chapter 3 The Grand Mount Moor Inn

The Grand Mount Moor Inn, a two story wood structure with it's cracked walls and pealing paint had seen better days. Once it was the first stop of day trippers from New York City. Now it was a seedy watering hole for locals. It sat almost right on the railroad tracks of the Grand Hudson Albany Line. It's builder and first proprietor, German immigrant Leonhard Schmidt wanted to make sure no one from the train had a chance to even know there were other hotels in town.
 In The Grand Mount Moor's early years, trains would arrive in early summer full of hot and hungry people wanting to escape the confines of the city for some fresh clean upstate air. His 16 room Hotel with a forward thinking restaurant, run by his wife, Hilda and their six children on the ground floor was an instant hit. Leonhard insisted it be called the Kaiser, after his friend, Wilhelm I. whom he'd met exiting a train in Berlin when he was visiting relatives. The Kaiser had just stepped off his personal train and Leonhard was rushing to catch his train and somehow he'd run right into the Kaiser. Leonhard would always say it was his fault, but the Kaiser apologized to him twice before both men went on their way.
  Leonhard, when he wasn't running the front desk would lend a hand in the restaurant. He'd hung pictures of the Kaiser and he would tell regulars the story of how he met the Kaiser, as often as they were willing to listen. He even sometimes told it the same way.
  Roads were built and the town of Mount Moor prospered. Grand Street, a wide straight road was built in front of the grandest hotel in Mount Moor. Later West Lake road would T off of Grand right in front of the hotel, at the request of Leonhard Schmidt to make travel to the lakes west of the hotel easier.
  In the early 1900's Leonard opened a German style beer garden and celebrated Oktoberfest until early snows in December forced him to switch Ice Skating and so early attempts to teach Americans cross country skiing, complete with an authentic German om pah band. All outdoor activities were well lubricated with alcohol against the cold, the band included.
  The Schmidt family prospered during the early twentieth century.
  Everything went until World War 1. Suddenly less people were traveling to the country. And even less wanted to stay in a German Hotel while Huns were storming the trenches and our boys were over there. Leonhard could smell the trouble that first spring and he went on a buying spree covering the hotel in American flags. Six were hung on poles off the front porch. Flag poles were placed on either side of the road near the train station. The restaurant, the Kaiser, which some had started calling the kraut was renamed Uncle Sam's and it's menu was changed to include that new taste sensation, a Vienna sausage in a roll or it's new American name, The Hot Dog.
   Quietly, the Grand Mount Moor Inn and the Schmidt's weathered the war. Then Prohibition and the Beer Garden closed. With it went a good portion of his off season business,   Two years later,  a quiet little building set back off the street under two one hundred year old Elm trees caught Leonhard's eye. Car would park all over the street making passing impossible. The Police would be called, enter the building only to leave several hours later with nothing changing. Leonhard had to get to the bottom of this. Leonhard walked across the smooth pavement of Grand St., weaving his way between cars and climbing a rickety set of wooden stairs. Leonhard knocked oh the solid oak door, a small recently installed slide window about 3 inches tall and painted black opened.
   The lower part of someones face appeared and a deep voice said "What do you know?"
    "What do I know, what?", Leonhard confused said, "Howard Miller, is that You?"
   The deep voice cracked a bit as the person behind the door cleared his throat and said, "No Mr.Schmidt, Howard Miller doesn't work here."
  Leonhard knew it was Howard Miller. "Mr. Miller, I want you to open this door right awa,so I can come in!"
  "Oh, ok," Howard Miller said as his voice cracked again. The weather beaten door creaked open
and out from behind it stepped the tall gangly ginger faced Howard Miller, a big friendly smile on his face. "I'm sorry about that Mr. Schmidt, my dad wants me to make sure only people we know come inside."
   "And what is so special about coming into this place?" Leonhard said slowly as he scanned the hallway and living room to his left.
   "Aw, there is nothing special about this place, its the cellar where all the action happens." Howard turns and points to the end of the hallway at a door. "Go and see for yourself."

Teddie Duce

  Under the picture frames that covered the walls of the study, the wood paneling was still the dark brown, almost black the day the pictures were hung.

  The News clipping, slightly faded yellow and curling covered the walls true color. The remaining Wall is faded to an almost blood red color. Teddie 'The Duce' Duciano quit looking at that wall years ago. 

  Back when the clippings were as new as the nick name hung on him by the East Montmoor Journal Sports editor Joe Marsico  he was the blur that would race out of the back field and settle under any pass thrown by Charlie Holman. Or he'd take a hand off and make twenty yards on a busted play that would cost any other team.

  He became the Deuce or the Deuce Coupe, because when he got going he would just keep on going and going. One of his favorite headlines written by Joe Marsico was 'The Deuce just keeps on going and going and going'. In smaller type Teddie Deuce scores 7 touchdowns in romp over rival East Mount Moor.'

  Life was great then. He walked onto the Mount Moor High School football tryouts after a science teacher took him aside and asked why he had never played football. It was near the end of training and the coach almost didn't let him try out. 

  He was six foot, one hundred and eighty pounds and he could move. The Coach put him on the junior varsity for the first week. After breaking school records for junior varsity, he was quickly moved to the senior varsity, where he sat on the bench. 

  In the middle of being blown out by Chester Hill High, the Coach started putting in his subs. Teddie received a hand off and ran up the side lines for six very usual yards. Any player on that team could of made that play, but by the end of the game Teddie had run for 112 yards and scored a touch down. He was responsible for the majority of Mount Moor's that day. In the following weeks he played more and only  got better.  

   In the Mount Moor vs East Mount Moor game, the weather had been a bit on the chilly side, but the stands were pack. The Press box for School and local newspapers was unusually full. Joe Marsico columnist for the Nyack Journal was attending the game to get a look at the hot new running back on the Mount Moor team.

  East Mount Moor choose to kick off so the sun would be in the eyes of the other team as it was setting during the fourth quarter. The Ball went high into a cloudless sky. Teddie Duciano received it at the 8 yard line , he cut left to avoid a tackle, then another cut to hit the near side line and at the twenty two yard line it seemed the run would end. He faced several tacklers. There are different versions of what happened at that point. Joe Marsico reported in his column the next day, "New sensation Teddie Duciano straight arms the first defender, spins to avoid a second and third, but he is slowed down allowing two other defenders time to catch him. they both dive and come up with air. Teddie Duciano has broken into the clear and is past the kicker for his first touch down. 

  After that it was girls, football and headlines. Teachers didn't care about his grades, he was the Deuce.

  Fall of his Junior year a new tall, very skinny blond cheerleader caught his eye, Mary Stillwell. She had transferred to the school from out west somewhere. She was quiet and sweet. He fell for her right away.

  When word got around the school and into the locker room, some of the defensive line men started making jokes about her. 

  "Hey man, did anyone see the carpenter's delight  that has been hanging around with the Deuce lately?" smiled  Defensive Tackle Walt Jackson.. 

   His side kick brother and the team's defensive end, Willie Nuff chimed in "Have man, why you calling Deuces' new squeeze a carpenter's delight?" 

  "She's flat as a board" Walt put up his hand for a high five from his brother and they both laughed as if the joke was a new one and they hadn't been telling it since they heard their father tell it when they were twelve.Willie tried to up his brother and said through a giggle, "I guess The Deuce isn't gonna nailing her, cause he'd split the board right up the middle."  Walt responded on cue and began to laugh some more. Laughing and slapping each other high fives stopped when they turned around and Teddie was looking at them. He didn't respond as if he'd heard anything. He just pushed by toward his locker. 

  On the field, light run through plans were scheduled. The first one was a fake hand off to Teddie, leaving him in to pick up any blitz.

  The snap to Charlie Holman, he turns just as Teddie comes rumbling by at a full gallop. That part of the play when smooth. Charlie turns to scramble left and look for an open receiver, when he hears "Hey,man, what the fuck!" He looks over towards where Willie and Walt were supposed to be stand on the defensive line and Teddie is on top of both. 

  After the fake hand off Teddie had launched himself like a missile through the air toward the two massive line men. Walt's lip was bloody and Willie was doubled over having the wind knocked out of him. 

  The Line Coach, ex pro bowler Milt Weissman, hussles over and in a voice just about a whisper, because he always said if you don't hear me whisper, you won't want to hear me yell. "Come on boys that's enough of that. Deuce go over to the side lines and calm down while I take care of Willie.

  Teddie jogs over to the sideline to talk to Mary.The Cheerleader coach, one of the Deuces biggest supporters let's it slide.

  "What happened over there Teddie?" Mary asked, her smile lights her face causing her face to glow, but only Teddies see it.

  " It was nothing, The defense just got confused about the play is all." 

   " That had nothing to do with the new nick name the defensive players have for me?" The smile and color draining away from her face.

   Teddies looks at the ground, kicking at a clump of grass. "It is then, I guess." She shrugs and tries out a half smile that Teddies misses, " It's alright I've been called worse. In Junior High, I used to wear this over sized hoodie to hide how tall and skinny I was from everyone. It had huge pockets on either side and I'd stuff them with tissues, cause I used to get colds. I'd stuff so many in the pockets that they'd bulge out and ...." When She didn't continue he looked up at her. Her blue Eyes were a little teary, but she had this dopey smile on her face. " They called me walking penis. This one can't be worse."
  "It's not,... they call You the stick." He said.
  "That's it" she exclaimed, "that's the best those lame bastards could come up with?"
   "Well it was Walt and Willie" says Teddies a little happier, " You know, it's not really that bad of a name.  The Stick shift makes the Deuce Coup go. You make me want to go and do better. The Stick makes the Deuce go. Me, Deuce, you Stick." It didn't draw a laugh, but she was forever more the Stick.