One of my favorite eavesdropping episodes was about a friend of Miss Laura Mae’s whose husband was in prison and daughter in the orphanage.
“I got a letter from my friend Alice Marshall today. Her husband has been out of jail a long time now and her daughter Helen just had her fifth. Just look at this picture she sent me of Helen’s family. She is so proud.” she said, passing a picture to Mother.
I wanted to see that picture so badly I forgot I wasn’t supposed to be listening in. “Let me see! Let me see!” A daddy, a mother holding a baby, three little girls, and a small boy stood in front of a car. The woman and little girls had on matching dresses. The man and boy looked neat in dark pants and plaid shirts. “Their dresses are all alike! How did they get dresses alike?” I had to know.
“Helen can sew real good. She makes everything her and the girls wear. Ain’t that something?”
I had to agree. “Mother, can you make dresses alike for me and you and Phyllis?” It seemed like a small thing to me.
“I don’t know,” Mother said. “That would cost a lot of money. I don’t have patterns for matching dresses, and I sure don’t have that much material.”
“Please, Mother. Please……….” The whining did it.
“Stop that whining! Go play in the yard. You’re not supposed to be in here listening to grown people talking, anyway.”
I gave up and sat on the back step, feeling sorry for myself as Miss Laura Mae went on with her story. “I know Alice couldn’t see nothing but hard times when Martin got sent to prison. It was back in The Depression. He stole a hog ‘cause they was hungry an’ got five years in Angola. Alice moved back in with her mama in Baton Rouge, but it wasn’t long before her mama died leavin’ her nowhere to go. She got a job in a hotel restaurant washing dishes and got a meal with her shift. She rented a room in a boardin’ house, but didn’t make enough to feed Helen. She had to put the poor little thing in a church home. Poor child had to stay there four years. Alice went to see her ever’ Sunday, and kept tellin’ her they was all gonna be together agin. I didn’t see how they ever would, but Martin finally got out of jail. He was able to git a job at a sawmill and after a month or so, they got enough together to git a place an’ get Helen home. You never saw anybody so proud as Alice an’ Martin. I was real proud for ‘em. They had a couple of boys after than an’ done real good, but Alice always felt bad for puttin’ Helen in that home, but pore thing, she couldn’t even feed herself. Don’t you know Martin felt awful fer puttin’ ‘em both in that spot. He was a good man and never did git in no more trouble. I don’t believe he ever would’a stole that hog if he had’na been tryin’ to feed his family, anyhow. Them was some hard times, real hard times.”
Sad story but glad they got back together in the end. xx
LikeLike
Don’t you know they were glad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Most of us don’t have much real idea of hardship, do we? My mother sometimes used to make matching clothes for herself and me, if she had enough material over. I was never sure it was a brilliant idea. My three brothers never had to look like my father.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lots of times I had dresses of coordinating fabric from a couple of kinds of fabric, maybe a blue bodice with floral print collar, cuffs, and skirt made from stuff left from somebody else’s dress.
LikeLike
The (almost) matching dresses were bright and perky but the story sad. I wouldn’t have sent that man to jail. ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Probably one of those good ol’ boy towns.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Life just isn’t fair sometimes, is it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good ol’ country boy, real country.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sad story. And to think that people who steal millions get no punishment…
LikeLiked by 1 person
The whole family was punished terribly.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Hard times but people survived. Another good story from the past.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks so much. Should I go on?
LikeLiked by 1 person
By all means. It brings back memories of people I knew and/or was told about. 😀 — Suzanne
LikeLike
I’ll do a few more.
LikeLike
Thanks so much.
LikeLike
I had to laugh at the picture of the dresses with rick rack on them. I haven’t seen rick rack in years!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I bought some recently to put on a child’s apron.
LikeLike
Oh really? I haven’t even seen any in the stores in a long time.
LikeLike
I found it at Hancock’s
LikeLike
We don’t have a Handcock’s here. Glad you were able to find it!
LikeLike
Stealing to feed his family. It’s the plot of “Les Miserables”. Heartbreaking.
p.s. Did you ever get those matching dresses ???
LikeLiked by 1 person
No. I as so abused!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love to see you all in the same dresses…. today!!!
LikeLike
Wouldn’t we look ridiculous?
LikeLiked by 1 person
That would be the coolest family portrait! LOL!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Another fabulous story from Linda Bethea about a time when life was not just hard, it was darn right brutal… brilliant so head over and not only read this post but the previous ones as well.
LikeLike
Thanks so much, Sally.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never known a child yet who didn’t want to know the adult’s conversation.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
LikeLike
It sounds so mysterious.
LikeLike
People got sent to Australia for life for less than that! England made most of Australia – bar one state- a penal colony as their prisons were over crowded.
LikeLike
Those times were rough.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There was a lot of horrible stuff that happened. At least some things have changed for the better.
LikeLiked by 1 person