CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE JABS AS CITY FOLKS
I reckon country people may be more curious then city folks, but I wanted to know all about this town where we were going to spend the rest of our days. We knew Alamogordo was laid out by J. E. Eddy near 1895, and the El Paso and Southwestern railroad came out of El Paso through Tularosa, Carrizozo and Tucumcari, New Mexico. We had forgotten about the little item of water that bothered the founders of the town, but that problem was ironed out when the town finally received the water rights to Alamo Springs.
When Cloudcroft, at the top of the summit, was established, we remembered that the lumber was shipped from there to sawmills in Alamogordo. Then, with a planing mill and a box factory established, Alamogordo was a boom.
Then came the panic of 1907, and Alamogordo, the town of the big cottonwoods, pulled its horns and settled down to a peaceful little town where folks could enjoy life as the Lord intended. That's the way it was when we arrived and bought our pretty little home.
How I did enjoy all these modern conveniences! Imagine, running water right in your house, and some of us even had inside toilets, but "Chick Sales" were still the rule. We kept them pretty sanitary by pouring ashes down the holes. Flies don't like ashes.
Now don't get the idea that I didn't get homesick for the country, but I kept busy with my chickens, my flowers and vegetable garden, and it wasn't long until I got over that "cooped up" feeling.
One little mare, Jewel, was the home sick one. She would stand at the gate of her pen and paw against the lowest board until you'd find you were gritting your teeth. I told Joe to take her out to one of the friend's pastures and turn her loose. She had never been cooped up in her whole life, and though I might get over the feeling in time, poor Jewel never would.
It wasn't hard for me to adjust to city ways, for so many of the towns people were not strangers to me at all. Just a few blocks in any direction I could find some mountain people; The McNatt's, the Bradford's, the Clayton's, the McCommis' to name a few. It was like a Fourth of July picnic when we met on the street.
I loved my church work, and I got a real joy out of it. It was so wonderful to be able to attend services every Sunday, both evening and day services, and even prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings. I tell you I wanted to make up for lost time.
As for Joe, he knew every man woman and child in the town in a few months. His store was a gathering place for all his old friends. Maybe his business wasn't so profitable financially, but it was a source of great happiness to good-natured Joe, who always wanted company, even when he was at work.
The years went by too fast, and it was 1915. Alamogordo was putting on its best big and tucker to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary. Townspeople searched the local stores for gifts with a gold tinge, and in desperation some sent to El Paso for gifts.
The Alamogordo News blazed the headline "Alamogordo Couple Celebrated Fiftieth Anniversary." The Reverend Mr. Condor was asked to conduct the wedding ceremony again. I had a lovely new dress for the occasion of pearl grey crepe trimmed in real lace. Joe had a new dark suit, and folks told us we looked might fine.
You never saw so many gifts. It was like a wedding shower for some young couple starting out. We even got new spectacle cases with the gold brand on them. That JAB in gold looked mighty handsome and brought back some exciting days in our lives.
Guess what all the young people wanted us to do that evening. They begged for Indian stories, the details of our first wedding, and our move to New Mexico. It was very late when we and the rest of Alamogordo retired that evening. When we told the last guest goodbye. I turned to Joe with, "Did you ever have a better time in your whole life?"
"If I ever did, I don't remember it!"
About the nicest thing that happened to us was when we received a letter from James Ernest Browning, the third son of Jack and Hettie's. He wanted to know if he could come stay with us that winter and finish high school. I got to the store as fast as I could to tell Joe the news.
Jack and Hettie and the five children had moved to Arizona, and Ernest was heartbroken to find there was no football team at Willcox. He liked his studies, but he loved all sports; so he did a little planning of his own, and were we ever glad.
Ernest was actually taking his junior and senior work in one year, and that meant he really had to study. There were mountains of book reports for one thing. I vow, between us, Ernest and I had read every available book in the high school before he left for home.
Of course Ernest taught me the fine points of football, and that was a good thing, for until he began explaining the game to me, it was one puzzle. All I could think of was a bunch of young bulls butting at each other down in the pasture. I got so I wouldn't have missed a game for anything, but I couldn't follow Ernest in the scramble. To confuse me more, there was Ernest Warren, about the same size as my Ernest, who played left end; Ernest played right end. What a mix-up!
My grandson solved that one in a hurry. He always wore a different colored striped sock on his right leg. All I had to do, then, was to pick out that sock.
Such pleasures and happiness don't linger in a life too long, else we might just take them for granted. People were talking about some dark days ahead, and they were right. America entered World War I. It was an awful thing to see my grandsons and my neighbors' sons go off to war.
Joe and I talked about it a lot, and I'm sure he let me blow off steam at home so I'd keep my mouth shut in crowds. I guess I was a trial to some of the patriotic souls in our town, but I thought the war, all wars, were wrong, but I did concede that if this one taught America to mind its own business, there'd be some good to come out of it.
I couldn't get all stirred up with flags flying, bugles blowing and brass buttons shining. All I could think of were those fine young men fighting it out in the trenches.
When the war was at last over, I went right along with the neighbors to meet trains to welcome the boys whose lives had been spared. I didn't feel any less resentful when I saw one grandson and several friends come back to fight tuberculosis caused by gas. I was terribly concerned about the restlessness of our boys. I knew what they were going through. I had my war with opium, and when it was over, I had some adjusting to do myself.
I talked to one young lawyer who was back from the war, and he complained that he couldn't seem to find a place to light. I smiled at him, for I knew exactly what he meant, and I could talk his language. "Yes, I know. I couldn't find my place in the scheme of things, young fellow. It was just as if I'd played Rip Van Winkle for twenty years; then I was thrown back into a life which was very strange and unreal."
"You know, Grandma, you've helped me more than you will ever know. I didn't expect to find anybody back here at home who would understand."
"You young folks will come out of it in due time. You have youth on your side."
Joe and I watched the whole town change, and we knew all of America was changing with us. I was glad Joe listened to me so patiently, for I had several orations in my system. "Joe, I don't like this liquor and wild nights of dancing and carousing among these young people. I'm blaming the women. They're so glad to have their men back that they have gone hog wild! You know, they are smoking and drinking right along with their men, and they are going to pay for it. You'll see! The men will quiet down after a while, but the women will never be the same again."
"Land o'goshens! Angie, you sure do get worked up over things, don't you? But there's no harm as long as you just talk to me." Joe was smiling at me and closed this session with, "I like to see you all stirred up. You are as good as any show."
One afternoon I was hurrying home from a visit with "my boys" at the hospital and happened to brush a hand over my left eye. Believe me, I stopped quickly! The world was total darkness. I covered the eye again and the same results' then I started running toward home as fast as I could go. I was actually crying like a three year old.
Joe sat on the front porch reading the evening paper. He looked up in surprise when he saw me running, and as I got closer, he was up and coming toward me, "What is it, Angie?
"Oh, Joe! I'm blind in one eye!"
Joe sank down on the porch with a sigh of relief. "Well, you can see out of the other eye, can't you?"
"Well, don't be silly. You've probably been blind in that eye for years and never knew it. I guess you've got a cataract. You better go see Dr. Gilbert about it." Then Joe got up, sat in his chair and started reading again.
I just sat a bit to get over the shock; then I had to smile. Wasn't that just like a man? Here I was throwing a fit and about to die of self-pity, and here was Joe with just plain talking, in a common sense way, making me feel a little foolish. God certainly knew what he was doing when he made man as he is and woman as she is. But I was such a long time finding this out!
Dr. Gilbert said Joe was right about my eye, and I could have the cataract removed when it had ripened; so I forgot about the loss of this pesky eye, got the lens for the other eye strengthened, and went on reading anything and everything that came my way. I did run onto a lot of Bible reference books about this time, and I really enjoyed studying these.
I never thought of myself as growing old, but by 1919 I could see that Joe was breaking fast. He took more and more time to dress and get to the store of mornings, and he hobbled home in the evenings too tired to enjoy his supper. One evening as we sat down to eat, I suggested something as casually as I could, "Joe, you haven't seen the children in a long time. Why don't you just sell the store and go visiting for a spell?
Joe's face brightened like a light. "I've been thinking of that. I'm glad you brought it up."
He had no trouble selling his store, but he rested a while before starting on his trip. Folks saw him sitting there on the porch; all of them waved, and many stopped to pass the time of day.
One morning my Joe didn't get up, and when I went to call him, he said, "Angie, I think I'll postpone my trip for a while." That evening he called me to his bedside and said, "I'm ready to go now, Angie. You'll come as soon as you can, won't you? I'll be waiting.
I sat a while before I called our nearest neighbor. I just wanted to be alone with Joe. He looked so peaceful there. A good patient man had earned his rest. I would miss, most of all, his precious smile and happy laughter. |
