Friday, March 31, 2006

Mrs. Murdoch


Helen's post about Billy reminded me of a story Mrs. Murdoch told me.

When I worked at the public library, Mrs. M. was the genealogy librarian (Patsy and Fleta would like her.) For the first year or so I was there I was deathly afraid of her. Little things like parking in her parking space and searching for books in her section of the library (always under her watchful eye) made me weary of her.

One day mom asked me to pick up some papers from Mrs. M. I told her "I will not do it." I think she was taken aback. I told her I was a little 'afraid' of Mrs M. and that I would like to avoid her at all costs. Ok, no problem. Well.... Mom came to the library that afternoon. On her way out the door she stopped by the circulation desk. "I don't think you will be having any more problems with Mrs. M." uh oh. She went on to say that she told Mrs. M. that for some reason I was afraid of her. I guess she gave her the 'stare.' I doubt that she threatened her but I remember from that day on Mrs. M. was a little weary of me. And very nice.

Well, here is my story.

A few years later, I found out Mrs. M. is really funny and she has lots of stories to tell. She told me that she could remember the last time she gave her son a spanking. He was as tall as she which was almost as tall as me. I'd guess about 14 years old. She told him what his punishment was going to be. He took off running. They ran around and around the house. Finally, they where running in circles around the dining room table. Mrs. M. was sensing that she was whooped so she grabbed her knee and fell to the floor. Her son (he was a gentleman then) came to help her up --- Picture this -- Mrs. M. jumped up and tackled him and gave him the 'whipping' he deserved.

2 comments:

Galla Creek said...

This is the way I see it...pick
on my child...pick on me. Shame
on you if you pick on my sisters
or my child.

Mrs. Murdoch would not "pick" on
anyone. But for some reason
she may have felt Baby was not
competent to do the things that
need be done in her "section",
which was genealogy.

You could ask her..I think I saw
a book about marriages in North
Carolina here somewhere? Boom, she
went right to it.

You could say..do you know if anyone does genealogy on those "Jones" down at Pottsville.
She knew their names. She retired
finally when they changed the computer system AGAIN. She was surely nearly 80 by then. She barely used the old systems. She did it like this..one day she worked and the next day she did not "come in". She phoned and say..."I retire". I may do that at the school I work at...I could do it this morning. No, I guess I will get dressed and go.

Sister--Helen said...

Mrs. M sounds a little like us.