Allen, Margaret

ALLEN

Posted By: Mary H. Cochrane, Volunteer
Date: 7/6/2019 at 09:35:08

Copied from Lamoni's Passing Parade by Joseph H. Anthony

Page 86

by Jean Belzer

September 15, 2001

MARGARET ALLEN

It was during my early days in Lamoni that one of my newly made friends and I were walking south on Linden street, and as we passed the house which at that time stood opposite the Methodist Church we became interested in a discussion which was taking place between two men and a woman at that location. One of the men, who according to my friend was the owner of the home and the husband of the lady in the group, was busily engaged in removing paint from the house by torch to soften the paint and its removal with a putty knife he would pause at intervals to point with one hand or the other in the direction of the spire upon the church across the street, while his companions looked intently in that direction, indicating definitely that the subject of the conversation had something to do with that part of the building. As we came close enough to hear their conversation it became evident it was just friendly banter among the three, with the men taking sides against the woman, and the subject for the conversation was the fact that the woodpeckers had riddled the wooden spire which at that time adorned the belfry of the church, until it was badly perforated and looked as though it were about ready to break in pieces at several points. "It's too bad that we have lived just across the street and allowed those woodpeckers to do all that damage," we heard the woman say. "If they keep on they'll ruin the whole building." "I know what I would do," she replied with a tone of confidence in her voice, and she stepped inside the house, returning a moment later with a rifle in her hand. "Two to one you can't hit a woodpecker at this distance," bantered the other man. She made no reply but when a moment later one of the offending birds lighted upon the spire, she brought the rifle to her shoulder and, taking quick aim, fired, and the woodpecker instantly folded his wings and plummeted to the ground. In rapid succession two other woodpeckers lighted upon the forbidden spire and quickly shared a similar fate. We heard no more talk of wagers, as this demonstration instantly quieted any further discussion upon this subject; and the men silently turned to their painting while my friend and I continued our way, thoroughly convinced that for a woman Margaret Allen was the best marksman we knew of, and in fact there was doubt in our minds as to whether there were any men of our acquaintance who could duplicate the feat of marksmanship we had just witnessed. The next event which brought Margaret Allen to my attention was when she and her husband, George Allen, opened a little restaurant on Main street which rapidly became one of the centers of activity, and from then on they were known by everyone as Tede and Margie; and there were many things about their conduct of this business which; were unique and attractive to all who had transactions there. Almost from the beginning they established a reputation for the excellence of their homemade ice cream, and their trade increased to the point that it was next to impossible to make it in sufficient quantities to meet the demand. It was then that Tede installed a large freezer and a gasoline engine to furnish the power, which increased the interest of the populace, as this was something new to Lamoni - a power-driven ice cream freezer - and when it was in operation there was often a group of curious onlookers to witness the process. The construction of this apparatus was just an amateur job, with guy wires or rods to hold the different units in line, and if one of these wires became loosened, the belt would slip off the pulley and the whole set-up would have to be readjusted. On the whole, it was just about one man's work to keep the machine in operating condition and another man was needed to crush the ice and keep the freezer filled, and Tede and Vic Krucker spent many a day in this fashion in an attempt to supply the hungry multitudes who upon hot days clamored for Margie's ice cream. When ice cream cones really came into demand she added another feature to the business by making her own cones, which we thought were just a little better than the factory-run of cones and added to the appeal of her homemade ice cream. It was interesting, too, to see her make these cones, as she cooked them upon a special griddle and then formed them over a wooden cone before laying them away to cool. It seemed that when it came to preparing anything of an edible nature she had the knack of adding just the right proportions of essential ingredients to give it a taste appeal that was outstandingly different from the ordinary. The soft drinks she served over the counter, and especially the milk shakes she served (and the milk shake was one of the most popular drinks in those day), had a flavor all their own, which was distinctly different and held for a long list of exclusive customers an appeal which convinced them that nowhere else could the quality be equaled. And when it came to her roasted peanuts, she was in a class by herself. There was the ordinary run of roasted peanuts, and then there were peanuts roasted by Margie Allen - every one of them the big, double-jointed, hump-backed, California kind, and every kernel roasted uniformly to a rich golden-brown, which made them brittle and crunchy and gave them a flavor so rich and delicious that it demonstrated peanuts at their very best; and to eat them with her richly flavored chocolate-dipped caramels gave one the ultra-ultra in confection enjoyment and a taste treat that will never be surpassed, even in the highly flaunted modern candy kitchens where sweet-scented aromas from boiling kettles are wafted upon the air amid the glamor of smiling girls in spotless white aprons. In addition to all these good things to eat in the Allen restaurant there was one of those roulette contraptions - a forerunner of the modern slot machine - into which you dropped your nickels and spun the wheel, and if the ball stopped upon any of the lucky numbers you would receive up to three times the amount of your nickel. As there were no blanks it was all to gain and nothing to lose, so almost everyone took a try at the wheel when making a purchase. Is it any wonder that with all these attractions the Allen restaurant
was one of the popular centers for the youth of Lamoni of those days? With advancing age, however, Margie lost much of the initiative and drive that for so many years was so noticeable in the conducting of the business, and as the years slipped by she gave up many of the lines of merchandise for which the business was noted, until finally she depended almost wholly upon what she previously had considered the lesser items. Of course she operated the peanut roaster and provided for the wants of the lovers of that commodity. She also sold cigars and some candies, and then in her declining years she became famous in a new line of merchandising - penny candies for the youngsters. Quite naturally in previous years her institution had always been a place of interest to the youngsters, but now, when she really began catering to their wants, it became doubly so, an a penny sale to a youngster seemed just as important and worthy of her consideration as a larger sale to any adult. She stocked her cases and windows with penny goods - all-day suckers, jaw-breakers, candy canes, licorice plugs and a hundred and one other varieties of candy which attracted the youngsters from all over town, and many a penny that was intended as tithing or for the collection plate at Sunday school found its way into Margie Allen's cash drawer. At one time a certain Lamoni family planned to spend the Fourth of July in the city and the evening before were discussing the many places they intended to visit while there and the things they intended to do, when the wee daughter of the family thinking of her own interests, exclaimed, "Mother, do they have a Margie Allen store in Des Moines?" The mother, not a little amused and attempting to pacify the child,replied, "Oh there are many stores there, really large ones that sell all kinds of things - anything you want." "Well," said the little girl, still a little doubtful, "if they don't have one just like Margie Allen's, I would rather celebrate in Lamoni." Upon another occasion a young lad in our neighborhood was awakened one morning by the sound of the fire whistle, and as he sleepily rubbed his eyes he heard his mother say to his father as she turned from the phone,"The fire is in the barber shop." Instantly this statement started things moving in the boy's mind, and the resulting conclusions were anything but comforting to him. In fact, it seemed to him that dire disaster was imminent. He jumped from
his bed, grabbed his clothes and rushed into the room where his parents were eating breakfast. "Did you hear that, Dad?" He shouted excitedly. "The barber shop is on fire. Gosh, if it's the one next to Margie Allen's store, we've got to do something and do it mighty quick."Yes, Margaret Allen had many friends and supporters. She was one of the pioneer business women of Lamoni and was the motivating spirit behind the activities of this business institution which was so prominent in the development of early Lamoni, and the part she played is indelibly inscribed in the hearts and memories of every citizen who had occasion to visit their little restaurant, and especially those who as youngsters were fortunate enough to experience the thrill which came to each as he enjoyed the products of her skill or merely from being numbered among her clientele. In this way the service she rendered was a worthy one and a real contribution to Lamoni's passing parade.