Heart of Texas

“More tea, Jewel?” Maggie asked as she held up a rose print tea pot. “I’m so thrilled you all could come this afternoon to meet Momma Bailey.”

“No, thank you,” Jewel Jeter shook her head. “This is lovely, Maggie. I love getting away from my regular day. Having the chance to meet you, Mrs. Bailey, is a delight. We’ve heard so much about you.”

Peg Moore and Letty Carson nodded in agreement. The five ladies sat at a round table in the parlor. It was a school day so none of the children were under foot. Tia had taken the twins with her to the garden to pick flowers. The windows were opened to allow fresh air to fill the room.

“Oh, you are all so kind. Please, just call me Bessie. My son found the prize in Maggie here.” Bessie patted the top of her daughter-in-law’s hand. “I’m grateful to be here. Things just got so bad, that’s all. Couldn’t imagine them getting worse in Boise City, but they sure did. Lorna and Wilson, my daughter and son-in-law, just won’t call it quits. That farm has been in Wilson’s family for generations. Many farmers and their families, practically poverty-stricken, were forced to leave. It was just so hard.” Bessie’s voice slightly broke.

Peg Moore waited for Bessie to recover. “What happened? Would you tell us?”

Bessie took a sip of her tea then smiled. “Of course. We have lived through droughts before. Were familiar with them, a part of farm life. But after such long spells without rain, the crops died. We made a bumper crop of wheat the year before. Wheat prices were high, and the future seemed prosperous. We had no idea things would be, could be, so bad this year. Without corn or wheat, Wilson couldn’t feed the livestock. He was finally able to sell the healthy cows and stock to a farmer in Texas but didn’t make much. No one has much money these days. The dust storms…,” Bessie hesitated. The ladies, captivated by her story, were eager for her to continue.

“We were used to dust storms, too, but these were monsters! Devils! The sound was deafening. Sounded like howling, no more like roaring The rolling, choking dirt, and the smell! I’ll never forget it! The sand would sift under the doors and windowsills no matter how many rags or blankets were stuffed under them. Everything was covered with a fine powder. You’d go to bed at night and wake up with an outline of fine dirt framing your head on the pillow. Poor Lorna tried to keep the house clean, but it was impossible. She’d wipe down the tables and chairs and even the walls with a wet rag. She couldn’t leave any food uncovered. Dirt is not tasty!” Bessie laughed and the ladies echoed warily.

“We heard tell that some places were harder hit than ours. One farmer said he couldn’t get out of his house one morning. The sand had settled like a dune barricading his front door and windows. He had to climb out the back window and shovel away the dirt from the front of the house. Didn’t do any good, though; it would come right back. It always did. Any bit of wind would bring a raging wall of sand. Static electricity built up between the ground and the airborne dust sparking blue flames from barbed wire fences. Wilson tied a fifty-foot rope from the porch railing to the barn door just in case he was caught out in the storm and couldn’t see to get back to the house. Oh, and poor Claudia and Susan. The kids, even the boys, had to wear scarves over their faces and goggles over their eyes when they went outside or walked to school. Their hats had to be secured tightly or they’d blow away! I often wonder how many hats were found over in the next county!” Bessie chuckled.

“The girls wore thick socks under their dresses or wore overalls to protect their legs from the stinging bite of grit. And sometimes it was hard to distinguish day from night. The sky was so dark. I got kinda sick with what the doctor called dust pneumonia. A lot of babies and older folks from our community died…just couldn’t breathe! So tragic! That’s when Wilson and Lorna said enough was enough and sent us here. I’m much better now that I can breathe clean air!”

“And how is Claudia faring?” Peg asked after taking a small bite of a sugar cookie and placing the remainder on her dessert plate.

“She seems to be doing fine,” Bessie replied. “Thanks to your girl. Evelyn has been most kind.”

“That reminds me,” Maggie interjected. “Sam and Willie have invited their friends over Saturday to meet Claudia. Sort of a welcoming party. I know Rachel is working at the newspaper office with her dad. I was hoping Evelyn and Cat, and your girls, Letty, could come. My nephews Harold and Owen are coming, too.”

“Of course,” Peg said. “Evelyn had already mentioned it.”

“I’m sure Mary and Constance would love to come.” Letty added.

“Oh, my girls are so much older than yours, but sounds like a fun time.” Jewel added, reaching for another cookie.

“Wonderful! Bring them around by 2:00 p.m. Elizabeth is taking Clay and Paddy and the twins with her to play with Carter. This will be a nice outing for the young people.”