by Susan Diamond
Every man, woman and child was afraid of him. The mere mention of the name “Andrew” sent a ripple of fear through the village.
Quansett is a small town in the upper peninsula of the state. The time was 1892, the gilded age for cities, where wealth was showy and city people lived fancy.
But, the good folks of Quansett were hundreds of miles apart from the modernization of society, and new inventions had not yet reached the outposts of civilization. Life was simple, yet the problem of Andrew was complicated.
What can be done about a bully?
Andrew was physically imposing. He was a giant of a man. The doctor’s measuring stick had him at 6ft 8 inches. His weight held steady at 300 pounds. His arms were thick and muscles clearly defined. The trunk of his body was solid and strong. His long legs were massive.
When Andrew came to town his footprints told the tale. Mrs. Cleary measured them one muddy day with her sewing tape, and declared to anyone who would listen (and many did) “As God is my witness, the size of those feet is 20 inches long!”
Rumors by the townspeople abound, and gossip about Andrew was almost always unkind. Even the Pastor Clark, who was a meek man by nature, could be heard sharing a story about an incident of abuse incited by Andrew.
The mayor and his council did not know how to deal with the misdeeds of their notorious citizen. The sherif was powerless when faced with such immense brute strength. No one ever confronted big Andrew McClanahan until the day when little Jimmy Lind acted upon his good instincts.
It was autumn and the little town of Quansett looked like a picture postcard.
So beautiful were the trees in all their seasonal glory. Happy were the children playing after school in the town square. The air was crisp but the sun was strong and no heavy jackets were required.
Jimmy was playing kickball with a pack of boys. His friend Henry gave the red rubber ball a good whack and it shot low in the air and flew past its intended target, landing on the road a good distance north.
Right on the spot where Andrew stood.
In fact, that ball rolled right between the two size twenty feet of the town’s “giant”.
Jimmy called out to the big man ” Please sir, kick our ball back to us.” No response. The ball stayed put. Andrew stayed put.
Jimmy ran closer and stopped half way. Maybe he could not hear. “Sir, over here. Please toss the ball.” Again, no response...READ MORE
