My mother had this story.
Daughter is twisting my arm. “Write your memoirs,” she says. That sounds too final, too complete. Besides, what interesting memoirs do I have to write?
Must’ve been back in the dark ages when I was born. You young one should remember Grandpa’s dining room. That was once the bedroom and I was born there. Mother and Father were happy enough to give me a name meaning “Gift of God.” Not so the three oldest boys. They thought a new baby most unnecessary, and if there had to be a baby, why a girl? Already there was one girl. That was enough.
Grandma Howard lived nearby. She was raising a granddaughter who was then nearly four years old. She and Grandmother came to help. Little Brother was also near four. He cried because Father was holding Little Cousin who was crying because Grandmother was holding New Baby who was probably crying because of the uproar. Mother called Little Brother to her bedside. She tried to comfort him by calling him “Mama’s Little Man.” The hurt was too deep. Between sobs he announced, “I ain’t nobody’s little man!”
Brother number four remembers running to a neighbor’s house after school. Father had gone to help a hay bailing crew. Brother wanted to tell him about the new baby girl. Father didn’t seem particularly surprised. Big Sister, who was six years old, treated New Baby like a doll. She didn’t seem too upset by being deposed from her “only girl” status.
The year of the flu epidemic, six – probably only five – family members came down with flu. (Oldest Brother was in the Army by then.) Brother number three and the two youngest escaped. Brother could cook beans and fry potatoes so that’s what they ate. Like he could cook anything. He was born May 15, 1905, so he couldn’t have been more than 13 or 14.
Baby had mumps and whooping cough plus an abscess. No one remembers if Baby had mumps on one or two sides. Mother had mumps at the same time and didn’t feel like remembering much. Probably near the same time, Oldest Brother also had mumps. He was overseas.
When Baby was five, she broke out with a red rash. She still remembers Dr. Kirk coming to the house. He held her on his lap and said, “She has the prettiest case of scarlet fever I ever saw.” She felt miserable and didn’t care whether it was pretty or not. In those days no one knew that scarlet fever and strep throat were caused by the same germ. Strep was not quarantined but scarlet fever patients were quarantined for two weeks along with all the exposed family members. The patient was required to stay in an extra 10 days.
During the isolation period no one was supposed to go in or out of the house. In our case the first and third sons were allowed to take their clothes and leave. They found a place to room and board in town. The second son was away at college. Father was permitted to use a bedroom which had an outside door. He could not come into the other part of the house. That left mother with children aged about 13, 11, 9, and 5.
After two weeks the doctor removed the quarantine sign from our door. Parents were given instructions about fumigating our house. Formaldehyde had to be used. The next day my parents took me to Father’s grocery store. He had very few customers that day as the neighbors were all afraid of me. I presume the other three went to school as I can’t remember them being at the store. Next day Dr. Kirk came again and tacked the sign up. Leslie had broken out. Two more weeks! Then another fumigation, and how stinky the house was! That time we spent the day with Aunt Dora.
Before bedtime Owen was sent home to fire up the old Florence heater. The rest of us waited a little so the house would be worm. (Dad must have been at the store.) When we got home, Owen was lying on the floor behind the stove, and broke out all over! Mother said, “I’m not going to call the doctor tonight. No one will come to see us anyway.”
Scarlet fever was a dreaded disease. There wasn’t much one could do but let it run its course. Owen had to learn to walk after he got well. All three of us “peeled off” and practically got a new skin. Ruth didn’t feel well most of the time but didn’t have a rash. My Grandpa Howard was the only one brave enough (except Dr. Kirk) to come to our house. Of course he couldn’t come inside.
When Russell came home for Christmas vacation, he probably stayed with Uncle Will and Aunt Dora. I remember Mother opening our front door so he could see our big, beautiful tree. He laid a handful of coins on the floor for me.
One marvels that a mother with so many sick ones could take time for a tree.
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That’s enough of growing older tonight. Perhaps another day I may feel equal to another episode. By Dorothy Howard Adler