On Jan 1, 1920 Papa moved us back to Wichita Falls out in the country on the McCallum Place, and Bill bought a truck & went into the oil hauling buis. The pet chicken was almost grown now. No first we lived on the Littican Place, near the Moore family. There was Mr & Mrs Sam Moore, Jewell, Thelma, Delevena -- Oh yes Cap was the oldest son, then there was the 3 girls then 2 small boys -- D.T. was one cant remember the name of the other one. There was a Mr & Mrs Littican a son Benny, a Daughter Frences, a son tony I think. They were contractors in cement work & worked a farm of wheat ect. Then we moved to Littican McCullem Place. And Bruce & Hatty lived at the Thornberry Place just up the road about 1000 ft. Was clost enough for us to talk to each other by yelling, "Less go to town." And we did, often, for Bruce & Bill was working all day we often went to town to a store & got us home before they did.
Bruce & she moved into town, and in the fall so did we. We moved to Lincoln st by the Gin on the north side our house was small, just 1 room & a lean to, kitchen, now Cutsie the chicken was a hen (white one) wanted to set so I got Black Marnarelf hen eggs & let her set on them, & when those little chickens hatched, she was afraid of them & she would squak & run. I had a time convencing her that they were her babys & she must take care of them. she was a funny chicken. There was a lady living next door & she thought she was her hen that had gotten out of her yard so she opened the gate & let her in and after while she didn't like it there & wanted to come home & when Mrs Reed came out she flogged her something auful. I was out looking for Cutsie & I saw her in Mrs Reeds yard & I said Lady you have my chicken in your yard & she said no thats my chicken -- I said open the gate & I'll show you, & I called come here Cutsie & she flopped her wings & made a squaking noise & came a running to me.
She had a little boy about 7. his name was Elmo, & there was a girl Millie & one Therissa. I was pregnant when we moved here from the McCallem Place, and I'll alwys remember those red beans Mrs Reed use to cook & bring to me I just couldnt keep down my own cooking but I did love those red beans.
I had another neighbor they were Lenord & Bonnie Peterson & they had a baby boy & I just loved him. She later had other children. then there was a Terrill & Murtle Fultz they had a little son named Clyde. He ran a machine shop, near our house.
One day Bonnie & I were just setting around, our husbands at work of corse, & I said Bonnie how would you like a Pigeon Pie, & she said fine. Well we were renting the house from a W.P. Parker, & we had a small chicken house out in back of the house & I toold her the chicken house was full of Mr. Parkers Pigeons, so she said I dare you, so we went out & shut the door, & I got in & pulled the heads off of 4 or 5 birds just a bit larger than squabs they were. We dressed them & made 2 big Pigeon Pie, & there never was 2 young pregnent gals that enjoyed a dinner more than we did. Yes we were very full. We both had our babys in the summer. Our little boy, Billie Brooks, was born Aug 17, 1921, but he only lived 36 hours. He was berried in Riverside Cemetary.
One night we went to see what was burning (at a fire) and I found a very small dog or pup (fox terry) so little & fluffy just like a ball of fur. She was cold & crying on the porch of a vacant house. I took her home with me & named her Toots. (after Toots in funny paper) she grew up to be a very smart dog, almost human.
I think was that fall, Bill said I could take the car a model T Ford, & take my dad (Vaulter Pomerroy Brooks) to Hood Co. (where I was born) to see his mother. Grandma Rachel Meek Brooks was not well & was in her 90's and brother Bruce C. Brooks & wife Hattimay McCoy Brooks went along, & Bruce did the driving. We stayed about a week or so. Grandma lived with her daughter Georgeanna Brooks Underwood -- Son in Law, John -- on a ranch at Pluxy texas. My aunt (George) we called her, was the workingest woman I ever knew. She had a large house with all bed rooms up stairs (but Grandma's) and they had a large kitchen with a big wood stove. Churned her butter in a large stone churn with a dasher.
Grandma sometimes did the churning setting in her rocking chair. She wore a white dress that had little dark figers on it, & down to her shoe tops, and a black taffta ruffled apron, gathered at the waste & a black cape or shawl. Her hair was snow white & curley, very beautful. She wore it short when I seen her last, because she liked to do everything for her self, never liked to be waited up on, & she couldnt comb her long hair so, she had it cut off. She was very sad that her hair was curley. She would wet it & comb & brush it down straight & when it dryed it was in a beautiful Marcell wave. She loved my hair because it was slick & straight & I would of given any thing to trade with her -- I loved her curley hair. & she was a small woman less than 100 lbs, and she was a very beautiful old lady, & a remarkable one.
I'm sorry I never got her to write down her experience and romances & her life back when my father was a baby about 1873. She toeld me once that when her children went to school she never knew if the indians would attack them before they got home or not. They had no school house they set on split logs set on rails and the teacher did also, but had a higher one for a desk, & was out in the open, & teacher had a gun.
Uncle John & Aunt George -- I think George(anna) was Grandmas oldest child) well they had a large family. I'm not sure I know them all -- Georgeanna, Zonia called Aunt Zone, and she marrid an Earickson -- Aunt Maggi a Rogers -- Aunt Zone lived to be 100 yeas old & Maggie clost to that -- that makes 3 -- then there was Benjiman Brooks -- & my father Vaulter Brooks -- & oh yes Synthia Brooks she marrid aWan these 6 were Grandma Brooks family.
Grandpa Brooks was Husthus Brooks & Grandma was Rachel Meek. Aunt George had a large family -- Zula, Dill, Cole Younger Brooks, Winnie Jake, Lura, Emmit, thats all I can remember. Oh yes when Grandpa & Grandma were first married they had a friend named Cole Younger, & they named their first son for this friend, who later turned out Cole Younger one of the Younger Boys (outlaws). All the Underwood children lived a long & happy life & raised familys of their own, but I never met any of them, as we moved to Wichita Falls when I was only about 8, that would be 1908.
To Be Continued ...
[Note: This material is copyrighted to Bessie Ferol Osborn, Mae Elizabeth Flood, and Kimberly Appelcline.]
