SEGMENT: RECOLLECTIONS
Jessie Ruth Saiter>UIS Collection S>UIS Collection S, Segment 3
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- RECOLLECTIONS
- Detailed story of tramp (poor person) coming to farm while mother was away. Not taught to be afraid of strangers. After parents left the girls climbed a big cedar tree (which they were not allowed to do) from where they saw a tramp coming up the road. Notes how dusty roads were & men wore a coat called a duster & this tramp was wearing a dirty duster. Girls were frightened & remained quiet, but stuck in the tree. Then parents arrived & recognized tramp as a friend. Girls pretended to be in woods picking flowers. Friend (named John Coon) came on train from KS. He was wealthy man who wanted Gilbert family to move to KS. She loved sitting in father's lap & listening to "intelligent talk." Father talked about future & predicted Japan's attack on USA. Father talked about the future. Religion was a private subject. "I had never been in a real church. John Coon wanted to send her to school & adopt her. Taught us a lesson that appearances are not always what they seem. John had received scar in earlier war (Spanish-American War?). "Children will be children."
