"Born Annoyed" - Ch 3 - "1946 - The Bully"

Our neighborhood  near 8th and Jay in St. Clair , Mi had a bully;   His name was Billy Eggars.  He was about 8 or 9. I was about 4 yrs old.  My sister Nancy was about 5&1/2. One summer day she came home
crying  her face covered with blood,  She said Billy had hit her in the nose.  Mother took her in the bathroom to clean her up.  I went in the kitchen and got the biggest knife in the drawer, a butcher knife--
Mother had told us never to run with knives or sissers  and to point it  toward the ground when you
walked.   I walked out the door as fast as I could with the knife pointed toward the ground, ( the
 knife so big that it  almost touched the ground.) ( Me a 4 yr. old toe-head.)  I saw Billy running ahead of me, running towards his house at 9th and Adams.  He was running like the dickons and I had to walk as fast as I could.  By the time that I reached his house he was inside with the door locked.  I pounded on the door, but he looked out and saw me with the big knife and wouldn't come to the door.  I walked home ---then got in trouble for having the bucher knife.  After that day Mother would tie me to the cloths line -
 so I could run up and down like a dog ! but I was unable to leave the yard.  The good news was that Billy never hurt Nancy again.
About 50 Years later , Bill apologized  to Nancy for being a bully and Nancy accepted his apologies.