Bessie's Extra History (6)

MEMORIES

ONE TIME WHEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HOE SWEET POTATOES MARION AND I STARTED TALKING ABOUT PUTTING IN A SNOW CONE STAND ON THE ROAD TO TOWN. WE WERE GOING TO RIDE OLD NELLE--OUR OLD SWAY BACKED MARE FOR SUPPLIES. WE WERE GOING TO SAVE ALL OUR MONEY AND BUY A RANCH IN NEW MEXICO.WE HAD NO IDEA WHERE NEW MEXICO WAS, BUT WE HAD HEARD OF IT AND THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR A RANCH. WE GOT SO INVOLVED IN PLANNING OUR RICH FUTURE WE SAT DOWN AND FORGOT HOEING. IVA HAD KEPT WORKING AND HOED QUITE A BIT. WHEN WE WENT TO LUNCH MAMA AND DADDY WERE NQT VERY HAPPY. WE WORKED A LITTLE HARDER THAT AFTERNOON AND REDEEMED OURSELVES.

WE WOULD GO TO THE WAGON DOWN TO THE INDIAN LEASES TO FARM. MARION AND I ALWAYS GOT OUT AND RODE ON THE COUPLING POLE--A LONG POLE THAT STUCK OUT AT THE BACK OF THE WAGON. I DON'T KNOW WHY WE WOULD GET ON IT --IT WAS UNCOMFORTABLE. I GUESS DADDY TOLD US NOT TO. ELMER WOULD TELL DADDY AND HE WOULD THREATEN TO WHIP US IF WE GOT ON IT AGAIN. WE WOULD DO THE SAME THING EVERY DAY AND THEN WE WOULD BE SCARED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE TIME WE WOULD GET A WHIPPING. I KNOW NOW THAT IT WAS A DANGEROUS THING TO DO, THE MULES WERE WILD AND COULD HAVE RUN AWAY AND WE COULD HAVE LOST A LEG OR BEEN KILLED.

ROSIE AND I ALWAYS HAD SO MUCH FUN. IF THERE WAS A DANCE OR REVIVAL SOMEWHERE--IT WAS NEVER TOO FAR FOR US TO WALK. ONE TIME I WAS AT ROSE'S AND UNCLE LUTHER SAID WE COULD HAVE A PARTY. WE WALKED EVERYWHERE TO TELL PEOPLE. ROSIE LIKED A BOY NAMED CECIL MOSER AND I LIKED ONE NAMED STONE. WE SURE WANTED THEM TO COME SO WE WALKED ABOUT SEVEN MILES TO TELL THEM THRQUGH THE SAND AND IT WAS SO HOT. BUT WE WANTED TO BE SURE THEY KNEW. THEY CAME AND SALLY AND ONE OF HER FRIENDS CAME TO THE PARTYAND OUR BOYS GOT WITH THEM AND DIDN'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO US. WE WERE MAD. WHEN UNCLE LUTHER MOVED TO THE PIONEER COMMUNITY I WENT TO SPEND A WEEK WITH ROSIE. THEY WERE HAVING A REVIVAL AT LAVERTY. IT WAS ABOUT FOUR MILES AND ROSIE AND I WALKED THERE EVERY NIGHT. WE HAD TO WALK BY THE LAVERTY CEMETERY AND WE WOULD ALWAYS GET REAL QUIET GOING BY IT. ONE NIGHT SOME BQYS HID IN THE WEEDS BY THE CEMETERY AND JUMPED OUT AND SCARED THE HECK OUT OF US.

ROSIE AND BEATRICE ALWAYS STAYED A WEEK WITH US IN THE SUMMER AND THEN SALLY AND I WOULD GO HOME WITH THEM FOR A WEEK. BY THE END OF THE SECOND WEEK ROSIE AND SALLY WERE MAD AT EACH OTHER AND BEATRICE AND I WERE MAD AT EACH OTHER SO WE WOULD SWITCH—ROSIE AND I AND SALLY AND BEATRICE.

AFTER I STARTED TEACHING IN CEMENT, MAMA HAD TO BE IN THE HOSPITAL. MARLOW WAS WORKING AWAY FROM HOME SO I WENT TO TAKE CARE OF DADDY. MAMA HAD ALWAYS COOKED MALT O MEAL FOR HIM FOR BREAKFAST. THE FIRST MORNING THERE WASN'T ANY. I TOLD DADDY AND HE SAID HE HAD NEVER LIKED THAT STUFF. MAMA ALWAYS COOKED IT SO HE ATE IT.

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