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would go to church every Sunday, dressed in a top hat, a stiffly starched white shirt front, and a black tie and tails. After church, almost every week, he would turn up at Aunt Lib's for dinner. Aunt Lib was Grandpa's s i s t er-in-law. Grandpa felt an affinity for some of the Indians because he had a half-brother of whom he was very proud. He would often speak about his tall Indian half-brother .named Baptiste, and of his exceptional strength. He was equally proud of his two Indian half-sisters, and also spoke often of them and of how beautiful they were. Another story was about the time when he and some other young men were captured by Indians in a canyon east of Spring City. They were a hostile group, having already killed one man earlier in the day. In all probability, they would have harmed the boys, except for the fact that one of them recognized Grandpa as being one of Isaac Morley's boys and let them go. Grandpa had lived with and worked for Isaac Morley for a time after his mother left, and Isaac Morley was always known for his kindness to the Indians. Far into his eighties, Grandpa would go with the young men to the Wales Reservoir to swim. He would jump into the water with the best of them, although unable to swim himself. In his eighty-ninth year, he injured his ankle, breaking several blood vessels. His foot became extremely painful, eventually resulting in the use of a cane and finally crutches to enable him to walk. He would not refrain from walking in order to elevate his leg, and continued making his customary two trips to the barber shop daily to visit with his friends. Ultimately, he was unable to get out of bed, and his leg developed gangrene which took his life a few months before his ninetieth birthday. In addition to the true and imaginary stories Grandpa told, I remember his kind and gentle nature. But I remember best his delight in taking a child on his lap, and telling his stories while the child intently 99 |
