to her head and began vigorously rubbing

h sho uls.

Hi, I said. Ni sim?

Ys, sh said, bu no Im zing. Sh shivd as

she wrapped the towel around her shoulders. You going in?

No. I laughed lightly. Not right now. Maybe tomorrow.

You saing a h lodg?

Sh shook h had. No, liv in on. W jus am

ov o a hous. Ho abou ou? You up om Cinin-

nai?

No. Actually I live here now. I live in the lodge. I suppose

I soundd poud, bu I ouldn hlp i. M unl ons i.

Luk ou! sh said, id d, and I as plasd hash as impssd. Ho long hav ou livd h?

Weve only just arrived. Just this evening. We moved down

om Minnsoa.

Luk ou, sh said again.

Marlene! A woman at one o the picnic tables raised

a hand and waved. Were packed and ready to go. Were

aiing on ou.

Coming, Ma! The girl turned back to me. Well, maybe

Ill s ou h again somim.

Oh s, I said. W ould go simming o n a boa

o somhing.

Sure. She shrugged. Now that summers starting well

b h a lo. No muh ls o do in M.Maln!

I said Im oming!


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Wll, I said, ni o m ou.

Yeah, you too. Oh, and welcome to Ohio, I guess. But

lisn, jus ah ou o h d-d dvil.Th ha?

Maln!

I said Im oming! Sh sad o go, and hn und

back. But dont worry. Youre pretty sae as long as its

daligh. H mosl oms ou a nigh.

I wanted to ask her what she was talking about, but beore

I ould sa anoh od sh had un o, laughing, o join

h amil.


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29

Chap 3

Standing in the hall, I tapped lightly on Mother and

Daddys door, opening it only ater Mother said, Come

in. She closed the book shed been reading aloud, using

on ng as a bookmak. Wll, Ev, ho as h island?As bauiul as v, I said damil.

A ou o o bd no?

I don kno. Im no id a all. Mab Ill ad ahil

oo.

Daddy, who was sitting in the overstued chair across rom

Moh, gsud oad h oosool. You an join us, i

youd like. Weve just started Great Expectations. I know

ou lik Dikns.

I noddd, hough a momn, shuggd. I hink Id lik

o g aquaind ih m n oom.

Daddy chuckled. Youre glad were here, arent you,

daling?

You know I am, Daddy. This is going to be the mostondul pla o liv. Iv alad m a gil ho livs in

town. Her names Marlene. I think were going to be riends.


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Ho ni, Moh said.

Exp . . .

Exp ha?I hough o h ommn abou h d-d dvil, sill

no qui su ha o mak o i. Mab i as a jok o a

bi o loal olo, a so old aound h amp a nigh.

I didd no o mnion i. Exp, I an ou boh o b

happ h oo, I nishd.

Moh and Dadd xhangd a glan. W going o

mak h bs o i, Moh plid.

A las unil h onom gs bak on is , Dadd

said. This is onl mpoa, a all.

Moh mus hav sn h oid look on m a, b-

cause she hastily added, But o course well be here through

ou snio a o shool, Ev. Don o abou ha.

I id o smil. Thi no aning o b in M damp-nd m spiis and mad m so o hm, o ha h

hough h had los. I hopd all ha ould hang on

go sld ino a dail ouin. Th ould s ha li

in M as good. Ho ould i no b?

Well, Ill let you get back to reading, I said. Good night.

S ou in h moning.

Good nigh, Ev.

Slp ll, daling.

I kissed them both, then slipped through the bathroom

to my own room. I closed the bathroom door on my side

gently, shutting o the sound o Mother reading. Mother had

alas ad o Dadd, as long as I ould mmb, and as

soon as I as old nough Id sad ading o him oo. Hlovd sois bu h as unabl o ad hm o himsl, o

a las no ihou ga diful. Th ls kp uning


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31

aound, h said; h didn sa h h supposd

o b. No on all kn ha a pag o p lookd lik o

Dadd and h i lookd din han i did o vbodls, bu I did kno i as on o h asons hd l Ohio

a ag ighn ihou nishing high shool. H had nv

l good nough o b a Maa. H asn lik his boh-

s Cus and Luh. Th boh hono-oll sudns

ho bing goomd o posiions o ladship in h

amil businsss. Dadd ould nv hav a pla among

hm. H had o mak his on pla, and i asn going o

b in M. In h middl o hi snio a, Dadd and

his pal Stan Brewster ran away to Detroit, where theyd man-

agd o g assmbl lin jobs a h Fod Moo Compan,

a journey that by happenstance, some twenty-nine years

la, bough Dadd igh bak o h pla h didn an

to be. Because he had ultimately ailed to keep his job, heas bak in M.

I stood in the middle o my room and slowly turned around,

taking it all in. It was much smaller than Mother and Daddys

room, but that was all right. A single bed, a wardrobe, a

miod dss, a dsk and a ading haiha ls did

I nd? M lohs hanging in h adob, m shos

und h bd, m phoo albums and sapbooks

ukd aa in a da, and m asu box as on op o

h dss. Alad, I l h pla as min.

Stepping to the dresser, I began untangling my long blond

braid in ront o the mirror. Unlike Cassandra, I had reused

o u m hai hn h sho bob am ino ashion. I had

no dsi o b lik m sis, ho as igh as old hanI and ho had long ago mad a p mss o h li.

I as sious abou his on sho a living hil sh n


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a i lik a possional pai. I okd had in shool and

id o aquain msl ih h bs o liau and a

hil Cassanda, aaknd in adolsn o h inoxia-ing mix o crime and romance, devoured True Detective

magazines. Though she was married now to a man who

ould no mo bak h la han Elio Nss, on upon a

im sh had damd o bing a moll, h gilind o an

oula! Sh aspid o ma a man ho obbd banks b

day and came home to his lady at night to shower her in

diamonds and dough, a man who dodged bullets and evaded

as and as somho invinibl, a dvilish Dik Ta, a

Bad-bo Buk Rogs.

Sh as nohing bu a pial S. Pauli, alas glamo-

izing h bad gus and longing o hang aound h ings

o hi old. As I bushd m hai, I mmbd h im

Cassanda and h ind Susan had un o giggling o hHotel St. Paul. George Bugs Moran had been spotted there,

and they thought i they hung around the lobby long enough

hd ah a glimps o him. And h did.

Th am bak o ou apamn and ound m ading

in the bedroom I unortunately shared with Cassandra. Now

m sis nd h oom ih h hands lnhd in on

o h ha. Wll, i as him, sh said.

Who? I askd.

Bugs Moran, silly. We saw him walk right through the

lobb and go ou h on doo o h Hol S. Paul.

So?

Susan land up agains h dooam, as hough ak-

knd ih longing. Ev, ou ouldn bliv ho good-looking h is in al li. Evn mo handsom han h looks

in pius.


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33

So?

So don ou an o s him? Susan askd.

Wh ould I an o go look a on o h biggs gang-ss in Chiago?

Because, Susan exclaimed, he is one o the biggest

gangss in Chiago! And so muh b looking han Al

Capon.

You gus a az.

And ou jus no un, Cassanda snappd.

And i ou no aul, oull nd up a moll! I lld.

And i ou no aul, oull nd up an old maid!

B an old maid han a gangss gilind!

Even as a very young child, I viewed my older sister as

sill and shallo, a pa gil ailo-mad o h nis.

Th as o pov m igh. Th app az sukd

her up a willing participant and spat her out a reluctant wieand moh hn, a ag n, a as o spakasis,

bad boys, and hip asks, she ound hersel pregnant and

alone. Perhaps worst o all, she wasnt even sure who the

ather was. Mother and Daddy were horried, though luckily

sval o Cassandas om baus suddnl maializd

on ou doosp poposing maiag. Ths haplss suios

knew they were getting a two-or-one deal, but each was

nvhlss illing o mak an hons oman ou o h.

I could never understand that, except that Cassandra was

unommonl bauiul and phaps h bau knokd all

h sns ou o ohis snsibl mn.

I leaned closer to the mirror and gazed judgmentally at

ha I onsidd m on plain a. M lips oo hin,m ohad oo high. M nos as nao and phaps a

bit too long, leaving it looking pinched and pretentious. I


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longed or cheekbones but they hadnt yet appeared. The only

good au as m s. Th blu and bigh, jus

lik Mohs. And Cassandas. Bu ha as h onl am-il smblan I shad ih m sis. As I sudid msl

in h mio, I ondd bi hh I ould v un

snsibl mn ino ools, and didd i as unlikl.

Bu h bauiul Cassanda had h hoi o mn, and

sh hos Wan Lmming, hih all in all as a is di-

sion, sin Wans ah had mad his oun in h ail-

oad and had bal l h ashoks o h n sok

market crash. Warren was set to inherit an enviable estate

and in h manim as doing qui ll as a junio pa-

n in his ahs businss. On op o ha h as gnuinl

nice, always even-tempered, and not bad looking either, i

ou didn mind a ding hin and an unouna mol o

o. H gav Cassandas bab his nam and immdialaterward gave Cassandra another baby. Efe and Grace were

ou and h no and luk o hav Wan as a ah.

While I think Cassandra loved Warren in her own way, she

resented having to settle down into marriage and motherhood

bo sh as ad. I didn l so o h, hough. In

act, her quiet misery lled me with no end o secret delight;

I gured shed got what she deserved. She had drunk and

danced her way toward what she hersel called drudgery. Like

Dadd as knon o sa, shd mad h bd.

I o on asn going o b making an bds. I as going

to make something o mysel. Not just or me but, more

impoanl, o h o popl in h oom nx o min. I

was going to do something important, something that madea din. Moh and Dadd didn hav anon ls o

do good in the world and to make them proud. Certainly not


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Cassanda. And no h son hod bn sillbon bn

Cassanda and m. I as h onl on h had and I asn

going o l hm don.Laying down the brush and turning away rom the dresser,

I didnt know what to do next. Sleep was out o the ques-

ion; I as a oo xid o ha. I hough abou ading

o iing a l o m bs ind Ail bak in S. Paul,

bu I had oo muh pn-up ng o siing. I ndd o

mov, o alk somh, o Id nd up paing h oom.

I tied my hair back with a ribbon and stepped out into

the hall, quietly tiptoeing past Mother and Daddys room

and descending the stairs to the ront hall below. A man I

didn kno as bhind h on dsk; Unl C mus hav

still been talking oats and chickens with the members o

the town council. The dining room was dark and empty,

but the spacious sitting room was well lighted and cheeryih h psn o guss. I alkd hough, smiling and

nodding at a ew people, but my eet, as though by their own

ill, aid m on hough h siing oom and don h

sho nao halla ha ld o h balloom.

As id as h lodg isl, h balloom as a avnous

pla, ih a high iling and a gloss hadood oo ha

vn no shimmd ainl in h dim li lighing. On

h a sid as a sag h supisingl big-nam bands

came to play, bringing in the crowds rom Cincinnati, Dayton,

Columbus, and even Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky. The

ai smd o vba ih h musi ha had bound

o hs alls o as, and as I sood h saing, I ould

sense the presence o careree couples dancing the Charlestonand h Lind Hop, h alz and h ox-o.

I had on gon o shool dans ih m inds, h


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askd o dan b bos didn lik. W apd

ana and spn h im looking ov hi shoulds a

the boys we longed to have ask us, but who never did. Never-theless, I enjoyed dancing. Id learned how to waltz along with

von ls as pa o h phsial duaion quimn

in shool. On I as paid up ih So Hampon, on

o the handsome boys I contemplated rom aar. I didnt

an h song o nd. I and o go on ling ha i as

o hav m hand on his should, his am aound m ais,

ou oh hands ming palm o palm as slid aound h

shl axd gm oo. So Hampon had nv spokn

o m bo, and h didn spak o m vn hn, bu ha

as all igh. Whil h song lasd I ould pnd h had

askd m ou o h oo, ha h look on his a had bn

on o dligh ah han agon hn m nam as alld

ih his.A poabl phonogaph sa on h dg o h sag and,

uious, I n o i. I as a big oodn box o a pla, an

RCA Viola ha lookd band-n, a a om h old

gamophon bak in ou Edgomb Cou apamn ha

pumped out scratchy music through an ancient morning-

glory horn. I looked at the record on the turntable. Viennese

Waltzes. P.

I und h knob and lod h ndl. I shu m s,

raised my arms, and imagined mysel in Scott Hamptons

mba. I bgan o il, slol a s, bu hn mo ap-

idly, knowing the whole room was mine. Alone yet not alone,

I movd ih m imagina lov in id ils aound h

oo.Oh, Scott! Oh, darling! You dance divinely. . . .

Oh! With a jolt, I ound mysel tumbling ace-orward and


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landing with a thud on the oor. Id backed into someone or

something, but I couldnt imagine what. Stunned, I shook

my head and pulled in a deep breath. I let the air out in aqui moan as I und ov and sa.

An xndd hand slippd ino m ld o vision. Whn

I looked up, I ell back on one elbow and stied a scream.

Maln had bn lling h uh. Th d-d dvil as

standing over me, looking or all the world as though he was

ad o poun.

Sweet Mercy

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