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already married could take Stella and Jerome could stay with his daddy so that?s what they did. Emma's husbands name was Jahue Murphy and he built them a lovely little home in Logtown, Miss, and when they were married they took me to live with them and sister Olla and her husband, Emile Koch, took sister Stella. My stepmother's sister took me to her home for awhile. I can't remember how long I stayed. Her name was Carrie Long and her husbands name was Bradley and their son was Gorden and the girl was the same age as me but I cannot remember her name. You see how senile I'm getting? But if I didn't know better I'd think it was my age. (Her name was Pauline.) Away, in the night I'd wake them up crying, so Uncle Bradley would take his daughter and I out to the store in his front yard and give us candy and cookies. They were as good to me as they were to their own daughter.
Brother Downing, my daddy's father-in-law, took me to Aunt Carries with a horse and buggy and we traveled all day but when it begun to get late that evening we stopped at a place to spend the night and a real large girl, must have been eighteen or nineteen I guess, came out to meet us with five or six little ones behind her and she ran into Brother Downing's arms crying like her heart would break and told him they had to put her mother to rest that day. I seemed like a play toy to those little folks. As I suppose it took their minds off their mother for awhile. It was shortly after Christmas and they had to show me what Santa had brought. Also gave me some of their presents. Of course, I was only six myself and didn't understand not to take the things they gave me.
Then to go on with the story, we traveled all the next day. The girl where we spent the night before had a good supper and I can remember how hungry I was. Then when we got to Aunt Carries she had another good supper. I can remember so many little things that happened like the day their daughter and I were playing in her play house and she lit a candle and when she turned around her dress caught on fire. I remember hollering to the top of my voice for Aunt Carrie to come quick and she did before it had burned her flesh. I also remember the day Aunt Carrie was taking me back to her daddy's by train. That was the first time I'd ever seen a train and it nearly scared me to death, especially to hear that shrill whistle blow and see the black smoke coming
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