"Tiny Tim" Blackwell learned the rebel's fate rather early in life, at the age of six, in the Kindergarten school house of old Miss Douglas. Her quaint place served the residents - mostly families of WW II veterans- of the Valley View Housing Project.
During the Fall months Tiny Tim nearly " failed " kindergarten by his habit of distracting himself by looking out the big picture window toward The Woods where, after school, he played Robin Hood with his chums and fed the rabbits kept in a thrown together shelter there.
He daydreamed during " story hour ", his own imagined stories of Robin Hood adventures more captivating. He was always robbing some rich and haughty landowner and rescuing some maiden in distress.
He was the only kid in the class who owed milk money. One morning he was shut off. His mother had in fact given him enough pennies for the week but he spent it all on the gum ball machine of the Spa. He kept all the little prizes on chain with a sky blue rabbits foot. He finally got that little silver jack knife.
Miss Douglas observed it and scolded him for his naughty ways. The next day he brought a real military dagger into her school house. He said that he was planning to kill the Sheriff Of Nottingham that afternoon in The Woods. Miss Douglas took the knife away from him but returned it just before he went home.
Just before Christmas " Santa Claus " visited the kindergarten along with a newspaper photographer. The other kids were all excited and shouted at him what toys they wanted for Christmas.
But Tiny Tim was not impressed with this obvious jingle bell fake. The newspaper caught him making a challenging comment to Santa. There was a front page feature story the next morning with the headline: "Tiny Tim calls Santa a fake ! "
The mothers in the housing project became alarmed at this little rebel. "Would the rebellion spread.? " Their children would not be deprived of the joy of Santa Claus by that depraved imp.
For days Tiny Tim was deprived of his usual companions. Then things got a little ugly. Late night calls - kid voices- threatening him with hell fire and coal and wood for Christmas. A rock painted white with a Santa Claus face was thrown through his window.
By New Year though all was back to normal.
During the Fall months Tiny Tim nearly " failed " kindergarten by his habit of distracting himself by looking out the big picture window toward The Woods where, after school, he played Robin Hood with his chums and fed the rabbits kept in a thrown together shelter there.
He daydreamed during " story hour ", his own imagined stories of Robin Hood adventures more captivating. He was always robbing some rich and haughty landowner and rescuing some maiden in distress.
He was the only kid in the class who owed milk money. One morning he was shut off. His mother had in fact given him enough pennies for the week but he spent it all on the gum ball machine of the Spa. He kept all the little prizes on chain with a sky blue rabbits foot. He finally got that little silver jack knife.
Miss Douglas observed it and scolded him for his naughty ways. The next day he brought a real military dagger into her school house. He said that he was planning to kill the Sheriff Of Nottingham that afternoon in The Woods. Miss Douglas took the knife away from him but returned it just before he went home.
Just before Christmas " Santa Claus " visited the kindergarten along with a newspaper photographer. The other kids were all excited and shouted at him what toys they wanted for Christmas.
But Tiny Tim was not impressed with this obvious jingle bell fake. The newspaper caught him making a challenging comment to Santa. There was a front page feature story the next morning with the headline: "Tiny Tim calls Santa a fake ! "
The mothers in the housing project became alarmed at this little rebel. "Would the rebellion spread.? " Their children would not be deprived of the joy of Santa Claus by that depraved imp.
For days Tiny Tim was deprived of his usual companions. Then things got a little ugly. Late night calls - kid voices- threatening him with hell fire and coal and wood for Christmas. A rock painted white with a Santa Claus face was thrown through his window.
By New Year though all was back to normal.
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Ron