What Kids Did Before TV

By Linda T. Legg

Growing up in the late 1940s and early 1950s in a small town in West Virginia, before the advent of TV, the author and her brothers were left alone to amuse themselves throughout the day. She and the gang of kids in the neighborhood came up with some very unique activities and pranks without close adult supervision.

Based on these true events from her childhood, the short stories in his book give an account of the things these kids actually did. They did not have TV to distract them.

She marvels today that she and her brothers grew up to become respectable adults. She hopes that the Statute of Limitations has expired in the fifty years since these acts were perpetrated even though they were just good, clean fun at the time.

As she remembers some of the events of her childhood, she is thankful that she was given the freedom to roam about town as she chose during the day with little adult supervision. The events described in this book are a result of that freedom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781641145695

Book preview

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What Kids Did Before TV

Linda T. Legg

ISBN 978-1-64114-568-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64114-569-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2018 by Linda T. Legg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my brother, Robert, who has been a supportive and constant friend throughout my life. We shared these childhood adventures together and remember them fondly.

Chapter 1

The Initiation

by Linda T. Legg

It was one o’clock in the morning. The house was dark and silent except for the faint sounds of Dad snoring in the room below. He was finally asleep! I had been lying in my bed listening, fighting off sleep, and thinking about what we were going to do. A little moonlight came through the window, and I knew that would be helpful once we got outside. The cemetery would be even scarier with moonlight because of the moving shadows it made among the tombstones.

Tonight was the first initiation we had tried since last summer. John Hersey had moved into town and wanted to join our club. So, tonight, he would have to prove himself. As I lay in bed waiting for the signal, I realized that the initiation was actually two tests. First, the kid had to prove that he could sneak out of his house at night, and then, he had to have the guts to stay in the cemetery alone for an hour. Only then would we consider letting him join our gang. But most of the kids who tried didn’t make it. They usually ran home screaming and wetting themselves because of what they saw. And funny thing, they never talked about what they saw when they came to school the next day.

Finally, I heard the tap on my door, the one-tap signal from my brothers that it was time to go. I got up as quietly as I could, being careful to avoid stepping on those floorboards, which would creak. I took the white pillowcase off the pillow and tied it around my waist. Then, I stuffed the pillow under the covers of my bed, just in case Mom would look in. I was already dressed. I grabbed my tennis shoes from the floor and began to tiptoe very slowly across the room to the door. I opened the door into the hall, stepped through, and gently closed the bedroom door behind me. Now, I had to step across the hallway avoiding the boards in the floor that creaked. I placed my toes on the board I knew was solid and very slowly shifted my weight to take a step. After three steps, I slipped into my brother’s room and gently closed the door behind me. I made my way to the open window on the far side of the room. My brothers were already outside waiting under the tree.

I crawled out the window and stepped carefully across the metal roof that covered the back porch of our house. The huge cherry tree had branches growing right over the roof, and so, it was easy to climb into the tree and then down to the ground below. I quickly slipped on my shoes and climbed down. My brothers were waiting for me there with my bike.

I jumped the last few feet to the ground and stood up grinning at them. Robert smiled back and signaled silence. He had been holding my bike. I took the bike from him, and we quietly walked our bikes around the side of the house out to the street in front. Then, we mounted our bikes and rode to the street corner. Here, we stopped for a moment.

You guys ready for this? asked Rob.

Sure am, responded Ron.

My brothers were twins, a year older than me, and we were pals. Robert was the leader of our gang. It included Jim Hess, Mike Riley, sometimes Pat and Sherri Riley, and my brothers and me. Sometimes, my cousin Patti would come to stay for a few days, and she would be part of our capers. Pat and Sherri Riley weren’t always party to our adventures because they didn’t like getting dirty or climbing trees. Me? I didn’t care. Phooey on that doll stuff. I liked climbing trees.

Did you guys bring the sheet? I asked.

Absolutely, said Rob as he pulled the folded white sheet out of his shirt.

Did you bring the pillowcase?

I pointed to the pillowcase wrapped around my waist and smiled.

Okay, we’re set. Let’s go.

We got on our bikes and headed down the main street. We rode in the middle of