SENTIMENTAL SUNDAY

 

HOW THOMAS TRIED TO KILL RICHARD.

My father Thomas Dowd told the tale of how one hot summer day, he, his brother, and his friends decided to make a raft.   They lived along TURTLE CREEK   The little town was named after the stream that runs thru it and the creek empties into the  MONONGAHELA  RIVER

It had been the first sunny day after a few days of rain.    The plan was to build a raft and take it for a voyage.   I suppose they were about ten or twelve years old at the time.

The boys spent all day gather wood and constructing the raft.   Soon came the launch in the summer afternoon.   Some how, his brother Richard got on first and the raft got away.     There was his younger brother adrift on the swollen and turbulent creek headed toward the river. 

Richard was screaming “Save me”    The whole gang ran alone the banks and came to a small wooden bridge.    As they lay on the wooden planks they could see Richard coming down Turtle Creek, still screaming.

Richard was rescued and pulled upon the bridge.   My  dad said that his only thought was his brother was going to drown and it would have been his fault.  

And his mother, Gertrude, would kill him.