This is a story passed down to me, so forgive me if I don't

get all the facts straight. It still is funny and amusing!

The outcome of a fight serves as a reason that my sister Mary

became known as the enforcer. Mary was five years old at the time.

In those days, our backyard was a much more interesting place than

it is today.  There was no well tended lawn or chain link fence.   There

was a neat chicken coop that served as the unofficial clubhouse for all

sorts of activities.   And let's not forget Mrs. Cote who drove through our

property in her Big Hudson!

She was certifiably nuts!

The event in question started innocently enough.  A bunch of the kids

from the neighborhood were playing in our backyard.  There was alot

of pushing and shoving going on.  A boy from the neighborhood

pushed my brother Mike to the ground and made him cry.  Without

warning, Mary slugged the boy and made him leave.  Though a year

or two younger and probably six inches shorter than her older

brother Mike, she made it known she would not tolerate a bully-

especially one who picked on her brother.

Following the scuffle, I recall Mary's reputation as a "tough cookie"

was enhanced by Mary cracking her knuckles.  She would stare

any bully down and reply "Oh yeah" in a menacing way to anything

you said.  At precisely the right moment, she would crack her knuckles

The effect was terrifying.

On one occasion, I was told that a little boy, named Leonard, wet

his pants shortly after a confrontation with Mary.  Rumor around

the neighborhood was that Leonard ran past our backyard every

time he spotted Mary outside.

Though the chicken coop and Mrs. Cote's Turkey farm are long gone,

the "legend" of Mary the enforcer remains vivid in our imaginations.

I wonder if she still cracks her knuckles...