Diaries: Aug/Nov 1911 - Pickin' Cotton

            This summer has been a very uneventful one in my life. There has but very few things happened of any importance or out of the ordinary. I get tired some times of the daily routine of keeping house and long for a whole summer of vacation and rest.

            I had planned all winter to go on a visit to my Uncle’s this summer but won’t get to go.

            One of the Granbury College boys -Claude W.- came to see me the first Sunday in August (Aug 6) He came on Sat eve and we all went to a neighbors house that night and made ice cream. We had a delightful time while he was here talking about old school days. And w-e-ll - that wasn’t all we talked about either, cause we decided we would marry some of these times and set that some time for next June.

            I’ve been engaged lots of times before, but it never did mean anything to me for I didn’t really aim to marry and would set the time so far off that I thought we would quit before the time came.

            I’ve never really loved but one boy before. But there is one other boy in this old wide world that I really did love, and do love yet, and always will love I guess. He was my first real Sweet Heart. He began going with me when I was fifteen and the last time I saw him I was eighteen. He thought equally as much of me as I did of him.

            I don’t guess there ever will be a boy care any more for me than he did for he has proved in numberless of different ways the true love he had in his heart for me. The last time I heard from him was the first of last May about 4 months ago now. We won’t marry because Papa is so bitterly opposed to it and I guess he isn’t just the boy that would suit me best, but he won my first love and I’ll always have a great regard for him.

            I never will forget the night he first ask me to marry him. We went to preaching about three miles from home us and some other couples. I wore a blue lilly in my hair that night and I still have it yet. I have him my hand on it that I would marry him. I was fifteen and he was eighteen then. Yes I know we were quite young. Well I’m getting of off the subject I started on but I couldn’t be so untrue to my old love as to say I never loved a boy before.

            But there has a new love come into my life and as the days go by I am tending to forget the old S.H.

            I think Claude is a grand old boy and I think as much or more, of him as I ever did of anyone. I am now wearing his ring as a token of our love and engagement and intend to marry him when the time comes.

            Claude did so cute when he went to tell me good bye it made me care more for him. He took my hand and holding it he looked me straight in the face and said; “I hate so bad to leave you. I want you to be good to your self and write to me often.” He looked so deeply in earnest it made me love him better.

            He wore a rainbow colored tie one day while he was here that I have him for a birthday present and when he came I had on a stick pin that he had given me as an xmas gift. (August 21, 1911)

            Mr Thompson came down on the evening train Sunday evening (Sept 10) and spent the evening and till late bed time with me and then went back home on the night train. I never had gone to the station to meet him when he came in, and at the picnic he said he guessed if I lived just across the street from the depot I wouldn’t step over then to meet him, and I told him the next time he came I would go to meet him.

            So when he wrote me he was coming he reminded me of my promise to meet him. There was no one at home but Papa and me and he was fevering some. I went to meet him and there sure was a crowd at the depot as there usually is on Sunday. We had a very enjoyable time. We walked down to the church which is just a few yards from our house, to the young peoples League at 4 oclock as I was on the program to read a paper on “How should we exercise our spiritual lives.” Sunday night we went to preaching at the Baptist church as there was not going to be any preaching at the Methodist church. By the way he is a strong Baptist. I always have more Baptist fellows than Methodist any way. Bro has been gone to Evandale to Uncle Ladells for a few weeks, he will spend the fall there picking cotton with them. Grandma has also been to <Erath Co> on a visit, so I’ve been by myself quite a good deal lately as Papa isn’t at home much in day time. (Sept 13, 1911)

            Salem              I came down here to Salem in Erath, Co Sept 16^th to pick cotton this fall. I had been here before visiting my aunt and cousins and had met several of the people. I first picked cotton for a family living near my aunt’s. A young man and his mother and sister make up the family (Ogan) and I was never around finer people. I had a dandy time the three weeks I picked there. They had a patch of fine watermelon and althoe Mr Jim didn’t like them him self, and we would cut one every day after dinner and then very often he would carry one to the waggon in the morning and put it in the <strade> and Miss Hannah and me would stop about the middle of the evening and eat it. My! But we sure did devour some fine watermelons, and enjoyed them too. Mr Jim (Ogan) sure was good to us. But he is always as good to his mother and sister, as most boys are to their Sweet Hearts. He very often calls Miss H “honey” and to cap it all one day we were picking along and he said, something to her and called her honey, and I answered him and didn’t know till after I had what he had called her. He looked real funny and it sure did get to me. Miss Hannah very often played on the guitar and sang at night. I enjoyed that too, but I can’t tell much more about my stay there.

            I felt real lonesome when I started to leave and they all seemed to hate to see me leave. I’ve heard lots of good things that they’ve said about me. I felt flattered a little when I first came down here, I heard of so many nice compliments passed on me. I am vain enough, like the most of humanity, to like to hear all the good things said about me.

            I’ve picked cotton about three weeks for a Mr Bud Burgess and enjoyed my stay there too. Mrs Burgess gave me a real pretty Geranium plant it is in bloom now. I don’t guess there is any one that likes flowers better than I do.

            I’m having a nice time on my cotton picking “spree” and it is the first I have picked in about four years and the last I guess I’ll pick in a good while. (Oct 18,1911)

            Salem              I am real proud of Bro, althoe, I do get worried to death at his recklessness. Seems to me sometime that he is the most noisy and thoughtly boy I ever knew. He declares our home would be as quiet as a grave yard if it wasn’t for his fun and racket. Well I don’t care to miss it any way for it is lonesome at home when he isn’t there. He is just begging to claim the girls, and I know he will be a case when he gets grown. None of the girls can get ahead of him now. He is just fifteen. He has been picking cotton for Mr Burgess, and there was a girl about 16 years old, picking for him too. She would rather pick with Bro than me and they pick together nearly all the time. They could both pick faster than anyone else in the field any way. One day Bro didn’t been picking and late in the evening he came over to the field and was picking along putting in our sacks. After while he picked an extra large handfull and held it up and said he would give it to the highest bidder. I said I’de give him a Yankie Dime (kiss) and he looked around at the other girl and said; “Will you give that for it?” She said “yes” and to my surprise he stepped over to her sack and put the cotton in, and said “now pay your debt.” and she kissed him, we sure did laugh. That’s the first girl he has kissed that wasn’t related to him. Velma Stone is her name. She knows how to flirt and is pretty talkative, but she couldn’t get a head of him. She would bring him some apples or peaches or something every day. (Oct 1911)

            Salem              Life is not all sunshine by a good deal. I was nearly blind with sore eyes a week or two ago and I saw very little sunshine then. It is sure bad to have something wrong with ones eyes. It nearly killed me to be so I couldn’t read or do any kind of fancy work. I was closed up in a dark room one Sunday (Nov 6) and kept <poltices> on my eyes most of the time. The week that my eyes were sore would have seemed like months but Genoa Moore (my cousin) read to me a great deal. She read or began reading a little book “Stepping Heavenward” which I sure did enjoy. It is some thing like a diary and it made me the one I was writing, only of course it was better than mine but I let one of my cousins (Maudie Moore) read it and she said it was better than “Stepping Heavenward.” She is the first person that has ever read any of mine. (Nov 14, 1911)

Diary May/ July 1911: a right smart of damage

            We moved from Duster back near DeLeon last Monday, and my! What a week of work this has been (this is Sat)

            I’m so sore from head to foot I can’t hardly move. The 11^th of last month was my 20^th birthday. Grandma surprised me by giving me a quilt top, I’de been wishing for pieced out of <colars>. It’s the prarie flower design and is real pretty. One of the boys sent me a pair of white silk elbow gloves. Those were the most important things I got. (May 6, 1911)

            Last Friday a week ago June 16, we had a pretty bad storm and hail. The old settlers said that it is the worst that has been here in several years. I guess it lasted for at least an hour, raining in almost a torrant all that time.

            Our old cellar wasn’t very good any way so it couldn’t resist such hard rain, and the water ran in at the door. We stayed in there till the water was nearly knee deep - Papa, Grandma, and me. Bro was away from home. We got out of the cellar and as we came in the house at the back, the front door blew down. Papa caught it and put it back in place and we held it there till the storm was over. It wasn’t easy to hold either with the wind against it. We thought every minute that the house would go the next and it would have I guess if we hadn’t held the door up. From some cause or another we didn’t seem to be much frightened. We went on the plan that we had as well laugh as to cry, so we talked and laughed about it all during the storm. I was really surprised at my self at not getting frightened our of my wits. After the storm was over almost every thing in the house was wet as the water leaked and blowed in so in places. Several pictures blowed down and the stove pipe blowed down inside and out. Things were us set generally but no serious damage done.

            We got off lighter than most of our neighbors as some of their houses blowed off of the blocks some wind mills blowed down and a right smart of damage done.

            The crops through here were almost completely destroyed. There was nothing but <strins> left of the cotton where it wasn’t completely washed away. But that’s enough about the storm.

            To day was 22 years ago Papa was at a State Teachers Association at Galveston. Papa taught ten years before he married. He began teaching when he was 18 years old. (June 25, 1911)

            Last Wednesday and Thursday, June 28 and 29^th - There was a big picnic and prohabition rally at DeLeon. There was hundreds of people here and every body seemed to enjoy them selves.

            There was a farris wheel, merry-go-round, a fine band from Walnut Springs and all kinds of stands most on the ground. We had about three speeches a day, all on prohabition. They were sure fine too.

            Mr Thompson from Carlton came down on Thurs and we had a nice time. We stayed on the picnic grounds Thurs night till after eleven oclock and they hadn’t broken up then. That is the first time he has been down to see me since last summer. To day is a year ago I was at the S. Normal at Ft. Worth and went to lake Como. (July 3, 1911)

            The Methodist protracted meeting has been going on for two weeks, and Sunday evening July 23^rd Bro Bickley, our pastor, preached to the men and boys at the Tabernacle and Bro Sherrod, the Baptist pastor, preached to the ladies and girls at the baptist church. Every one seemed to enjoy the sermon so much. He preached about knowing God and being well aquainted with him. He spoke of some people having the summer religion, and then he talked of the great influence young ladies have over young men. He dwelt on young people so often spending their energy on frivolous worldly things, and of what a power they could be for God if they would. He said a Christian aught to spend at least one hour a day in reading the Bible and prayer.

            I began to realize as I never did before the importance of a person having a set time to read and pray every day, in order to be a true Christian all the year round. I resolved while he was reaching that from then on, every day of my life I would spend at least an hour a day in prayer and reading the Bible and other good religious books. (July 24, 1911)

August/September 1910

I took last week off work and kept my computer (actually, both computers, both iPads, and my iPhone) powered down as much as possible - two things shocked me. First - how HARD it was to go 24 hours at a time without electronic stimulation, and Second - how much easier life is when I go 24 hours at a time without electronic stimulation. I got so much writing done, walked a total of roughly 100 miles in those 9 days, and spent a lot of time sitting and watching the bay. I would love about five more stretches like that! I think I'm going to designate three days a week to be 'no computer' days - that may last about 10 minutes.

Anyway, here's the new stretch of text from Irene's diaries. Aug and Sept 1910. It's good to see that something else runs in the family too.

"I allow so many things to attract my attention and time." You and me both, g-g-ma, you and me both.

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            I came home July 21 from Forth Worth. I sure was glad to get home althoe I had only been gone 5 weeks. I sure had a time getting started home. Mr Thomson had written me if I would let him know when I was coming home I would let him know, he would meet me in Dublin; where I cad to change cars and stay nearly half the day. So I wrote him I would be there Monday. But I found out Sat I couldn’t go then so I wrote him a letter and put a special delivery stamp on it so he would be sure to get it and told him I wouldn’t be there till Wed. Well I couldn’t get there Wed so I phoned him Tues eve, I wouldn’t be there till Thurs, but was there Thurs and he was at the train to meet me and stayed till I got on the next train for home. So my stay in Dublin was quite pleasant. (Aug, 1910)

            Yesterday was so hot and sultry. I was at home by my self and was trying to study. But I couldn’t get my mind on my book. Finally I laid my book down and said I’de go to the mail box (which was about 150 yds from the house), As I didn’t have enough sense to study. As I was going on, my thoughts ran something like this: “There isn’t much in life any way, but a struggle. And then failure, comes more often than success. I am simply tired of every thing, and of ever trying to do anything.” I certainly was in a bad mood, which I try never to get into. But some times it looks like I can’t help it. I sometimes wonder if any body else ever have such feelings as that, and yet I know they do. I guess every body has their difficulties and things that seem to utterly discourage them at times. Well when I got to the mail box I had 3 post cards and 2 letters, and they were all so cherry and kind it was a wonder to me how my feelings changed. I thought then, “what  pleasure it is to have such nice friends. Life must be worth living after all.” and I came home feeling like it was really worth while to try. And this is the way things of all through life. A sunny smile, a kind word or two, a cherry letter and things we do like that, that we never think are worth while, some times makes some one take new courage. Altho we never thought perhaps of them feeling bad or discouraged. The world would be so much brighter if we would take time to do little kind things that seem so small. (Aug 25, 1910)

            Woman suffrage is the main subject now. You can’t pick up any paper but what there is a discussion going on about woman suffrage. I noticed in the Youth’s Companion a piece saying they had it before the house of commons in England and when the vote was cast there was 15 for and 16 against it. I don’t think it will be very long will they will pass a law here giving the women a rite to vote. They vote in some of the states now. (Aug 25, 1910)

            I suppose all girls are prone to often wonder what will happen in the future. I have such a great ambition, and yet it seems like some times I moove so slowly I often wonder will I have some of my desires and ambitions fulfilled by this time next year, I wonder what events, what persons and things will come into my life by that time. I’m wanting most of all to her a first grade certificate by next summer, and I know if I get it I will have to put fourth an extra great effort, and I allow so many things to attract my attention and time. I now here in Granbury going to school at “Granbury College.” As I look back I well remember the things that happened a year ago today. For one thing that I thought was very important, one of my old fellows that I hadn’t seen in over a year came down to DeLeon to see me. That night I cried my self to sleep (Just from some little trouble that vexed me, not about my fellow thoe) as I used to do every once and a while, but I’ve learned better than that now. I try to always look on the bright side. Oh! I’ve longed so often for a mother to tell my little troubles to, but I’ve always had to bear them alone. There are so many troubles, or girls think they are troubles, that girls have to face, they need a mother to help them.

            This eve the matrons suspended the rules and took a lot of girls and boys down on the river Kodaking. We had about 12 views taken. We sure did enjoy it for we had been tied up so long. What tickled me I caught the Bookkeeping teacher here, and he’s a young Methodist preacher too. The Methodist protracted meeting is going on here now. I led the college girls’ prayer meeting to night. I certainly did get lots of good out of the meeting and resolved to live a better christian life from this on. We had a native preacher from Turkey at two services. Sep 26, 1910

Diaries Jan - March 1910; Just the right kind of weather to be lonesome...

I come from a looooooong line of Methodist ministers on this side of the family, and though I wasn't raised Methodist, we had the same tradition of calling other members of the church "Brother so-and-so" and "Sister so-and-so." If there is no name after Bro or Sis, she's talking about her actual siblings. And, I failed to mention that Irene's mother passed a few years before this; thus her closeness to her grandmother. She never makes a big deal out of it, but it obviously affects her (as it would anyone).

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Genoa came today to stay and go to school (Jan 21, 1910)

            Bro and myself went to the Baptist church to night was a week a go to hear a man lecture on the Holly Land. The house was cram full. (Jan 23, 1910)

            As I am fourth Vice President in the League here and to day was missionary Sunday. I led the League. Ruby Hancock encouraged me a great deal by coming by the other eve to get me to help her on her part. She said she had heard so many talk of how good they thought I could talk in the League. Well I wrote some and she just copied mine off and didn’t add anything to it. I think if you hear any thing good about any one they aught to go tell them of it. It encourages any one and scatters sunshine. (Jan 30, 1910)

            This is Feb 1^st. We had a business meeting of the League at Bro Evens, after the business was transacted we had a debate - affirmative, Syllamin Evens and Martie McCain - subject was resolved that Georgetown is a better place to educate our young people than Polytecnic - negative, Joseph Paterson and Kate Greer. Negative wins. The debate was fine. After the debate refreshments was served (chocolate and sandwiches) I was one of the commity on refreshments. After supper <Vertna> Lambert recited. There was 34 present all reported a nice time. When we started home it was dark and thundering and lightening and sprinkling rain. We ran part of the way and got home before we got wet but we were quite breathless.

             To day I sent a Valentine card to my best old fellow --- I believe it was the prettiest I ever saw. It had the picture of two little angles on it sharpening arrows. And this verse - Oh grind dear Cupid. Grind your dart, And strike my Darling, Through the heart. (Feb 13, 1910)

            To night is 3 years ago there was a Washington play at the school house at Duffan. A young man (------) went home with me from the play. He was my first real Sweet Heart. I had gone with boys before but didn’t care any thing for them. (Feb 22, 1910)

            I have just finished reviewing Texas History this afternoon. I think it is very interesting, especially toward the last. I believe Governor Sayers, Gov Lanern & Gov Cambel are my favorite Governors. (Feb 25, 1910)

            Yesterday Papa and Grandma went to Proctor and left Bro and me and Genoa (my cousin) by our selves. So we declared we were going to sleep this morning as long as we wanted.  As we have been busy studying, we would sit up till 10 or after every night and get up at five so we were always sleepy. Well we did all the work we could Sat night for Sunday so we could sleep late and then get up redy for Sunday - school. Well we did sleep till about 8 oclock and when we got up we all decided we felt worse than we did when we got up early. (March 6, 1910)

            This eve we went to League. There was a large crowd of young folks there but we didn’t have any program. So Bro Evens took Joseph in the old testament as a subject and brought out the good things in his character. He said one thing was that Joseph had dreams of what he would be in the future, and he said every young person aught to have ambitious dreams of what he was going to do in the future. It has always been the height of my ambitions to get a good education and have a good Piano and be able to play anything I wanted.

            Maud Hail has been here and spent Sat and Sunday with me again. Papa and me took her home or rather to the school house where she teaches as there was singing there this eve. So we started in time to be at the singing. (March 13, 1910)

            Well I have just gotten back from the depot. Genoa went of on the train. Every thing seems pretty still and lonesome, and it is cold and cloudy, Just the right kind of weather to be lonesome any way. I certainly will miss her, for she has been here about two months studying. Any girl that hasn’t any sister or any other girl in the house their size sure do get lonesome. It is strange any one will find little faults and failures in their friends and loved ones, that seem very great while we are with them, but after they are gone they seem very small. Yesterday Bro was running around with his shoes on without any stockings on; all at once some one knocked at the door, Bro started to run in the kitchen but the only way out of the room was to go through the hall and the front hall door was glass on top. So he jumped behind the room door and pulled the door back. It was the Methodist preacher, Bro Evens, after a while a little nabor girl that was here began to hunt Bro and pulled the door back. We all began to laugh and Bro Evens did too. I never saw Bro so badly gotten away with hardly. (March 16, 1910)

            I have just been copying off on a sheet of paper, some good saying that I found in a chapter in “The Royal Path of Life.” There was some sentences that impressed me more than others, and some that I thought would be a help to me, so I copied them off. One of them is, “You can do anything if you will only have patience.” another - “Knowledge is power, but it is one of the slowest because one of the most durable of <gericies>.” and several others as good. I think I shall read them over every day, especially when I am inclined to be discouraged. (March 13, 1910)

            To day is Easter Sunday, and it has been such a lovely day.  I went to church and Sunday School. (I haven’t missed Sunday School a Sunday this year.) and the church was decorated pretty and Bro Evens preached the best sermon I nearly ever heard him preach. They say this is the earliest Easter has been since 1894. Last Easter Sunday was April 11^th, my Birthday. I was 18 years old that day. I wrote a letter to one of my old Duffan <       > that day and am going to write to a young man to day. But it isn’t the same one. Of course I was due them a letter both times. (March 27, 1910)