Chapter 42: 1927-1929 Brings Prosperity, School, A New Car; Austin Aspires to be a Doctor
Ninteen Hundred Twenty-seven was a prosperous year for the farmers. The year before was a poor crop, the fall was wet, raining when we least expected it. We had the flock of white Leghorns which were doing well, but sometimes one of the roosters would crow at noon to ten O’clock in the evening. I remembered some older person-either Mama Betty or Mandy-saying that this was a sign of rain. And, sure enough, it proved to be so! About the time it was getting dry enough to gather cotton, Frank would be heard to say, “Uh-oh! That old rooster is crowing.” The next morning we would awaken to rain dripping off the eaves of the house. That was in 1926. The $4,000 debt Frank owed to Austin was still hanging over our heads. Now, now in 1927, it seemed that we could get out of debt, a year late!
Ed. note: This recent photograph of White Leghorn rooster shows an impressive bird. Imagine this big rooster crowing at odd hours of the day. RAN
First Child Off to School
This was a joyful Fall, in 1927, for me, as Mildred was starting school. Most mothers cry when their firstborn leaves for school, but not this mother. I think I welcomed the event because I loved school so much. I was always ready for the children to reach school age, as it seemed that I could communicate with them more easily when they reached that age. Some mothers are ready to get them out of the house or from underfoot, but that was not my reasoning at all. Mrs. Royce Sampler was the elementary teacher during the school year of 1927-28. She was Mildred’s first teacher.
Ed. note: This rural one-room schoolhouse is quite similar to Pleasant Valley School near Frank and Pearl’s farm home where all seven children went to grade school. It did close in 1947, so my two nearest sisters and I did not complete all eight grades there. We were transferred to Consolidated School #11, Victory Elementary and High Schools for the remainder of our primary school education. RAN
That was the beginning of taking shots before entering school. Later, these shots were DPT, which represented the three threats to school children, but in the beginning, diphtheria was the disease the health authorities hoped to do away with. The slogan that caught on went something like this: “Eradicate by Twenty-eight”. I welcomed this remedy as I still carried in my memory the nightmarish experience of losing my two-year-old sister, Jewel, to the dreadful disease!
I sewed, making Mildred many pretty little school dresses to begin school. I got all of the necessary supplies, such as tablets, pencils, and books for the first grade. Mildred approached the time with mixed emotions. One day she surprised me by saying, “I can’t go to school”. When questioned, “Why not?”, she replied with, “I don’t know how to learn.” I think this problem was not solved in one session. I recall thinking about this and wondering what I could say to explain learning. The subject came up again, and I said, “Mildred, you learn words in your books just as you learn to know people. Remember, you once didn’t know Mrs. Davidson, but when you saw her and heard her name, you now always know who Mrs. Davidson is. It’s the same way with words. You will learn to know them by seeing them, learning their names. Then, you will always know them.” She still remembers that apprehension, but she had no problem with her school work or with people. She could always hold her own, wherever or whatever the situation. Well, there was one thing that Mildred couldn’t cope with, which we learned in the Spring of 1928. It was storms, or the threat of storms. She had been conditioned to this fear by her daddy, who awakened us, hurrying us to the cellar when a threatening storm appeared at night; we learned to take shelter whenever a storm was threatening. Mildred would become hysterical at school, making it difficult for the teacher to control her. The teacher was careful to take the children to the cellar if conditions warranted it.
Ed. note: Southwestern Oklahoma, where we lived, was called “tornado alley” when I was going up on the farm. This is the “storm” against which Daddy feared so much and was acting to protect his family. Homes and barns, as this photo illustrates, were/are destroyed and people were/are killed in these violent storms on the plains of Oklahoma. RAN
” King Cotton, Loans Paid off, and a New Car
Ed. note: This photo of a cotton field nearing harvest time, with the bowls opening to show the fluffy, valuable cotton bulging through. School started in late August so that there could be a two week late Fall “harvest break”, which allowed the older farm youth to go into the fields and “pick cotton”, filling our cotton sacks, as we bent down and labored up and down the rows to harvest “King Cotton”. I am recalling my childhood and teens in 1940s and 1950s. It was no different in 1927. The cotton was taken to the cotton gin and the fibers was separated from the burrs. It was and still is a major cash crop for farmers in that area of Oklahoma. RAN
Cotton harvest came in the Fall of 1927. Frank marketed sufficient cotton to pay all debts at the banks and grocery stores, plus the $4,000 he owed his younger brother, Austin. When he handed Austin the check, he said to him, “Aus, this is enough to pay off the debt on the land you bought. Go straight to the company and clear that up right now!” Austin didn’t do that, to his sorrow, but that is a later part of the story. Frank decided to trade cars. When men get these trading notions in their minds, nothing will change that but making a trade. He traded our 1923 Model T in on a Dodge Touring car, which served us well. But, looking back after a couple of years, it was agreed that we should still be driving the old Model T! Austin had bought his new Dodge sedan, which was labeled “The Fastest Four in America”, as it was still a four-cylinder engine. This may have influenced Frank to trade for a second-hand Dodge, but it meant that I must learn to drive all over again on a “gear shift” car, as I had driven only a Model T, which had no gears.
Ed. note: The top image is a modern photo of a recently renovated 1927 Dodge Touring Car. The advertisement below the dotted line is a 1927 Dodge with the price $945 for Special Sedan, non-deluxe sedan. RAN
School Singing and Square Dancing
As the school year progressed and the holidays approached, the teachers began to plan programs. The Christmas program included the entire student body in plays and songs. First-grade students were cast as singers; some may have been angels or elves, but it seems that Mildred starred as a singer. She had learned to sing as I had sung to her all of her life, beginning with Day One, when I sang to her in bed. But on the stage at Pleasant Valley School, that six-year-old lifted her voice and sang as big as any student there! Mr. Davidson, a singer himself, dubbed her his “little singer”. She was amazing!
Early in 1928, Uncle Charley Thornton (younger brother of Pearl’s father, Pete) with his wife, Aunt Kate, and children Arthell, Vineta, Ivy, and Charley Jr., moved into our community. They settled about a mile and three-quarters from my folks, some 3.5 miles from us. We enjoyed them and visited with them quite frequently. I recall that Uncle Charley turned 40 years old that year on February 22. He decided to quit smoking cigarettes, a habit he had cherished for 25 years. He possessed tremendous willpower as he had a 15-year-old son living in the home who also smoked. This could have been a temptation to smoke again, but not for my Uncle Charley!
Ed. note: Before learning of the serious threat of lung cancer from smoking cigarettes, they were promoted freely and with great glamor and as “healthful for breathing”, even recommended by doctors. RAN
They were full of fun, this Uncle and Aunt. Their close neighbors were the Sterling Bacons, with a son and two daughters of similar ages to the three older children of the Thorntons. These two families were instrumental in forming a neighborhood square dance which met on Saturday nights in various homes. Frank, the kids, and I went to Uncle Charley’s home for one of these dances. Of course, neither of us danced, but it was fun to watch the skill of the dancers as they moved through their routines, keeping step to the beat of the music of guitar and fiddle with either Uncle Charley or Sterling Bacon calling out the movements to the dancers. Quite entertaining! Viola and Ueal hosted one of the neighborhood dances, which Frank and I attended. However, this event was saddened for me by the presence there of Uela May (Kidd) Hasenmeyer, who had just lost her husband, Sidney, in a tragic accident. She was probably persuaded to come to the party to get her mind off her trouble, but she was there only a short time, when she took her two-and-a-half-year-old son and left. Her grief was too recent and too intense to be replaced by such frivolous entertainment. That was the end of my attendance at the neighborhood parties. Frank went to Viola’s and Ueal’s one other night, but I didn’t feel like going, so I stayed home with the kids. Mildred and Ivy had a good time playing together, even though Ivy was 3 and a half to 4 years Mildred’s senior. They played paper dolls, Ivy helped Mildred to read from some of her school readers, and they played games of some sort. They just had good fellowship in general.
Home Demonstration and P.T.A.
School year 1927-1928, Miss Lela Smith of our community, daughter of J.M. Smith, was a teacher in the public schools of Stillwater, Oklahoma. She took a leave of absence from her teaching that year to stay at home and work in our community. Pleasant Valley took on a new look, primarily due to her skillful leadership. The Home Demonstration Club was in a developing stage, which encouraged the organization of a Parent-Teachers’ Association. Some members could see hidden talent in P.T.A. members, so it was proposed that they sponsor a play, performed by members of the P.T.A. Whew! What a large order! But, we did it! I don’t recall the title of the play, but I, a nursing mother (J.T. was 15 months old), played a young lady. It was necessary to borrow a couple of young fellows in our community to fill the male roles, so George Beavers and Jim Kinzer were persuaded to join the cast. I remember rehearsing one night, and while I was playing opposite George Beavers, J.T., back there with Frank, needed his mama. He was sleepy and tired and wanted to nurse, so he could go to sleep. In a quite romantic scene, my “boyfriend” and I went through our lines. You talk about a hilarious experience, embarrassing for some of us. We had plenty of laughs as we rehearsed for this P.T.A. play, which was, by the way, a tremendous success.
Basket Lunches
On Easter Day, 1928, we met on Sunday for a basket dinner served at noon. A sermon and hymn-singing occupied the morning hours. Then, on the first Sunday in May, we celebrated Children’s Day, as we heard the Methodist pastor from Grandfield’s Methodist Church preach a touching and unforgettable sermon on “The Finding of Moses”, stressing the importance of the child in our society. Another basket lunch was enjoyed at noon. The close of school brought another celebration when we met for a program presented to our children, of songs and poems, enjoyed by us all. Incidentally, the Sunday dinners were attended by persons from the school districts around us! So, we were able to meet many parents of children in the schools nearby. A very good school year ended in June 1928.
Visiting Carnegie to see Grandma Mandy, Austin, Lona, and their families
We made visits to Austin and Lona’s families in Carnegie County in 1927 and 1928. We have a snapshot of James, age 6, Calvin, age 4, Lona’s sons, Lloyd, age 4, and Cletis, age 2, and J.T., age 2. These five boys were all seated astride James’ shetland pony, a winter scene. Calvin recalls the visit to Austin’s following Christmas, when their son James had received a pedal-operated airplane. Calvin confesses that it was the pedal airplane that he was most interested in when visiting James. The beginning of Calvin’s love affair with airplanes, he says!
Ed. note: The photographs were recently discovered in Mama’s photo albums. On the left is James mounted on his pony, Ted. James is six years old. On the right, is the photo mentioned by Mama, of inventive, daring Uncle Austin mounting 5 very small boys up on Ted, the very good- natured pony. Mama gives the order of sitting on the pony from right to left, beginning with James, 6, Calvin, 4, Lloyd, 4, Cletus, 2 and J.T., 2 year!! RAN
The image on the top left is a 1927-30 era, refurbished model of a toy pedal-airplane, designed after Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane, which he had flown across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. On the right is a 1928 newspaper ad for toys; note the upper right corner of the ad is a toy airplane. Calvin’s dreams of becoming a pilot are sparked. During WW II Calvin earned his wings as a US Navy pilot, flying off aircraft carriers. RAN
I recall a visit in the summer, also, when Mr. and Mrs. Colyer, Lillie’s aging parents, were there. Someone had the idea to camp out overnight in the river bottom of the Washita River. So, there we were! After our supper, preparing to make our beds on the ground, guess who was yelling the loudest over that? Not the elderly Colyers, with their supposedly arthritic joints, but “little ole me!” I’m sure breakfast was good the next morning at sunrise, one of the nicer experiences of that trip. The high points in our trips to Carnegie were being with Austin’s family, due to the strong relationships between Frank and Austin. They were always inseparable until they each married, but still worked closely together until Austin’s move so far away.
Magnetic Masseur Sanatorium
Following the Fall, 1928 bumper cotton crop, Austin decided to move to Hobart, Oklahoma, some forty miles west of Carnegie. Dr Abel, a former associate of Dr. Milling, the Magnetic Masseur at Mineral Wells, Texas, was at Hobart establishing a business, a “sanatorium”. On some occasion, Austin’s family had visited him there; perhaps to take James, 6, who was afflicted with asthma. At any rate, the “good doctor” prevailed upon Austin to come and “train” with him as a Magnetic Masseur. Dr. Able pointed out the money that could be made at the business, which was, apparently, relatively simple to learn. Austin and Lillie were sold on the idea. They, in return, bought a nice home there and moved to Hobart. He had not yet paid off the mortgage of $4,000 on the land, which he could have done, in Fall of 1927, had he not let other priorities take precedent over it. Anyway, they were there.
Out With the Old, In With the New, Farming in 1929
In the winter of 1928, Frank had the flu, which left him with a bothersome cough. Numerous trips to the doctors didn’t seem to help. Finally, the doctor told him that he was prescribing the strongest medication he could give as a cough suppressant, but still Frank coughed. Frank, as most of his neighboring farmers, plowed with mule teams. It was hard labor and required a lot of strength. So, as tractors were becoming affordable, and much less sweat to get the farming work done, Frank had made a deal for a “FarmAll” tractor. So, in the first part of March, 1929, Frank sold the four mules. Bill Ward, a one-time neighbor of ours, bought them. He and a helper arrived, as planned, and led our four mules away behind their automobile in a spring snow shower. I felt a heaviness in seeing them go. But realizing the time had come, I became reconciled.
Ed. note: Mules are sterile, being the product of cross-breeding with a donkey and a horse. They have strong, durable bodies and were indispensable for farm work, breaking ground with the “moleboard” (above left) and pulling wagons and other farm equipment. The photo on the right is a modern photo of a 1927 Farmall tractor, refurbished, but appearing as the original. It would be very similar to Frank’s new tractor, 1929. RAN
In March or April, Frank decided to go to Dr. Abel and Austin in the Sanatorium in Hobart. His mother, Grandma Mandy, was also taking treatments there at this time. Frank had plowing that needed to be done, so he hired Jim Kinzer to come and plow while he was away. Frank’s youngest brother, David, was staying with Viola and Ueal, helping them with farming. Frank spent six weeks at the Abel Sanatorium, but he began to improve immediately. He came home after a couple of weeks for a visit. David and the kids and I drove up to Hobart for a couple of days and nights after another two weeks. In spite of the intervening visits during the six weeks, it became really lonesome at home with the three young children. Of course, Mildred’s attendance in school broke the monotony, but this time seemed even lonelier than when Frank was at Dr. Milling’s Sanatorium in Mineral Wells, Texas, some four years before.
Pearl, Dealing with Loneliness
In seeking sympathy and comfort in being alone, I found Aunt Kate very helpful. Unlike Papa, when I tried to express to him my aloneness back in 1925, he brushed me off, assuring me that the time would soon pass, and when Frank did come home, he would be in better health. I knew all that, but Aunt Kate understood without my saying much. As a matter of fact, she had experienced such loneliness while Uncle Charley was absent from her and her three children, as he served his country in the Navy. So, one Sunday, they planned to go to Burkburnett, Texas, to visit Aunt Kate’s sister, Aunt Jane Powell, and her husband, Tom. They invited me and the kids to go along. It was a beautiful day, a beautiful visit to Aunt Jane’s beautiful home! She prepared for us a delicious meal, and sitting around the table after Uncle Charley and Uncle Tim had moved into the living room, and the kids had gone, Aunt Kate voiced to Aunt Jane, in my presence, my aloneness without Frank. All in all, the day seemed to be the remedy for my depressed condition. When I awoke the next morning, I found that I had brand new ideas for my days ahead.
First, I would start the incubator. I was quite aware of this operation in which I could collect enough usable eggs from our production flock of hens to start the egg setting by the time the incubator was ready to go. The new lease on life I experienced was indeed enhanced by bringing new life into being, even if it was baby chicks.
Ed. note: Pearl, ever industrious, will begin a money-making chicken raising and egg enterprise. Prospect of moving back to West Texas and visiting several relatives in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma. Stay tuned. RAN