pages 63,64,65

There was a through trolley from Virginia Beach to Norfolk for business people and school children that lived at the beach. It ran at 8 O’clock am. My ticket book, only to be used on school days, cost me three sixty-five per month. As I sat reviewing some of my lessons, for I didn’t get to do any studying the night before, my young friend came from nowhere and sat down beside me, just before we got to Maggie’s station. I didn’t think he was on that morning. He wanted to help me with my lessons. We worked at them for awhile but the trolley was too noisy. I closed the books remarking, “I’ll probably not get a passing grade today.’ His reply was, “I can’t believe that”. Maggie and I had visited quite a bit at the party so I wasn’t worried about sitting with her that morning.
School seemed to drag that day and nothing seemed to go right. I continued to remember the torn up looking house that morning as I left by the front door. I wondered what mother would do. I found out as I entered that afternoon. Lily was still at it, cleaning thoroughly as she always did. She said to me as I came in, “I’ll soon be ready to go. I wonder if you’ll take me home. I am sure tired.” “I certainly will, Lily” I said, going out to hitch the horse to the buggy. As my mother paid her for her day’s work, I whipped up and we were soon to her place. She then said, “you might as well take this laundry for your mother” and here she brought out a heaped up basket, washed and ironed. I said, “in that way I am killing two birds with one stone.”
She laughed in her happy way as she started to the house.
I drove off, whipping up the horses. I was soon back and could smell the delicious odor of supper cooking. As I walked through the kitchen door, mother was all in a bustle and hurry as she usually was at meal time. Her little short figure seemed to just bounce around. “I am not fixing too much tonight Annie” she said. I said, “well whatever it is it’s going to taste mighty good for I am really hungry.” They didn’t have school lunches in those days and the small lunch I did take was usually divided with someone else. I was no different than other young people, just always hungry.
When I slipped off to bed that night, I saw mother sitting, answering father’s letter. I know the days seemed long for her without father coming home for the evening meal.
The time went faster than anyone figured and Thanksgiving rolled around and mother said, “your father can’t be here so we’ll not have too much of a Thanksgiving dinner.” But my sister Sallie and her husband came back a few days before that day and my brother and wife were still with us so mama thought she’d better have Lily to come and help and we’d have a big Thanksgiving dinner after all. A letter came from papa saying not to wait as he would not be able to make it as he was in South Carolina then.
That Thanksgiving went off pleasantly. Toward evening folks came by trolley from Norfolk, some to see the baby which was growing like any healthy baby should. My brother and wife showed her off with a proud gesture. Then the visiting went on until later. Some of the young folks went back on the last trolley, remarking to mother how they had enjoyed the evening as they bade goodbye. Then they got into the carriage for my brother to drive them to the station. I had disappeared from the scene an hour before and was up in my room catching up on some of my lessons. I had gone out on the upstairs front porch to get a breath of fresh air, to take a look into the night and the big moon that shone there. I could hear the parting words as the carriage rolled out of the driveway and into the road. As I stood there I could still faintly hear the hoof beats of the team in the distance. Then as I returned through the open door into the upstairs hall and into my bedroom to go to bed I saw my sister through another door, busily engaged in writing. Two letters were open on the table before her. I judged one was from Sidney and the other Ossie. “Oh, well!” I thought and lay my head upon a nice soft white pillow and was soon in dream lands.
I did not have to go to school the next morning so I was up early, went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast as quietly as I could without waking the rest of the household. Mama, an easy sleeper, came softly down the back stairs. “Why Annie,” she said, “I over slept this morning.” “No wonder,” I said, “look how late you were up last night. There is no use being quiet any longer, this will be ready as soon as I get the table set.” Banging on the back and winding front stairs called out, if you expect to get any breakfast it’s time you were up and about. Soon footsteps were heard coming down both stairs. Some still rubbing their eyes. My sister-in-law wasn’t feeling too well because the baby had kept her awake most of the night. So my brother took up a tray of breakfast to her.
It was one of those chilly November mornings. A light drizzle of rain mixed with a few snow flakes had been coming down since early morning. For several days the light mist seemed to prevail and each rain drop seemed to have a halo around it. Finally it let up with a light covering of wet snow on the ground, that morning after the Thanksgiving holidays were over. And December too, came in with a light snow in the night. I awoke early, as usual, dressed in a blue jacket suit, slipped quietly out of the front door with rain coat, overshoes and umbrella. My lunch was in my pocket and books under my arm inside of my rain coat. A bit of a frosty nip was in the air, but it had a clean fresh smell and gave one an invigorating feeling as I walked along over the wet, white blanket nature had left the night before. A wee bit late and then I could not make as much time on the almost mile walk. Consequently the trolley wound up at the station at the same time but I had started to run when I got to the Blacksmith Shop. I heard the man in the shop say as I went by, “you’ll have to set that alarm a little earlier.” I laughed and waved to him as I hurried on. The conductor grabbed my arm and pulled me up the steps and said, “that’s the first time I’ve had to wait for you,.” My friend eddy, watching from the window, had a seat saved for me. That seven forty-five trolley was always crowded with school children and people going to work in Norfolk.
School though went off as usual that day and when I returned on the four o’clock trolley that p.m., I picked up the mail at the post office. The old postmaster, always jolly, began to tease as he handed me another letter from Frank and also two for my sister Wilhelmina and one from papa for mama.
The walk home was better than that morning. The snow too practically gone. That part of the country was somewhat sandy so water didn’t stand too long in the roads and I was walking a little fast because of the damp chill in the air. Just then the sun clouded over and looked as though we might get more snow. Finally I heard someone running behind me again. Turning, there was Ethel with books in hand and running to catch up. I slowed up my pace and soon we were walking together and talking of the day’s happenings for she too always had a lot to tell. I can see her now, opening her mouth, laughing in a boyish like way, relating the little incidents of happenings during the day. It wasn’t long until her brother younger than she came tagging along too and ran on ahead. Said he didn’t want to listen to girl talk. About that time the folks came driving down the road to pick me up. We were then to Ethel’s home so I got in the buggy.
Mama was awfully glad to get papa’s letter which I handed to her as I walked into the house. Then mama looked around and said, “our clock must be slow. I thought I sent them in time to pick you up at the depot.” “Well,” I said, “the roads weren’t too wet and I made it alright.” As I gave Wilhelmina her two letters she said, “why I just answered two.” I then said, “you have two more to answer.” Then she asked, “what’s in your hand? I said, “nothing to worry about. I answer mine as I get around to it,” and went on up stairs to change my school clothes for a house dress and apron. My brother-in-law said, “you look nicer in that outfit.” I said, “thanks, I think so too,” and went knot the kitchen to assist mama in preparing the evening meal. I always liked doing things like that, especially after being in school all day.
Later that evening when mama got around to reading papa’s letter it said he was in Florida now. The work there was progressing nicely and that he would be home for Christmas. And it was a beautiful country. Everything was green and growing with flowers in bloom. Said he would bring some choice rose bushes if he had time before leaving. But instead, when he came at Christmas time, he brought a large bouquet of red roses which mama put in a vase and still kept after Christmas was over and papa had gone back to his work. He said in leaving he had one more state in which to install the pump stations and that was Georgia. Then he would be home with the family for awhile.