Chapter Twelve
A few months after he started driving the truck for a living, Theron joined the Teamsters. He didn’t really understand the purpose of a union, but it gave him access to steady and better-paying delivery jobs. The dues were a small price to pay. During a strike in 1932, he felt lucky to find a different job right away. With a wife, a daughter and Borgny pregnant again, he couldn’t afford to be out of work. La Crosse County was building a new highway and needed drivers to haul gravel. He was also perpetually grateful to have the use of his father’s truck. He didn’t have much of a talent for building and hated the idea of working in a factory, but driving was actually fun. It barely felt like work at all.
Sometimes, when he picked up the truck in the morning, he liked to spend some time at his parents’ house, chatting and having breakfast. Lila noticed that her parents were different when he came to visit—softer, more patient and more likely to smile. Their affection for their first-born son was obvious. Lila was sure that her parents loved all their children, but they had their favorites. Hazel expected Lila to be quiet and helpful at all times (and frequently criticized her for failing to meet her impossibly high standards), but her younger brothers, Earl and Looy, were quite spoiled. They never had to mind the children since they were the youngest. Her older brothers had some responsibilities, but they were much smaller than Veda and Lila’s. Cecil was responsible for mowing the lawn and shoveling coal into the furnace. Lyle took the rubbish to the curb for collection days and helped his father with repairs around the house. When there was snow, Theron did the shoveling around the sidewalk and driveway so he could get the truck out of the garage. Veda and Lila did everything else. Earl was already nine years old, but he didn’t have any regular chores. It must be nice being a boy, thought Lila.
One Friday morning in November, Theron (as usual) was over for breakfast. Since it was a school day, everyone except Looy was awake. As soon as Earl finished eating, he went outside to play. Veda was reading a book. Lila preferred to eat slowly and enjoy her food, knowing that less-pleasant activities were waiting…clearing the dishes and walking to school. When Theron finished eating, he said, I guess I better be going now.
He gave their mother a kiss on the cheek and headed through the kitchen to the back door.
They heard the truck starting, and Lila’s mother sighed. This weekend I want to give the house a thorough cleaning. When you get home from school, please gather the towels and dirty laundry and then we’ll strip the beds in the morning.
Lila started clearing the dishes and said, Yes, ma’am.
Her friend Nora was having a birthday party on Saturday, but she knew it was no use asking to go. Her mother would never change her plans once her mind was made up.
A few moments later there was a loud knock at the front door. Who could be calling at this hour?
said her mother. She went to the front door and Lila followed; anything was better than cleaning.
Their neighbor, Mrs. Bay, was standing there in her robe and said, There was an accident! You need to come with me right away!
Veda set her book down and they all went outside. At the end of the block, there was a small cluster of people. Theron was kneeling in the street, rocking back and forth. Lyle was standing next to him looking white as a ghost. Their mother was running now, saying, Theron…what happened…are you alright??
One of the neighbors stopped her and said, Mrs. Slaback, your son Earl has been hurt. My husband took him to St. Francis Hospital.
Mr. Bay pulled up in his car and said, Let me give you a ride, Mrs. Slaback.
Their mother turned and told Lila, Go back to the house and wait for me there. I’ll be back as soon as I can.
Lila wanted to stay and figure out what was going on, but like a good girl, she said, Yes, mother
and turned back around.
It was so quiet inside the house. For a few minutes, Veda and Lila just stood there, not making a sound. Although it was a school day, their mother’s instructions had been clear: wait inside the house. Finally, Veda said, I guess I better check on Looy. Why don’t you clear and wash the dishes?
Lila had never been so grateful for chores. Her mind was racing, but it was good having something familiar and productive to do. As the hours passed with no word from their mother (or even their brothers…where was everyone?), Veda and Lila did all the chores they could think of. They made the beds and swept the floors. They played games with Looy and made two batches of snickerdoodles. There was a roast thawing for dinner, so after lunch, they cut up some carrots and potatoes and put everything to bake in the big roasting pan. They even cleaned the bathtub and toilet and took all of the dirty laundry to the basement. The roast smelled delicious. Lila was getting hungry, but Veda said they should wait until everyone was home before eating dinner. Lila reluctantly agreed and set the table.
The sun was setting by the time they heard the truck pulling into the garage. Cecil was the first one into the house. He said nothing and went straight to the bathroom. Lyle also went upstairs without a word. What was going on? Their mother walked in the door. Her eyes were red; it was clear that she had been crying. Their father was right behind her and said, Girls…please go to the living room; I’ll be with you in a minute.
Veda sat down on one of the chairs and picked up the book that she had been reading that morning. Lila also sat down and was idly swinging her legs. She wasn’t sure what else to do.
When their father entered the room, Lila thought he looked older, somehow, like ten years had gone by in one day. He said, Girls, I need to tell you something. Your brother Earl is dead.
What? Veda’s jaw dropped open; Lila felt like she had been punched in the stomach. They all sat there for a few moments in silence. What do you say to that kind of news? Finally, Veda asked, How did it happen?
Their father responded that he wasn’t sure; Lyle had seen the accident but was still in shock. Theron was last seen giving a statement to a police officer; he didn’t go to the hospital. Cecil wasn’t sure what had happened either. Looy spoke up and said, Where is Earl? What is
Their father put his hands over his face to hide his tears, but his shoulders and back were shaking from the sobs.dead
?
Lila knew what death was. Earl was an annoying little brother, but Lila didn’t want him to die. Who was with him when it happened? Would there be a coffin? One of her classmates had died the previous year from scarlet fever. His family was too poor to have a coffin, so they buried him in a canvas bag. Although some people had stayed away (out of fear that the body might still be contagious), Lila had gone to the funeral. Everyone who attended went through a line so they could see Edward one last time and talk to his family. His mother had given her a hug and a kiss on the head. Lila knew that everyone died eventually, but losing a child was the worst. Just like Earl, Edward had been perfectly healthy and normal. He was eating, going to school, playing games with his friends, and then boom. Gone forever.
The next day, the story made the front page of the newspaper. It said that Earl had fallen out of the truck, which ran over his chest. He was able to get up and had started walking back to the house, but he was dead from internal injuries by the time Mr. Bay arrived at the hospital.
Notes
Census records show that in 1930, Theron Slaback was twenty-one-years-old and working as a boiler washer
on the steam railroad. His wife, Borgny, had just given birth to their first child and they were living in a house a few blocks away from the Slaback house on Kane Street. By 1940, he had shifted to working as a truck driver, which paid better and was more independent.
My father grew up in a house with six sisters and two boys and has often described how much housework the girls were expected to do. His main chore was shoveling coal into the furnace.
I used census records to find the names of people who lived in the same neighborhood as the Slaback family. As I combed through articles from the La Crosse Tribune in the 1930s, I was shocked at how common it was to be injured or killed in an automobile accident. I had no idea that Theron had accidentally killed his younger brother, Earl. What a devasting event that must have been for the family. The family did not have a telephone, so I imagine it would have been both boring and terrifying for Lila and Veda to wait for news about Earl. Their efforts to do the chores remind us what they are capable of, which foreshadows the next few chapters.
For more information, see Peter D. Norton1 and Susan Strasser2.