A Little Twig from Ladonia (My Family Tree)

By Mary Katherine James Dowell -- 1987
Provided by Glenn Ann Dowell Hunt

More Memories and School Days -- (2 of 3)

He wanted to know if she ran a boarding house. I told him no, but she was the best cook in town and we had lots of room. (Uncle had gone to West Texas and his room was vacant). We told him where we lived and that night he came to see about the room.

Mother Roan told him she could not let her granddaughter down so she let him board with us. He stayed until the work was completed and it was my job to take a pitcher of ice water up to his room, each night before he got home.

The house had a big front porch with a swing and chairs. Daddy Roan had a special rocking chair he always sat in with his feet propped up on the banisters. We also had a south porch that was off the parlor. This was reserved for the young people. In those days when a girl had a date they did not leave in cars. They had "parlor dates" and stayed home. Our parlor had a big fireplace with comfortable and homey furniture, with a piano and victrola. The mothers always had refreshments handy for the couple.

I started to school in the old school building on West Main. The teacher's desk was on a raised platform in front of the room and a big wood stove was in the middle of the classroom. My desk was directly behind the stove. One day, I was blissfully eating candy in class and thinking I was well hidden from the teacher. The next thing I knew she was standing by my desk. She made me give her my sack of candy and opened the door of the stove and threw my candy in, sack and all. A lot of years have passed and I never see her or think of her without remembering that incident. She and my aunt Jewel were friends in later years. She has been to my house often and it is a hard chore for me to keep from remembering the candy incident.

When my daughter was in first grade years later, she was eating an apple in class. One of the other children told the teacher, "Glenn Ann is eating an apple." Miss Rosa calmly said, "Well, she must be hungry" and continued with her teaching. What a pleasant memory of a first grade teacher, more pleasant than mine.

The door facing of the door going into the coat room was about eighteen inches thick and would hold 3 or 4 little girls. This is where we would have to stand, back to the room, when we were caught talking. The front door of the building faced north and a long row of water fountains was on one side of the walk. A victrola stood just inside the door and when the bell rang to announce the beginning of school, the janitor would start the music. We lined up outside the building and marched in to the music. The victrola had...