

MATT AND LIZZY

By

Charles E. White

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Introduction

This story is about my maternal grandparents, Matthew and Elizabeth Robertson, two people I never knew. I never knew them because in 1918 Matthew took his life and in 1930 Elizabeth did the same thing. My mother never told me much about either of them. Since she was so young when they died her memories were limited. For years I have wondered about the lives they lived and what event(s) might have triggered each of them to take their lives. I will never know, but I took the few facts given to me and wrote a story based on how I believe they could have lived.

Chapter 1

Matthew Hawkins Robertson was born on April 15, 1876; one year before Federal Government troops ceased occupation of the State of North Carolina, a part of the Second Military District under Reconstruction after the Civil War. The South did not warmly embrace Reconstruction edicts, but at least by 1868 the Federal occupation had been reduced to a few hundred troops. Wealthy landowners had begun to sell off some or all of their acreage in order to survive. Many farmers with appreciable amounts of land typically resorted to a "sharecropping" system. Their annual profits were shared with those who tilled the soil and harvested the crops, but at least with this arrangement they could maintain some semblance of what once was in most instances a lucrative system. Most of the sharecroppers were African-Americans and although they were "free" they had little if any negotiating positions regarding the sharecropping agreements with the landowners. If they didn't like the financial arrangements they could always seek other opportunities which were few and far between. In 1850 Matt's father, James Robertson, had 8 adult slaves to tend his land in Warren County, which encompassed several hundred acres. James was a hard working man and was a benevolent slave-owner. He never beat any of the male slaves nor did he ever have sex with any of the females. He permitted as much freedom for his slaves as was the accepted norm for the time. When the Civil War ended the younger slaves left James's farm whereas an older couple remained as sharecroppers.

After Matt was born James decided to have a will prepared. At the time of the drafting of the will James had lost one of his two daughters, Sallie who died at age 1 in 1866 to Billious (disorder of the bile) Fever. Lula, the second daughter, died in 1884 at age 16 of unknown causes. The will included equal amounts of land to be distributed to his wife, Missouri Angeline and to each of his children upon his death. By the time Matt was thirteen years old he had witnessed the burial of a sister, a brother and his father, James who would die in 1887. His mother often spoke of Sister Sallie who had died at age one. Death and dying would occupy Matt's psyche for the remainder of his life. Matt's older brother, Nat, who was two years older, was never emotionally affected by the loss of family nor was Matt's younger brother Foster, who was born in 1885.

Matt was born on a cold day, cold for April, 1876, in the bedroom of his parents, James and Missouri Angeline Robertson on a farm near Macon in Warren County, North Carolina. All of the children had been born at the farmhouse as there were no hospitals available. Missouri Angeline solicited the assistance of their sharecropper's wife, Fortuna, to help her through Matt's delivery. Missouri Angeline experienced no major complications with the delivery and after six hours of labor Matthew was delivered and all in attendance that day thought he weighed around seven or eight pounds. Missouri Angeline was bedridden for several days and breast fed her baby. Fortuna came by every morning to cook the meals, clean the house, wash the dirty clothes, take out the slop bucket, and stayed around if Missouri Angeline had any other personal needs before she left. Fortuna had been with the family for more than 20 years as she had been a slave up until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. James hammered out an acceptable sharecropping agreement, hence Fortuna and her husband, Spencer elected to remain.

There were some lean times on the Robertson farm. In 1857 their crop was devastated by a hail storm with ice pellets the size of eggs, while a severe drought in 1869 left the entire crop drying up in the fields. In 1873 James lost most of his cotton crop to the boll weevil. During such harsh years James borrowed money from the Farmer's Bank in Macon and took on any odd jobs he could find to make ends meet until next year's harvests. James mandated the help of his sons as soon as they were capable of pulling suckers and priming tobacco. Matt went to work in the fields when he was about eight years old and worked very hard to please his father.

James always needed additional laborers and usually managed to find sufficient workers in Macon when he needed them. He would drive his wagon drawn by Milly and Sam, two beautiful chestnut colored, but old, horses to downtown Macon to look for the additional help. There were usually men hanging around on Main Street who had no regular jobs, but they knew if they hung around long enough someone would come by and offer them short term employment. Seldom did the men negotiate for higher wages because they never knew when another job offer would present itself and most of the men lived hand to mouth. Some of the men were African-American and some were white, which James had little time to care about as the crops needed to be tended.

After the boys were old enough to work in the fields, Missouri Angeline spent most of her day managing the house. She cooked three hot meals a day for her family and most days James and the boys managed to come in from the fields to consume a home cooked meal, often times followed by a short nap. The Robertson's had pigs, chickens, and cows, as well as a small garden plot which took care of most of the food necessary to feed the family. James made a run to Macon for staples at least once per week. Missouri Angeline was quite a cook and every year at the fall church bazaar she won prizes for her apple pies, pecan pies, blackberry jelly and fig preserves. She was quite proud of all of her blue ribbons and late in her life made a quilt cover with all of the ribbons.

Matt was fairly easy to take care of during his early years, but after experiencing the loss of his sister Lula when he was seven, he had great difficulty understanding why she died. For quite a while after Lula's death Matt interrogated Missouri Angeline as to why Lula died, but Missouri Angeline's explanations were never agreeable to Matt.

James came home from the fields one afternoon, ate his dinner, told his family he was tired and was going to bed. He got in his bed, went to sleep, and never woke up. Three days later he was buried in the family plot at the cemetery of the Methodist Church in Macon beside his daughters Sallie and Lula. Matt asked many more questions to Missouri Angeline about his father's death, but she had no better answers than she had regarding Lula's death. Weeks after James' funeral Matt asked his mother for permission to walk to the church cemetery in Macon to visit the graves of his loved ones. He would spend hours sitting in front of the grave markers where Sallie, Lula, and James were buried. He just sat on the ground and stared at the headstones. When he returned home he was always in a melancholy mood for several days. Missouri Angeline would try to console him, but she was never successful in stemming his bouts of depression. She tried hard to keep Matt involved in the work around the farm, but the chores seemed never enough to keep his father and sisters from his mind.

Nat and James Henry, being older, tried very hard to compensate for the loss of Matt's father by spending as much time with him as possible. They took him hunting on many occasions, but as a child Matt had little interest in shooting shotguns and became upset when his older brothers shot wild animals. He would become quite emotional and ask to be taken home where he went to his room and stayed there until the call to dinner. Nat also took Matt to town with them every time he went if he wanted to go and always bought Matt whatever toy he wanted.

When Matt was of school age Missouri Angeline took him to a small wood frame schoolhouse about a mile from the farm and enrolled him in classes. After Matt's enrollment he walked to school every day with his brother Nat. Matt had great difficulty adjusting to his new environment and missed home. School for Matt was mostly boring and his grades suggested his lack of interest was a prime reason for the low scores. When he came home from school each afternoon he fed the livestock and cut small pieces of firewood for his mother's cook stove. The Nat cut the bulk of the firewood for the fireplaces in each room of their house. After the chores Matt would work on his homework before being summoned to the table for dinner.

Matt and Nat returned from school and found Missouri Angeline sobbing for James Henry who had been accidentally killed by old Sam, the horse. Old Sam had kicked his back leg up while James Henry was behind him and his left hoof landed in the exact place needed to kill a man. How could an accident like this occur, especially since the family had buried the prime caregiver, James, within the past two years? Matt was visibly upset and ran out of the house to the stable. He found a tobacco stick from the pile of sticks in the corner and proceeded to Sam's stall. Matt opened the stall and approached Sam with the stick and commenced to hitting the horse as hard and as often as he was physically able until he had no more strength to deliver additional blows. Sam tried repeatedly to move, but there was nowhere to go. Finally, Matt threw the stick down and ran into the woods just below the stable. Once he was deep into the woods he found a large oak tree and sat down under it and began to cry. He was puzzled as to why, just why, did people he loved continue to die? Perhaps it was something he was or was not doing. He talked to his mother many times about why such things happened and often after church services he spoke with the preacher about how such things could happen. The preacher offered words from the Scriptures, but such recitations never provided much comfort to Matt.

Matt Robertson had lost two sisters, a brother and his father by the time he was twelve years old. His bouts with depression would continue more often and lasting longer, which affected his performance at school and made life at home with his mother and brothers difficult. Missouri Angeline and Nat tried to listen when Matt wanted to talk about the loss of the family members and they offered what they could, but never to Matt's satisfaction.

In 1891, two years after James Henry's untimely death Matt left school to devote his full attention to helping Nat and Spencer operate the farm. He had grown stronger the past two years and was able to perform similar physical chores as his brother. He worked as hard as Nat planting the crops in the spring and just as hard harvesting the crops in the fall. He tried to keep busy and only stopped working long enough to eat and to rest. His attacks of depression were fewer as long as he was involved, but if there were several days of rain where he couldn't work he entered into a melancholy state.

As the twentieth century approached Missouri Angeline had reached the age where she did not want to continue her involvement with the farm. She considered selling the entire acreage and moving to Macon, which was incorporated in 1889. The town had developed around a railroad depot, which was built in 1835, and by the turn of the century downtown Macon was flourishing with business activity. The town was named after Nathaniel Macon, a Revolutionary War veteran who later served in the U.S. House of Representatives as Speaker and also logged a stint as a U.S. Senator. Nat Macon also owned slaves. After much consideration Missouri Angeline decided to divide the family land equally between herself and her three sons. She would continue her sharecropper agreement with Fortuna and Spencer to farm her land. The three sons were now on their own to do with their land as they saw fit. Nat planned to build a new homestead and farm tobacco. Foster being only fifteen would live at the home place a few more years. Matt was now approaching age twenty with land of his own, but he was a bit uneasy about being independent, thus he opted to live with his mother and help Spencer and Foster with her farm.

Chapter 2

Susan Elizabeth Overby was born in September of 1891, fifteen years after her future husband, Matthew Robertson. Susan's family called her nickname, Lizzy, almost from the moment she was born. Lizzie's father, James Overby married Rosa Daniel in May of 1880. Lizzy was the youngest of four children. Her sister, Sarah was born in 1888. Lizzy's two brothers were Clement, called Clemmie, born in 1884 and Thornton born in 1886. Sarah left home at age fifteen with a man named Boyce from Warrenton to move to eastern Tennessee. After the move she seldom communicated with her family. Clemmie and Thornton worked with James until he sold the farm and moved the family to Macon. Clemmie worked as a sharecropper until he managed to save enough money to buy his own farm. Thornton worked on Clemmie's farm until he was able to purchase his own land.

The four children got along well, Sarah and Lizzy were fairly close until Sarah married and moved away while Clemmie and Thornton, a bit older, fulfilled their roles as big brothers. They were very protective of their sisters and especially protective of Lizzy since she was the youngest and last sister at home.

After the Civil War James Overby sold what little acreage he had in rural Warren County and moved his wife and children from the farm to Macon. Since Macon had no general store James decided a general store might be lucrative so he bought a vacant building in downtown Macon and within a month he opened for business. James realized people needed clothes and other staples and at the time it seemed to him running a store was better than plowing a tobacco field in ninety degree weather in the middle of July. Tobacco farming was a tough life. A farmer had to worry about sufficient rain and if he had rain would there be too much and what about rain coupled with wind which could blow plants over? One had to worry about managing the tobacco fields from planning to harvest so whatever labor was available was hired in hopes a farmer could show some profit after covering his expenses. At first business at the general store was slow as it took a while for the news to circulate that a new general store was open in Macon. Most folks were still going to the county seat in Warrenton, which was four miles away, for their supplies. James ran some ads in the local newspaper and within a few months he had more customers than he could handle. Eventually he discussed with Rosa at length what to do about the handling the influx of new customers. Rosa suggested he hire someone to assist him in the store. James agreed and began the search for an additional employee. It took James several weeks to locate and hire a young woman, Jessie Ray Hilliard. Jessie Ray was so adept that after a few weeks James was so comfortable he allowed Jessie Ray to mind the store while he walked home each day for a hot lunch.

Lizzy grew up to be a beautiful young woman who was admired, even coveted by any male in Macon between the age of 14 and sixty-five. She was quite the looker and James and Rosa decided early on to develop some strict rules about her interactions with the opposite sex to prevent any possibility of Lizzy from getting "messed up." While a student Lizzy developed an interest in poetry. When she had free time she would write poems in a small notebook obtained from the general store. When Lizzy was fifteen she helped out at the general store after school and on weekends. Exposure at the store presented the opportunity for Lizzy to come in contact with all kinds of people, young and old, black and white, lecherous and non-lecherous. One day in early spring a young man entered the store to purchase some shirts. Lizzy waited on him and provided useful input in helping him make his selections. He was a nice looking, articulate, well mannered gentleman who appeared to be a bit older than Lizzy, in fact, she learned later he was 15 years older. Before she rang up the sale they chatted for a bit since there were no other customers in the store. The gentleman asked Lizzy if he could visit her on Sunday afternoon, after church, of course. Lizzy, having never had an offer by a male to keep company told the man she would have to get permission from her parents and if he would come by the store on Friday she would give him her answer. That night after dinner Lizzy told James and Rosa about the young man she had met at the store. James listened intently and responded that he knew of the gentleman and his family and mentioned they were natives of Warren County. Rosa asked Lizzy how old the man was and Lizzy guessed he was a bit older than she was. James and Rosa agreed they saw no harm in allowing Lizzy, who was 16 at the time, to entertain the young man even if he was a bit older, at their house on Sunday afternoon, at least for a couple of hours, but no more. They cautioned Lizzy not to rush into agreeing to longer visits, carriage rides, or socials in town. Lizzy was excited and thanked them for their willingness to have the man visit on Sunday. Now all Lizzy had to do was hope he would return to the store on Friday.

Matt was still living with Missouri Angeline and while he wanted to become independent and start his own farm and build a house, the comfort of a warm bed and someone at daylight making breakfast was a good situation he was unwilling to terminate. Missouri Angeline repeatedly lectured to Matt that he needed to be on his own, it was best for him and best for her, but while he agreed in principle, he continued to retire to the comfort of his bedroom each evening in Missouri Angeline's house.

Matt was excited about Friday approaching so he could see the young lady at the general store. He hoped her parents would allow him to call on Sunday. When he arrived at the store mid afternoon on Friday she was waiting on a customer so he had to wait. As he walked up and down the aisles looking at the merchandise he noticed a display of candy. He picked up a large square of chocolate candy from a plate on the counter and commenced to eat it while he waited. When she finished with her customer she walked over to Matt and they exchanged greetings while he placed a penny in her hand for the piece of candy. She was all smiles and informed him that her parents had consented to his visit. He exuded a big smile upon hearing the news and told her he would be there at 2 o'clock sharp on Sunday. He gave her another penny and picked up another piece of candy on his way out of the store.

After regular church services at the Methodist Church on Sunday morning Matt briskly walked back to the farm to make final preparations for his afternoon visit to Lizzy's. He had checked his directions several times as he wanted to make certain he arrived on time. He was excited about seeing Lizzy away from her work.

When Matt arrived he was greeted at the front door by Lizzy, who had been sitting in the front room eagerly awaiting his arrival. She directed Matt's entrance with her right arm to come into the front room where and James and Rosa were seated. Lizzy introduced Matt to her mother and then to James who knew him. James asked how Missouri Angeline was doing and Matt told him she was getting by, but she missed James quite a bit. James wanted to know where Matt worked and he indicated he was helping his mom on her farm, but that one day soon he would move to his own farm. After the exchange of greetings since it was late spring Lizzy and Matt went out and sat in the rocking chairs on the end of the wraparound porch. The couple had no trouble whatsoever making conversation, from farming, the stores in Macon, and the lingering effects of slavery. Before they knew it the two hours was exhausted and it was time for Matt to leave. Before departing he went back inside to the front room where James and Rosa were sitting and thanked them for allowing him to visit. They told Matt it was a pleasure to have him and to come back. Matt thanked them and immediately turned to Lizzy and asked her when he could pay another visit. Lizzy told him he could come again next Sunday at the same time. Matt smiled and confirmed he would return next Sunday afternoon. As he walked home he reflected on the loss of his father and his siblings and wished he understood why these deaths happened when they did and how they did. Life to him was fragile and unpredictable. A person could work hard to forge his way toward a goal then at the blink of an eye his life could be taken from him. At the Methodist church that morning the preacher spoke in his sermon about this life being a preparation for the next life in Heaven. Matt had difficulty understanding the concept of a hereafter, which according to the religious beliefs was a place where you rejoin your loved ones, a place of milk and honey, a place where everyone was happy, healthy, and content with their lives. To him none of it made much sense, but he hoped as he got older perhaps he could better understand the teachings. Matt did not read the Bible on a regular basis, but at times when he came home and Missouri Angeline was reading her Bible he would sit while she read aloud some of her favorite passages. After she read some Bible verses they would discuss what each thought the passages meant and most of the time they disagreed with each other's interpretations.

That night as Matt lie in bed he focused on his time spent with Lizzy. She seemed to be a kindhearted person who had interests in many things. Matt had little interest events happening in other parts of the state and he had no interest in what was going on around the globe. Lizzy was a girl who, in time, he could ask for her hand in marriage, but until he could be comfortable enough to function on his own marriage was just a vision, something other people did, not him. As his eyes became heavy Matt planned to decide in the morning when to leave the security of Missouri Angeline's home and settle on his own farm. This move would take much planning, but the time for Matt was now. That night Matt had a dream involving several people he could not identify. When Matt arose the next day the dream and the mystery people in the dream confused him. As mid morning approached Matt was involved with his farm work having forgotten about the dream.

As Lizzy prepared for bed she thought about her time spent with Matt earlier that afternoon and hoped he would come by the store before next Sunday. While she didn't want to forge an impression that she was awestruck by Matt, at least not yet, she certainly looked forward to seeing him again as soon as she could. Upon her upcoming graduation from high school she concluded the best plan for employment would be to continue to work in the general store. Lizzy knew Jessie Ray was an excellent employee and James would never think of replacing her, but she was just not sure if James had enough business to employ two full time women and she wanted to work longer hours, so she planned to mention to possibility to him in the morning before she left for school. As she dozed off she wasn't sure if Matt was would be the man in her future.

The next morning Lizzy asked James about working in the store full time after her graduation and he said he would have to think about it. At school that day Lizzy sat in her classes partly listening to her teacher while the remainder of her attention was directed to Matt. That afternoon at the store every time the door opened Lizzy looked intently in anticipation of Matt walking in. Each time a customer was someone other than Matt. By Wednesday the halfway point of the week Matt had not dropped by.

The week for Matt was relatively uneventful on the farm, but in the evening he gave much attention to making plans to move from Missouri Angeline's to his own home. He determined the location on the farm to build his house. Matt's plan called for a kitchen, a front room, and two bedrooms. He made a sketch of the house and planned to travel to Macon to speak with a local carpenter who assisted people design and construct their homes. The landowner was to provide the materials and the carpenter and his crew with help from the homeowner would build a house for a small profit. The carpenter told him to let him know when the boards were on the site and he would come out within a few days and get started on the house. If he got married and had children they would share a bedroom until the children outgrew the house, then he would build an additional bedroom. He stopped by the lumber mill to negotiate with the manager to cut a certain amount of timber for his use in return for removing enough trees and planing the logs into boards for his house. The lumber man told Matt he would try to have his timber cut within a week. If time permitted he wanted to drop by the general store to see Lizzy. By four o'clock he had finished his meetings and wanted to go by to see Lizzy, but it was getting late and he had a long walk back home. The next day Matt got a ball of string, cut some stakes, and then walked to his farm. He staked off the perimeter of the house then stood back and tried to imagine what the finished structure might look like. He visualized a scene where his wife was on the porch waiting to greet him after a hard day's work in the fields. Matt felt things were coming together. Once his house was built he could move out of his mother's house and finally become self-sufficient. He planned to work on Missouri Angeline's farm until next year's planting season then he would plant his own crops on his own land and he would really be on his own.

That night he shared his plans for the future with Missouri Angeline and she was very pleased. As Matt went to sleep he experienced the same dream involving unknown people. When he woke up the dream was still fresh, but his visit to Lizzy's on Sunday took center stage.

Saturday night Lizzy tossed and turned all night, too excited to get a good night's rest before Matt's visit. Lizzy woke up at the crack of dawn and began making breakfast for the family, something she never did. When James and Rosa got up and came into the kitchen they were shocked when before them was a table full of breakfast delights, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and a large stack of flapjacks. They sat down and ate until they were satiated. Lizzy cleaned up the kitchen before she got dressed for church. This Sunday was a special day at the Baptist church. Every few months a guest minister was invited to deliver the message followed by a covered dish furnished by the church women. Attendance was always better when the guest ministers came and this Sunday would be no exception. James and Rosa always attended church unless one or the other was sick. The family took the wagon to the church and after the service gorged themselves on fried chicken, green beans, new potatoes, and sweet potato pie. By the time they returned home everyone was in need of a nap. Lizzy prepared for Matt's afternoon visit. She baked some drop cookies and made a cider. She went out on the porch and dusted off the rocking chairs.

Matt arrived just after two and Lizzy greeted him on the porch. They sat outside and talked for about thirty minutes before Lizzy escorted him to the kitchen for a snack. Matt spoke to Rosa and James on the way to the kitchen. Lizzy and Matt consumed their snacks at the kitchen table. Matt explained the details of the house he planned to build. Lizzy was happy for him and was impressed he had developed his own design. Lizzy asked Matt to attend her school graduation ceremony and he responded he wasn't sure whether he could or not. They walked back out to the front porch and by four o'clock Matt had to leave. He went inside and thanked Rosa and James for letting him come and this time managed to get a hug from Lizzy before he departed. Lizzy watched and waved to Matt until he was out of site. After two visits Lizzy wasn't certain of their future together, but she did enjoy his company. They did not make further plans before Matt left. Matt enjoyed Lizzy's company and wished the visits could be longer and perhaps at some point he would take her for a carriage ride or attend a church social. He was thirty and she was only sixteen and while at least the infatuation was present Matt was preparing to be very consumed with other issues. Matt was in a good place and intended to be on his own within several months. He didn't have much time to court, but he knew he had feelings for Lizzy. As Matt reviewed his plan to move out from his mother's, build a house, and prepare for spring planting he should have told Lizzy there would be no way he could attend her graduation. At some point he would have to find the time to go by the store and tell her he could not attend. Matt never found the time to drop by, thus Lizzy was disappointed he was not present at her important event. After graduation James increased Lizzy's hours at the general store. Given her new work schedule she had little free time other than attending church on Sundays.

The lumber men arrived few weeks later to Matt's farm to cut the trees. Within two weeks the logs had been planed and returned to the building site. Due to bad weather and a few other building projects it was a month before the carpenter and his men began work on Matt's house. The work was slow, but the builders were meticulous and Matt was delighted with the house when it was completed in late February. With help from Spencer, Matt moved what few possessions he owned from Missouri Angeline's house in one day. Over the next few months Matt added additional furniture, all very functional pieces, to his new home. He began preparations for his initial season of spring planting. He managed to save money over the years which allowed him to purchase farm supplies. He spent some time projecting the amount of labor he would need to help with the planting. It was important to have a good first year and he intended to work hard to make it happen. For several months he did not call on Lizzy, he simply did not have the free time since planting his first tobacco crop became his top priority.

Luckily some of Matt's land had been cleared by James in earlier years anticipating the need for additional space to plant tobacco. He selected a portion of the cleared land to sow his tobacco plant bed in late February. His plan was to get the tobacco plants in the ground by early May. While the days and weeks of nursing his plants to be mature enough to live outside the plant bed were time consuming and challenging Matt took much pride in his work. He made frequent trips to Macon to pick up supplies and if he dropped by the general store at all he spoke briefly with Lizzy, but no plans for getting together were discussed. By the time Lizzy absorbed the updates Matt provided regarding his work on the farm she felt any mention of his visits to see her would be futile. For the next two years their relationship consisted of brief conversations when Matt came in for supplies. Lizzy did meet other young men as they came to the store to buy merchandise. If any man was bold enough to ask to see Lizzy away from work the answer was always no. Lizzy was comfortable with her life and was in no hurry to enter into any relationship. If Matt came by the store when he was in Macon, fine, if not, Lizzy was not distraught. For the next two years the lives of Matt and Lizzy were the same, both working long hours, seeing each other at the store occasionally, and church on Sundays. By the end of 1909 Matt's farming skills were exceptional and his profit margin on his tobacco crops left him financially comfortable between fall harvests.

One Sunday after church in late October Matt returned home and for once in a long time he sat down in his front room with some free time. He thought about Lizzy and wondered if she was home from church and would she be glad to see him if he dropped by? Would such a visit would be too audacious; might it rub Lizzy or her parents the wrong way? Should he wait and ask Lizzy if he could visit the next time he was in the general store? What should he do? He decided to hitch up his carriage and ride out to Lizzy's house. He was getting of using the carriage as a means of transportation so he planned soon go to Warrenton to see the new Ford automobiles. The dealership opened in June of 1909 and while few people in the county had made a vehicle purchase, people were at least interested in taking a look at these new machines. Henry Ford was producing a new mode of transportation that made going from one place to the other much easier and the price was well within reach for most middle income people. Matt knew he would eventually purchase this new automobile.

Matt arrived at Lizzy's, secured his horses and then headed for the front door, but before he got there James opened the door and was taken aback by Matt's sudden appearance on the porch. Matt asked if Lizzy was home and James said she was still at church, but he could wait inside if he'd like. Matt told James he would not remain, but requested James tell Lizzy he had been by and would try to see her at the store next week. Matt unhitched the team and decided to visit his mother. Missouri Angeline was glad to see her son and invited him to stay over for dinner. Missouri Angeline talked to Matt about how much she missed her husband and about the brief lives of the three children she had buried. While she was happy he was on his own she did miss him being around her farm. Matt mentioned the dream he continued to have, but Missouri Angeline could offer no rationale as to meaning of the dream. He explained to his mother he still continued to get depressed, but if he could stay busy the attacks didn't occur as often. Missouri Angeline asked if Matt was still courting Lizzy and he said he seldom had the time to visit since he got involved with his farm. The hour was getting late so Matt decided to spend the night. He went outside, untied the horses and led them down to the barn. He went back inside the house and sat quietly for most of an hour reflecting on his day and his progress thus far with his farm. Matt's dream returned that night and the man in the dream picked up a gun from a table and shot himself in the head.

Matt awoke early, stoked the fires and put on a pot of coffee. Missouri Angeline had taught him how to cook when he was a young fellow and often he pitched in to help her prepare the meals when he was home, so this morning would be no exception. He found side meat, eggs, and some flour for biscuits. Pretty soon the sounds of coffee perking and meat sizzling in the pan woke Missouri Angeline up. She came into the kitchen and offered to assist Matt with the preparations, but he told her he was almost finished. After breakfast Matt hitched the horses to his carriage and traveled back to his farm. When he arrived at the farm he put the horses in the pasture and walked back to the house. As he sat in his easy chair in the front room he examined his financial ledger and chuckled when he realized he had done very well for having been a farmer for only two years. He wanted more in life than the farm; he wanted to share his life with a companion. He decided before the week was over he would pay a visit to Lizzy at the store and ask if he could call on her the next Sunday afternoon. He put his ledger away and took a walk out to his fields. As he walked among the rows he observed how beautiful and serene the land was and how fortunate he was to have had a loving father leave him this land. He vowed to continue to work hard and be successful like his father. Perhaps he would soon become the envy of the other planters in the county and his farm would become the model for all other farms. He wished his deceased siblings were still alive so he could share his good experiences, but by the time he returned to the house he was depressed. He sat in his easy chair in the front room and the longer he sat there the more depressed he got. After about an hour of sitting he went into the kitchen pantry and pulled a jug of whiskey off the shelf. Matt was something of binge drinker, so when he drank he usually drank to get drunk, which he did that afternoon. The more whiskey he consumed the more depressed he got until he had consumed most of the bottle. He returned the bottle to the kitchen, and then staggered back into the front room and fell trying to grab the arm of his chair. Instead his face hit the chair arm as he crashed to the floor and he lay in the floor for several minutes before attempting to get up. He grabbed the front of the chair in an attempt pull himself up and slipped down again and this time he stayed stretched out on the floor until sometime after midnight. When he woke up he had a terrible headache, but he was able to slowly drag himself to the bedroom where he fell on top of the bed and there he remained until the next morning. The first thing he did when he got up was prepare a full pot of coffee and proceeded to drink most of the pot. He scrambled some eggs and with some two day old biscuits managed to get his stomach calmed down. He went to the sink and threw some water into his face, then walked back to the bedroom to get dressed to face another busy day. He made a pact with himself not to consume that much whiskey in one evening any more.

Matt expected a local man to come to the farm to lend a hand killing pigs. Matt had no stomach for cutting the throats of pigs and pulling the entire guts out and salting it. The pig man did a good job dressing the fresh pork, but charged very little since Matt gave him part of the pig for doing the dirty work. Once the pig was separated into chops, ribs, and sausage Matt had enough pork to last into the next fall. The man always added just the correct amount of seasonings to the sausage. Matt took a few pounds of sausage to Missouri Angeline and planned to take some to James and his family. On Tuesday Matt traveled to Inez in the southern end of Warren County to help a friend raise a barn. When the crops were harvested many farmers took to helping their neighbors perform whatever tasks needed to be done on their respective farms. Matt had known the man since before James died as on several occasions James had taken the young lad hunting with his friend from Inez. The man was getting a bit older and Matt wanted to lend a hand to his father's old friend. Upon leaving Inez the man gave Matt a generous portion of venison. Matt got home just before dark, built a fire in his cook stove and pan fried a piece of the venison for dinner. After dinner he sat in his front room and finished the remainder of the bottle of whiskey. Before he went to bed he decided that he would try to get to Macon the next day to see Lizzy. That night as he went to sleep his final thoughts were on Lizzy, but in the wee hours of the morning the dream returned, but this time there some additional characters, none he recognized when he tried to recall the dream the next day. As he went down to the barn to hitch up the horses to his carriage he continued to review the details of the dream, searching for clues to unlock the meaning if in fact there was any meaning.

Matt arrived in Macon at around eight o'clock in the morning. He took the horses by the blacksmith's shop to get both horses reshod. He walked down to a small restaurant to have some more coffee. While he was seated at a table near the front windows he noticed Lizzy crossing the street, heading in the direction of the restaurant. He got up and went outside to greet her as she stepped up on the porch of the restaurant. Lizzy looked up, smiled, and spoke to Matt. She seemed very pleased to see him as he escorted her into the restaurant to his table. A waitress came over and took Lizzy's order, two scrambled eggs, a biscuit and a cup of coffee, as she had not yet eaten breakfast. Matt shared the details of his busy week while Lizzy provided him with antidotes about some of her recent customers. She told him James' business was doing very well and it seemed to her that there were customers in the store the entire time the store was open. Matt asked if he could visit her on Sunday afternoon. Lizzy told him it would be fine with her if he wanted to visit, but had he rather take her to the school's Halloween carnival instead on Saturday night? Matt hadn't considered asking Lizzy if he could take her anywhere, the thought eluded him. She mentioned she was now eighteen and was given consent by her parents to participate in other activities. If he wanted to take her he could pick her up around four at work and they could go straight to the school. Matt liked her offer better than his so he agreed to pick her up at four o'clock on Saturday. When they left the restaurant they briefly embraced on the porch.

Matt walked back to the blacksmith's to get his newly shod horses. He hitched the horses to his carriage and slowly drove out of Macon, passing James' general store. By the time he got back to the farm the sky was full of the usual stars. After he bedded down the horses Matt left the stable and went back to the house in search for something from the pantry he could fix to eat. He wasn't in the mood to build a fire in his cook stove so he settled for a meal of some three day old hard rolls and a slab of salty ham. After his quick meal Matt sat in the front room and before long he dozed off. Soon he was dreaming the dream with the same characters.

On Saturday morning Matt travelled to Warrenton, the county seat, to pay his annual county taxes. By the time he returned to the farm he had to rush to get cleaned up and dressed to make it to Lizzy's by four. He had time to give the horses some food and water and managed to arrive slightly past four. Lizzy heard the sound of the horses and knew it was Matt so she hurried to the door to greet him. Once again they hugged each other at the door, but before leaving Matt went inside to speak to James and Rosa. He was careful to stay on good terms with Lizzy's parents. Matt and Lizzy left the house headed to the Halloween carnival. When they arrived there were quite a number of townsfolk already there. Once inside they made their way around the auditorium where several booths were set up. Lizzy stopped to examine some of the fall harvest crafts some of the women of Macon had made. There was a booth featuring an array of pies and cakes with plates of small samples available at the end of the table. Lizzy and Matt sampled each of the desserts. Another booth was set up for bobbing for apples, which was mostly for the children, but some adults also joined in the fun. On the stage was a makeshift band of local musicians. They weren't very good, but most people attending didn't seem to care. The band did an excellent job of getting many people involved in dancing and Matt and Lizzy briefly displayed their limited dancing skills. There were several games being held, but they were designed primarily for the children. Matt and Lizzy stayed at the carnival until about seven thirty. Matt suggested they go by the restaurant and get dinner since all they had at the carnival was sweet snacks. The restaurant was mostly full so they had to wait a few minutes until a table was available. After they were seated a waitress came over to share the evening's specials. Matt and Lizzy both decided to get trout which was a delicacy for Macon. They talked and laughed throughout the evening. After dinner Matt drove Lizzy slowly back to James' house. When they got back Lizzy asked Matt to come in and sit for a spell, which he did. James and Rosa were reading in the front room, but they put their books down to listen to Matt and Lizzy tell them about the carnival. Lizzy told them she saw many of their friends and they asked how James and Rosa were and wondered why they didn't attend. It was almost ten o'clock when Matt left Lizzy's house. Before he left he asked Lizzy if he could visit her next Sunday afternoon and Lizzy told him he could. She suggested he come early and they take a picnic lunch down to the creek's edge on the lower end of the farm. Matt thought the picnic was an excellent idea and he said he would provide a dessert, assuming he could get Missouri Angeline to bake something for them. They exchanged one last hug, but this time a kiss of short duration was added. They stood on the porch staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like several minutes before Matt released his arms from around Lizzy's petite waist. As Matt rode home in his carriage he was beginning to have special feelings for Lizzy and he hoped she was feeling the same way.

On Monday Matt rode into Macon to locate someday laborers to help him load up a wagon full of tobacco to haul to market in Henderson, some twenty miles away. While Warrenton had tobacco markets, Henderson had more markets and sometimes the prices were higher than the markets in Warrenton. By the time Matt sold his load of tobacco he was disappointed at the current price, but he wasn't going to ride that distance, then turn around and take the entire load back home.

Matt stopped by Missouri Angeline's on the way back from the tobacco market to see how she was doing and to ask her to make a dessert for the picnic. Missouri Angeline was glad to see her son and they spent several hours catching up on the local news. Matt asked Missouri Angeline about baking a dessert and she told him she would the happy to bake a cherry pie, one of Matt's favorites. Matt told her he would be by later in the week to pick up the pie.

By Friday Matt was eagerly anticipating the picnic with Lizzy on Sunday. He rode over the Missouri Angeline's late in the day to pick up the pie she promised to bake. When he arrived he discovered she was not home, so he waited for well over an hour before he saw her small, one horse buggy come into view. When she got into the house she apologized and said she had to visit a sick neighbor earlier that afternoon, but she had not expected to stay as long as she did. She retrieved the pie from her pie safe and handed it to Matt. The pie looked and smelled scrumptious and Matt was tempted to cut a slice right then and there. He knew Lizzy would appreciate a pie made by his mother's loving hands. After all Missouri Angeline usually won all the prizes in any baking contest at any church or county fair she elected to enter. She was simply the best cook in those parts. Matt got home after dark and took his cherry pie in the kitchen and set it on his cook stove. He stood back and admired this dessert yet again and was glad to have a mother who would do anything for her son, even bake a pie. He stayed up late reading the newspapers he had not had time to read in several weeks.

On Sunday morning Matt decided to go to church, something he seldom did anymore, but for some reason he decided he would attend. Upon arriving he was greeted by several men he hadn't seen in a while. They talked briefly about their farm issues and their hope that next year would bring a record harvest. Matt seated himself three pews from the rear of the church because that was always where his parents and siblings sat when they attended as a family. Those days were over, but seating himself on that pew recalled good childhood memories. As he sat there waiting for the service to begin he looked around and noticed many familiar faces, all sitting in precisely the same pews he remembered they sat in when he came to church as a child. He wondered why it was that the congregation sat in the same seats, but then why was he sitting in the same seat. Maybe sitting in the same pews brought back good memories for those folks as it did him. Hopefully, it did. Soon the minister walked up to the lectern and called the congregation to rise and join in singing the opening hymn. Matt was big on singing, but he did the best he could, as others seemed to do. As he surveyed the room it appeared to him that several churchgoers were faking it, not really singing, but moving their lips in a singing motion. He wondered why they even bothered to do that, if they didn't want to sing, just don't sing. This Sunday happened to be Communion Sunday, which Matt hated because he never liked to have to walk up to the altar. As his row was summoned he followed other participants up to the altar and was directed by the pastor to kneel. The pastor turned around to the communion table and picked up a plate of bread which had been sliced into small cubes and walked to one end of the altar. He proceeded to offer a cube of bread to each member while he uttered a few hard to hear words. After all were served the pastor voiced some words of praise and comfort, and then he turned back to the table to get the beverage, which was grape juice rather than wine. He offered each person a small glass of juice and once all were served he said more useful words, then excused the group to return to their seats. The service was over in about an hour and a half, since Communion generally lengthened the service from the usual hour. Matt stood in line upon leaving to speak to the pastor and thank him for a good service. The pastor enquired as to whether Matt continued to have those disturbing dreams and Matt told him that he did. The pastor offered to meet him Matt in the near future to discuss these dreams further. Matt agreed to meet with the pastor in two weeks at his office. Matt knew the pastor had no great suggestions, much less answers to his dreams, but he hoped that if he could explain his dreams well enough perhaps someone else could provide new insight as to the rationale for his dreams. He thought such a meeting could do no harm.

After church Matt realized he only had thirty minutes before he was to pick up Lizzy for their picnic, so he drove the carriage downtown and walked along the pavements of Macon observing the displays in the store windows. As two o'clock approached Matt got back into his carriage and rode over to Lizzy's. When Matt arrived Lizzy was not yet ready so James kept him company. When Lizzy came into the front room she spoke to Matt and gave him the picnic basket. They said goodbye to James and walked out in the direction of the carriage. Matt had the pie in a box especially constructed to transport pies. Matt followed Lizzy past the house and the barns down through several vacant fields to a creek. The water was quite shallow, not deep enough to swim in, but on a hot day in July it was a cool place to put one's feet. Matt put the basket and the tin pie box on the ground then assisted Lizzy in opening an old blanket she had brought for them to sit upon. They sat down and Lizzy opened the basket and placed the food on the blanket. She had brought some of Rosa's Sunday fried chicken, smashed potatoes, green beans, and sweet potato biscuits. She included a container of water for she wasn't sure what beverage Matt wanted. She served Matt a full plate plus a glass of water then prepared her own plate. They sat and talked while they ate their meal. After lunch they decided to walk down by the creek before they had their dessert. They walked quite a distance and Matt was impressed with the beauty of the creek and the surrounding areas. By the time they returned it was already three thirty. Lizzy served up the pie and what a great tasting pie it was, so good Matt had another slice. Lizzy declined to eat another piece of Missouri Angeline's cherry pie. Matt told Lizzy he had a wonderful afternoon with her and enjoyed all the food. Lizzy responded in similar fashion and told Matt to thank his mother for the delicious pie. Matt leaned over and put his arms around Lizzy and pulled her closer to him. They stayed in that position for several minutes until Matt leaned in and kissed Lizzy, but this time the kiss was different than before, longer, deeper, and more sensual. Lizzy responded and participated as an equal player. Soon they were lying on the blanket in an unusual embrace, but both were enjoying the moment. Matt began to have feelings he had not felt before. The feelings were good, but he didn't quite know what to make of them. Lizzy experienced unfamiliar feelings also and was uncomfortable enjoying this new freedom. Pretty soon Matt's hands were in new places on Lizzy's body and he liked it while Lizzy was not rejecting the placements. Matt and Lizzy simultaneously pulled away from each other as if someone had rang a bell to signal the end of the exchange. They sat on the blanket and looked into each other's eyes and came to the realization they would be seeing much more of each other. They packed up the basket; folded up the blanket, picked up the pie tin and walked hand in hand slowly back to the house. When they were back Matt stayed until past ten before heading out into the cold evening illuminated by a full moon. On the way back to the farm all Matt could think about was Lizzy and his strange, but good feelings while they embraced. He knew he liked how he had felt and couldn't wait to be in such a position again. He needed to find some things out about the feelings men have and the feelings women have and what one does to remedy such feelings. He wondered where he might get that kind of information.

The next week Matt was busy harvesting the small acreage of cotton he had planted. He had some difficulty finding enough pickers in Macon, hence, given the small crop plus the low prices he wondered if cotton was in his future. Maybe he should stick to tobacco or explore other opportunities. Some of his neighbors were beginning to use their land to graze cattle for dairy products and a steady supply of beef. He had made money with tobacco since he started the farm but he was open to using his land for greater potential.

By 1911 Matt's farm was consistently turning a profit from the production of tobacco each year. He raised a few cows, pigs, and chickens, but mainly used these animals to meet his own food supply needs. Occasionally he would sell a cow or a few pigs, but those sales were rare. The previous years he had ceased his small crop of cotton because the labor was getting harder to secure and the prices continued to be lower than he was willing to tolerate. He befriended several of his day laborers and he talked often to one of the men about the possibility of entering into a sharecropper arrangement. Matt continued to see Lizzy as often as their free time permitted. On several occasions Matt mentioned the subject of marriage, but Lizzy never took him seriously. Lizzy continued to work at James' general store and was resigned to the fact she would work there forever. James and Rosa continued to live in the same house and often wondered if their daughter would be an old maid and remain with them forever in that house. They liked Matt and hoped Lizzy would soon marry either Matt or anyone with a job.

Matt visited Missouri Angeline one Saturday to ask her opinion regarding marriage to Lizzy. Missouri Angeline's only question was why he had taken so long to consider marrying Lizzy. She knew he loved Lizzy and she was certain the feeling was mutual. He had her blessing and she would do all she could to help with wedding planning if needed. Matt told his mother when he visited Lizzy on Sunday he intended to ask her for her hand in marriage. He went home that night and thought about how he should go about asking Lizzy to marry him. He decided to ask Lizzy to go for a walk down to a spot on the creek where they had their first picnic and ask her there. He thought it would be romantic and remind her of that special day. He did not have a ring to give her but if she said yes he would get her one as soon as was feasible.

Matt was late to Lizzy's on Sunday afternoon, but given the real reason for his visit that day he doubted if she would mind him being a little late. They sat in the front room catching up with James and Rosa for about thirty minutes before Matt suggested they take a walk down to the creek. Lizzy went to get her overcoat as the weather had turned colder the last few days. Matt grabbed her hand as they exited the front door and as soon as the door was closed Matt kissed Lizzy as they had not kissed each other before in front of James and Rosa. As they walked down to the creek Matt was in a jovial mood and Lizzy was enjoying being entertained by this man she had known for four years. When they reached the creek they stood silent and stared at the gently moving stream for several minutes before Matt turned to Lizzy. While he held her hands in his he got down on one knee, looked up at her and asked her to marry him. Lizzy looked directly into his eyes, smiled and told him she would marry him. Matt got up and embraced

Lizzy fearing she might have second thoughts on his proposal, break free and run off into the forest. Matt apologized for not having a ring, but assured Lizzy he would give her one as soon as he could find the perfect one. Lizzy said a ring was a thing, a symbol of their love but not love; therefore, she was in no hurry to get a ring. On the way back to the house they talked about setting a date for the wedding. Since it was February Matt suggested either they get married before planting or perhaps wait until early fall after the crops were harvested. Matt asked Lizzy if she wanted a grand ceremony inviting friends and relatives from near and far or did she want a smaller service? He didn't really care as long as they got married. They had much to decide, but as they entered the house Lizzy couldn't wait to share the good news with James and Rosa. After she told her parents they were elated and wanted to know the details of which there were none yet. As Matt left the house that day they both agreed to think about a date for the wedding and how grand the ceremony should be. Matt told Lizzy he would be by the store on Wednesday to take her to lunch and perhaps they could finalize their wedding plans.

On the way home Matt stopped by Missouri Angeline's to share his news about the impending wedding and as with Lizzy's parents the news made her very happy. She offered to help with the plans in any way she could and knew they would be happy together. She expressed hope they not wait too long to give her some grandchildren. Matt smiled, but had no response to Missouri Angeline's comment about offspring.

When Matt sat in his easy chair that evening he felt relieved Lizzy had agreed to marry him. He thought about the upcoming planting season and hoped he would have a lucrative crop which would enable him to provide them with the money to buy the things they needed to begin their life together. Maybe the size of his house would be expanded after they had children. Once they were married he expected Lizzy to run the household rather than continue working at James' store. He went to the kitchen to get a celebratory drink of whiskey. After two quick drinks he took the bottle back to his easy chair and drank from the bottle until he passed out sometime before midnight.

Matt's dream occurred that night with the usual characters. In the dream there was a room where a man and a woman were engaged in some serious oral exchange, and then there was utter pandemonium, then there was silence as the room emptied. After experiencing the dream many times Matt decided he would write down everything he remembered about his dream as soon as he woke up, perhaps over time he could make some sense of the journal entries. He also noted he was depressed sometimes for several days after these troubling dreams. As soon as Matt woke up that morning he grabbed his journal and logged his recollections of his dream. He wrote down the scene as best he could recall along with descriptions of as many people in the dream as possible. He realized that most of the people were the same but once in a while a new character entered, sometimes this new person appeared again in the next dream, but not always. Matt was depressed for several days after his latest dream, so much so he got very little work done.

He met Lizzy for lunch on Wednesday as promised and tried to appear upbeat, but the dream still had a hold on him. They discussed the details of their wedding and decided the wedding should be sometime in August. They also decided to have a small ceremony of just family and their closest friends. As soon as they were married Lizzy agreed to move as soon as possible to the farm and run the household while Matt operated the farm. Matt told Lizzy he hadn't forgot her ring, but cited work as the reason he hadn't had time to shop for one. After lunch Lizzy returned to the store for the remainder of the afternoon while Matt travelled to Warrenton to shop for a ring. While he was in Warrenton looking for the perfect ring he stopped by the Ford dealers to take a look at automobiles. His two horses were getting old and most days he hated to hitch them up to the carriage to go anywhere. He had gotten to the point where he let the horses set the pace as he was reluctant to use his whip to get them to go faster. He was ready to put them to pasture for the remainder of their days on earth. The cars he looked at were called Model T's and cost about $700.00, which was a tidy sum of money for 1911, but Matt had that kind of money. The salesman told him he could reduce the price by fifty dollars if he committed to the sale that day, but Matt was not yet ready as the ring was his priority purchase. He told the man he expected to purchase an automobile soon but would not commit further. He left the dealership and headed to the only jewelry store in town. The clerk showed him several rings, but none suited him. He left the store thinking he needed to find time to travel to Henderson, a larger town which had two, maybe three jewelry stores. He unhitched his carriage and headed back to the farm.

The next week Matt took delivery of a load of fish guano to put in his fields before planting his tobacco. He had Spencer come over from Missouri Angeline's to help as he had difficulty finding any help in Macon that week. He inspected his plant beds and discovered the loss of several hundred plants on the lower end of the bed lost to frost as the wind had blown up the covering and left the plants unprotected. Matt decided he was finished with planting cotton; he would sink or swim with tobacco. If his crop failed he would borrow money to get buy on or perhaps seek work helping out on another farm. Maybe he could borrow some money, if needed, from Missouri Angeline. He hadn't seen Lizzy in a week so he managed to find time to ride over to Macon to see her at the store. He asked to come out to her house on Sunday and take her to his farm since she had never, after all this time of courting, seen the farm. She was excited with the opportunity to experience the place she would live for the rest of her life. Lizzy invited Matt to come around mid day on Sunday to have lunch with the family. Matt took her up on the offer and said before lunch they could take a stroll. Before Matt departed he told Lizzy he had looked for a ring in Warrenton but had no luck in finding the perfect one, but he planned to travel to Henderson in the near future to continue the search.

When Thornton and Clemmie received news of Lizzy's plan to marry Matthew Robertson they were not too happy and stopped work in the fields to pay a visit to Lizzy at work to inform her of their displeasure. They arrived at the general store at lunch time and took their sister to lunch. Once they were seated Clemmie commented on the impending marriage. He profiled Matt Robertson as an irresponsible, largely uncaring man who gave the appearance of caring only about his welfare. Thornton mentioned that Matt was known to drink and probably a bit too much and was seen often in town buying liquor. The comments angered Lizzy as she told her brothers they didn't really know Matt and if they did they would find he was not the ogre they believed he was. They told her that in time she would see they were right and maybe before she married him.

Matt arrived at Lizzy's on Sunday at eleven thirty to chat briefly with James and Rosa before he and Lizzy went for a walk down to the creek. Matt talked about their life after they were married and how he hoped Lizzy would be satisfied tending to the house. He said once they were married if the house didn't suit her fancy he would build her a new one. Lizzy told Matt she would miss working in the store for she enjoyed interacting with the people she had come to know and like. She told Matt she hadn't considered no longer working at the store after they were married. If she did discontinue working there she expected James would need some time to secure a suitable replacement. Matt was adamant that Lizzy not continue to work in town after they were married. When they returned to the house Rosa had lunch ready. While eating Lizzy mentioned after they were married Matt no longer wanted she to work at the store. James became very silent, so Lizzy asked was anything wrong. He told her he was taken aback upon hearing she planned to leave the store. He said he didn't expect to operate the store much longer, but when he retired he wanted Lizzy to be in charge of the store. After hearing news about her leaving James said he wasn't sure what he would do. Matt attempted to justify his position by reminding James that his wife, Rosa stayed at home, as a matter of fact she had raised four children in that house and as far as he knew she had never worked a day outside the home. James admitted Matt had a point except in this case he had a store which had been very profitable and why wouldn't he want to leave the store to his daughter who had been working there for years. James suggested Matt might consider selling his farm and moving to Macon after the wedding and together they could run the store after he retired. Matt said he would never leave his farm. His family had always been farmers and he intended to be one until the day he died and no wife of his would ever work outside of the home. The four seated at the table became very quiet and kept their faces buried in their plates until all had finished eating. Matt and Lizzy went into the front room to sit down, but neither spoke to each other for a while. Shortly, James and Rosa entered the room with an atmosphere similar to a Quaker meeting. After about an hour Matt arose and told Lizzy he was heading back to the farm. She asked had he forgotten he offered to take her to the farm and show her around. He responded that he was a bit miffed over the discussion at the table he needed some time to be alone, but that he would take her to the farm later. Lizzy was visibly upset, but did not prevent Matt's departure. Matt told her he would try to see her sometime next week but was noncommittal as to when he would see her.

He returned to the farm and split wood the rest of the afternoon. By day's end he had cut enough wood to last for days. He thought about James wanting Lizzy to stay at the store, but if she was to marry him that represented a new legal arrangement and under that agreement he would expect her to conform to what he needed rather than her father. What if working for James was what Lizzy really wanted, what then? Matt suspected he should settle this issue immediately rather than leaving it unresolved until they were married. After feeding the stock he went to the pantry and got a jug of Tennessee whiskey. He went to the front room and plopped down in his easy chair and tried to wrap his mind around the day's events. He needed to decide what he would allow Lizzy to do and if she married him she married the farm and her duties there were not negotiable. He would tell her soon there would be no compromise. James would just have to live with Matt's decision or spend the rest of his days being irritated. He decided to find a time to ride to the store and inform Lizzy of his decision and be prepared if she decided not to marry him. He knew they loved each other and he had confidence she would side with him instead of her father. Matt didn't need to travel to Henderson to shop for a ring until this issue was resolved. By eight o'clock Matt had consumed approximately half the bottle of whiskey. He had no appetite except for the Tennessee whiskey. Within the hour Matt passed out in his chair and commenced to dreaming.

Matt appeared in the dream for the first time along with a woman he assumed to be Lizzy, but he wasn't sure. The other principles still remained unknown. In the dream there was an argument about something, but the next morning as he tried to write down his recollections, he could not furnish a reason for the argument. People in the dream were scurrying about, shouting at each other. He concluded the continuing dreams were about him, but what about him, that remained a mystery. He made some coffee and cooked a small breakfast before going to inspect his plant beds. All morning he was melancholy and wondered if getting married was right for him. Maybe being alone was the way he was expected to live or perhaps there were other women out there more willing to consent to whatever he requested, but would he want a wife like that? He had a lot of questions, but few answers. Matt's tobacco plants were healthy and he expected another good crop in the fall. That afternoon he completed turning the fish guano in a field he had not planted in a couple of years. He decided the next morning he would go to Warrenton to see the Ford Model T, test drive this new machine and if he liked it he just might purchase it. Why not? He had worked hard for the money he had, and until this Lizzy issue was solved he just might be alone a while longer, so he could spend his money any way he chose. He knew his horses would be glad if he bought a car.

Matt reached Warrenton early the next morning and stopped by a restaurant on Main Street to eat breakfast. He seldom had breakfast away from his farm, but while he was enjoying food he realized how much he enjoyed someone else preparing the meal. Preparing breakfast was a duty he expected a wife to perform. The Ford dealership opened at eight o'clock and Matt was the first customer. The salesman showed Matt the features of the car and allowed him to sit in the driver's seat while he explained the controls. Matt was eager for a test drive so the salesman led him outside to another car they used only for test drives. The salesman cranked the car and motioned for Matt to get in on the driver's side. Once the man showed Matt which levers to pull, how to actuate the brakes, they were off heading downtown. Matt enjoyed the ride and discovered how easy it was to steer and he didn't have to provide feed and water! The test drive lasted for about thirty minutes and when Matt returned to the dealership he told the salesman he wanted to purchase the Model T Ford. He asked what the terms were and the salesman told him if he paid cash he could reduce the price about fifty dollars, but if he needed credit he would need to pay the full price. Matt was silent then he told the man he would buy the car for $800.00 and the man agreed with the offer. Now Matt had a car to get around in. Once he completed his paperwork and paid the man he decided to drive back to Macon to show Lizzy.

Matt reached the general store to show Lizzy his new automobile, but James said she had already gone home. He believed James was still irritated because of his demand that Lizzy not continue to work in the store after they were married. Matt thanked him and returned to the farm. He parked his new car and walked down to the stable to ascertain if the Model T could be kept inside. He surveyed the interior of the barn and concluded the car would fit if he reduced the size of his stalls, something he had no real interest in doing. He returned to the house and tried to figure out a way to protect his new treasure. Later that evening he decided the best solution would be to build a shed for the car. With help from a few men he would erect posts on each corner with two on one side shorter than the other side in order to have a lean to effect. He could close in at least two sides and later another side plus a door on the front side. He hated to bear the additional cost, but he needed to protect his purchase. He returned to the idea of reducing the size of the stalls for his horses, but he imagined that might well be more work than erecting a new structure. He decided to sleep on his decision and next morning he would finalize what he wanted to do.

He was sorry he didn't get to see Lizzy at the store, but he would be insistent that after they were married she wouldn't work for James. He wanted to talk to Lizzy about this plan away from her parents, so he would have to figure out a place to take her where they could be alone. Matt slept comfortably, but in the wee hours of morning his dream returned. In the dream Matt was having a conversation with a woman, probably Lizzy but he was not sure, and then other unknown people were going in and out of a room appearing to be concerned about something. As soon as Matt woke up he immediately recorded what he remembered about the dream and then compared the entry with earlier ones and found nothing really new. He got dressed, built a fire in the kitchen and in his cook stove, prepared his morning breakfast, and tried to finalize some decisions. He decided to drive the Model T to Macon to price the materials he would need to build the shelter, and then he would go by the store to show Lizzy the car and ask her to have lunch. At lunch he would emphasize that when they were married she would not work at James' store. If she flatly refused then he would tell her the wedding was off, maybe. He knew he did not want to cancel the wedding plans, but he knew he wanted his new bride on his farm and not at James' store.

He pulled up to the lumber yard at approximately nine o'clock and after most of the employees had admired his new automobile he presented a list of materials he needed for his shed to a store clerk. The clerk reviewed Matt's list and did some calculations on the cost of the materials. The clerk presented Matt with the totals and Matt told him he would be back soon to pay for the materials. He left the lumber yard and headed to the general store. When he walked in he did not see Lizzy, but James was standing behind the counter so Matt spoke to him and they talked briefly while Matt waited for Lizzy. James asked Matt about his car and Matt mentioned he was planning to build a shelter for it soon. Lizzy returned to the counter from the rear of the store. Matt took Lizzy outside to show her the car and asked her to join him for lunch and she accepted his invitation. At the restaurant they sat at their usual table near the front window. After ordering Matt told Lizzy about wanting to build a shelter for his car, how good his plant beds looked, and just about everything else except what he really wanted to talk about. Matt procrastinated by monopolizing the conversation with meaningless banter as long as he could for he didn't want to bring up the subject of Lizzy not working for James, fearing the marriage plans might end right there. The food was brought to the table and while they ate their lunch they were both quiet. Matt hoped Lizzy would just tell him she agreed with his request that she not continue working for James after they were married and that would settle it, but she never brought the subject up. They finished their meal and after another glass of tea Matt paid the bill and they left for the general store. Matt dropped Lizzy off and returned to the farm without bringing anything up about Lizzy's work after they were married. He was mad at himself for not being strong enough to elicit an answer to his pressing question. As he shut off the Model T and walked to the house his focus was on the shelter for his car.

That night Matt drank three quarters of a bottle of whiskey, still trying to figure out how to settle his issue with Lizzy. The next morning when Matt got out of bed he was feeling a bit down. It was a struggle for him to get going, even making his morning coffee. He even failed to make an entry in his journal about his dreams, something he came to be very consistent about. He sat around for what seemed like most of the morning before he could muster up enough energy to go out and feed his stock. By mid morning he felt a little better, but his indecisiveness was gnawing on him. He inspected his plant beds and found the seedlings to be healthy and soon he would begin the arduous task of spring planting. This year he was adding another field in hopes of an even more profitable harvest season. He still needed to assemble enough laborers to assist with the planting, but he was confident when the time came he could secure sufficient help. When he returned to the house he sat for a while trying to gather enough energy to get anything done. Shortly after lunch Matt drove to the lumber yard in Macon to purchase the material for his shelter. He gave the clerk the original list and he checked to confirm all of the materials were still available. After he ascertained he had all the materials the clerk tallied the final bill and presented it to Matt. Matt promptly paid cash and the clerk said the materials could be delivered within the week. Matt left the lumber yard in search of some day laborers he could hire to help put up the shelter. He found a couple of men loitering around the train station and after talking to them for a few moments he learned both had experience with building projects so Matt's shelter would pose no real challenge to the men. Matt's compensation offer was accepted by the men and he told them he would return to Macon as soon as the materials arrived to let them know when he would need them. The men told Matt where he might expect to find them when he returned. The three shook hands on the deal and Matt departed feeling satisfied that everything was in place to construct his shelter. The general store was in sight and Matt knew he needed to see Lizzy. He hoped she would not be busy waiting on customers or that James would either be busy or maybe not even at the store. Matt didn't want to see James, at least not for a while.

When he got to the store Lizzy was at the register making change for a customer. Matt looked around the store for other customers, but found none. He looked for James, but did not see him; perhaps he was in the storage room. The customer left the store and Lizzy turned to Matt to greet him. He smile and asked how she had been. He told her about finalizing the arrangements to build his shelter for the Ford. There was a pause as both were hesitant, neither wanting to bring up the subject of her working in the store after they were married. Lizzy finally spoke up to inform Matt she had talked extensively with James about working after the wedding and after much discussion he had come to terms with the fact he was losing his daughter and his employee to another man. Matt was relieved that the issue had apparently been solved. He told her he was pleased and she would see that taking care of the household chores at their farm was the right thing to do. Lizzy smiled, but offered no further comments. Matt told her he planned to drive to Henderson soon to continue the search for her ring. He asked to visit her on Sunday and take her for a drive. She consented and asked him to come after two since she was planning to attend church. Matt left the store feeling very good about things, especially about Lizzy's role after they were married. He knew they still needed to finalize the specifics of the wedding, but perhaps this could be discussed on Sunday afternoon. On the way back to the farm Matt decided to take an alternate route and visit Missouri Angeline. When he arrived she greeted him with a hug as they went into her front room. Matt caught her up with his marriage plans and told her he was going to build a shelter for his new car. He took her outside to show her the Model T and offered to take her for a ride, but she was a bit uneasy having never ridden in a car before. She told him one day soon she would take a ride with him. They went back inside and Missouri Angeline caught him up on her news. She had decided to give Spencer a greater role in managing her farm as the time had come reduce her responsibility running things. She had great faith in Spencer's abilities and intended to increase his share of the annual profits. Matt listened and told his mother he was comfortable with her decision as long as she would have enough money to live on. She mentioned Nat and Foster were fine, but expressed sadness her three sons didn't seem to be as close as she would like. Matt vowed to make an attempt to visit each brother in the near future. Missouri Angeline invited Matt to stay for the rest of the afternoon and eat dinner and he accepted the offer. For the remainder of the afternoon Missouri Angeline enjoyed Matt's company and was pleased he was a responsible man. She had supreme confidence he would be successful in whatever future endeavors he undertook for she knew he was willing to work hard. During dinner Matt mentioned the ongoing dreams he experienced. Missouri Angeline listened to the recounting of his troubling dreams but had no insight as to what they meant. She told Matt she often had strange dreams, but the next morning she thought no more about them. They were dreams, fantasy she thought, and she doubted if they had any kind of real world meaning. She suggested Matt just try to forget about them. He told her he continued to experience depression, especially after a night of these dreams. He also mentioned often he was often depressed a day after having consumed too much whiskey. He thought long and hard but couldn't connect the dreams, the whiskey and the depression, perhaps they were mutually exclusive. He was as confused as ever about all of it. Missouri Angeline mentioned he should be careful about the amount of whiskey he consumed especially when he was alone, but then she admitted she knew little about the spirits since she never drank and knew James had consumed little if any liquor while he was alive. Matt seemed to have issues her other children didn't have. Matt left his mother's house shortly after nine o'clock. When he got to the farm he walked to the stable to check on the horses, and then returned to the house to reflect on the tasks ahead of him. He had a shelter to build, a crop to plant, and a wedding ceremony to finalize. Matt slept well that night.

The materials for Matt's shelter arrived on Thursday afternoon. He checked his list against the delivery and everything was there. He drove to Macon to find the men who had agreed to help with the construction of his shelter. Matt drove around the train depot but did not see the men so he headed to a friend's house where they were staying temporarily since neither had a permanent residence. When he got to the house he saw one of the men sitting on the front porch. He got out and approached the man and reminded him of the earlier agreement to help build the shelter. The man smiled and said he remembered the conversation and asked when he wanted to start. Matt told him they needed to start on Monday and he expected the structure would be complete by the end of the week. He asked about the other man and was told he had gone to town earlier that morning, but he would be told when he returned and both men would be there Monday morning. Matt left and drove back downtown hoping Lizzy was at work. When he got to the store he could see her through the store window so he entered and talked briefly with her. They made a date to attend a social at a friend's new house on Saturday evening.

On Friday Matt journeyed to Henderson to shop for a wedding ring. It took most of an hour to get to town, but when he arrived he noticed the main street had more automobiles parked on the street than in Warrenton, but Henderson was a larger town. He found a place to park and walked down the pavement in search of jewelry stores. The first one he entered had a nice selection, but nothing he was shown struck his fancy, so he left in search of another store. As he walked and window shopped he contemplated a store on main street was a good way to make a living, assuming one could sell enough of a product or service, as James did, to make a decent living. At least the work was not outside in all kinds of weather. Anyway, he was not really shopping for a new way to make a living he was looking for a ring. He found another jewelry store three blocks from the first store and went in and asked to see wedding rings. As he examined the rings from the second display counter he noticed one ring he liked. The band was plain except on the edges where there were small lines of detailed handiwork. Matt paid $10.00 for the purchase of the ring. When he left the store he was pleased that the ring was the proper symbol of his love for Lizzy. He planned to give this "engagement" ring to Lizzy on Saturday before taking her to the planned social at their friends' house. By the time he arrived at the farm it was almost dark. He fed the stock and went back to the house for the evening. That night he reviewed his financial situation and after purchasing an automobile, building materials for his shelter, and a ring he was still in good shape. He had paid cash for all of his purchases. He elected to keep most of his funds in a small wooden box under his bed rather than the local bank. He believed keeping money in a bank was an inconvenience when one needed to make a quick purchase, especially in another town. He had a bad habit of carrying large sums of money in his wallet. He felt perfectly safe both at home and when he was on the road. He prepared a small meal that night and had a few drinks of whiskey while he read in his easy chair. He dozed off while reading and when he woke up he went to his bedroom and went back to sleep. His dream returned and this time he dreamed he had a pistol. The woman, who he believed must have represented Lizzy, was shouting at him for something he had done or was going to do. Later in the dream the room filled with people running around. When he woke up he recorded his recollections of the dream, giving special attention to the appearance of a pistol.

Matt was excited about seeing Lizzy that evening and presenting her with the ring. He got dressed, ate breakfast, and walked down to where his shelter would be built. He did some preliminary marking off of the distances between the posts to get things moving faster when the building men arrived on Monday morning. The shelter was planned to have two sides, but the more Matt thought about it he wondered if he didn't need to build a third side now. He decided to talk to the men on Monday about the third side. Matt was a few weeks away from planting his tobacco seedlings which still looked as healthy as they ever had. He had high hopes for a banner year at the tobacco market to help get off to a good start in his first year of marriage. By mid afternoon he had finished his farm chores and headed back to the house to rest a while before picking up Lizzy. He took his Saturday bath and laid out his best outfit. At around three thirty he got dressed and downed a few Tennessee whiskeys before he went out to crank the Model T. He drove to James' house at about four thirty. James met welcomed him and offered him a seat in the front room. In a few minutes Lizzy came in and Matt got up to hug her, but did not kiss her in front of James and Rosa. They all sat down and got caught up with the community gossip before Matt asked Lizzy to go for a brief walk before departing for the social. They walked down to the creek, their special place, and it was there that Matt pulled the boxed ring out of his coat pocket and presented it to Lizzy. She took the box and looked into Matt's eyes briefly before opening the small box. When she opened the top her eyes lit up and a big smile commenced on her face. She looked at the ring and then Matt, and then back to the ring. She moved closer to Matt to give him a big hug and kiss and for a few moments they embraced each other. Lizzy thanked Matt for the ring as he took the ring and slowly placed it on her finger. Lizzy held her hand up to adore the new ring. They walked back to the house hand in hand. They went inside to show the ring to James and Rosa. It was time to leave for the social so Matt and Lizzy bid their goodbyes and left for their friends' new house.

The hosts allowed them to make their wedding announcement as well as show off Lizzy's ring. Matt was careful to point out that the evening was about the celebration of his hosts' new home rather than the wedding. After everyone settled in the hosts offered a short guided tour of the rather large two story house with eight rooms. Matt and Lizzy were quite impressed with the home and maybe someday they might own such a fine house. After the tour the food was served and the remainder of the evening was spent with conversation, the men with the men and the women with the women. The men were offered some ardent spirits, while the women in another room were offered hot tea. At around nine the party began to break up and by nine thirty the hosts closed the door behind the last guests, Matt and Lizzy. Matt drove Lizzy back to James' house and after a kiss he said goodnight and told her he would try to get by sometime Sunday afternoon, but he wasn't sure when.

Chapter 3

Matt arrived at the farm sometime around ten thirty. He parked the Ford on the side of the house and walked around to the front door. When he went to unlock the door he discovered such a key was not necessary for the casing and part of the door had been compromised. He sensed someone had broken into his house. He wondered if the intruder(s) were still inside so he slowly pushed the door open and took one cautious step at a time into the front room. The only sounds heard were the creaking of planks and the squeaking of Matt's leather shoes. He looked around for something to use as a weapon should he confront the would be thief and picked up the poker beside the fireplace as he walked to the kitchen in the rear of the house. Still no sounds were heard except the sounds exuded by Matt's movement across the wooden floor. From the kitchen he walked into one of the bedrooms, but still all was clear. Lastly, he entered his own bedroom and found no one. He took a deep breath and fumbled around for the lamp next to his bed. He located the box of matches and managed to get the lamp lit. He turned up the wick and continued to inspect his bedroom before returning to the front of the house. As he looked around he noticed everything appeared to be in place, as he was pretty certain he didn't have anything of value a robber might want. As he returned to the kitchen he realized, money! A robber certainly would be interested in money if he could find some and Matt knew where he stored his money. He rushed back into his bedroom and kneeled down near of head of the bed and moved his hand back and forth trying to find his wooden box, the box that held most of the money he had in this world. He lay on the floor while holding up his sheets and blanket as he moved his lamp back and forth hoping to find the box. No box. Someone had broken in while he was in Macon and made off with the box and its contents. Matt raised himself up and sat on the floor with his back resting against the bed and stared at the wall facing him. He sat there for several minutes, numb, trying to come to terms with what he had just discovered. He had prided himself in managing his money to ensure he had what he needed and now most of it was gone. He had a small savings account at the bank in Macon, but that money would not get him very far. He still had to pay for his shelter and he had crops to plant and workers to pay, and lastly, he had a wedding. After about thirty minutes of attempting to make sense of this night Matt arose and took his lamp into the front room. He had to report the robbery to the sheriff's office as soon as he could. He could wait 'til morning since it was now approaching twelve midnight, but since he was wide awake with little prospect he would get any sleep he decided to drive to Warrenton assuming a deputy or jailer would be at the office. Matt arrived at the sheriff's office at close to one in the morning and when he pulled up he noticed a faint light coming from a window in the office. He turned off the Ford and ran up to the office. As he reached for the door he noticed the door was not locked so he was able to walk right in. Over in the corner by a pot bellied stove was a law officer. He had dozed off with his feet propped up on the stove next to a pot of day old coffee. When Matt closed the door the man's eyes opened and his feet came off the stove and settled firmly on the floor. He had a concerned look because in Warren County there was little business for county law enforcement. The department had a sheriff, three deputies, and a part-time jailer, who worked when they actually had a prisoner. Matt explained what happened while the deputy anxiously scrambled to write down what he could understand. After taking Matt's account of the robbery the deputy told him someone would be out to his house first thing in the morning to investigate. He explained that it might even be the sheriff since it had been a while since he had participated in a felony investigation. The deputy said he would keep his eyes and ears open for any rumors or other information which might lead to an arrest. As Matt left frustrated he knew the law couldn't do very much until they launched an investigation. When Matt finally got in the bed it was past two o'clock and he lay restless for the remainder of the night.

Matt got up when he first noticed sunlight coming through his window. He got the fires started and prepared his coffee. He was too distressed to be too interested in food, but he did manage to eat a cold ham biscuit. He tried to piece together a way someone might have known about where he kept his money in his house. He believed most people kept money in their own homes because their home was more secure than any bank. He tried to recall a time, a place where he might have mentioned to anyone that he had money in his house, but he failed to come up with anything. Perhaps his farm was randomly selected, which was entirely possible. He wondered if he had any enemies who disliked him so much they would conspire to rob him, but he could not produce one person. How would he tell Lizzy? Would this robbery cause a change in their wedding plans? How was he going to pay workers? How was he going to get a crop in the ground and manage it through the summer without money? He had no answers, but for now he just had to be patient until the law arrived; perhaps they could piece the case together leading to an arrest and a recovery of his money.

It was mid morning before another Model T drove into the yard at Matt's farm. The county was progressive enough to believe when folks needed their services they needed them as soon as possible; consequently, two new Model T's were purchased for the sheriff's department. Matt heard the sound of the Ford and went to the front door to greet his visitors. When he opened the door he noticed a large badge on the shirt of the officer and assumed it must be the sheriff himself. He knew of Sheriff Moseley, but had never met him. The men exchanged greetings as Matt escorted him into the front room. The sheriff told Matt his deputy was outside looking around for any clues and he would be in shortly. As Matt recanted his story the sheriff jotted down some notes. He listened intently until Matt was finished with his account of what transpired. The sheriff told Matt he would give this case top priority as he considered robbery to be second only to murder in investigative importance. The sheriff's position was if another man took away a man's ability to provide for himself and his family, he was downright mean. The sheriff felt that some of the money, which Matt said was over three thousand dollars as he wasn't entirely sure since it had been a while since he counted it, might well turn up in some big purchases in the county, therefore, he would be alerting local merchants to be vigilant of such purchases and report such to his office. The deputy came in and informed the sheriff and Matt that it appeared someone had made an attempt to open a rear window, but since it was locked they decided to break in the front door. Matt thanked them for their time and told them he hoped to hear some positive news from them soon.

Matt settled into his easy chair to figure out what he should do next when it occurred to him he had told Lizzy he would visit her that afternoon. He had to tell her the bad news, but he wasn't ready to suggest a change in their wedding plans. He had no idea at the time of how much the ceremony might cost, but his immediate financial worry was paying the men to build his shelter in addition to paying his workers in the next few weeks to help him plant his crop. He knew he had enough money in his savings account to cover the cost of the labor for the shelter, but he would be short come time to pay his help for the planting. The men were scheduled to arrive the next day to begin the shelter, perhaps he should drive to Macon and tell them his news and postpone the shed. He wondered how long it might take if he postponed the work, all the while the lumber would be laying on the ground exposed to the elements. He surmised he could borrow some money from the bank as most farmers did and pay it back when his crops came in the fall. He hated the idea of borrowing even a nickel, but this time he may have to. First things first, first he would visit Lizzy and tell her about the robbery, then he would sleep on what to do next. He would let the men arrive on Monday and by the time they arrived he would reach his decision. If he decided to postpone or cancel altogether the shelter he would still pay the two men for a day's work and he was certain they would understand his situation.

When Matt got to Lizzy's it was past three in the afternoon; she had already settled into a day of reading while patiently waiting for him to arrive. James and Rosa were still at church while Lizzy elected to walk alone back to the house, about four blocks away. There was a knock on the door and Lizzy put her book down and hurriedly walked to the door. As she opened the door she noticed a serious expression on Matt's face and she immediately assumed there was a problem. They went in the front room and sat down on the sofa as Matt began to explain the details about the robbery. She grabbed his hand and held it for the remainder of his account. When he had finished his story she moved closer and embraced him as he shed tears. She asked if this incident would necessitate a change in their wedding plans and Matt told her that since they hadn't finalized the details yet, he just didn't know. He made it clear his priority was securing enough money to make sure his tobacco crop got planted since the crop represented his financial livelihood. They went into the kitchen for a piece of gingerbread Rosa had baked that morning and while they were eating James and Rosa came in from church, so Matt had to retell the story of the robbery. James told Matt he would be on the alert for any suspicious purchases in his store and also said he knew Sheriff Moseley personally and if anyone could solve this crime the Sheriff could. Matt told James he intended to purchase a handgun as soon as possible. He recounted his childhood fear and overall disinterest in guns, but he realized had the thieves broken in while he was home he would've had no way to defend himself, thus he was determined to make sure he was protected as would Lizzy once they were married. He vowed in the future to shoot anyone who attempted to break into his house. James told him he had a few handguns for sale at the store and he might want to drop by and take a look when he was in town. Matt thanked him for the suggestion and told him he would visit the store soon to examine the collection. Matt took Lizzy for a short drive on a country road which led into Warrenton from the west. They drove down Main Street and through some of the residential areas before returning to Macon. Matt ate dinner with James and Rosa and left sometime after eight to return to his farm. When he drove into the yard he was a little nervous for the last time he came home at night he discovered he had been robbed. He wished now he had a gun for if he did he would walk in with his index finger firmly around the trigger. He lit his lamp in the front room and inspected the rest of the house for anything out of order. As he went to sleep he wondered if the addition of a gun in the dream was a sign, a message for him to get a gun because he might have to use the gun to protect Lizzy. When he awoke he would have to decide whether or not he wanted the shelter built as the men were scheduled to arrive early to begin work.

The next morning Matt decided to go ahead with plans to build the shelter for his Model T. He had the money, but would seek odd jobs if needed to get by and if necessary he would get a bank loan. The men arrived at the appointed time and walked with Matt to the site selected for the shelter. They remeasured the four corners and made slight adjustments in Matt's calculations. The men commenced digging the post holes on the corners. By lunch time the four corner posts were positioned and after lunch they secured the bracing on all sides. They attached the framing for the roof and by quitting time they had about half of the roofing completed. The next two days it rained all day so the men didn't return until Thursday. The roof was finished on Thursday and the men planned to start on the sides on Monday. Matt paid the men their cumulative wages through Thursday and told them he would see them on Monday. On Friday Matt drove to Henderson to shop for a handgun. There were two gun shops in Henderson and Matt visited both. He found the best deal at the second store and walked out with a Colt revolver and two boxes of cartridges. He left Henderson and drove to the Sheriff's Office in Warrenton to see if there were any new developments with his case. The sheriff was out of the office, but the deputy on duty said there was nothing to report. When Matt returned to the farm he improvised a target and took it down to the edge of the woods and set it up against an oak tree. He walked back several yards and turned to face the target. He loaded six cartridges into the Colt's revolving chamber then snapped the cylinder shut. By the time he was ready to return to the house he had emptied about half a box of shells into the target and he was confident he could effectively stop a man at about ten yards. That night he reloaded the pistol and laid it on a small table next to his bed and it would remain there when he retired. He thought about taking it with him when he went out in his Ford. Matt concluded if he continued to keep large amounts of money in his house, especially in easy to get to places like under a bed his money could be stolen again. He decided he would no longer keep large sums of money in his house and if he kept any money at all he would do a better job of hiding it. He still held out hope the sheriff might be able to recover his money or at least some of it.

Matt went to see Lizzy on Sunday and told her about his handgun purchase, but she was not pleased he had decided to own a gun. She disliked guns but she understood why Matt felt a need to own one. They talked for quite a while about their upcoming wedding and were able to agree to a date, the third Sunday in August and they wanted the ceremony to be at the Methodist Church, Matt's church, rather than Lizzy's. Matt was insistent that Lizzy change her church membership from Baptist to Methodist once they were married. She expressed displeasure at leaving her acquaintances at her church, but Matt told her she would still get to see those people around town at other times. Lizzy wanted a large wedding inviting many friends and relatives while Matt much preferred the smaller, more private family affair. Lizzy reluctantly agreed to the smaller ceremony. They both came to terms with a reception following the service in one of the church classrooms. They planned to send invitations to family members who lived a great distance and would use word of mouth to get out notice of the impending marriage to family living nearby. With the wedding several months away they believed they would have sufficient time to get the word to their guests. As Matt left that night Lizzy wondered just how many more concessions she might have to make more they were married.

The building men showed up as expected on Monday morning to finish nailing boards on two sides of the shelter. By mid afternoon the men had finished; Matt paid the men and told them he would contact them when he was ready to finish the shelter, but for now a roof and two sides would help protect his treasured Model T Ford. He paid the men their final installment then went to move the Ford into the shelter to see how it fit. He slowly drove the Ford into the shelter and switched off the ignition. He had no trouble getting out of the car and walked around the other side to see if there was enough room to get in and out of the car from inside the shelter. He was satisfied with what he saw. He left the car in the shelter and walked back to the house.

At about five o'clock Matt heard someone approaching his front yard. This time he went to his bedroom and got his pistol and planned to keep it handy until he identified the visitor. The car stopped and Matt saw a familiar face getting out of the driver's side. It was Sheriff Moseley so Matt opened the door and called out to him to please come in. Once inside Sheriff Mosley told Matt he had some news regarding the robbery, but he didn't have news Matt preferred. He gave Matt an account of a Warrenton store merchant who came by last week to inform a deputy a man had been in his store last week to buy some merchandise and paid in cash with a hundred dollar bill, which was unusual since most people he knew didn't pay for their purchases with that kind of currency. Since the store operator didn't know the man he became a little suspicious, hence he reported the incident to the deputy. Two days later the same man returned and again paid with a large bill. The store owner rushed to the Sheriff's Office again and told the deputy on duty who accompanied the owner back downtown to his store to identify the man. The deputy followed the suspicious man out of town in the direction of Embro, southeast of Warrenton. The man made a turn on to a dusty road and soon stopped at a little shack and tied up his buggy and went inside. The place was small and the deputy figured if the man was the robber he didn't have many places to hide any stolen money. The deputy got out of his car and knocked on the door. The man was obviously surprised at a having visitor out in the middle of nowhere, especially a deputy sheriff. The deputy grilled the man about paying for goods with large bills and the man became nervous and agitated. The deputy told him he wanted to look around and the man panicked and made a break for the front door which forced the deputy to draw his gun in an effort to halt his progress. The deputy told the man to go over and sit in a chair in the corner of the kitchen. The deputy placed the man's arms behind the back of the chair and cuffed him. The deputy looked through what few cabinets and shelves there were in the kitchen and then went into the tiny bedroom to continue his search for the missing money. He looked under the bed and in a small closet. He came back into the kitchen and pressed the man for the whereabouts of the rest of the stolen money. He tried to frighten the man, sensing he was no hardened criminal, hoping he would break down and confess to the robbery, but the man held firm and said nothing. After the deputy finished searching the small shack he walked out to a stable where the man kept his horse and began searching in the stable. Over in the corner of a stall was some hay stacked up and as the deputy moved the hay around with his boots the tip of his boot hit something solid. He reached down and saw the top of what appeared to be a wooden box. He whisked away more of the hay and picked up the box, noticing the box had a key hole but it was not locked. He opened the box and discovered a sum of money; the deputy guessed it was at least several hundred dollars. He went back to the shack and held the box in front of the man's face and asked him where he got it, but the man still refused to speak. At that point the deputy announced he was placing the man under arrest for the robbery at Matt Robertson's farm. He managed to get the cuffed man's arms from around the chair without having to take the cuffs off and led him outside and put him in the back seat of his car to drive him to the county jail in Warrenton. Sheriff Moseley told Matt they were probably lucky to catch the alleged robber when they did for after extensive interviews with most of the downtown merchants others admitted accepting large bills for goods and services without giving much thought to the unusual size of the denominations they were paid with. Matt tried to be patient with the sheriff's ongoing tirade when what he really wanted to hear was how much of his money did the deputy recover. It seemed the sheriff would never stop talking so Matt finally interrupted and asked him directly how much of the money was found. The sheriff told Matt after both he and the deputy tallied the amount it came to just over a thousand dollars. The alleged robber had done away with two thousand of Matt's dollars, but at least enough money was recovered to hopefully pay for getting Matt's crop planted and perhaps he could survive well into late summer. Matt was skeptical this man could have spent over two thousand dollars in such a short period of time in the area without more than one person being suspicious. He surmised that perhaps he had travelled out of the area and spent some of the money without anyone being concerned or maybe he hid some of the money somewhere else. He asked the sheriff if he intended to return to the shack to search for more of his money and Sheriff Moseley indicated that he would dispatch a deputy to the shack in the next few days for a more thorough search. As the sheriff prepared to leave Matt thanked him for recovering the money and requested he receive updates of the ongoing investigation. Matt asked Sheriff Moseley if he was reasonably certain that there was only one robber and the sheriff replied since he hadn't interrogated the prisoner very much he couldn't be sure the man had no accomplices. In time, the sheriff offered, all of the facts of the case would be known.

Matt's first order of business the next morning was to take most of the recovered money to his bank. He decided to keep out enough to take care of his day to day expenses but he was not ever going to keep large sums of money in his house again. It was early when he got to Macon and the bank had not yet opened so he went by the general store to tell Lizzy that the Sheriff's Office had recovered some of his money. When he got to the store Lizzy was stocking some shelves so she stopped to talk to her fiancé. She was elated that some of Matt's money was returned and hoped the good news would brighten his spirits for a while. Matt left the store and headed to the bank. He gave the clerk eight hundred dollars in cash to deposit to his savings account and she gave him a receipt. He went back by the lumber yard to get a price for the additional materials to complete his shelter for the Model T. He returned home by mid afternoon and let his horses out in the pasture. Tomorrow a man was coming to the farm to slaughter and dress a pig as Matt knew it couldn't be soon enough as he had consumed all of his pork products.

The rest of the week Matt and a helper re-chinked Matt's tobacco barns; the work itself was quite time consuming but a process that was necessary to ensure an air tight barn during the curing process.

On Monday a day laborer Matt had used extensively during his brief stint as a tobacco farmer came to help him break up the soil in the tobacco fields in preparation for spring planting which was just around the corner. Matt used his two horses to pull the large metal plows and by week's end they had finished all of the fields. Matt expected to begin his planting in two weeks and asked the man if he would recruit several other laborers to help with the planting he would pay him extra money for each man he recruited. The man accepted the offer and promised to return with sufficient help in two weeks.

As the planting season arrived Matt had little time to visit with Lizzy, but having been a tobacco farmer's daughter she understood the commitment. She continued working on the details of their wedding reception with Rosa. As they planned the food for the reception they got advice from a local African-American woman known in the area for her cooking prowess. The lady was most helpful and offered many ideas Lizzy and Rosa had not considered.

By mid April Matt's tobacco transplanting had been completed. All that was necessary was to get sufficient rain, be prepared to weed and sucker when necessary and be ever vigilant for the pesky tobacco worms. Matt's crop was strong well into July and barring any uncontrollable bad weather this crop could be his best yet. He was doing a good job of managing the remainder of his money throughout the summer months and expected he wouldn't need any loans from the bank.

Sheriff Moseley and his deputies never recovered any more of the stolen money, but Matt had learned an important lesson about where to keep money, even in a county not known for much criminal activity, keep it in a bank.

Chapter 4
As Matt entered the month of August he looked forward to the wedding at two o'clock in the afternoon on the third Sunday of the month. Lizzy and Rosa had been busy with the preparations and felt comfortable the ceremony and the reception would take place as planned. Matt's tobacco crop continued to be healthy throughout and he was extremely lucky to have ample rainfall, something tobacco farmers didn't always get. His bank account was holding out and he predicted he would make it until he sold his crop. Lizzy had been saving her earnings and they would add her money to the Robertson bank account as soon as they were married.

Two o'clock at the Methodist Church in Macon on the third Sunday of August, 1911 had finally arrived and the marriage ceremony of Matthew Robertson to Susan Elizabeth Overby was about to commence. The pianist began playing the "Bridal Chorus" as the wedding entourage began to slowly walk down the narrow aisle to the altar. The ceremony was uneventful with all the standard exchanges of vows being affirmed quickly, followed by the official announcement by the minister that Matt and Lizzy were husband and wife, for better or for worse. The guests stood as the couple walked to the front door and when all were outside many people came up to express well wishes. Rosa came out and announced that the food was ready in the classroom so people formed a line and waited for their turn. The reception lasted for about an hour and a half before finally Matt and Lizzy got in their Ford to return to their farm.

Once home Matt picked Lizzy up and carried her across the threshold into her new life with her husband. Matt returned to the car to gather up Lizzy's belongings and after her things were put away they sat down in the front room for rest and reflection of their wedding day. Tomorrow Lizzy would awaken in a different bedroom in a different house and in the bed with a man, something she had yet to do, even with the man she married. As they prepared for bed that night both Matt and Lizzy were excited yet apprehensive as they were about to enter into an alien expression of their love for each other. Matt's father never told him about intimacy nor did Rosa ever mention such a subject to Lizzy, so they were charting new waters. They were very quiet when they woke up the morning after. After Lizzy and Matt had breakfast he went out to check on the stock, and then to the tobacco fields. He returned to the house at lunch time and discovered Lizzy had rearranged the organization of the kitchen and the pantry, this was the area she agreed to run after they were married. They talked briefly about the morning's work. After lunch Matt sat in his easy chair and dozed off for a brief nap. After his nap he headed back out to the fields.

By September the Robertson's were settled into their day to day routine. Lizzy prepared the meals and cleaned the house while Matt spent most of his day between working in the fields and driving to town to get supplies or to recruit workers. On Sunday they attended the Methodist Church in Macon and after church they visited James and Rosa for lunch or visited Missouri Angeline and had lunch with her. Other than church and visiting parents Lizzy almost never got to go to Macon since she didn't drive; when Matt went to town he never asked her to go with him. She became accustomed to her routine, but she did miss the daily interactions with other people. When she tried to talk to Matt about her needs he cut her off and talked about his needs. At night when the lamp by the bed was turned down they went through the motions of what couples get to do once they are married, but most of the time not a sound could be heard from the bed room except the wind blowing through the cracks in the floor or a stray mouse scurrying about looking for some food dropped on the floor.

By late fall the harvest season was upon Matt and he was very busy supervising the priming, curing, stripping tobacco and preparing his crop for markets. Most of the time he took the early harvest to markets in Warrenton since it was the most convenient location. If he was lucky he got a good price for his poundage, but if he heard prices were higher in Henderson he would travel the extra miles for more money. By the end of October most of his crop was sold, but he elected to keep some of his tobacco hoping the prices might increase as November markets approached. After paying his expenses he was very comfortable that they would be in good shape until it was time to repeat the planting cycle.

By November Lizzy was bored silly with cooking and cleaning and pressed Matt to let her get out of the house sometime other than Sunday. He was very noncommittal, but finally managed to say he would give it some thought if she would agree that whatever it was she decided to do he would have to drive her. One evening after dinner Lizzy asked Matt to teach her how to drive the Model T. She thought driving a motor vehicle didn't look all that complicated. Matt was very firm with her that no self respecting woman would want to be out on country roads at all hours of the day alone. He advised her to consider the dangers in the event the vehicle shut down. What would the townspeople or the neighbors think of her or of him for allowing her to drive around without an escort? He told Lizzy he simply could not agree to such a ludicrous request, but if she would give him the day and the activities she wanted to participate in he would give up a day or part of a day to drive her to the appointed location. There was no further discussion that night regarding activities or transportation away from the house. Lizzy continued to be disenchanted with her life, in particular her marriage and she often wondered what in the world did she or for that matter any other woman want to get married for.

The first Christmas for the newlyweds came and went and the winter was as cold and hard as any ever recorded. The house was hard to keep heated for there was no insulation. Matt spent a good bit of time splitting wood and carrying out ashes. Many days due to the cold he had difficulty cranking the Model T, so they resorted to hitching up his carriage. He realized it was a good thing he didn't sell his horses! Lizzy continued to be frustrated and expressed her dissatisfaction to Rosa. James continued to voice his irritation at losing Lizzy at the store and when Rosa told him how dissatisfied Lizzy was at home he was furious and threatened to confront Matt.

When Matt and Lizzy visited Missouri Angeline the time spent lacked the tension experienced when they visited James and Rosa. Missouri Angeline continued to have good health and her farm was doing great under the management of Spencer, but she expressed concern as Spencer recently informed her he doubted at his age he could continue much longer; he was concerned that when he got to that point he wouldn't have a way to provide for himself and Fortuna. Missouri Angeline told him not to worry as she would see to it that he had what he needed as long as she was on this earth. Spencer and Fortuna and been with the family through thick and thin, good and bad, and she would never abandon them after all they had done for her and her family. Matt wondered how in the world his mother could support two adults when she was the one needing help to run her farm. Did she plan to let them stay in the sharecropper's house and if so, where would new sharecroppers live? Maybe she had a plan she didn't want to share with her son.

In February, 1912 it was still cold in Warren County and most folks were just trying to survive hoping for an early spring. Lizzy withdrew her requests to be taught how to drive and to be driven to social activities when she discovered she was with child. Her body had been experiencing strange things for weeks so she finally asked Matt to take her to a doctor in Warrenton. Once the doctor's examination was complete he confirmed that Lizzy was pregnant and Matt was to be a father. On the way back to the farm Matt failed to utter a word, which implied to his wife for some reason he was not a happy father to be. When they got to the farm Lizzy went inside to begin dinner preparations while Matt went down to the stable. When he returned he went into the pantry and reached for his bottle of Tennessee whiskey. Lizzy noticed Matt with the bottle but had nothing to say. Matt grabbed a glass from the cupboard and walked into the front room and sat in his easy chair. He was quite stoic as he downed one hard drink after the other until most of the bottle was empty. Meanwhile Lizzy was busily preparing dinner and was joyful she was going to be a mother. She couldn't wait to tell her family the news and if Matt had been in a better mood she would have suggested they drive straight from the doctor's office to both parents' house and tell them the good news. By the time the evening meal was ready Matt had passed out in his chair. Lizzy ate her dinner and left Matt a plate on the table in case he wanted it when he woke up. That night Matt spent the entire night asleep in his chair. He had his reoccurring dream with the same characters doing the same things. He woke up at about six o'clock and went into the kitchen and noticed a plate had been left for him, but by then it was too cold to eat it. He went into the bedroom and looked at his wife fast asleep and wondered if getting married had been the right thing to do. He had never given much thought to children, to being a dad and now in a few short months he would be one whether he liked it or not. He felt he was just getting back on his financial feet after the robbery and now he would have another mouth to feed. He knew Lizzy was happy and he wanted to be happy also, but the news, well the timing for him could not have been worse. He guessed he wouldn't be finishing the shelter for the Model T any time soon. He was feeling depressed as times before and he didn't like it. He felt closed in as if everything and everybody was at him, doing something to him he didn't like and there was no way out. He went into the bedroom and got out his pistol from the table drawer and brought in back into the front room. He sat down and looked at the pistol and wondered what it would feel like to place the gun next to the front of his head and pull the trigger. There would be the noise from the gun, but he assumed there would be the pain from having the front of one's head blown off. Would the person be aware of others around him if in fact others were near? What would be the aftermath? What would the funeral be like and who would really be sad and who would come and what death was like? Would he see what his minister called heaven? This was the first time Matt had such detailed thoughts about suicide, but the thoughts were real, not imagined and he knew he was depressed and vulnerable. He needed to do something to pull himself out of these depths, but all he could do was sit there in his easy chair and feel sorry for himself.

When Lizzy arose that morning she noticed Matt was not in bed so she assumed had already gotten up so she went looking for him and found him dozing in his easy chair. She nudged him and his eyes opened to see his pregnant wife hovering over him. She told him she was concerned that he didn't come to bed last night. She was well aware that something was troubling him and she was ready to listen as his partner, his wife. She expected him to be excited over her pregnancy yet he seemed down for either that or some other reason. Matt stared at the opposite wall and said nothing while Lizzy stood beside him. She finally decided he wasn't ready to talk so she went into the kitchen to prepare a breakfast, at least for her if he was too depressed to eat it. She was now eating for two and had to be ever mindful of that. When the food was ready she called him to the table, but he elected to sit in his chair. She finished her breakfast and began her daily house chores. Matt emerged from his chair and went into the kitchen in search of the breakfast Lizzy had prepared. She had left his plate on the kitchen table, but told him she would be glad to prepare him another breakfast if he so desired. He said nothing and commenced to eating the food she left for him. When he finished his breakfast he went to feed the stock and then went out to the shelter, cranked the Ford and left. Lizzy did not see Matt the rest of the day and had no idea where he went. At about dark she saw the lights of the Model T coming down the dirt road leading to the farm. After Matt parked the car Lizzy was waiting for him at the front door. She stood in the doorway and refused to allow his entry until he agreed to tell her what was going on. At that point Matt broke down and Lizzy let him pass to get to his chair. When he was seated he poured out his guts, put all of his demons on display while Lizzy listened in amazement. No, she couldn't understand either why three of his siblings had died early in life. No, she couldn't explain his bizarre reoccurring dreams about death and dying. No, she couldn't understand why it was hard sometimes to locate enough laborers. No, she couldn't understand why someone would steal his money. And finally and this was a big no, she really couldn't understand why a young, healthy, hardworking man who had been given a free farm and was going to be a father was melancholy. No, Lizzy just didn't get it. Matt had no reply; he just sat and stared at the wall. She went into the bedroom, lit a lamp and began to read until time to prepare their dinner if Matt wanted to eat it.

The next morning Matt woke up early and actually prepared breakfast while Lizzy stayed in bed. He didn't apologize for his erratic behavior and Lizzy decided not to mention anything from the previous night. She hoped these mood swings from euphoria to the depths of depression would not become a familiar part of their marriage.

Matt suggested they visit their parents to give them news of their baby, so Lizzy baked several loaves of bread that morning to take to their parents. Matt cranked up the Model T and pulled it out of the shelter at just after two o'clock and pulled around in front of the house and waited for Lizzy. When she came out she had the loaves of bread and a bright smile on her face and couldn't wait for James and Rosa to hear news of her pregnancy. When they got to the house Rosa was surprised at their visit during mid week. James was still at the store so they planned to go by on the way home and tell him in person. Lizzy handed the bread to Rosa as she headed to the front room. She told her mother she had some special news for her and requested she sit next to her on the couch. Matt sat in a chair across the room. Lizzy grasped Rosa's hands and looked her in the eye and told her she was pregnant! Rosa's eyes widened, then she started to cry as she reached over to hug her daughter. After the embrace Rosa got up and went over and hugged Matt. Rosa was so excited she told them she would begin immediately to making all kinds of things for the baby, clothes, bed linens, little blankets, and whatever else Lizzy could think of. She asked Lizzy when she expected the baby to be born and Lizzy told her the best estimate by her doctor was sometime in October. Rosa went to the kitchen and cut slices of a fresh sweet potato pie she had baked earlier and made a pot of coffee. She returned with a tray and served her sweet treats to her prized guests. After the snack Matt told Rosa they needed to leave since they needed to quickly run by the store to tell James about the baby, and then go by and tell Missouri Angeline in order to get home before dark. Rosa thanked them for coming and hugged both before they departed. They got to the store just after three in the afternoon and found James in the rear of the store showing a customer some new boots. They walked around and looked at the merchandise displays until James finished with the customer. After the customer left James spoke to his daughter and her husband and wanted to know what brought them to town. Lizzy told him she had some news of great a joy, she was to be a mother sometime in October! James came from around the counter and gave her a hug and kissed her on her cheek and went over and shook Matt's hand. James was visibly shaken with the news and had to go sit down, this was his precious daughter and now she was having a child! James told them to take anything they saw in the store they wanted as a gift. They laughed and told James they they would be back to claim their gift as they needed to leave to get to Missouri Angeline's.

By the time Matt and Lizzy got to Missouri Angeline's house it was approaching four in the afternoon. They found Matt's mother down at the chicken coop gathering eggs. They waited until they got back to the house to tell her their news. Lizzy broke the news and Missouri Angeline responded as did Rosa and James. Missouri Angeline invited Matt and Lizzy to stay for dinner and after dinner she divulged her plan for the farm. With Spencer planning to give up his duties as sharecropper she decided to allow him and Fortuna continue to live at the house as long as they desired. She would seek another person who would agree to sign on under the sharecropper arrangement, but not be provided a house. She planned to increase the percentage of the farm profits to the new sharecropper in exchange for not providing living arrangements on her property. Matt had never heard of such an arrangement, but if she could find such a person he didn't see why it wouldn't work. He questioned increasing the percentage of the profits the sharecropper would get, but Missouri Angeline told him than at this point in her life she didn't really need much money to have a good life. Spencer asked to help recruit a suitable candidate to run the farm. Matt mentioned soon he would be buying his tobacco seeds and planting his plant beds. Missouri Angeline added that Spencer would soon plant his last beds for her and she hoped his last crop would be one they would have good memories about for years to come. Matt and Lizzy left Missouri Angeline's house to return to their farm shortly after eight o'clock. Lizzy had a better day than yesterday and she would try hard to forgive her husband's reaction to her pregnancy since continuing to be irritated and frustrated with him seemed to serve no useful purpose.

February turned to March and March to April and plants were in the ground and yet another growing season was underway. Lizzy felt good most days and Matt didn't have any more severe attacks of depression and became especially patient and loving to Lizzy as she continued to grow. The entire month of July provided record heat coupled with high humidity and sparse rainfall. Matt's crop was parched, but so were all of the other tobacco crops in the county. In late July there were a few days of afternoon thunder storms which generated some relief, but no one got anywhere near the rainfall required for the plants to grow strong and fully mature.

By August Matt's tobacco was quite dry and he was feeling very anxious about his crop. He was also concerned about birth of their first child. Lizzy continued to feel fine most days, but being so big Matt had to perform the household chores after he came in from the fields. Matt planned to hire a mid wife to come in when Lizzy first experienced labor pains. The lady lived only five miles from the farm. The plan was for Matt to drive to the lady's house and pick her up at the first instance of any pain. Once the labor started the mid wife would help with the delivery while Matt would get the doctor. They hoped to have access to the professional expertise of a doctor; assuming he was in his office or at home when Matt went to get him, but there could be no guarantee the doctor would be available. Matt and Lizzy discussed names for the baby over the past months and had decided if the baby was a girl they would name her Beth in honor of her grandmother, Elizabeth Overby, but if the baby was a boy Matt really wanted him named after their newly elected President, Woodrow Wilson, so the boy would be named Woodrow Wilson Robertson.

During the second week in August a front came through with torrential rains accompanied by hail in isolated parts of the county. Matt's fields got the hail and by the time the storm has subsided 75% of his tobacco crop, the crop he depended on for his financial livelihood, had been destroyed. It didn't matter how much time a farmer spent preparing his plant beds nor was it important how long it look to transplant the seedlings nor was it relevant how much money a farmer forked out to pay for labor, what mattered was did he get a break on the weather, which was always unpredictable. On one day in August, 1912, Matt Robertson, a farmer, had lost most of the crop he had planted to earn the money to survive into the next year.

After inspecting his fields Matt decided to return to the house to convey the bad news to his pregnant wife of eight plus months that most of his tobacco crop had been destroyed. As he walked very slowly he thought of the deaths of his father and siblings, the robbery, the dreams, the bouts of depression and the devastation of most of his crop. Lizzy was in the kitchen preparing a stew when Matt came in. She could tell by the expression on his face that all was not well. He told her about the state of their tobacco crop, and then went to the pantry to retrieve a full bottle of Tennessee's finest whiskey he had purchased a while back in Henderson. He intended to keep this whiskey to drink on special occasions, like the birth of their baby, but now the reason for drinking this special whiskey was sad rather than happy, consequently a few drinks just might soften the blow of losing most of the crop. Lizzy came in and asked if he had any idea of how this might affect their financial status. He told her he expected their finances to be stretched and there was a good chance he would need to get a bank loan to tide them over. She mentioned the possibility of asking James for a loan or more like asking for a gift. Perhaps Matt could ask his mother for some money. Lizzy was perfectly willing to work some at the general store, but he promptly told her there would be no way on this earth he would allow her to work there again. He made it clear he was to be the chief breadwinner and he would figure things out. By dinner time Matt had consumed most of his fancy whiskey and had spent the rest of the day sitting and thinking about what he should do. He recalled how easy his life was when he lived with his mother where all he had to do was work according to someone's directions. There was always food to eat, a horse to ride, clean clothes, and a bed to sleep in, what more could a man want? He was in charge of everything and on that day he didn't like the position.

August turned to September and Matt was able to harvest what little tobacco he had and sold the entire crop at a warehouse in Warrenton. He couldn't afford to hold amount of his crop in hopes of getting a higher price later, he needed the money then. Lizzy was expecting sometime in October so least Matt would have some money when the baby was born. Both Matt and Lizzy had spoken to their parents regarding their financial pinch. Missouri Angeline told Matt she would give him whatever she could, but not to expect much while James told Lizzy he would try to provide them with a certain amount for a few months, but beyond a few months, he just couldn't commit.

After Matt sold his tobacco he was able to secure work helping other farmers prepare and deliver their tobacco crops to market. Many of the farmers in other parts of Warren County were not affected by the summer hail storms; consequently, they had larger crops to sell. After fall harvesting was completed he was at home most of the time. Matt and a friend bought a cow and had it slaughtered to provide enough meat to last well into the next year.

On October 22, 1912, Lizzy's labor pains commenced so Matt drove out to pick up Sandra Norton, the mid wife. Sandra Norton had assisted women deliver babies for so long she had no idea just how many children she had helped bring into the world. She was present a number of times when babies didn't make into this world. When Sandra arrived she went right to Lizzy's side as the contractions had started about an hour before Matt left to pick the mid wife up. After a long afternoon and for most of the night Lizzy was very uncomfortable, but at approximately 5a.m. on the morning of October 23, 1912, Woodrow Wilson Robertson, the only son of Matthew and Susan Robertson was born. From all visible signs the baby boy was healthy and ready to take on the world. Lizzy, though tired, was happy and relieved the ordeal was over. Matt was a bit relieved too, but his duties were very limited.

James and Rosa were the first grandparents to visit the new arrival. They brought handmade baby clothes and quite a bit of food as it would be a while before Lizzy resumed her cooking chores. While Rosa was in the bedroom with Lizzy and the baby James had a heart to heart talk with Matt about coming to work for him at least until it was time to prepare his plant bed. Matt listened and after asking several questions told James he appreciated his gracious offer, but he would need some time to reach a decision. James told him he understood, but he shouldn't wait too long because he really needed the extra help and if Matt didn't want to work then he'd have to find someone else. Matt told him he would come by the store next week with his decision. Rosa prepared some of the food she brought and they all had dinner before James and Rosa returned to Macon. Matt got out his good whiskey and had a few drinks before going to bed. Wilson was sleeping quite a bit and for the most part was seldom awake during the first few days except when his needed his mother for dinner. Matt wondered just how long it would be before this child would not need to be waited on.

A few days later the Robertson's were visited by Doc Dreeson from Warrenton. The doctor had an office in Warrenton, but did house calls whenever he could work the visits into his schedule. Matt had requested the doc try to make a house call after the baby was born to be sure everything was okay. He had gone to Macon the day after Wilson was born to send a telegram to the doc requesting he come when he could. Doc Dreeson first examined the baby, then the mother and pronounced both to be in excellent health and told Lizzy she should be up and around in a few days. Matt paid the doctor, thanked him, and sent him on his way.

Matt was still mulling over James' offer to hire him on at the store, but he just wasn't sure if he wanted to work for James. He liked James just fine, but then he didn't have to see him often, but to work for him five, six days a week, well that might cause him to feel differently about his father-in-law. He knew they could use the extra money, what with the loss of most of his annual crop. He decided to sleep on it and drive in to Macon the next day with his decision. He asked Lizzy what she thought of him working for her dad and she told him James was really pretty easy going at work and she didn't anticipate any problems with the two of them working side by side.

The next morning Matt got up early as usual and told Lizzy he was going to drive into town and inform James he would work for him, at least until late January. He hoped he could work with James and the change might be good. He got to Macon just after eight and found James in the back of the store checking on his inventory. After Matt told James he would accept his offer of employment he stayed so James could familiarize him with the business. He showed him how to operate his big cash register. He went over the list of customers he extended credit to and shared another list of folks he would never extend credit to, these people would need to pay cash or take their business elsewhere, which would be Warrenton since James owned the only general store in town. James told Matt what he could pay and told him when to arrive and when to leave each day. He also told him that for the time being he needed him to work all day on Saturdays, which Matt wasn't too pleased about, but then he knew he wasn't expecting to work there long. James told him to come back the next morning at eight o'clock and be ready to wait on customers. Matt thanked James for the opportunity and assured him he would do a good job. Matt left the store and drove out to his mother's farm. She hadn't seen the baby yet so he was going to offer to drive her to see the baby and Lizzy and then bring her back home. When he got to Missouri Angeline's he found her knitting what looked to be some sort of sweater for a baby, baby Wilson! Missouri Angeline got up to give her son a hug and asked about the baby and Lizzy. Matt told her they were fine and he had come to take her to see Wilson. He also mentioned James had hired him to work for him for a while. Missouri Angeline asked how his money was holding out because if things were tight she would give him what she could. Matt told her things were fine at the moment. She got some things ready to take to Matt's and they left for the farm. When they arrived they found the baby asleep, but at least Missouri Angeline got to see her grandson. Lizzy and her mother-in-law talked while Matt went out to check on his stock. While he was outside he had time to think about working for James and he hoped things would work out. Missouri Angeline stayed long enough to prepare a fine dinner before Matt took her home. When he returned Wilson was awake and seemed in a jovial mood. Matt had yet to hold his son in his arms. He talked to Lizzy a while, then went into the front room to catch up on the papers before turning in. Tomorrow would be his first day as an employee at James' general store. Matt realized he hadn't worked for someone else since he moved away from his mother's farm. That night Matt had his reoccurring dream and this time there was more noise, screaming and yelling, and people scurrying about. The next morning when he got up he wrote down what he could recollect from the dream then made breakfast for himself and Lizzy then drove to work. When Matt arrived at the store James was already there. They exchanged greetings and James immediately directed Matt to stock shelves. Matt performed this chore all morning and by lunchtime realized how boring the morning had been, but he knew he wouldn't have to stock shelves every day. That afternoon Matt got to wait on several customers. He was able to help them locate needed items and correctly rang up the sales and made accurate change. By the end of the day he felt very comfortable he could handle the work at the store. When he got home he found Lizzy in the kitchen cooking dinner while the baby was in the bassinet over in the corner. Lizzy asked Matt about how his day went and he told her just fine and she told him it was great to be up and moving around again and she was preparing a nice dinner for them. Matt went over and peeked at Wilson and spoke to him, but that was it.

That night at dinner Lizzy asked Matt why he had not yet held his son in his arms and Matt had little to offer in the way of an explanation other than he didn't feel comfortable with doing that yet. Lizzy decided not to pursue her concern further.

The next day at the store Matt arrived on time, but James had yet to show up. He walked down the main street observing townspeople going about their early morning routines. By the time he got back to the store James had opened up and was sweeping the floor. He spoke to Matt as he passed the broom to him to finish the sweeping. The morning was quiet and at around eleven thirty James told Matt he was leaving to take care of a few errands, home for lunch, returning somewhere close to two o'clock. He asked Matt if he had any questions about anything before he left and Matt said he felt comfortable with things and could handle it. After James left no one entered the store until lunchtime when Matt started to eat a cold ham biscuit he brought from home. As he took a bite from his biscuit a man he had never seen before entered the store and began to walk up and down the aisles. Matt put his biscuit down on the counter and engaged the man to see if he could be of assistance. The man told Matt he was searching for a particular type of boots but couldn't seem to find them. Matt searched and found the boots James had in stock and showed the man what was available. The man examined the boots, tried them on, and decided to purchase them. Matt asked the man if he needed anything else and the man replied he needed a pair of long johns and some wool socks. Matt showed him the long johns they had, but the man didn't want a pair of red ones, which was the only color James carried. Matt found the socks and the man picked the pair he wanted. Matt put the long johns back and took the socks to the counter. The man also wanted an overcoat and selected one from the ones hanging on a rack. As Matt started to ring up the sale he realized he didn't know what anything cost as there were no price tags attached to the merchandise and when he perused the price list James left by the register he could find no prices for the merchandise. Matt looked at the man then looked back at the list and was perplexed. The man asked if there a problem and Matt told him he didn't know how much the merchandise cost. The man appeared irritated and told Matt if he operated a store he ought to know what things cost. Matt got defensive and told him he didn't own the store and had only been working there two days so he wasn't familiar with the prices for everything. The man proposed to pay a certain amount and the next time he was in town he would come by and pay the difference, if any once the price was determined. Matt was uncomfortable with the man's offer since he didn't know the man, but he also didn't want to lose the sale. He wasn't sure what he should do. He wished James would get back soon and take care of this. The man stood in front of the counter waiting for Matt to make a decision. Matt finally asked the man for four dollars. The man paid Matt the money and told him he would be back to settle up the next time he was in Macon. Matt put the money in the register and bid the man farewell and returned to stocking shelves with canned goods. In about thirty minutes James returned and asked Matt how things had been. Matt told him no one had been in except this one man he did not know. James wanted to know if the man purchased anything and Matt told him the details of the transaction. James was not pleased and proceeded to reiterate his policy, cash only and credit to those on his approved list. Matt responded that his circumstance fit neither situation and since he didn't know what the items cost he thought it was better to get some money and take a chance the man was honest and return to pay later. James told Matt the total amount that should have been charged was ten dollars. Matt told him he was sorry, but then asked James why he had an incomplete price list and no price tags on the individual items. James ignored Matt's question and was emphatic that Matt never do such a thing again. Matt was visibly irritated and told James he was leaving for the day and walked out. James just stood silently and watched Matt close the door behind him. Matt cranked up the Model T and drove in the direction of his farm. When he got home he recanted his story to Lizzy. She didn't think it was such a big deal and actually thought both men over reacted, but told Matt to get over it. Matt interpreted Lizzy's response as a lack of support for her husband so he went to the pantry and brought out his Tennessee sipping whiskey and settled down in his easy chair and drank whiskey without talking to Lizzy or even walking over to speak to his young son. Fathering was a new challenge Matt did not desire to rise to, yet he knew he must provide for his family. The dinner table was quiet as neither Matt nor Lizzy had anything to say. After dinner and before Lizzy took the baby and went into the bedroom for the evening she told Matt once again she really wanted him to teach her to drive and the sooner the better. Matt did not respond except to give her an annoyed facial expression. Matt was near the end of his bottle of whiskey and as he continued to mull over the day's events he dozed off and his dream returned. The dream was more graphic and detailed than any previous dream. In the dream he and Lizzy appeared to be arguing about something. There was a gun in his hands and it was fired, Lizzy screamed, and the unknown people came running in and all hell broke loose. When he awoke just after eleven o'clock before he retired to the bedroom he jotted down his recollections of the dream.

The morning of Thanksgiving found Lizzy busying herself preparing for a big feast later that day. James and Rosa and Missouri Angeline were all invited the Robertson's to see the baby and eat as much of Lizzy's cooking as they could hold. Lizzy had become a first rate cook. Matt was working extra hours at James' store as they had more customers than normal. James and Matt had been working well together since the incident, so well that James gave Matt a small raise. On Thanksgiving morning Matt drove out to pick up Missouri Angeline. James and Rosa arrived mid morning with their arms full of gifts for baby Wilson. When Matt returned with his mother Lizzy was putting the finishing touches on her special holiday meal. She had a large turkey, ham, dressing and gravy, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie and pecan pie, plus freshly baked yeast rolls. Everyone ate until they were miserable. They managed to move from the table and go into the front room to rest their stomachs. Lizzy served coffee and pie to her guests while they tried to recover from the stuffed feeling. James asked Matt if he wanted to go hunting to walk off some of the feast, but Matt declined. Rosa and Missouri Angeline took turns making a fuss over Wilson. The guests remained until almost dark. James and Rosa were the first to leave with some of Lizzy's leftovers. Matt went out to crank the Ford while Missouri Angeline said her last goodbyes to Wilson while Lizzy fixed her some food to take home. By the time Matt returned to the farm it was past seven and everyone was tired. Matt and Lizzy sat in the front room in front of a roaring fire reflecting on the day and the past Thanksgivings they could remember. Lizzy was holding Wilson and leaned over and put him in Matt's lap before he had time to do anything but accept his son. That evening was the first time Matt had held his son and he sat there and looked at him not knowing what to do. Finally he put his arms around the baby and actually brought him up to his shoulder as if to try to hug the child. After the first few moments he seemed relaxed with his son and held him for almost an hour before returning him to Lizzy when he got fussy.

Matt continued to work at James' store until it was time to prepare his plant beds. The man never returned to the store to pay the balance on his bill and Matt never allowed anyone else to leave the store with merchandise without either paying in full or receiving credit if their names were on James' credit list. When Matt left the store for the last time in late January, 1913 he thanked James and James told him he could always return when he had a bad crop year. Matt thought it was nice to have the added security of another job to earn some money in case he needed it, but he wanted very much to be as independent as he could be.

The plant beds were prepared and the spring planting season looked at least as good as the previous year. Matt was hopeful of a good crop with high prices at the markets in the fall. In early April after much coaxing Matt finally agreed to teach Lizzy how to drive the Model T. After a few short lessons she had the entire process down. Now when Matt was working somewhere in the fields and she needed something in town she could jump in the car and drive herself and Wilson to town. She got to where she was very comfortable driving to and from Macon and even drove to Warrenton on several occasions. Wilson had a fairly healthy winter season with few health issues and he was getting bigger by the day. Matt took more interest in his son and when he came home from work he would pick Wilson up, hug him, and hold him. After dinner he would hold him some more in his lap before Lizzy prepared him for bed.

In late March Matt repaired the cracks between the logs in his tobacco barns and he and a day laborer broke up the soil in his fields. By mid to late April the transplanting had been completed and at least for a while Matt could breathe easy about his crop.

Lizzy drove the Model T more and more to take little Wilson to visit both sets of grandparents. Matt came to be more accepting of Lizzy's new independence, but he still was not totally comfortable with his wife and child being away from home on some lonely dirt road, after all cars did break down and when they did the driver and the passengers, if any, were stuck until help came by, which might be a while. Nevertheless he just gritted his teeth on mornings when he left the house for the fields after Lizzy informed him she would be driving to town. Matt did accept that Lizzy's driving saved him time having to stop work to drive to Macon just to run small errands. Wilson seemed to like riding in the car with his mother and when she would look at him and tell him they were going to town his little face lit up. When she took Wilson for a ride she placed him in a wooden box with his blankets and sat him on the back seat of the Model T. She drove slow enough to keep control of a sometimes difficult to manage vehicle and luckily she never had to slam on the brakes.

On a warm Sunday in May, 1913 Wilson was baptized at the Methodist church in Macon. The service was quick and Wilson was not offended by the minister putting water on his little head. The parents wanted Wilson to grow up in service to God. After the service the Robertson's had lunch at James and Rosa's home. They stayed for most of the afternoon getting caught up on the local gossip.

In June Lizzy began to experience strange feelings again like what she felt when she discovered she was pregnant. She took the Ford and drove to Warrenton to see Doc Dreesen and sure enough after an examination he pronounced her pregnant for the second time. His prediction was an arrival sometime in March of 1914. When she got home Matt had not yet come in from work so she took Wilson in her arms and went out to the fields to find him to give him the good news. He took the news as he did the first time he heard he was to be a father, but instead of appearing happy he appeared irritated, maybe he was.

As the summer dragged on through its peak heat Matt's crop once again was stressed due to the lack of sufficient rain, but he held out hope he would eventually get some but without the hail like the previous year. In late July and early August the area got several days of scattered showers which helped the crops immensely, but more was needed and by the end of August things didn't look too good. Barring any unforeseen calamity Matt predicted his crop would be larger than the year before but the quality would be average which would likely bring a lower price. He was braced for another fairly lean year and began to think about working for James again. With a new baby arriving after the first of the year he felt stressed with having to figure out how to make ends meet.

When Matt harvested his tobacco crop in October he didn't get his expected price per pound. He decided to visit his older brother Nat, who he hadn't seen since he moved from Missouri Angeline's farm. When he got to the farm he couldn't find Nat so he waited for a while on the front porch. After what seemed liked several hours Matt saw his older brother riding up the path on his horse. When Nat noticed Matt he threw up his hand to acknowledge he saw Matt. Matt stepped down off the porch and started walking toward his brother. When Nat got down off his horse he shook hands and embraced his brother. They walked back to the house and sat down in the kitchen next to a small fireplace Nat had to rekindle. Nat brought out some of his favorite whiskey and offered Matt a drink. They talked about the old days as children living on their parents' farm. Matt talked about the untimely deaths of their siblings and their father, but he couldn't get a dialogue started for Nat was uncomfortable talking about death. All Nat had to say was they were gone so think about the present and the future. He never understood Matt's fixation with the families' deaths. Matt also wanted to share his bizarre dreams with his brother, but Nat had little interest in listening tirelessly about a person's dreams. His opinion was whatever a person dreamed was just that, a dream, it meant nothing more than some fantasizing about something when one was asleep. A person woke up and functioned in the real world rather than trying to operate based on some crazy dream, so he had no help or sympathy for his brother regarding dreams. Nat asked about Lizzy and the baby and Matt told him they were doing quite well and Lizzy was pregnant again. They spoke about the low prices for their tobacco crops, but understood why buyers refused to pay a high price for this year's crops. Nat asked Matt if maybe they could come up with some kind of business, something which could tide them over in the lean years when they had smaller yields. Matt was open to Nat's ideas, but he had none. Matt told Nat last year he worked for James Overby at his general store after the harvest and for the most part it worked out fairly well, so he was planning to return to the store soon. Nat agreed Matt had a good situation with James, especially during the lean years, so they probably shouldn't pursue creating a business together. Nat asked Matt how it felt to be a father and Matt responded he didn't really know since he spent very little time with Wilson. He told him he was simply comfortable letting Lizzy perform the bulk of the child rearing. He told his brother he just wasn't comfortable around children, but he hoped that would change, especially since they were having another child next year. After a few more drinks Matt got up to go and Nat walked him to the car. Nat thanked Matt for coming by and told him to say hello to Lizzy. They left agreeing to see each other more often.

By the time Matt got back to the farm it was dark and Lizzy was putting the final touches on their dinner. Matt spoke to Wilson when he came in, something he had started to do recently. Lizzy asked about Nat and Matt told her he was doing fine and they talked about getting together more often.

After church on Sunday the Robertson's drove over to have lunch with James and Rosa and to tell them their news about the baby. Rosa was ecstatic; she simply could not believe she was going to have another grandchild early next year and this time it just might be a girl! Wilson was now crawling about so Lizzy had to be ever more mindful of his whereabouts. He was able to sit up then crawl to where ever he was allowed to go and was able to speak a few words. When he had the chance he tried to grab anything not tied down. Within a year Lizzy and Matt would have a toddler all over the place and a new born baby. Before they left that night Matt took James aside to ask about when he could come back to work, but James indicated there was a small problem, he had hired someone else recently because he needed them and he couldn't really afford to hire another person. Since the new hire was doing well he certainly would not let him go to bring back family for a short time. Matt was angry as he told James he understood when he left back in the spring he would take him back anytime. James sympathized with Matt's understanding, but told him he missed the key part of the offer, IF he needed him, IF he needed him to work in the store he then would take him back and IF he needed him he needed him right then rather than whenever the spirit moved Matt. It was NOT anytime it was when James needed him. James was not prepared to take on an extra employee just because Matt was his son-in-law with money woes. If he was going to do that he would need to hire half the farmers in the county. James told him he would use him when he needed him and that was it.

Matt told Lizzy about his conversation with James on the way home but she had nothing to say. When they got home and got settled Matt took out his ledger and attempted to figure out how much money he had in order to project just how long his funds would last. The best he could figure was by tapping into what little savings he had accumulated he could make it until the first of the year. The first of the year! Where would he get the money from to prepare his plant beds and plant the fields? Well, he would definitely not back to James under any circumstances. He was done, no begging even if he had to sell everything he owned he would never ask him for anything else, to hell with him! He could go back to Missouri Angeline for she had offered to help last year, but Matt knew his mother needed every cent she had. He would not ask his brother Nat as he doubted Nat had any more resources than he did. He could borrow some money from the bank and pay it back after the crop was harvested, that is if he had a good crop and made a nice profit. He came up with one more idea, since he had several hundred acres of land maybe if things really got tight he could sell some of his land, that way he wouldn't have any loans to pay back. He had no intentions of ever using all that land anyway and what would be the odds of insufficient rain every year or bad prices or whatever; he was betting that most years would be good so selling some land a few times might be all he would need to get by. Before he went too far with this idea he decided to return to Nat's and talk to him about selling off some of his land. Maybe Nat could offer some insight Matt didn't have.

Matt visited Nat a week before Christmas to solicit his input about whether or not he should sell any of his land to solve his expected financial shortfall. Nat was at the house when Matt arrived. They sat down in Nat's front room and talked about how their mother was doing. Nat wanted to know if Lizzy was handling her second pregnancy okay and Matt told him she was fine and was looking forward to their second child, but he was concerned because the last two years had presented some financial challenges he wished would go away. He then mentioned to Nat about his idea of selling some land to help him get by. Nat listened and when Matt had finished he told him point blank not to sell anything until he absolutely had to. He told Matt that once the land was sold it was gone forever and could never be used to make any money in the future and the money he would get for the sale of the land, while would be nice in the short run, would quickly evaporate and then he would be back to where he was. Nat pleaded with his brother not to sell any of his land. Matt took his brother's comments to heart, but he left that day not being totally convinced he agreed with his brother. What if he borrowed some money, and then was not able to pay it back, what then, the bank could foreclose on his property to recover their losses which to him amounted to the same situation as selling some land. What he really needed was another job after the crops were sold, but given the size of Macon there were limited employment opportunities. He wished the job with James had worked out, but he was not going back to him and beg, no he would never do that.

When Matt returned home Lizzy was wrapping what few Christmas gifts they had to give for their funds were tight. Wilson was crawling around getting into things and trying really hard to pull himself up only to be frustrated when he fell or pulled something over and hurt himself. Matt told Lizzy about his conversation with Nat regarding selling some of his land. He told her he had not decided what to do, but did she have any opinion. Lizzy told him she tended to agree with Nat, that he should borrow money if necessary rather than sell because as Nat said; once the land was sold it was gone forever from the family. She also mentioned what if he wanted to leave his land to his children; he couldn't do that if he didn't have any. Matt thought Lizzy had a good point, but all that was based on if you had money to live on, sure keep your land, and pass it on to the next generation, sure easy to say if you had enough money.

Matt still wanted additional input about whether or not to sell some of his acreage so he went to see his mother one afternoon and presented her with the same points he made to Nat and Lizzy. Missouri Angeline responded the same way as they did and suggested if he needed money to borrow what he needed and pay it off as quickly as he could. She agreed with Nat and Lizzy that leaving his land to his children would be a good thing, after all wasn't that what his father James had done, left his property to her and in turn she had deeded most of it to her children. This, she thought was a sincere act of love extended to the next generation, but she ended saying it was his land so he could do whatever he wanted with it. Matt asked Missouri Angeline if she intended to leave her remaining property to her three sons and she told him she had not thought about it. She felt he had all he needed and should be able to take his land and figure out a way to provide for his growing family. Matt left feeling a bit miffed for what he wanted to hear was support from his mother for selling some of his land. On the way home he was angry at all of them who suggested he borrow first, what did they know? It was his land, it was given to him free and clear and he would do whatever he dam well pleased and that afternoon he wanted to sell some land.

On Christmas day Matt and Lizzy had over as many of their family members as could come. James and Rosa attended. Lizzy's brothers Clemmie and Thornton brought their families. Nat came alone as he was not married and Foster brought his family. Lizzy's sister Sara from Tennessee did not come, but she sent Lizzy a nice holiday letter. Matt drove out to pick up Missouri Angeline. Wilson was not far from walking and was grabbing at everyone he could see in the room and all adored him. Lizzy was getting bigger, but still managed to prepare most of the food that day. Most everyone stayed until late in the day. The men managed to sip a little whiskey shortly after a big lunch time feast as they always had room for some whiskey. Matt did not mention anything more about selling his land to Nat and he certainly didn't bring it up with Foster. Matt never valued his opinions about anything since he was eight years younger. He was done with asking anybody anything. After everyone left and Matt had driven his mother back home he and Lizzy and Wilson sat around a cozy fire. Lizzy thought it had been a wonderful year, while Matt thought the opposite. Lizzy took Wilson and retired early to the bedroom as she had been up since the crack of dawn preparing the meal and was quite tired. Matt stayed up and read awhile before putting the reading matter aside to think about what he want to do about his land. In order to help with his decision making he got what was left of his Christmas whiskey from the pantry. He finished off the bottle, made his final decision about his land, and went to bed.

New Year's Day in 1914 was very cold with thermometers in the teens in Warren County. Matt's house was in the low twenties as indicated by a thermometer until he got the fires started. Matt went out and chopped some wood and brought it in and got fires started in the kitchen and the front room then made some coffee. There was little if any radiation of heat from a fireplace or stove. One had to literally be "on top" of the heat source in order to get any warmth. A real cold morning would be a good morning to stay under several blankets or quilts because that was the warmest place in most houses. Lizzy woke up and got Wilson out of his bed and put him in the bed with her where they stayed until almost lunch time.

He decided to sell his land, he just hadn't figured out just how much. The financial wheels began to turn as Matt fantasized about how much money he might get, maybe he could get enough to build in his shelter for his Ford and build on that room for his growing family. What was land anyway, he wasn't even sure how much he had and most of it was never used for anything, so why not get rid of it especially since he needed the money. He went into the bedroom looking for his deed to determine the total amount of land he possessed. He rambled through his papers, waking Wilson up in the process, but Lizzy managed to get him back to sleep, and found out he owned 200 acres, so why not get rid of some of it? Tomorrow he would drive to Warrenton and talk to Levett Smith, a real estate agent who sold most of the land in the county, and try to find out just how much Levett thought his land was worth. Then it occurred to him, how long would it take to sell his land? Ideally he would need a willing buyer, one who would be willing to pay a fair price for a quick sale as he needed the money now. He thought about getting a loan again, but once the money was spent he still owed the bank and what if next year he didn't make enough off of his crop to pay on the loan, what then? Matt was confused as ever, but he would talk to Levett for he certainly could offer some good advice.

By mid day Lizzy and Wilson were up and huddled around the fire, which had to be constantly fed wood all day. James and Rosa came by for a brief visit that afternoon, but they didn't stay long because the house was too cold. Matt went out and chopped wood for several hours, but the wood pile didn't grow because he had to continually feed the fires in the house. He walked down to the creek and found parts of it frozen over. He checked on his stock and even the animals were having difficulty dealing with the cold temperatures as their water kept freezing.

The next morning Matt drove to Warrenton to see Levett Smith. When he got to Levett's office he had to wait a few minutes, but when he was able to sit down with Levett he got pertinent answers to his questions. Levett told him what he thought the land might be worth and said if he wanted to sell it he would advertise in the Warren Record so folks would know the land was available for sale. He had no idea if or when his property would be sold. Levett also mentioned the possibility of Matt selling some of his timber, but cautioned it would take a while for trees to grow back and in the interim if he decided to sell the land it would be worth less with acres of stumps. He also suggested borrowing what he needed from a bank and having the bank place a lien on his property. Levett said the quickest way to get ready cash was to get a loan and hope the next planting season would be a good one. Matt thanked him for his time and drove home, as confused as ever. Here he had land, but no money; he could plant tobacco, a lot of it, but if he had no rain or too much rain coupled with wind or hail, then no crop or not much of a crop. Then he had to worry about the tobacco worms and then what if he had a problem finding enough laborers, what then? But land he had, he just didn't have much money and would soon need some, real soon. When he got back home he told Lizzy about his meeting with Levett Smith, but she had no further comments about selling the land or borrowing money, but she did offer to talk to James about trying to fit Matt in as an employee to which Matt was flatly opposed to her doing. He thought he was between a rock and a hard place and time was not on his side. Tomorrow Matt was headed to the bank in Macon, he needed immediate cash and a bank loan was the quickest way to the cash he needed.

The following morning Matt was at the bank in Macon when it opened and he saw a Mr. Crenshaw, the bank's chief officer in charge of loaning money. Mr. Crenshaw listened to Matt discuss his immediate needs, and he asked what kind of collateral did he have? Matt told him about the farm and Mr. Crenshaw told him he could get the money if he would allow the bank to put a lien on the farm so in case he failed to pay back the loan the bank could sell the farm to get their money back. Matt asked couldn't he just place a lien on some of his farm rather than all of it? Mr. Crenshaw explained simply that was the way they did business and if Matt was amenable with those terms he could get a loan. Matt left the bank that day with a bank loan deposited to his bank account. He was happy to have the extra cash and didn't think too much about the possibility of losing his property as 1914 would be a good year and his crop would be his best one yet, he just knew it. When he got home he informed Lizzy of the loan and she asked why did he borrow so much and he explained he wanted to close in the shelter for the Ford and to build another room for his children. She felt he had perhaps overextended himself, but what was done was done. That night after dinner they made plans for the room addition.

By the time February rolled around Matt had the shelter closed in on the last open side and had a door added on the front. Now he could protect one of his most treasured possessions. By the time Matt prepared his plant beds the extra bed room had been built. Matt was really enjoying spending money he didn't have.

On March 10, 1914, Victoria Robertson joined her brother Wilson as part of the Robertson family. Lizzy's labor this time around was shorter and not as painful. Mrs. Norton, the mid wife, was able to assist with Lizzy's delivery again. Matt was interested in his new daughter, but he was more focused with his plant bed and making sure his money lasted until the fall harvest. Rosa came to stay for a few days to help with the baby and with Wilson who was now walking. Since he was so active all day he slept really well at night, which Lizzy needed. Victoria, they immediately started calling her Vick was light to hold and very easy to manage.

By mid April Matt had done his final transplanting and was ready for what he hoped would be a banner year. The rains came early and often and the plants grew tall. Suckering was a challenge as the plants that year were growing so tall. July brought additional humidity which was oppressive especially when it was time to plow to uproot some weeds and pull suckers when needed. One morning Matt was in the fields early and as he was walking between the rows he noticed a tobacco worm on one of the plants, the worm turned into four, then ten, then hundred, as he walked they seemed to be on every leaf. He knew the ramifications of their arrival, he would have to pull each worm off, one by one, or give in to their insatiable appetites. He couldn't possibly do this work himself so it would be necessary to hire workers to come out to the farm and assist in the efforts to take down the worms. The workers needed to be paid when they finished their work, an extra expense on an already stretched budget Matt was not anticipating. He wished he hadn't been so hasty finishing the shelter or adding on a new bed room. He had no choice it was him or the worms and they were winning the battle. He went back to the house to get the Ford and drive to Macon to search for some laborers. After about two hours he managed to round up four men and drove them back to the farm to get started with the worm removal. He gave each man a burlap bag to gather the worms in with the plan being at the end of the day to put them all together and burn them. Matt wondered if he could save his crop. They worked well after dark until they couldn't see another worm. They cleared some space just outside of the fields and started a fire. Once the fire was roaring they threw the entire bag of worms into the blazing fire. They stood and watched and listening to the immolation of hundreds of pesky tobacco worms. When the fire became low they threw dirt on top and walked back to the house. Matt had to drive the men back to Macon and pay them since they were only committed for the day. He got back home around nine and Lizzy had his dinner ready. Lizzy wanted to know the extent of the damage caused by the worms. Matt said they pulled worms off leaves until they could no longer left their arms, but two of the fields they didn't get to. He planned to go back to Macon the next morning to hire some more men to try to get as many of the worms out of the last two fields as they could. After Matt had his dinner he went straight to bed. He was up early the next morning and made himself some breakfast before driving back to Macon. He found some workers by nine and hired two additional men on Main Street as he was driving out of town. The crew worked all day and into the early evening pulling tobacco worms off the large green leaves. They took the bag of worms to the edge of the same field and set fire to the bag of worms. Matt repeated his evening at home; he ate dinner and went directly to bed. The next morning he surveyed his fields and the more he walked up and down the seemingly endless rows of tobacco he found more worms. He became so frustrated when he saw a worm eating away on a tobacco leaf he grabbed the worm and mashed it in his bare hands. He went back to the house and told Lizzy he was fighting a losing battle. His projected expenditures were running in the red and he knew if he continued to pay out extra money to get rid of the worms he wouldn't have the money to cover the labor to harvest the crop, but he doubted there would be a crop. If he did nothing the worms would win. He had to stop the worms so he went back for the next several days and Matt and the laborers worked all day trying to take down the worms. By the beginning of the second week he felt he had made progress as there were fewer worms. If he could just get to the harvest season perhaps he could salvage some of the crop. When he wasn't fighting the worms he had to pay for cultivation and suckering. As mid August approached Matt expected his crop would not be as good as last year's and he didn't think he could go through another bad year.

Lizzy worked hard taking care of Vick and Wilson and she understood the stress Matt was under, but she wanted him to acknowledge he had two children and spend some time with them. She continued to hope things would turn around soon.

There was growing concern after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1014, by the Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip that some kind of war was on the horizon. After a month of unsuccessful diplomatic attempts to resolve the situation on July 28, 1914 Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Throughout the remainder of the summer Matt and those close to him wondered what the implications might be further down the road. Would such an event trigger a major war drawing in other nations, including the United States?

Matt's tobacco yield was about 25% of what he normally expected in a good year, another poor yield. He took the entire crop to the Warrenton markets and was disappointed in the prices, but it wasn't worth his time to transport the crop to Henderson. He would not be able to pay on the bank loan and there was no way to make it until next year without additional money from some source. The low crop yields were taking a toll on Matt's family as Lizzy had to repeatedly hear negative accounts of how bad things were. Matt spent very little time with his children, giving Lizzy little or no break from the constant care and attention they needed, especially baby Vick. Lizzy went to bed every night hoping there was some quick fix, some solution. Matt reconsidered selling some of his land to pay off the bank and have the ready cash to make it until the annual harvest, yet everyone had already told him that would be a bad idea.

In November of 1914 Matt returned to the bank to inform Mr. Crenshaw he couldn't pay off the loan and he wanted to borrow more money. Mr. Crenshaw listened to Matt, but then suggested he try not to borrow any more money just yet. He cautioned Matt that if he wasn't careful he would get overextended and if the bank got to a point where the amounts got dangerously close to what they believed to be the value of his farm they would have to get some of the loans repaid or they would have to sell off some, maybe even all of his farm. Matt believed the best plan was to sell off a big portion of the farm, pay off the bank, and hope the remaining funds would carry him until his crops returned to a profitable year. Mr. Crenshaw told Matt he could help him sell some of his land since he had access to many people via the bank's services, but he cautioned once the land was sold he would never have use of the land to turn a potential profit. He mentioned again if Matt continued to borrow money without paying anything back he would risk losing the entire farm. Matt told Mr. Crenshaw he would go home and consider his options.

When Matt got home Lizzy informed him that Vick was sick and Matt needed to travel to Warrenton and summon Doc Dreesen. Matt asked why they couldn't just wait and see if Vick got to feeling worse, but Lizzy adamantly refused to wait any longer and yelled at Matt until he agreed to go get the doctor. By the time he got to the doctor's office it was past two in the afternoon. The doctor was with a patient so Matt sat in the waiting room until close to three o'clock before the door to the doctor's office opened and Doc Dreesen came out. The doc greeted Matt and asked the nature of his visit. Matt told the doc Vick was sick and could he come out to the farm. The doctor told him he would be by later as he had two other house calls in the Macon area. Matt thanked him and drove back to the farm. Lizzy met Matt at the door and asked about the doctor. Matt told her the doctor should be there later that afternoon. Lizzy was not happy, but there was nothing she could do. Matt asked about Vick and Lizzy said she was certain Vick had a fever. Matt told her he would take Wilson with him to feed the stock and then take him for a walk. Wilson was happy when his father spent any time with him. By the time Matt and Wilson got back to the house Doc Dreesen had arrived to check on Vick. During his examination he noticed she had little white patches on the insides of her mouth and concluded Vick had thrush. He told Matt and Lizzy the white patches would go away but they might last for a week or so. He asked Lizzy if her breasts were red and sore because Vick might be passing the disease back and forth when she nursed. Lizzy told the doc her breasts were okay especially since Vick had not been nursing as often. Within a week the symptoms had subsided and Vick was back to being a happy baby.

Matt went back to the bank to meet with Mr. Crenshaw about selling some of his land. Mr. Crenshaw again advised him not to sell, but to try to farm at least one more year, and if he had a good crop he could put a big dent in his debt. Matt would hear no more, he asked Mr. Crenshaw to publicize the sale of 50 acres of his farm at whatever price he and the buyer could agree on. For several months there was no response from any prospective buyers. After the first of the year a man from Virginia came by the bank and expressed some mild interest in the property. Mr. Crenshaw took the man out to Matt's farm and showed him the acreage. The man seemed pleased, but when he got back to the bank he told Mr. Crenshaw he wasn't sure if he wanted the land for the quoted per acre price. Mr. Crenshaw did what sales pressure he could but the man wasn't interested at that price. Mr. Crenshaw drove back out to the farm to talk to Matt to try to get him to reduce his price, but Matt stood steadfast. Mr. Crenshaw told Matt he'd never get what he was asking, but it was his land.

Another prospect came by the bank; a neighbor of Matt's who lived within a mile of Matt's farm. He was very interested in the land and made an offer. Mr. Crenshaw drove out to give Matt the latest offer, but he was adamant about the price and said he wouldn't accept the man's offer, especially this man.

January moved into February and time for Matt to begin preparations of his plant beds. His finances were getting tighter week by week as he waited to get an offer for his land. Lizzy was working hard as a mother raising two children on her own as Matt never assumed much responsibility for helping raise his children. He drove to Warrenton to buy his tobacco seeds and while he was at the farm supply store a man he knew approached him and mentioned he had heard Matt had land for sale. Matt told him he had fifty acres and quoted the price per acre. The man didn't seem all that concerned over the price, but wanted to know if there was timber on the land. The man seemed very interested and asked to come see the property. Matt confirmed a day and time the man could come to the farm. When the man arrived Matt escorted him to the parcel of land he was offering for sale. They walked through the fields and the woods to give the man to get a sense of what he might be buying. When they returned to the house the man told Matt he was still interested and he would give him his final decision within a week. That night after dinner Matt sat in his easy chair sipping on some Tennessee whiskey watching Wilson get into as much as there was to get into while Vick lay in her crib just waiting to be old enough to get down on the floor with her older brother. Lizzy finished cleaning up the kitchen and came in to sit with Matt. For a while they discussed how the sale of the land would improve their financial situation. Lizzy suggested Matt look at other ways to make his farm productive. She mentioned that with only one crop it was hit or miss, profit or no profit, whereas if he had another crop or some other way of making the land work for him then the pressure to make money off the one crop would be lessened. Matt agreed with Lizzy's premise, but he didn't know what the new endeavor would be. When he was given the farm he planted cotton, but found it difficult to find laborers to pick the cotton plus the prices were so low he stopped growing the crop. He supposed he could sell some of the timber, but then how long would it take for new trees to grow? His plan still focused on selling his land, paying the bank what he owed, and maybe later he would develop a plan for diversification.

A week went by, then two, and then a month and the man had not contacted Matt with an offer to buy the land. Matt decided he would never hear back from the man so he tried to forget about it. The spring planting season had arrived; consequently Matt turned his thoughts to transplanting his seedlings for the new crop. When Matt went to Macon for supplies he always stopped by the bank to see if the Mr. Crenshaw had any new inquiries about his land, but each time the answer was no. June was hotter and drier than normal and the tobacco fields suffered, then July was rainier than usual and the crops received too much rain. By early August the crop looked average and Matt anticipated a decent return at the market, but a record crop and payout was doubtful. The tobacco leaves for the most part were not very large which meant the weight of the entire crop would be less, generating a smaller profit. He took his loads of tobacco to Henderson in hopes of getting a higher price than the Warrenton markets and he managed to make a few cents more per pound, but the crop overall was weak when compared to some of his previous crops. By the time Matt paid his overhead expenses plus an installment on the bank loan he was back to where he had been the last two years, not enough money to get through until the next harvest. He would once again have to find another source of money to get him through or he would have to return to the bank and borrow back the money he had just paid on his loan balance. Matt was about as frustrated as he could be as the end of 1915 was approaching. Lizzy went to Doc Dreesen's and found out she was pregnant again for the third time in four years. This news was not treated as good news to Matt who was trying hard to figure out how to make ends meet. He knew Lizzy could not get pregnant without her husband so he accepted some of the responsibility.

Matt's bouts with depression came more often in 1916 as his money woes continued. After dinner he seemed to drink more every night. He had few interactions with his children. He seldom held Vick for any reason and almost never talked to Wilson or did anything with him. Lizzy was frustrated with Matt's actions, but she was tired of talking about how he felt about everything. She got up every day and tried to get through the day doing the best she could for her children. Every time Matt mentioned money woes Lizzy would suggest he talk with James and Matt always refused. Lizzy offered to work part-time at James' store if Matt would agree to keep the children, but he refused her offer.

Matt drove into Macon one day in mid January to visit with Mr. Crenshaw at the bank. Matt asked Mr. Crenshaw had anyone coming by expressing interest in his land and as before he said no. Matt asked him if he should lower his asking price and was told not to as anyone who wanted to buy his land could negotiate for a lower price if they so desired. Matt said if he didn't sell soon he would be back to borrow some more money to get him to harvest time.

One morning in February the Mr. Crenshaw made a surprise visit to Matt's farm. Matt was down at the stable feeding his cows when Mr. Crenshaw arrived, so he waited at the house until Matt returned. Mr. Crenshaw talked to Lizzy about how things were going and she told him her husband really wanted to sell his land. Mr. Crenshaw told her he had some good news, but he would wait until Matt returned. As Matt was walking back to the house he noticed a car in front of the house, but was unable to identify the visitor. As he opened the front door he noticed Mr. Crenshaw. Matt walked over and shook his hand and asked the purpose of his visit. Mr. Crenshaw told Matt he had a buyer for his land. Matt smiled and turned to Lizzy and then asked who the prospective buyer was. Mr. Crenshaw told him it was a man from Arcola, but there was a slight hitch, the man wanted more land than Matt was interested in selling. Matt asked how much more did the man want and Mr. Crenshaw said about 100 acres. Matt told Mr. Crenshaw if he sold that would be half of his land. Mr. Crenshaw understood maybe Matt wasn't interested in selling that much of his land, but he went on to say the man was offering a higher price per acre than Matt's asking price, but he wanted more land. Matt was silent for a few moments, and then told Mr. Crenshaw he would definitely think about the offer and give his answer the next day. He thanked Mr. Crenshaw for driving out to the farm and walked with him back to his car. When Matt went back inside he asked Lizzy what she thought. She restated her previous position, he should figure out another way to make his land productive. He didn't like her answer and told her once they were out of debt with some money in the bank he wouldn't expect to continue to have bad crops every year and if he did the money from the sale of his land would serve as a reserve fund for the lean years. She agreed, that is, if there were no emergencies to come up. Matt was getting angrier and angrier as he wanted Lizzy's wholehearted support for his decision. He told her he was going for a drive to help sort things out and would return later. When Matt returned to the house his mind was made up, no more discussion with his wife or anyone, he was selling his land and would drive to Macon in the morning to give Mr. Crenshaw his decision. At dinner that night Matt informed Lizzy of his decision, but she had nothing to say. After dinner Matt sat in his easy chair with his paper and pencil figuring the impact of the sale on their financial situation. He would be able to pay off the entire loan to the bank, he could purchase the supplies he needed to sow his plant beds and pay his laborers through harvest time. He would also have sufficient funds salted away in his savings account just in case he had another bad crop year. He was betting he would have more good crops than bad crops enabling him to add to the savings account to cover any unforeseen emergencies. He was ready to sign away one half of his land given to him by his mother Missouri Angeline. That night he had his dream, the first time in quite a while, with the same events and the same people involved. The next morning he jotted down what he recalled from the dream in his journal. He had never shown his journal to Lizzy, in fact he had not talked to her about his dreams. Maybe she had spotted the journal when she was cleaning or something, but if she did she never mentioned it to him.

After breakfast Matt told Lizzy he was headed to the bank and would return shortly. He went out and cranked up the Ford and drove to Macon. He arrived just after nine o'clock and found Mr. Crenshaw in his office. He told Mr. Crenshaw he was there to accept the offer and requested the paper work be completed with all due haste. Mr. Crenshaw appeared pleased and told him he would begin the process and it should take one to two weeks. He would contact him either by telegram or drive out to the farm and inform him directly when the papers were ready. Matt left the bank satisfied a load had been lifted from his shoulders.

By the end of February Matt had signed over one half of his property, paid off his bank loan, deposited some money in his savings account, and kept some cash to buy some presents for his family. By the time he returned home the Ford was full of all kinds of things. New clothes for his pregnant wife, toys for Wilson, a new bed for Vick who was now crawling around trying to keep up with Wilson, things for the house, and a few new clothes for himself. Lizzy was shocked with the spending spree, but decided to have no more to say about money, at least for now. That evening Lizzy prepared a special dinner to mark the sale of the land since her husband thought it was a big day in his life. He had his Tennessee whiskey before and after dinner.

Matt went to Macon to hire some day laborers to assist with the plant beds and after a few days the seeds were all planted. In April his seedlings were transplanted into his furrowed rows and he was excited over the prospect of a good crop and things getting back on the positive side.

Lizzy went for a checkup with Doc Dreesen in May and after her examination the doc said things were looking good for another healthy baby sometime in August. Lizzy was happy and wished her husband could be happy, but most days he was wrapped up in his world of trying to make the money to take care of the family, but not spending much time with that family, especially the children.

Wilson was three, almost four in October, and was full of energy and had quite a vocabulary for such a young child. Vick had recently had her second birthday and was trying hard to imitate every word Wilson spoke. The two children were able to play together without fussing or fighting most of the time. Each day after lunch Lizzy had quiet time with the children and read them a story then had them take an hour long nap. July was oppressive and trying to sucker the tobacco plants in 98 degree temperatures with humidity at the same level was taxing to all had to do the job to earn a living. The weeding had to be performed more often with either a mule or a horse pulling a plow guided by a laborer. Matt was working from sunrise to sundown, thus when he got home he had little energy left for his two children or his pregnant wife.

In late July Lizzy went to Doc Dreesen's for another checkup and when the examination was over Doc Dreesen ordered Lizzy to bed for the duration of her pregnancy. This was news she didn't expect to hear and she knew Matt would not be happy either, but the doctor had spoken, bed rest, take it easy or she may have an outcome neither she nor Matt would want. She asked Doc Dreesen if he was certain she really needed to step away from her normal chores. He told her his order as her doctor was not negotiable. When Lizzy got home she prepared dinner and waited for Matt to arrive to give him the news. When Matt came in that night Lizzy could tell he was tired and had that look of disgust on his face, not the time to tell him her news, but he would have to hear it. Lizzy let Matt finish his dinner and get to his easy chair before she hit him with her news. When she finished Matt sat speechless for a few moments before he spoke. He wondered who would take care of the children if Lizzy couldn't attend to them. Surely she didn't think he could take care of them, not and work too, that couldn't happen, but who, just who would be available to take care of Wilson and Vick. Maybe Missouri Angeline or perhaps Rosa could take care of the kids, at least part of the time. Caring for children, his or other people's children was not something he relished. He would have difficulty even for part of a day, as he never spent more than a few minutes with either child, but for hours he'd have no idea what to do. Why did problems continue to surface, first one problem, then two, then three, enough! He doubted anyone else had the problems he had, but he had no way of knowing what issues other people had.

The next day Matt got the laborers started then drove to see his mother to see what, if anything, she might be able to do to assist with his latest problem. Missouri Angeline came to the door and greeted Matt with a hug as she hadn't seen him in a while. She asked about Lizzy and the kids and Matt told her all was well, but Lizzy needed to stay off of her feet until the birth of the baby. Matt went directly to the real reason for his visit; he needed his mother to help out with the children so he could work. Missouri Angeline was quick to respond that she was 72 years old and taking care of two energetic toddlers all day would be too much for her. She thought maybe for a half day, but even that, trying to keep up with them, keep them safe but busy would be stressful. She asked Matt if he had contacted anyone else about keeping the children and he told her he had not. She told him to continue to check around and if he couldn't fine anyone she might reconsider. Matt was a bit irritated with Missouri Angeline, but he tried to understand, at her age, yes it most likely would be hard on her.

Matt left his mother's house and drove straight to Rosa's house. When he got there Rosa was glad to see him. He informed Rosa of the doc's decision to require bed rest for Lizzy until the baby was born. He told her he needed someone to take care of the kids while he worked and he wondered if she could help out. Rosa let Matt know she was not a spring chicken at age 62, but she still felt good and could help out some, but not every day, but she wished she could be of more help. Matt thanked her for being willing to help with his children, but he still needed a firm commitment from someone to be there every day. He drove back downtown and stopped by the restaurant for a quick lunch. He noticed a couple of waitresses who appeared to be in their thirties. While he ate his meal he wondered if either of these women might be willing to keep Vick and Wilson. When one of the women returned to his table to pour more coffee Matt just up and asked her if she was willing to keep two children on a part time basis every week. She told him no because she needed to maintain full time employment since she was single, but she had a friend who might be interested. She told Matt she would go by her friend's house on the way from work and ask her if she would be interested. She told Matt to come by the restaurant the next time he was in town and she would let him know whether or not her friend could help out. Matt asked if the woman had kids or knew anything about raising children and the waitress knew she didn't have kids but had no idea if she had ever kept children. All the waitress was certain of was her friend was not working at the time. Matt told the waitress he would come by before the week was up for he really needed someone soon.

When Matt got back home he told Lizzy what he had found out. Lizzy understood about their mothers' limited offers to help, but she was not supportive of possibly hiring someone who had never had kids or even kept any. Lizzy said the best plan was for Matt to work part of a day, and then have Rosa or Missouri Angeline fill in as they could for the remainder. If Missouri Angeline or Rosa could come afternoons they could stay long enough to help out with dinner preparations, sparing Matt another chore he didn't perform very well. Using their mothers required too much scheduling coordination, but he ultimately agreed with Lizzy it wouldn't be a good idea to use someone who had no experience with children, but they didn't know that yet.

With no firm decisions made Matt walked out to the fields to check on the laborers. When Matt got to the second field one of the laborers reported tobacco worms. They had walked through many of the rows and destroyed the ones they found and did not find as many as a previous year, but the mere presence indicated the possibility of an approaching big problem. Matt went to another field and directed the laborers to examine closely each row to determine if there were any tobacco worms in the field. Upon a quick run through the rows the laborers found no additional evidence of the worms, but Matt knew where there was one there were more and while they had gathered the few they saw it could be the beginning of a serious problem.

Two days later after attempting to contain the tobacco worms Matt concluded the worms were winning the battle and enjoying every bite. Somehow during the morning hours Lizzy was able to keep Wilson and Vick in the bedroom with her. This was very nerve-racking when they got bored and went into another room. Lizzy had to constantly yell at them to return and then negotiate with them by granting all kinds of favors she knew she shouldn't grant. It was the best she could do until Matt returned home to take over the afternoon shift. He was awful with the children, repeatedly yelling and threatening, but he didn't know anything else to do. The constant barrage of his antics didn't help Lizzy's mental or physical state at all. Matt knew he had to do something; he had to find someone to keep their children while he worked and his pregnant wife rested.

Matt went back to the restaurant on Friday to see what the waitress found out about her friend's interest in babysitting. When he got there it was near noon so he decided to have lunch. The waitress came over and while she was taking his order she told him her friend had no experience with children and no interest in them either. Matt was disappointed but thanked the waitress and told her if anyone came to mind later to get word to him. He stopped by the general store to see James before returning home. He shared his frustrations of tobacco worms eating up his crop while at the same time he was trying to find child care. James told him he had his sympathy and offered to talk to Rosa again to see if he could coax her into more of a commitment. Matt bought some candy for Wilson and Vick, something he almost never did, and returned to the farm. When he got home Lizzy was very irritated for the kids had stressed her to the limit. She begged Matt to do something, come up with a plan which involved someone coming in and keeping the children at least until the baby was born and she could get back on her feet. Matt was short with her and told her he was doing the best he could to try to find someone. Lizzy told him to try harder. For the rest of the afternoon Matt took Wilson and Vick down to the creek to search for tadpoles, something he had never done with them. They enjoyed the walk down to the creek, stopping every few feet to examine a rock or to look at a bird. They asked about everything they saw since times were few when they were alone with their father. It was almost dark when they returned to the house to find Lizzy cooking their dinner, a chore she held on to for the most part as Matt had no real skills in cooking except to throw a piece of ham in a frying pan and heat it. After dinner Wilson and Vick were put to bed with a story from Lizzy and afterward she went back into the front room to find Matt finishing off one of many whiskeys. They talked for what seemed several more hours regarding the childcare issue. Lizzy suggested he should coordinate the times Missouri Angeline and Rosa could be with the kids and then try to fill in himself or least until they could find someone else. At that point Matt was tired of discussing what to do so he agreed and told Lizzy tomorrow he would go to their mothers' houses and try to get commitments from them as to when they could stay with the children. If Matt and Lizzy could just get through July and part of August the baby would be here and the crop would be harvested and maybe things could calm down for a while.

The next morning Matt headed to his mother's house to ask her to help out with caring for the children. Missouri Angeline told Matt if he would come and pick her up each morning she would take care of the kids every other day until lunch time. She would prepare some lunch for the family, and then she would want to return home. Matt told his mother her offer would help quite a bit and he appreciated any time she could give. Missouri Angeline agreed to start the next morning, which was Friday, which would give one day to adjust to the schedule and two days to rest before starting the regular cycle the following week. After Matt left Missouri Angeline's house he drove over to Rosa's house to find out if she could fill in the days his mother could not keep the kids. Rosa told Matt she could fill in the mornings Missouri Angeline couldn't be there and she would ask James to bring her to the house on his way to the store. Matt left thinking things were improving, but he would still have to keep the children every afternoon plus take Missouri Angeline home on her days while leaving his men in the tobacco fields pulling worms off tobacco leaves. Hopefully within six to eight weeks at most the baby would be born and then soon after that at least Lizzy would be up and back to raising three kids instead of two. Matt admitted child rearing was a huge task but one a woman should perform. The man was the chief breadwinner and that was just the way it was. Maybe they needed to talk to the doctor about how to avoid having more children for he thought three might do it. When he returned home he found Lizzy in the bed with the kids reading them a story so at least things were calm. He gave Lizzy the news about his mother and Rosa splitting time each morning with Missouri Angeline starting Friday. By the end of next week the mothers would have pulled a full week's shift. Matt still wasn't too happy about tending to Wilson and Vick each afternoon, but he had no other choice.

On August 16, 1916, Rosa Robertson was born to the parents of Matthew and Susan Elizabeth Robertson. They named her after Lizzy's mother which made her very happy. Matt's mother, Missouri Angeline, never commented as to whether she was disappointed at not having either granddaughter being named after her. Doc Dreesen happened to be in Macon the day of Rosa's birth and was able to drop by and check on the newborn and the mother. Sandra Norton had once again served as Lizzy's midwife and managed to stay on for several days to assist the new mother. Matt did what he could to occupy Wilson and Vick's days by taking them to the creek and walking through the woods and fields.

Matt's crop was mostly devastated again by the tobacco worms, but he managed to make enough money to pay most of his expenses. He had to withdraw some money from his savings account to cover the remainder of outstanding expenses. He still had money to get through 1916 and into the planting season, but unless something changed he would be back to the bank borrowing money or talking about selling more of his land. He had rolled the dice and came up short once again. No one would have expected another year of low crop yields. He sold most of his crop early for he needed the money, but held out some for the later markets. He still had half of his land and within six months he would be back to planting again, maybe next year he would have a good harvest. For now he had a wife, a new baby, a four year old, a two year old and a hundred acres of land from which to try to make a living.

By the end of August Lizzy was physically mended and was busier than ever with the household chores and three children to take care of. Matt continued to be in a melancholy mood most of the time. His brother, Nat, came for a visit and brightened his spirits. Nat mentioned he was thinking about selling his farm and moving to a town where there was some industry. He was tired of the unpredictable weather and the even more unpredictability of getting and keeping good help and was just plain tired of farming. He thought going to work every day at the same place at a certain time and leaving at a certain time would be a welcome change. He suggested Matt consider doing the same thing. Nat believed since Warren County had always been an agricultural county that was never going to change as long as he was alive. Matt felt he was tied down with a family and would always be connected to farming.

One evening in October Matt was having some of his Tennessee sipping whiskey while Lizzy was in the bedroom with story time for Wilson and Vick while Rosa slept soundly. When Matt got up to return to the kitchen for yet another shot of whiskey he happened to look out the kitchen window and noticed a bright light coming from one of his tobacco barns. He rushed out the front door to get a clearer view and noticed flames shooting up from the barn. He went back in and yelled at Lizzy to come to the front door. When she came Matt grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out into the yard and pointed to the barn and they both looked at each other in amazement as the Robertson's were experiencing another chaotic event. He ran down to the barn, but once he got there the fire had consumed the barn and the contents, the remainder of his fall crop. He stood there in amazement and wondered just what else was going to happen. He walked back to the house and went in to report to Lizzy that the barn had burned completely down. There was nothing else to do that night but have some more whiskey and try to get to bed at some point. Tomorrow he would have to regroup once again and figure out his options. That evening Matt had his dream and this time the scene was the most vivid it had been. In the dream he had the gun and a shot was fired, but he wasn't sure about the target. Lizzy was a part of the dream and all he remembered was that they were talking about something and then there was a shot. The dream ended as always with unknown people rushing about for some reason. The next morning when he arose he thought briefly about the dream but didn't even have time to make an entry in his journal. He had lost a barn, he had another poor crop year with an even poorer financial return, and he had a new baby. He reviewed his savings account and realized he couldn't grow the same amount of tobacco without replacing the barn. If he planted less, but had a good year he could skim by, but another bad year and he would be further in the hole so he had to figure out a way to replace the barn. He drove to town to price the materials needed. He found some men who could help him rebuild the barn, but he wasn't happy about the amount of money they wanted. He went by the bank to talk to Mr. Crenshaw and he told Matt he would be happy to loan him the money to build his barn. Matt told him he wanted to pay for the barn out of his savings and from there he would try to make it as far as he could before deciding his next move.

The new barn was constructed in three weeks with a few breaks for rain and workers not showing up when expected. Matt paid cash for his expenses and settled back in to trying to figure out how to make it until planting time and then to harvest. The thought entered his mind about the prospect of selling more of his land. He still had a substantial amount of land he was not using and as long as he had the necessary land he needed to farm his tobacco why did he need the remainder? He was also getting tired of paying annual county taxes on land he didn't use. He talked to Lizzy about selling more of the land and she told him it was his land, given to him by his mother so do whatever he wanted. He went back to talk to Mr. Crenshaw about selling more land and was given the same opinions as before. This time Matt would spend no more time vacillating with a decision, he told Mr. Crenshaw to find a buyer. Matt finally got a break for within the month Mr. Crenshaw identified a willing buyer for Matt's land. The price was negotiated and Matt was reasonably satisfied with the settlement. With seventy-five percent of his original land from Missouri Angeline sold Matt was feeling stressed but he tried to be optimistic that this time he would get back on track with his tobacco crop.

Matt sowed his plant bed in February and by April, 1917 the seedlings looked good, this would be the year. At home Lizzy had her hands full with two small, active children and a baby in the crib. Matt and Lizzy never had time for each other, but that was expected. Their weekends were confined to attending church when they could, followed by afternoon visits to James and Rosa or Missouri Angeline. The grandparents were always glad to see their grandchildren, but were glad when they left for they had plenty of energy and with the grandparents aging they were not able to interact with them as they did in their younger days.

On April 6, 1917 the United States became involved in a war with its allies France, Great Britain and Russia against Germany. On May 18 a universal draft was implemented to enlist enough men to train to serve overseas. At the time he registered Matt was forty, thus he did not expect to be called. He was concerned about the war as others were, but saw the conflict as so far away from Warren County it was as if it didn't exist.

Throughout the summer Matt spent all day working in the fields, cultivating, pulling suckers, mashing tobacco worms and driving back and forth to Macon in search of someone willing to work for more than a few days. At night he ate dinner, drank whiskey, and worried about the next day while his wife tended to the three children the two of them brought into the world. During July Matt was really stressed for July was a month where year in and year out when rain was needed it might not come. It was also the time of year where the tobacco worms were prevalent. The worms had decimated Matt's crops for the past two years causing him to operate in the red. With seventy-five percent of his original acreage sold Matt was running out of that option. He must have a good crop this summer if he was to remain a tobacco farmer. When the last week of July was upon Matt there were still no worms reported, hence he was feeling confident that this crop would be worm free. There had been a few showers, but no real drenching rains, but the crop still looked pretty good.

One morning Matt planned to drive into Macon for some supplies, but he couldn't crank the Model T. He tried and tried but the car refused to start. He went down to the barn to hitch up the only two horses he had. They hadn't been hitched to a buggy since Matt bought the Ford, although they pulled the plows for cultivation of the fields. Instead of taking the buggy to Macon he headed to Warrenton to the Ford Dealers to get a mechanic to come out and look at his car. Matt was told no one could come out until the middle of next week. Matt went home and proceeded to drink the rest of the day. Lizzy was disgusted with his constant negative behavior but she had no ideas as to what could be done to change anything. She hoped he would wake up one day and snap out of it, but after 6 years she was giving up hope. A mechanic came out a week later to determine the problem with the Model T. The mechanic finally got the Ford cranked and took it for a test run. When he returned he raised the hood and analyzed the engine for a few moments and recommended the car needed a major engine overhaul. He quoted Matt the price to overhaul the engine and told him he could begin the work whenever he could drive it to the shop. Matt was at a loss for words, but had come to depend on the Ford for his transportation more than he ever did his horses. He thanked the mechanic for coming out to look at the car and told him he would try to get the car to the shop the next day. Matt went back inside to inform Lizzy of the bad news. She listened, and then asked what he intended to do. He told her he had no choice but to have the car repaired and the sooner the better. While Matt had extra money from the recent sale of more land these emergencies would continue to deplete it faster than he wanted. He continued to be wrong on all counts involving how to make money, save money, and manage his expenses. What had happened, the first few years on his own he had great crops and each year made money. Since he had been married he hadn't had a productive year and now had seventy-five percent less of his land. Getting married, he knew, had not caused the problems, it was bad circumstances, but whatever the causes he continued to have problems and needed money to fix most of them.

The next morning Matt drove to Macon to ask James if he would drive to Warrenton after work and pick him up at the Ford dealers. James said he would be happy to, but wasn't sure when he could get away. Matt thanked him and told him he would be ready to leave whenever he could get there. He drove the Ford to Warrenton and the mechanic began immediately to disassemble the engine. Anticipating James would come for him much later in the day Matt walked to Main Street to take in whatever there was to see. When he got downtown he noticed people were milling around the county courthouse, which was built in 1906. He sensed there must be a big time case being tried so he walked over and enquired as to the reason for the crowd. Someone told him they were trying a man for allegedly burning down tobacco barns. Matt's barn burned down, but he assumed it caught on fire due to something he failed to do concerning his furnace. What if someone else was the instigator? Even if the court found the defendant guilty of setting fire to his barn how would he get his barn replaced? Maybe he would at least feel better knowing he wasn't responsible for the loss of the barn. He decided sitting in court for the next few hours didn't interest him, so he continued to walk around on Main Street. He decided to go into a barber shop and treat himself to a shave and a haircut. While waiting for his turn he listened to the locals talking about the war and how mad they were President Wilson had drawn the United States into the affair. They understood about the repeated German U-boat attacks on U.S. supplies and materials being shipped to Europe, but after all what should we expect, sailing through a war zone with goods headed to countries Germany was at war with? They were upset the Germans sank the Lusitania, but most of the men felt that maybe the 128 Americans on board a British ship bound from Ireland should have been somewhere else or at least on another ship. While they were sympathetic to a certain extent they didn't believe it should be any reason to go to war. Most of the rhetoric focused on Wilson's initiation of a draft. They were sick of war and thought the United States should have an all volunteer army or not have one. The idea of what they understood as a draft going on in Warren County was that it depended on who you were as to whether or not you would be called up. If you were a young man from wealthy family, then you'd never get called. Perhaps your family had a key role in the Civil War, so to respect the attempt to preserve the southern way of life your family was given a "special consideration", if so, your son would unlikely ever be called. If you were black there was a good chance you'd be called, but most of the men in the barbershop had misgivings about blacks fighting in a war to preserve the freedom of those men in the barbershop. These men for the most part didn't like blacks, didn't trust blacks, and thought they'd be cowards in a fierce fight. Matt just listened and had no comments to offer about the draft. He knew he would never be called and that's all he cared about. When it was his turn he sat in the chair and had little to say. After he left barber shop he went to a café to get some food. By the time he left the café it was approaching four in the afternoon, so he hoped by the time he got back to the dealership James would be there. It was about quarter to six when James finally showed up. Matt got in James' car and on the way home he told James about his day in Warrenton and about how things were going at home. As James listened he realized Matt had sold his land as he had done earlier, except he moved to Macon with his money and bought a house and opened his own business whereas Matt was selling his land and spending the money on things that provided no monetary return, yet. He understood Matt's unplanned expenses, everyone had those at times in their lives, but now the land was gone and the money, according to Matt, was almost gone. James was very concerned for his daughter Lizzy and his three grandchildren. What would happen to them unless Matt got things in order? He wanted to help, but knew Matt was headstrong and didn't like taking advice from anyone. When he let Matt off at the farm he told Matt if there was any way he could use him in the store later in the fall he would let him know.

When Matt entered the house Wilson and Vick were playing with a puzzle on the floor while Lizzy was holding Rosa. Matt asked about dinner and Lizzy said his was on the table as she and the children had already eaten. She asked about the status of the car and Matt told her they didn't know for certain how long the repair might take.

Matt was up bright and early the next morning and after breakfast was out in the fields. As he walked between the rows examining the leaves on the stalks he noticed something he hoped he wouldn't have to deal with, the worms were back, this time with a vengeance. When the men arrived Matt asked if they had noticed the worms the previous day and they said they noticed a few and killed them on site. Matt questioned how there could be as many worms on the plants that morning without them also being there the previous day. He all but accused the men of lying and gross negligence. Matt insisted they should have at least come to the house and told Lizzy and somehow she could have gotten word to him or better, they should have stayed as long as it took to get the worms off the leaves. He wondered why they elected to leave since they were paid by the hours they worked. Several of the men were offended at Matt's accusations and decided to quit immediately. Matt told them if they quit they'd never see his land again and he would see to it that every farmer he knew would know just what ne'er-do-wells they really were. With that flare-up all the men walked off the job and were soon out of sight while Matt stood at the edge of his field watching the worms have their way with his tobacco crop. There was nothing, at least at that point, he could do. He couldn't possibly destroy all the worms. He walked back to the house and told Lizzy the situation. Lizzy remained calm and tried to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, but she had nothing with which to base her opinion. Matt went to the pantry and pulled down his friend, a bottle of Tennessee whiskey, and proceeded to drink up the remainder of the day. Lizzy stood there and lectured him about how useless drinking was as a problem solving tool. She insisted if he had finished his work for the day he had three kids he could help take care of, but he told her they were really her problem, her duty, while his was to provide. Lizzy replied that he was doing a lousy job holding up his end of the arrangement. With that comment Matt got up and stormed out the front door, slamming the door as hard as his strength would allow. He walked down to the barn to check on his horses and the rest of his stock, two cows, three pigs, and five chickens. He wished he could talk to them about his problems, actually he could and they would listen, but they would not be able to offer sympathy or suggestions. He left the barn and walked back down to the fields to inspect the progress the worms were making. He wondered why they didn't burst wide open after eating so much. After walking up and down a few rows he stopped and began to laugh. What a mess he was in, no crop, no money, car in the shop, most of his land gone, and a wife who thought he was a loser. He needed a way out, but he had no answer.

The next day he took the buggy to Macon in search of new men to work his fields. Most of the men he talked to had heard about the mass exodus from his farm the previous day and wanted no part of working for him. The remainder of the men he spoke with had no interest in picking worms off leaves. He left Macon without lining up any workers. When he got home he was still angry with Lizzy and she with him. She put all of her energy into raising their three children and Matt would just have to figure things out. By the end of the week word came from Warrenton that his car was ready. He traveled back to Macon to ask James to take him to get his car, but James told him there was simply no way to drive him over on a Friday since that was one of his busiest days. Matt walked around town looking for someone he knew he could ask a favor of, but found no one. He decided to ride his horse all the way to Warrenton, pick up his car, then tie the horse to the rear of the Ford and drive back home. It seemed a workable plan and Matt had no other choice. When he got to the dealership the manager had totaled up the bill and presented it to Matt. Matt examined the bill and threw it down on the counter in disgust. He told the man the figure was not the price he had been quoted, why the excessive amount. The manager explained that they didn't realize the extent of the problem until the engine had been completely torn down. Once inside they found the damage more than expected and it simply took more parts and more labor to get the engine in good working condition. Matt grunted some more before reluctantly paying the full amount of the bill. He went outside and tied his horse to the back bumper and drove home. He drove slow and checked often to see that his horse was okay. When he got home he put the horse in the barn, then drove the Ford into his shelter and went to the house. He had another cold supper as he was later than usual to the normal evening meal time. Lizzy said little and the kids, Wilson and Vick, were to the point where they said nothing to their father and expected nothing in return from him. Lizzy doubted if Matt would ever show any love and affection toward his children.

The next morning he went down to the fields to discover most of the tobacco plants were full of worms. As he walked the rows he shook his head in frustration. He would be lucky to gather enough decent leaves to make one load, but he needed to try to do that much. He drove to Warrenton in search of day laborers and managed to find some people, but the only problem was he would have to drive to the city each morning to pick them up, and then drive them back at the end of the day. He had no other choice, he needed their services. By the time the limited crop was harvested Matt wondered if it made any sense to load it up and haul it to market. By the time he sold his poundage and returned home he was totally frustrated. He initiated a discussion with Lizzy about their financial affairs and as usual whatever ideas Lizzy had Matt disagreed. She told him it might be time to move somewhere else, anywhere he could obtain a steady job working for someone else where he didn't have to worry so much about weather or labor or anything except doing the job for which he was paid. He told her he'd never leave the county so that ended the conversation. She left the room and took the children into the bedroom for it was the only room she had to get away from her husband who seemed to like to hear himself talk. Matt got out his note pad and pencil and jotted down budgetary figures including his cash in hand and his savings in the bank. He still had a quarter of his original farm and if he had to he could sell off everything except his house, the out buildings and a few acres surrounding the house. If he could find a job, any job, working for someone else he could make do with what money he earned to provide for his family. He projected his money would last, barring any more emergencies, into early spring and he didn't expect the money would get him far into the planting season. He would need additional cash by then to get a crop in the ground.

The next day he went back to the bank in Macon to talk to Mr. Crenshaw and the conversation was the same, Mr. Crenshaw told him he would loan him money against the remainder of the farm and advised him not to sell any more of his farm unless he was prepared to get out of the farming business. Those were Matt's alternatives that morning, borrow what he needed hoping to have a good crop and pay the bank back the money over time or sell the property he had left and get out of the farming business. Matt asked Mr. Crenshaw if he knew of any jobs around town and he said not that he was aware of, but that he would keep his eyes and ears open for an opportunity. He suggested since Matt had a car he might consider looking for work in Warrenton since it was a larger town. When Matt left the bank he decided to take Mr. Crenshaw's advice and drive to Warrenton in search of employment. He walked the streets and talked to the store owners on Main Street and all he got was a negative response. He stopped to engage several people on the streets and asked if they knew of any available work and all he got was what he already knew, there were day jobs on tobacco farms. He returned home that day and did not tell Lizzy he had gone to Warrenton in search of work as he figured she'd only make some comment which would irritate him. He did manage to gather enough energy to take Wilson and Vick for a walk down to the creek. When he got back he actually held Rosa in his lap while Lizzy prepared their dinner. After dinner Matt was silent as the wheels were turning in his head over which direction to go.

On Sunday the Robertson family visited James and Rosa after church services. They had lunch and Lizzy was glad to have an opportunity to get away from the farm for a while. She was beginning to feel closed in being at what was left of the farm almost all of the time. Rosa suggested they all spend the night since they had the space. She thought it would be good for Lizzy, Matt, and the kids, but Matt told Rosa he really needed to be home, but if Lizzy wanted to stay with the children he would come back the next day and pick them up. Lizzy was fine with Matt returning to the farm, in fact she thought it would be good for all of them to have time away from each other for a while. After dinner Matt left to return to the farm alone. Rosa sent him home with some food he could eat for his meals the next day. He told Lizzy he would come for them sometime in the afternoon, as he had a lot to do, but didn't specify what it was he had to do. When he got home he got out his Tennessee whiskey and headed to his favorite chair to sit and think about things. He knew he could get through the remainder of 1917 with the money he had. He was pretty certain he would have enough money to get his plant bed started. He doubted he had enough money to pay laborers, if he could find any, wages through the planting season. Where would that money come from, that was the question in need of an answer. By the time Matt polished off the remainder of his whiskey he had decided he would sell the most of his land except the house and a few acres around the house. He would then have enough money in savings to tide him over until he could find permanent work, but until he found such an opportunity he would lower himself and agree to do farm work for other farmers. He would see farm labor as merely temporary until he could land a dream job. He had made his decision; he would travel to Macon tomorrow to inform Mr. Crenshaw he wanted to sell the rest of the land except the ground his house was on and the out buildings. He would continue to search for jobs while Crenshaw was locating a buyer for the land. He would talk to James to at least get him to hire him temporarily. He would inform Lizzy of his decision on the way home from James and Rosa's. That night he had his dream and this time the shot fired in the dream was Matt, shooting a hole through his head. When he got up the next morning he jotted down his recollections of the dream. He concluded people dream things like that when they were under a lot of pressure. As he drove to Macon he continued to think about his bizarre dream. He got to the bank and directed Mr. Crenshaw to search for a buyer for his property and Mr. Crenshaw said he would start immediately to identify a suitable buyer. Matt went by the restaurant for lunch and saw the waitress who always served him. She asked did he need anyone to care for his children and he told her that his wife had the baby and all was well with the wife and the three children. He drove to Rosa's house to pick up Lizzy and the children. The family arrived at the farm around three in the afternoon. Matt went down to feed his stock and check on things at the barn. When he returned to the house Lizzy was preparing their dinner while Wilson and Vick were in the middle of the front room floor playing with some stuffed dolls. Matt went to the kitchen to tell Lizzy what he had done. After he finished Lizzy asked him if he was now at peace about things or did he think he'd ever be at peace. The comment miffed Matt a bit so he went to the pantry for some whiskey. He went to the front room and sat and watched the kids playing and thought about what it would be like not to own a farm anymore.

1918 arrived without much fanfare and Matt still had no firm offers on his property. He was a few weeks away from needing to install his plant beds and would unless he sold the land soon. He spent some time in Macon trying to round up laborers to help with the plant beds. He performed some minimal chinking work on his tobacco barns and replaced the door on one of his stalls in the stable. His horses were old but they could still pull a plow. The remainder of his stock he planned to keep after his last sale. In late January Matt was at home when someone arrived with a telegram from Mr. Crenshaw. The message indicated an offer had come in, low, but within the range Matt had specified before putting his land on the market. He told Lizzy about the offer and asked her what she thought and she told him do whatever he wanted. He drove to town to see Mr. Crenshaw about the offer. When he arrived Mr. Crenshaw was with another customer so he had to wait. While waiting he had time to think for the last time about what he was about to do. He was convinced it was time to scale back from farming, work temporarily as a laborer and hope something would open up. He knew the country was becoming more industrialized everywhere, even in the South, shifting more from agriculture to industry. What he didn't know was there was no way to know just how long it would take for industry to present itself in Warren County. After about twenty minutes Mr. Crenshaw's office door opened and a man left for the street. Mr. Crenshaw motioned for Matt to join him in his office. When seated the men talked about the offer. Mr. Crenshaw explained to Matt that the man wanted not only the land Matt had for sale but also the outbuildings, the stock, everything, but he was willing to pay additional money for those things. Matt thought for a few moments, and realized he had already come to terms with giving up farming so why would he need any of the buildings, even the stock for that matter? He didn't want to part with his horses and told Mr. Crenshaw some arrangement would need to be hammered out regarding his two horses. If he kept the horses he would need the stable. Mr. Crenshaw told Matt he would pass along his wishes to the buyer and be back to him soon probably by another telegram. Matt returned home and told Lizzy about the meeting with Mr. Crenshaw. She was rather stoic about his report and returned to her household chores. Matt walked down to the stable to see the horses and after looking at them for a few moments concluded since they were so old what would he be needing them for, so he decided to offer them as part of the deal to the prospective buyer with the stipulation that he keep them and take care of them until they died. That night after dinner Matt sat in his easy chair and watched Wilson and Vick play while Rosa slept and Lizzy mended clothes. Matt had his mind on one thing, getting rid of the remaining property he had for sale. Once in bed and fast asleep Matt's dream returned with a vengeance. Matt was holding the gun to his head and Lizzy was screaming for him to put the gun down. The trigger was pulled, Matt fell backward, and Lizzy screamed. Many people rushed in and out, some tried frantically to revive what appeared to be a dead Matt Robertson while others try to console his wife. At no time in the dream or the preceding dreams did the children appear. The next morning Matt woke up in a sweat with the dream on his mind. He immediately jotted down the details of the dream. This was the most graphic, vivid dream he had experienced. He decided to run to Macon to tell Mr. Crenshaw he would allow the two horses to be included in the sale of the property, one price would buy all. Mr. Crenshaw told Matt the deal could be consummated within a couple of weeks. Matt paid a visit to Missouri Angeline for he hadn't seen his mother in quite a while. He told her about the deal involving the remainder of his land, but she wasn't too happy with his decision, but knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. She was sad he was giving up on a way of life his father worked hard to make a decent living from. She was at peace with Matt's decision since she was getting older and realized times were indeed changing. She asked about the children, but Matt had little to offer other than they were fine. She was aware that being a father was not something her son had been comfortable with, but she hoped in time, he would change, but he hadn't yet. She asked Matt to bring the children to see her soon and upon leaving he indicated he would.

Matt returned home to find Lizzy fearing Wilson had broken his arm from falling from a small tree near the house. She wanted to take him to Doc Dressen's so Matt cranked the Model T for her and told her he would stay with Vick and Rosa while she took Wilson to the doctor. Rosa was out of the crib and crawling around and pulling up on the furniture so she had to be watched. Vick was now four and fulfilled the big sister role quite effectively, especially since Matt had no real intentions of doing much of anything for either of them. He sat in his chair consuming whiskey while Vick watched over her sister. Lizzy got back just before dark and found Matt asleep in his chair while Vick was in the floor playing with Rosa. Lizzy woke Matt up to tell him his son had fractured his wrist. Doc Dressen put Wilson's wrist in a splint and wrapped it and told Lizzy to reduce Wilson's activity for a while to give the wrist time to heal. She was angry with Matt for drinking himself to sleep while his two daughters were left largely unattended. She was angry because it was dinner time and Matt had made no effort to prepare even the simplest of meals for his family. He should have expected they would return hungry and dinner needed to be ready. How could she prepare dinner and at the same time be at the doctor's office? She was totally disgusted and told Matt in the morning she wanted him to drive her and the children to Rosa's to stay for a few days. Divorce was not on Lizzy's mind that night, but she wondered how they could continue living the life they were living. She wished help was available, someone to help Matt with his issues.

The next morning Matt drove Lizzy and the children to Rosa's house. Rosa was surprised, but pleased to see them, but once Matt departed Rosa got an ear full of why Lizzy and the children were there. Matt went by the bank to check on the sales process and was told things were moving along nicely and possibly the final documents would be ready for signing and the money exchanged by the next week. Mr. Crenshaw was pretty certain all would be ready by Monday so he told Matt to come back on Monday. Matt was extremely happy with the news and went home to celebrate, alone, as usual.

On Monday morning Matt drove to the bank and signed over most of his remaining property. He deposited the money in his account and then went to have breakfast at the restaurant. He was down to a house with a kitchen, a front room, and two bedrooms and he had a shelter for his nine year old Model T, pretty impressive estate for someone who at the beginning of the decade had hundreds of acres of productive land. Most people who knew Matt had cause to question why he sold off all of his land without a realistic plan. He stopped by Rosa's to pick up Lizzy and the children, but was told they were not ready to return, so he stopped to pick up some liquor and went home to sit and drink and plan his next move.

That night Matt relaxed in his easy chair and his booze because come morning he didn't really have one dam thing to do. He had no crop to farm and he had no job. He had a wife and three children, but they were not there, but if they were they were not likely to have their father's attention. He dozed off and went into a deep sleep to dream his dream. Next morning he did as he always did, recorded his dream, thought about it, and then made some coffee. As he sat at the kitchen table he tried to come up with a plan for the day. He really needed to secure employment while he had money to drive around and talk to people. If he got work as a day laborer all he needed to do was drive to Macon and stand on a street corner until a farmer came by and offered him work. He hoped to be able to land something more permanent, but he had no idea what such a job might look like. He drove to Macon to talk to James, but he had no time for him as he was disgusted with the poor decisions he had made that impacted his daughter and his grandchildren. He gave Matt a bit of advice, getting work around Macon, other than temporary farm work would be hard because the word was out that Matt was perceived as grossly irresponsible and nobody would hire him. The comments put Matt on the defensive and he responded that no one knew his circumstances, and the remarks were totally unfair. He slammed the front door of the store as hard as he could and walked to the Model T. He left Macon headed for Warrenton. When he got to Warrenton he walked the streets visiting many stores and emphatically asked at each store did they have any jobs and the answer every time was no. By the time he returned to the house that used to sit on hundreds of acres of land it was dark. He went inside and turned the lamps on, stoked the fires, and searched for something to fix for dinner. He made some eggs and had some bread Lizzy had made a few days ago. After this delicious meal he got his bottle of whiskey and sat down. As he drank the night away death and dying was center stage in his mind. He thought of the deaths of his siblings. He thought of James, his dad, and had he lived he might have been able to help him to figure things out. He wondered why people killed themselves. Perhaps they got to a point where the possibility of a better life might be somewhere else or maybe this life was all there was. He wondered what his life would be within a year, five years, or ten years. Would anything get better or would things continue to go downhill? What about his marriage, he loved Lizzy and he was still pretty certain she loved him, but maybe she'd be better off without him. After all she was young and men coveted her. He went to the bedroom to retrieve the pistol he had bought several years ago after the robbery and took it back to his chair. He wondered how people killed themselves with hand guns; did they shoot themselves in the mouth, the right or left temple or perhaps either side of their head just above the ear? What if they didn't do the job, what then? He wouldn't want to wind up an invalid due to a botched suicide attempt. He became very melancholy, sad about his family leaving him early, sad about his marriage, sad about giving away his farm and sad not having a job. He took a last drink of whiskey, looked at the fire in his fireplace with the coals growing dim, then picked up the handgun resting on his lap and held it against his temple. He took one more drink, sighed and pulled the trigger. Matt Robertson died on the first day of August, 1918. He was the husband of Susan Elizabeth Overby Robertson and the father of Wilson, Vick, and Rosa Robertson.

Chapter 5

The funeral for Matt was held three days later at the Methodist Church in Macon, the church where Matt was baptized and occasionally attended. The church service was brief with the pastor making some positive comments about the deceased that were not totally accurate but sounded good, but no one in attendance really cared. He was buried in the church cemetery next to his other siblings in the Robertson family plot. Lizzy cried throughout the service while her children sat quietly. After the internment Lizzy and her children drove the Model T back to her modest home. James and Rosa came over later with some food and stayed late. The children were very quiet and sad because they didn't understand why their father elected to leave his children. James told Lizzy not to worry for he would see to it she and the kids had what they needed. Rosa told Lizzy she would come over for the next few days to help out with the children while Lizzy got her affairs in order. Matt's savings account would be sufficient to get the family into at least the early part of 1919, but by late spring, early summer they would need another source of income. If Lizzy went to work she had no idea who would care for her three children. Lizzy never anticipated making the decisions she would have to make. She never understood the depth of Matt's problems and she wished now she had worked harder to help him figure out how to come to grips with his issues.

For several weeks after Matt's funeral Lizzy stayed home and took care of her children. The only time she left the house was to drive to Macon to pick up some groceries and when she did she took the children with her. James and Rosa visited often, but Missouri Angeline, who had difficulty arranging transportation, was an infrequent guest at the house. Lizzy talked to James about working at least part time at the store until things got sorted out and Rosa agreed to keep the children on the days Lizzy worked. She accepted her role as mother of three and manager of the household. For several weeks Lizzy had members of her church bringing food which helped immensely.

Lizzy was determined to carry on with her life and was committed to providing for her children. She developed a small network of friends who made themselves available to assist in any way. With Wilson starting to school that fall Lizzy still had to care for Vick and Rosa. Friends and family provided limited care of the children which allowed Lizzy to manage things for the remainder of 1918. Lizzy returned to the general store in January, 1919 and worked three days per week. She dropped Wilson off at school and then took Vick and Rosa to stay with Rosa while she worked. Missouri Angeline was never able to keep the children because of transportation problems, but sometimes on Saturdays Lizzy would drop them off for a visit so she could get in an extra day of work at the store.

Occasionally one of the children asked Lizzy why their father shot himself and Lizzy told them the truth, she didn't know. There were days when Wilson, the oldest, would be very quiet and Lizzy would inquire as to what was the matter and he would tell her he was thinking about his father. Vick, the middle child never asked much about her father and Rosa, the youngest was too young to remember anything about Matt.

Early in 1919 the ten year old Model T needed maintenance, but Lizzy didn't have enough money to have the car repaired. For a while James agreed to drive to Lizzy's to pick up the family and take Wilson to school, Vick and Rosa to Rosa's and then drive Lizzy and himself to the store. He finally decided to give Lizzy the extra money needed to repair the car rather than continue providing transportation.

On Sundays Lizzy took the kids to church regularly, but she returned to the Baptist Church where she had been a member before she married Matt. After church she normally drove her family to James and Rosa's for lunch and once a month visited Missouri Angeline after she had lunch at her parents. Tending to the house and trying to work three days per week took most of Lizzy's time. While she saw many people at the store there were few men passing through who struck her fancy. Most eligible men, while quick to examine Lizzy's physical characteristics were a bit anxious to want to court her what with three children, especially young children. Lizzy had several friends she had known from her early school days and had developed a few friendships at church, but seldom was she able to socialize much with any of them since caring for her children were her top priority. Wilson tried very hard to help his mother around the house, even trying as best he could to chop wood and keep the fires burning. Vick would help Lizzy with setting the table for dinner and removing the plates and utensils after the meal was over. Once in a while a traveling salesman would find her house and while attempting to sell her some merchandise he would also try to promote himself as a man worthy of Lizzy's affections. After a few visits by such bold salesman Lizzy restricted their sales pitches to the front porch. One time she had a difficult time getting one salesman to leave the front room when he discovered her children were at their grandparent's house. Lizzy also learned early to keep the pistol Matt used to kill himself with close by in case she needed to make a point with a visitor. Matt never showed Lizzy how to handle a gun, but she understood what a trigger was used for. At church an occasional suitor would try to have a conversation with Lizzy before or after church, but she usually cut short the exchange when the man hinted at a home visit.

James was concerned about strange men who called themselves salesmen coming to Lizzy's house. He strongly suggested she sell the house and use the money from the sale to build a new house on one of the lots next to his house. He even contacted the man who bought the last of Matt's land about buying the house. The man thought about it for a few days and told James he wanted to purchase the remaining lots and the house and move his family. He made a verbal offer and James took the numbers back to Lizzy. James was very persuasive with Lizzy citing safety and convenience issues. The more she thought about the offer the better it sounded. James told her after the sale of the house she and the kids could move in with them until her house could be built. By the end of the year the Robertson's were living in their new house next to their grandparents.

In August of 1920 the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified giving women the long awaited right to vote. Lizzy drove the Model T to Warrenton to register to vote as soon as the board of elections office opened. Lizzy was so proud she was a registered voter and could vote in the local, state, and national elections. She registered as a Democrat, but she knew Matt had been a registered Republican but he seldom voted. She tried to coax her mother into going with her to register, but Rosa believed it was just too late in her life to participate in the voting process. Lizzy scolded her about not exercising a right she had been prevented from exercising all of her adult life, but her tirades did not change Rosa's mind.

Lizzy became quite the cook, aided in large part over the years by having helped her mother prepare the meals when she was a youngster. Lizzy started baking breads, cakes, and pies and selling them at the general store. James was happy for her to promote her goodies for he knew the more money she made the better off his grandchildren would be. Things seemed to be progressing as well as could be expected after the shocking death of her husband. Lizzy was walking to work and the children were walking to and from school. When they returned from school each day they went to their grandmother's house and stayed until Lizzy got home.

James Overby passed away on May 18, 1922 leaving Rosa alone and Lizzy to try to figure out how to support to her widowed mother. Rosa took James' death hard and asked Lizzy to agree to continue to operate the general store or she would close it and try to sell it. Lizzy knew she didn't want the responsibility of managing a store, but she needed to work. Lizzy continued to bake her breads, cakes, and pies when she had the time and they were always quick sale items in the store.

Lizzy's older brothers, Clemmie and Thornton, checked on her often and told her if at any time she wanted to work for them she could. Working in a hot tobacco field would not be the same as a store with a roof to shield one from the hot sun, but it was decent work. Lizzy told them she might be interested in getting away from the store later and might even look forward to working up a sweat for a while. As the fall of 1922 gave way to an early winter snow Lizzy decided she didn't want to operate James' store, consequently just before Christmas she told Rosa she wanted to stop working at the store by springtime. It took Rosa several months to locate a buyer for the store, but when the sale was consummated she was relieved and hoped the money would last until one of her children agreed to take her in.

Lizzy went to work for Clemmie in the spring of 1923 helping him prepare his plant bed. By the fall of 1923 all three children, Wilson, Vick, and Rosa were in school and for the most part enjoyed the day to day routine. Once in a while one of the children would come home with stories from some classmate that their father had committed suicide and they wondered what suicide was. Lizzy did the best she could to try to explain what suicide meant and why their father might have decided to take his life. She assured them he did not elect to leave his children because he did not like them.

She continued to bake breads, cakes, and pies and sell them to the new store owner. She also was able to sell her baked goods to members of her church congregation. The money she made from baking helped her get by until it was time for her to help Clemmie with the early planting season. Clemmie didn't pay Lizzy much, but he didn't pay anyone else much either, but his pay coupled with her money from baking was enough to live on except when an emergency arose. She continued to experience occasional car trouble which took much of her small savings for repairs, but she had to have transportation. As time went on she saw less and less of Missouri Angeline or any of Matt's brothers, Foster and Nat. Sometimes either brother-in-law might stop by on the way to another place, but even those visits were rare. Lizzy sometimes wondered if Foster and Nat thought she was a cause or THE cause of Matt committing suicide. They never mentioned anything to her about what they thought might have precipitated Matt's suicide.

In the evenings after the children were in bed Lizzy had time to reflect on all that had occurred in her life. She often wondered if Matt was better off now than he was before August 1, 1918. She knew what the ministers always preached about the hereafter and if you followed the teachings of Jesus you would wind up in a better, happier place, so if all that was true Matt was better off and if so, why wouldn't everyone else want to get there, including her, as soon as possible? Maybe she could have been a better wife, but what should she have done better? Matt never really mentioned to her anything she needed to do better, so the thought kept her in confusion. How would her children grow up? What kind of lives would they have and would they be happy and have a family? She often wondered if there was something else she should do instead of bake pies or pull suckers off tobacco plants, but she never came up with anything.

On February 6, 1925, Missouri Angeline Robertson, mother of Matthew Robertson, passed away of a suspected heart attack. She was buried in the family plot at the Methodist Church alongside her husband James Robertson. She had lived for eighty years, rare for most women at that time, and had been a good wife and mother according to what the pastor said in this remarks. Lizzy and her children were present and they each placed a flower on the coffin as it was lowered into the grave. After the funeral Lizzy and the kids visited Rosa and spent most of the rest of the afternoon talking about Matt's mother. Missouri Angeline would leave her farm, some 300 acres, to her remaining sons, Foster and Nat who would later opt to sell all 300 acres. She left nothing to her grandchildren.

By 1925 Wilson, Vick, and Rosa were working on their Uncle Clemmie's farm. Wilson worked pulling weeds, suckering, or pulling worms off the tobacco leaves while Vick and Rosa usually worked either tying leaves on the tobacco sticks or later tying together the cured leaves in the strip room. Clemmie paid each child and they used their money to buy school clothes and supplies which helped Lizzy immensely with her budgeting.

Lizzy still missed her husband very much and as the years flew by memories of Matt never strayed too far from her thoughts. One day on Clemmie's farm a young man came by to see him and noticed Lizzy at the edge of a field taking a water break. While he talked to Clemmie he had his eyes focused on Lizzy so intense that finally he asked Clemmie who she was. When he learned she was Clemmie's sister the man grilled him for more information about his sister. After Clemmie told the man about Matt's death and the three children the man appeared less interested, but not totally disinterested. He asked for his permission to speak with Lizzy and Clemmie told him fine but not to take too long as there were still suckers to be pulled that day. The man walked over and introduced himself as Jesse Carter and told Lizzy her brother told him about her and gave him permission to speak to her. She smiled and asked why he would want to know about her. The man was direct and told her he would like very much for her to allow him to visit next Sunday. She was silent for a moment and then told Jesse Carter he could visit at two on Sunday, but he couldn't stay past four o'clock. Jesse was elated and told her he would be there, and then he asked what kind of candy her kids liked because he had been around enough to know if he wanted to gain favors with the mother he had to be kind to the children.

On Sunday afternoon Jesse Carter arrived at Lizzy's house at two o'clock sharp. She was pleased with his punctuality and led him into the house. Once Jessie was seated in the front room Lizzy had the children line up and provide their names one by one. After the introductions, Jesse played his trump card, the candy; he brought out a bag of licorice candy and distributed it evenly among the three children, and one by one they thanked Jessie for his gift, and then proceeded to eat the licorice. Lizzy and Jesse had a pleasant conversation for the remainder of his time that afternoon. He told Lizzy his wife had died giving birth back in 1915 and the baby died also. He had since lived alone and had courted few women in the past ten years. Lizzy told him she had brief friendships with several men, but none kept her interest past a few visits. He asked if he could come back next Sunday and perhaps take her and the children to Warrenton for some lunch. She paused for a moment and then told him that yes, that would be nice and he could come, but earlier if they were to get to Warrenton during lunchtime. Jessie got up to leave and said goodbye to the children and then to Lizzy as he reached for the door. He thanked her for the visit and said he would look forward to next Sunday. After he left Lizzy thought about her afternoon and doubted any long term relationship would evolve as a result of this visit. She proceeded to prepare dinner for her children and then helped them finish their homework before going to bed. As Lizzy lie in bed that night she wondered if she really needed a man, any man, back in her life. For the past seven years she had done just fine providing for her children and they all had gotten adjusted to not having a man around. She closed her eyes thinking that if a man entered her life and slept beside her in her bed he would indeed have to be special and two hours with Jessie gave her no clues that he would be the one.

As the summer of 1925 drew to a close Clemmie was predicting this crop would be one of his best yields ever. Lizzy and the children were working eight to ten hours a day. It was all Lizzy could do after a day priming tobacco but crank the old Ford, drive home, prepare a quick meal, read to her kids when she had any energy left, and turn in. The days were hectic until the children started back to school and the tobacco was in the barns being cured. When the tobacco was cured mostly women would receive the tobacco from the barns and sort the leaves according to quality and tie them together in bundles in preparation for the markets. Once the tobacco was readied to be transported to the markets Lizzy's work with Clemmie had ended. It was always a relief to be in her house performing needed chores, making preparations for her meals, and welcoming her children home from school. She realized how much she missed being at home all the time when Matt was alive, he worked and she tended to the house, now she had to do it all. Most days she would go across to her mother's house to check on her, attend to chores for Rosa, or run quick errands. The conversations between mother and daughter centered on the fears of an uncertain future. Rosa always asked about Lizzy's friend, Jessie, and Lizzy's response was usually the same, that he occasionally visited her at the house on Sunday afternoon and that was it.

Lizzy was glad her father had convinced her to move to Macon as it had made her life much more convenient. She walked most places and seldom drove the Model T. She often thought about selling the old vehicle, but decided not to since there were times she needed to get to Warrenton or even Henderson and the car was usually still reliable for those trips. She wondered if she should try to get another job at least for the months she wasn't working for Clemmie, but she never expended the energy to explore what few opportunities there were in Macon. During the twenties most people Lizzy knew well or knew of were doing quite well financially as witnessed by the cars they drove, the clothes they wore, and the homes they owned. Lizzy wished she was doing as well, but her decision to work in a hot field several months out of a year was hers.

After many months of coming to visit Lizzy on Sundays Jessie finally got Lizzy alone and made advances toward her which made her uncomfortable. While she had missed intimacy with a man she would not allow herself the indulgences of quick passionate acts. She realized her needs, but she also realized the needs of her three children were to have a mother to count on. When Lizzy and Jessie began to take walks on Sunday afternoons she would be placed in compromising situations and each time she was able to stem the passion which left Jessie frustrated as he did understand why she didn't have the same needs as he did. When Jessie left each Sunday he wondered how much longer this relationship would last going the way it was. He got to the point where he was ready to ask her to marry him for that seemed to be the only way to consummate intimacy, but he doubted Lizzy would agree. He decided that within the month he would propose to her and then he would know for sure where he stood.

As the visits from Jessie continued into 1926 Lizzy knew for sure the day was coming when Jessie would ask for her hand in marriage. She knew she liked to spend time, some time, with him, but that she didn't feel the same way about him as she had Matt and she didn't need someone to keep her warm at night. If she got that cold she could ask one or all of her children to sleep with her, so no, she didn't need a man for warmth. What did she need a man for she thought? Maybe she didn't need a man for more than Jessie already provided, some infrequent companionship and conversation, but she was getting that from her long time friends whenever she needed it. Lizzy concluded that if Jessie asked her to marry him she would tell him no and that would be it. He could continue to come over on Sundays if she wanted him to or he could ride off into the sunset. She anticipated his disappointment with her decision, but he would have to live with it.

On the final Sunday afternoon in January, 1926, Jessie arrived for a visit and took Lizzy and the children for a drive through the Warren Country countryside. After they returned and had a light snack Jessie asked Lizzy to go for a walk with him. A few blocks from the house Jessie stopped on the street and turned to Lizzy and asked her to marry him. It wasn't a very romantic setting, but Jessie managed to get the words out of his mouth. Having rehearsed possible scene several times Lizzy immediately responded with a flat, no! Jessie was completely bemused with her reaction and had no more to say until they returned to the house. He looked at her and told her goodbye and he would see her later, but did not hint he would return the next Sunday. Jessie never returned to Lizzy's house and the only time Lizzy ever saw him again was in passing on the downtown pavements of Macon and even then he spoke briefly and kept moving. In some ways Lizzy was relieved Jessie no longer courted her, especially since she had little feelings for him. She was now thirty-five and for a woman to be that old, especially with three children the odds of her ever getting married again were slim, but Lizzy was not sure she cared.

In February Lizzy helped Clemmie and his other laborers prepare the tobacco plant beds. It was the first time Lizzy had been paid for work in several months although she did continue to prepare baked goods for some of her church friends. She no longer sold her goodies to the new store owner as he was not interested in offering fresh cakes, pies, and cookies to his customers. When school closed the children once again worked for their Uncle Clemmie to earn money for their school needs next fall. Clemmie had another good year, so good he felt guilty about how much money his crop brought in. He figured with all that money it wouldn't be long before the weather gods took over and destroyed his crop for several years. He hoped to be able to save some of his money for the lean years, but that seemed mostly impossible to do.

As the end of October approached Lizzy's children wanted to go Trick or Treating on Halloween night. Lizzy had never let her kids trick or treat, but now since they were older she was willing to give it a try. She had the kids dress up as they wanted and went door to door in the neighborhood tricking and treating. There were not many houses so the escort with the kids was over in about an hour. They also attended the Halloween carnival at the school and enjoyed the many activities set up. By the time Lizzy's kids got to bed they had consumed more candy than they had in many months, but Lizzy figured since Halloween was only one night she let them enjoy their candy. The next morning Wilson wanted to have his remaining candy for breakfast, but his mother refused, sending him off to school angry.

Thanksgiving dinner was held at Rosa's with her children and their offspring attending. By 1926 Clemmie and his wife Ida had six children, Garland born in 1905, James Edwin born in 1909, Brantley born in 1912, Thelma born in 1915, Ida born in 1920, and Eunice born in 1923. Clemmie worked really hard during the tobacco season, but somehow he managed to find the time to get with Ida and have six children. Thornton and his wife Jennie had five children, Dallas born in 1908, Gladis born in 1910, Alton born in 1911, Hercules born in 1913, and Annie born in 1915. Thornton appeared to have sufficient time away from farming to sire five children. In all Lizzy and Rosa served twenty people on Thanksgiving Day, 1926. Most of the children got along just fine except for the usual disagreements over turf or toys. Holiday gatherings provided an opportunity for all of these children to see each other and play. Getting them together at times other than special occasions required coordination no adult was interested in assuming.

Thornton and Clemmie asked Lizzy about her love life and Lizzy was quick to respond that her love life did not exist and had not since Matt died some eight years before. They always had names of a few eligible bachelors they put forth, men they had known most of their life and knew them to be honorable and responsible people. Lizzy told her brothers she was in no hurry, if it happened, it happened, if not, she was perfectly happy raising her three children and helping take care of her mother. Lizzy's brothers felt strongly that Lizzy needed someone to take care of her needs and protect her from life's evils, but she was strong and very independent.

Thornton mentioned he had heard of a job opening down at the drugstore and wondered if Lizzy was interested. She asked him did he know what the job involved and Thornton told her it was working behind the counter waiting on people and making sodas and things. Since she had worked at James' general store waiting on folks for years he thought she might be ready to work inside again and she certainly was qualified. Thornton told Lizzy if she was interested he would drop by the drug store the next day and put in a good word for her. She thanked him for the tip and said she would go by the store before the week was over and get more details about the position and if she liked what she heard she would apply.

In 1926 many folks in Warren County who had any money at all had new gadgets, called telephones, installed in their homes and stores. Lizzy couldn't yet afford one, but her mother had one installed so when Lizzy needed to make a call she would walk over to Rosa's and make her call. If Rosa took a call intended for Lizzy she would yell as loud as she could and most of the time Lizzy or the kids could hear her and run over to take the call. People started to rely more and more on telephones and less and less on sending telegrams, but telegrams were still useful means of communication.

Lizzy walked down to the drug store and spoke to the druggist about the job and after he explained what the job required and asked a few questions he offered Lizzy the job. He did mention Thornton had been by earlier in the week and told him she would be by and that she was an excellent employee. Lizzy was appreciative of the offer, but felt maybe she didn't get the job on her merits, but on the word from her brother. But she had a new job and would be out of the tobacco fields and that made her feel pretty good. Clemmie told her on Thanksgiving Day if she was offered the job at the drug store to accept it as he would have no problem finding someone to replace her out in the tobacco fields.

Lizzy couldn't wait to tell the children when they returned from school about her new job. When the kids heard the news they were so excited and happy for their mother. They hoped she would make more money so she could have a phone installed, but they doubted she would get a phone.

Lizzy's new job went very well and she was glad once again have a steady income, but the job was pretty much like the job she'd had at her father's store. Nevertheless, it was steady and very predictable which often made for boring days. She got to learn a little about the prescriptions people had filled. One prescription she saw quite often was one for medicinal alcohol. During Prohibition many physicians prescribed medicinal alcohol as a "legal" way to get people the alcohol they thought they needed. She was always surprised at who entered the store with a prescription for alcohol; it was people she would have never suspected consumed alcohol. Illegal alcohol production and distribution was as pervasive in Warren County in the twenties as it was anywhere else in the United States. People felt the Volstead Act was an infringement on one of their rights, the right to drink as much as they needed, therefore, if they couldn't buy the stuff legally they would make their own, drink it or even sell it if anyone thought it was worth buying. Clemmie and Thornton made frequent purchases of illegal booze, but never considered entering the "moonshine" business. There were a plethora of moonshine entrepreneurs in Warren County, but too few "Revenuers" to follow up on leads, but Thornton and Clemmie decided they didn't want to be one of the few who "got caught." They simply didn't want to cause embarrassment to their mother, Rosa Overby. Lizzy Robertson never consumed any alcoholic beverages.

Lizzy came in contact with many people through her work at the drug store, as with the general store, she had regular customers she came to know quite well. The work was easy and allowed her to be home at a reasonable time, although the children continued to go to Rosa's house after school and remain until Lizzy finished work. As 1927 approached Wilson began pressing Lizzy to allow the three of them to come home after school rather than going to their grandmother's. Wilson would be fifteen in October and felt he was old enough, responsible enough, to watch over his two sisters while he tended to needed chores before Lizzy got home. Vick would soon be thirteen and Wilson felt she could at least begin some preparations for their dinner so when Lizzy got in she would have less to prepare. Lizzy listened to Wilson's presentation and told him she would seriously consider his proposal. Maybe he had a good idea she mused, after all if there was a crisis, a problem, they could run over to Rosa's. She told him she would decide that night and let him know before they went to school the next morning. That night Lizzy had a dream about Matt. Since his death she didn't recall any dreams about him, but then she didn't think much about what she dreamed. In the dream Matt appeared and told Lizzy things were well where he was and that she should join him. She could get there if she followed the same route he did, committing suicide. What a strange dream she thought, but as she prepared breakfast for three hungry children she forgot all about the unusual dream. As soon as Wilson got out of bed he ran into the kitchen to get Lizzy's decision on whether or not they could come home after school. Lizzy told him she would try his suggestion for one week to see how they did and if she was satisfied then yes, they could come straight home after school. She was very adamant that they all understood they must come directly home after school, no lingering on the streets, no walking downtown, no going by a friend's house, straight home. As Vick and Rosa were coming into the kitchen Lizzy repeated her directives to them and they were excited to be considered "big" girls and would have a role in preparations for dinner. She told the girls not to touch the stove and to be very careful using knives to cut vegetables. Lizzy actually selected a knife, a rather dull one, for them to use and instructed them not to use any other knife. The kids left home that day excited about their new independence and their responsibilities when they got home.

Lizzy's day at the drug store was stressful as she had more unhappy customers than usual. The complaints centered over some sale items as some prices were quoted incorrectly in the local newspaper. Lizzy had to tell them the prices were a misprint and the actual sale price was a bit higher, causing several customers to become irate, so much so the pharmacist had to stop preparing prescriptions and come out to the front and calm things down. He wondered if he would continue to advertise in the paper after these confrontations. Maybe he'd just post a sign in the front window and that would be the only message customers would get.

When Lizzy got home that day she found her three children in the house. Wilson had the fires going, as he was allowed to do, while Rosa helped Vick with the preliminary preparations for dinner. The three had preformed the other chores Lizzy had directed around the house. Lizzy was most pleased with what she observed and concluded maybe Wilson had a good idea after all. She knew at some point one or all of the kids would be tempted to do other things after school, but it was a good start. Lizzy got dinner on the table quicker thanks to Vick and Rosa's help and was out of the kitchen sooner than usual and had time to relax after a hard day at the drug store. The kids were quiet as they did their homework and Lizzy put her feet up and read a while before preparing for bed.

As the winter of '27 continued Lizzy's work was largely uneventful and the kid's progress at school was satisfactory. All three made B's or better at every grading period with Vick making the best grades of the three. The children continued to press Lizzy to have a phone installed at their house because several of their classmates already had phones. Lizzy told them she would look into the possibility soon.

On May 20, 1927, Charles Lindbergh departed from New York in route to Paris, France in a machine called an airplane. Several days later when folks in Macon heard that Lindbergh had actually landed in France they were impressed with his feat. Lizzy was at the drug store when she first heard the news from several customers, but didn't think much about it since flying was not anything she ever thought about. Later that week she read an account of Lindbergh's preparations for his flight and how crude his instruments were on this contraption. She thought he must have just been extremely lucky to find his way. She imagined that sometime or other in the future more people might just use airplanes to get places like they were using trains. She had no further interest in flying or of Lindbergh.

By midsummer Lizzy placed an order for a telephone to be installed at her home. The children were excited about having this new fangled gadget in their home. Lizzy could keep in touch with her friends and family who had phones. The sound coming through the earphone wasn't as good as speaking to a person standing next to you, but it was clear enough most of the time for the listener to understand what the person on the other end was saying. Lizzy made extensive use of the phone and the children began using it to talk to friends after school and in the evenings.

In October Wilson reached age fifteen and he asked Lizzy if he could find a job working after school and on weekends. He continued to work for Uncle Clemmie in tobacco during the summer months, but he wanted to make more money, have more independence and maybe even sign on with someone who would offer him a more responsible position after he graduated from high school. Lizzy thought his request seemed reasonable, but she made it clear he could accept no job which wasn't safe, like working in a saw mill; no she wouldn't allow him to work at such a place. After school that day Wilson began immediately to comb Macon for a part time job. His experiences in dealing with people in his family, his church, and his school had taught him how to present himself, especially when applying for a job. He learned to be confident, maintain eye contact, listen carefully when being talked to, and think first before responding to a question. Working with Uncle Clemmie had taught him to work hard, be on time, and be responsible for your actions and with all these lessons under his belt he landed a job at a grocery store delivering groceries to customers. He wondered if Lizzy would let him use the Model T to make his deliveries, after all she had allowed him to drive some on country roads on Sunday afternoons. He felt confident behind the wheel and his deliveries would be confined to Macon. He decided to be bold and just ask her when she got home.

Lizzy got home just after five and Wilson met her at the door with news of his employment. She was happy for him and wanted to know all the details. He told her he would be stocking shelves, waiting on customers, but the key duty was to deliver groceries and he immediately asked his mother for permission to drive the car to work to make his deliveries. He mentioned that the Ford sat in front of the house all day since Lizzy walked to work, therefore, why couldn't he use it, and some days he wouldn't have any deliveries. Lizzy was quiet which Wilson interpreted as a no, but then Lizzy presented her offer. She would agree if they went out into to country next weekend for Wilson to practice driving some more so she could be entirely comfortable he could handle that car. If he'd agree to those terms then they could proceed with her plan. Wilson did not hesitate to answer in the affirmative. He wasn't scheduled to start his new job until the first of next week so Lizzy's driving refresher course could be held before Wilson needed to make any deliveries, making her feel at ease. While Lizzy was finalizing dinner preparations Wilson went outside and sat in the car reviewing all the controls to operate a motor vehicle. He was comfortable with his knowledge of the vehicle's operation and couldn't wait until he got to drive the Model T to his work. He must let everyone at school know about being allowed to drive a car. At the dinner table Vick told her mother that in a year or two she planned to get a job and earn her own money so she wouldn't have to work in tobacco. Rosa made no much comment about future work.

On Sunday afternoon Lizzy told the girls to go over to Rosa's until she and Wilson returned from his driving practice. The girls wanted to go, but Lizzy wanted no potential distractions while Wilson was trying to hone his skills behind the wheel of the Model T. Lizzy drove north out of town and turned left just past the cemetery and headed west for several miles. She turned off the main road and after she was reasonably certain no one would be driving on that road she stopped and switched sides with Wilson and he drove away down the narrow dirt road. Lizzy told him to maintain a speed of twenty miles per hour, keep both hands on the wheel, and keep his eyes focused on the road ahead at all times. They drove out into the country side for about five miles before they came upon a side road to someone's farm. Lizzy told Wilson to slow down and turn into the road and turn the car around. Before Wilson headed back in the opposite direction he asked LIzzy how he was doing and she told him he was doing a good job thus far. By the time they got back to turn at the cemetery Lizzy felt confident enough to allow Wilson to drive them back home. They were back home around four in the afternoon and Wilson parked the car in front of the house. Lizzy told him she was pleased with his driving and she would allow him to drive the car to work to make his deliveries. Wilson asked if he could drive Vick and Rosa to school each day, but Lizzy told him she was not ready to agree to that request.

On Monday morning Wilson, Vick, and Rosa walked as usual to Macon School. Lizzy walked to the drugstore downtown. After school Wilson escorted his sister's home and then cranked up the old Model T and went to work at his new job at the grocery store. During Wilson's first afternoon as a grocery delivery boy he delivered some small orders nearby on foot while the larger orders across town he drove the Ford. He experienced no problems on his first day as all of the customers got the groceries they ordered. When he prepared to leave at the end of his shift Wilson thanked the store owner for hiring him and promised to work hard every day. He drove by the drug store to see if Lizzy wanted to catch a ride home; she told him she would be ready in fifteen minutes. Lizzy came out in about half an hour and apologized for being later than she said, but Wilson was fine just sitting after a good first day of work. When they got home the girls had done the preliminaries for dinner so all Lizzy had to do was put the meal together and cook what needed to be cooked. That night after all the children were in bed Lizzy sat in Matt's old "easy chair" and reminisced about her life with him before he elected to leave her and their three wonderful children. How much better could it be wherever he was than being in that house with her and the kids? No one ever did a very good job explaining to her how wherever Matt was or in what condition he was in was better than being with his family. When she went to sleep that night she had another dream where Matt asked her to join him, but why and where she couldn't gather from the dream.

Late that night Lizzy was awakened by the sound of thunder in the distance. As she pulled down the covers and sat on the edge of the bed she heard the sound of the wind. As she continued to sit she heard the rain beat down on the tin roof to accompany the roar of the wind. Soon there was heavy thunder and lightning, so noisy it woke Rosa up and she came into Lizzy's bedroom and got in her bed. The wind was so strong it could be easily felt around the windows. The wind gusts were so strong Lizzy wondered if it was strong enough to blow the house down. Wilson and Vick were also awakened by the rain and the wind and came into Lizzy's bedroom. She sat up on the bed with the three children huddled around her hoping the wind and rain would soon subside, but instead the storm was becoming more powerful. Maybe there was a tornado coming which would be rare indeed, but she remembered Warren County had experienced them before. She knew there was no safer location to go in the house. She just hoped soon the storm would be over and they could get back to sleep. Lizzy heard small limbs from nearby trees hitting the tin roof which frightened the children. Suddenly there was a tremendous gust of wind which caused the nails in the roofing to pull apart from the beams which allow the wind to get underneath the tin roof and created an opening for the rain to pour in. Lizzy got up and ran into the kitchen and noticed there was no roof over her stove or table where they had their meals. She turned around to go back to the bedroom and there were the kids staring at her and at the large hole in the roof with sheets of rain pouring through. Not knowing what else to do Lizzy told the children get dressed as quick as they could because they were going to run over to their grandmother's house. Lizzy thought if they remained in the house the entire roof might be blown off. While they were getting dressed more of the roof flew off and pretty soon the only dry space left was a corner of the children's bedroom. The family waited for the rain to slow down sufficiently for them to make a break for Rosa's house. About twenty more minutes passed before Lizzy decided it was time for them to make a run for it. With all four holding each other's hands Lizzy opened the front door and out they went as fast as they could run to Rosa's. When they got there Lizzy banged on the door and almost immediately Rosa opened the door for the storm had also caused her to get up. Rosa's house was fine, especially since it was larger and better constructed than Lizzy's. Rosa had lit a lamp and they all sat huddled together in her front room. The storm died down at about four in the morning. Lizzy went over to her house to survey the damage. The kitchen was soaked as was her bedroom and most of the kid's bedroom. When she looked up she could see twinkling stars as most of the roof had blown into Rosa's back yard. She stood there wondering how much would it cost to repair the house and how long would it take before they could return home. She explained the damage to Rosa and the children and immediately Rosa told Lizzy they could remain at her house until such time her house could be repaired. The only dry, but damp, clothes the children had were on their backs. Rosa and Lizzy stayed awake for what was left of the early morning hours. The children managed to return to sleep on the couch and in chairs in Rosa's front room. Lizzy helped Rosa make breakfast and she got the kids up at their usual time to eat and prepare to go to school. After the kids were off to school Lizzy returned to her house to survey the damage and try to make a plan for what she needed to do. She took the wet clothes outside and hung them out to dry as there was bright sun that morning. Much of the water on the floor had seeped through the cracks but was the floor was still quite damp. The walls were wet, but hopefully the sun would aid the drying process. She knew she had to locate someone who could repair the roof and repair it soon before it rained again or before some creatures decided it was a good place to live and moved in. Lizzy walked to the drug store and told the manager about the storm and the damage to her house. He told her to take the day off if she needed it to take care of things and suggested a man she could contact to make repairs to her house. She walked down to the edge of town to a tiny building, more like a shack, and looked through the window, but it appeared no one was there. She waited outside for about ten minutes before a man who looked to be quite old judging from his white beard, wrinkled face and hands appeared at the door. Lizzy spoke first and the man acknowledged her greeting and asked could he help her. Lizzy explained as best she could the damage done to her house. The man suggested they walk back to her house so he could assess the damage and givc her an estimate of the cost of repairs.

When they got to the house the man looked in horror as he walked around the house. He saw more than he wanted to see and told her the repairs would take a while and probably cost more than she needed to know that morning. He suggested she secure what valuables she had, maybe taking them to her mother's, and let the sun continue with the drying out process. He felt the house needed to be as dry inside as possible before replacing the roof because it would be extremely hard to dry things out after the roof was replaced. He mentioned concerns about mold and told Lizzy what to look for because mold could cause an unsafe environment for her family. He would try to find some type of cover to place over the roof late in the day to protect as much as he could at night, and then he would return early each morning to remove the cover to allow the sun to do its work during the day. He told her to keep her fingers crossed and pray there would be no rain for a while. Lizzy asked again about the cost for the work and he told her not to worry but he really didn't know.

The man kept his word and late that afternoon as Lizzy looked out Rosa's window she saw the man on a ladder placing a covering over the roof of her house. She walked over to speak to the man and he told her the cover would help things at night, but it wasn't water proof. He told her he had ordered the roofing materials and they should arrive by the time the house was sufficiently dried out. She thanked him and told him she had every confidence he would do a good job. For the next several weeks Lizzy and her children stayed at Rosa's.

Lizzy and her children were able to return to their house six weeks after the fierce storm. Many of Lizzy's paper treasures had been destroyed, but after extensive time in the hot summer sun most of her furnishings were salvaged. The expense of the repairs took all of Lizzy's savings plus she agreed to pay some on the balance at the end of each week when she got paid until the bill was paid up.

The Robertson's worked hard throughout the remainder of 1927 to get back to normal, whatever that was. After that storm every time a storm came up, even a small one, Rosa insisted they all go over to grandmother's house and stay until the storm was over. When Rosa saw the sky turn gray and clouds become menacing she became very anxious and was adamant in having Lizzy, Vick, and Wilson go with her to Grandmother Rosa's. For a while Lizzy thought nothing of it and thought Rosa's fear would subside over time, but it didn't, it got worse and later in her adult years it would become a serious psychological problem.

In 1928 Wilson was sixteen and began to have conversations with Lizzy about leaving home to go out on his own. Lizzy listened and gave moral support, but never assumed at the time he was serious about leaving. Vick talked about getting some kind of part time work, but she figured she was still at least a year or two from that possibility. Rosa never talked about work or leaving, but did talk about storms and about how scared she was the night the storm took the roof off their house. Lizzy continued to work as much as she could to try to earn enough money to pay off the repair man. She knew she couldn't ask her mother for financial help for Rosa's only money was what she had left from the sale of the general store. By the end of 1928 Lizzy had paid off what she owed the repair man and as she entered 1929 some semblance of stability had returned.

On October 29, 1929 the Stock Market crashed and it took a while for the ramifications to be felt in Macon, North Carolina. Since Lizzy had no stock and knew of no one who did the news of the Crash meant little to her. Wilson reminded his mother the time was near he would be out on his own. He had graduated from Macon School, living at home and working full time at the grocery store, but he had designs on other opportunities.

Lizzy experienced female problems that concerned her so much she decided to visit Doc Dreesen. During the appointment the doc asked Lizzy very personal questions related to her private parts and how they were being used. She complained of vaginal bleeding at times other than the usual time for her period. Doc Dreesen asked if she had been with a man on a regular basis and she told him heavens no and hadn't been that close to a man since Matt died in 1918. As the questions made Lizzy ever more anxious the doc suggested the possibility hysteria and suggested the usual treatments for that malady. As disgusting as that sounded to Lizzy she took the doc's advice with her home. At night while in bed she wondered if she was truly hysterical and if so could she perform the act which doctors suggested or sometimes performed in their examining rooms? She knew she could not allow Doc Dreesen to place his fingers between her legs to mitigate anything. Maybe he was wrong, maybe this unusual bleeding was a sign of something else. She decided to do what few other people she knew did, she decided to find another doctor and get his opinion as to what was going on. When she got to work she knew her pharmacist would have names and recommendations of other doctors, maybe in Henderson. She didn't discuss what her problem was, but she asked the pharmacist his opinion on a good doctor. He told her he knew of a doctor in Henderson who had a reputation of being very successful in attending to the special needs of women and maybe she should contact his office for an appointment. At lunch time Lizzy walked home so as not to be overheard using the drug store phone and called the doctor the pharmacist recommended. The appointment was made for the next Wednesday at nine in the morning. When Lizzy returned to work she told the pharmacist she'd made the appointment with the doctor and he told her he believed this man could help her.

The following Wednesday Lizzy prepared to drive to Henderson to meet with the doctor. She didn't tell the kids, but since Wilson couldn't have to car that morning to make his deliveries he sensed something was going on, his mother needed the car but she wasn't telling her children why she needed it. Wilson told her if she could bring the car by his work when she returned he'd drive her home the drive the car back to work as he really needed it for the grocery deliveries.

Lizzy got Wilson to crank the twenty year old Model T and she was on her way to Henderson. It took her a while to locate the doctor's office, but she managed and stepped onto the front porch of the large building at five 'til nine. She was met by a nurse and ushered into a small examining room. After a few moments the doctor came in and introduced himself. He began asking questions and jotting down everything Lizzy said. Most of the questions were similar to those asked by Doc Dressen, but this time there was no mention of hysteria. After a series of questions the doctor paused to review the notes he had written. He told her to keep a log of the occurrences of bleeding and to try to access the amount. He asked her to return within a month and bring her log with her. As Lizzy entered 1930 she had been to the doctor three times and had become a regular patient the first week of each month. Lizzy's notes indicated bleeding more often and more flow. The doctor was concerned, but he was yet to indicate what he thought was going on.

In May, 1930, Lizzy traveled to Warrenton to be listed for the 1930 Census count. She listed herself and her three children, Wilson, Vick, and Rosa of the home. She listed her real property as a house valued at $1,000. She listed her occupation as unemployed because early in January she stopped working at the drug store temporarily to attend to her medical condition and at some point get some treatment to fix the problem, yet more doctors' appointments yielded nothing. Without any money coming in Wilson became the breadwinner. Lizzy finally confided with her children that she had a medical problem, but didn't know what it was, but was optimistic that soon the problem would be identified and corrected. The children did not bring the issue up, but the anxiety of knowing their mother's health was not good affected their work at school and their time spent at home. Lizzy spent much time talking to her mother about her problem, but Rosa had no suggestions.

By June Lizzy's condition worsened and at the next appointment with her doctor she demanded he tell her something. The doctor finally spoke directly that he believed she had some form of cancer and given the bleeding was coming from her vagina he guessed she had cervical cancer and he expected it to get worse. He cited research on surgeries performed, some successful, some not, at great expense, but he personally had no female patient who had ever gone through such an ordeal. He also mentioned in 1928 George Papanicolaou had developed a test, the Pap Test, which could reveal the presence of cervical cancer, but by that time such information was too late to help Lizzy. He mentioned a clinic in Raleigh that had taken patients who wanted surgeries and other "experimental" remedies, but he could not substantiate the rate of success with any of the treatments.

Lizzy left the doctor's office that day thinking about Matt suggesting in her dreams she join him. The doctor said her condition would worsen and she knew enough about cancer to agree that it got worse and then there's death. As she laid in bed that night thinking about her condition and what her responsibilities were she wondered how she should best deal with this cancer. If she knew her children would be taken care of the dying wouldn't be so bad, after all Matt had experienced it, but for a different reason, but he had taken care of his problems and was free, but he knew she would take care of the children.

The next day she visited Rosa and had a heart to heart talk about the doctor's prognosis and that she believed her only option was to get ready for the end by making sure her kids were taken care of. Rosa told her she would do all she could for them, but given her age and growing list of her own health issues she wouldn't feel entirely comfortable assuming the role of guardian over Lizzy's children. Lizzy mentioned that the girls were now 14 and 16 and that Wilson, for the most part, was already on his own. Rosa suggested Lizzy talk to her brothers, maybe Thornton or Clemmie could take in the children. Lizzy knew Thornton had five children and Clemmie had six, so to add three more mouths to feed for either would be too big a burden and she knew she would not ask either sibling to care for her children.

In July Lizzy got a call that Clemmie's wife, Ida, had passed away in her sleep in the early hours of the morning. She was shocked and wondered how Clemmie, with the six children, could raise six children by himself. The funeral was held three days later with friends and family attending. When the funeral was over Lizzy confided in Clemmie that she had cancer and that her days, she felt, were numbered. He told her that news was not what he wanted to hear especially after burying his wife, but in the event she died soon, he would see to it her children were cared for. She thanked him, they hugged, and she gathered her children and they drove home.

On August 1, 1930, Lizzy made her last visit to the doctor's office. When she returned home she knew her end was near and wondered if she would endure more pain and discomfort while exposing her children to this ordeal. She pulled out Matt's handgun and thought about what he had gone through before ending it all, but decided she just couldn't do it the way he did. She went to the kitchen sink for a glass of water and while she was looking out the window she noticed the well out back. She wondered what it might be like to just go out to the well, take the top off, and jump in. She knew the well was fairly deep to provide such a plentiful supply of water. She was certain the well was deep enough to drown a person as it would be embarrassing to jump in trying to take your life, but not having sufficient water to do the job. Was this the best way to deal with her approaching death? She decided the well was the answer, but she would wait until the children got home from work and school to say good bye before she concluded her life. By five thirty on August 3, 1930, Lizzy and her children were all safely and securely in their home next to their grandmother Rosa. While Vick and Rosa helped Lizzy prepare dinner and Wilson sat quietly in the front room Lizzy first went into the front room and hugged Wilson around the neck and told him she was proud of her son and loved him dearly. She returned to the kitchen and wrapped each arm around her two daughters and hugged them and told them she loved them. She told the girls she was going out to the well to draw some water. Vick asked her mother couldn't Wilson go since he was just sitting and Lizzy told her no because Wilson had a hard day at work and needed to rest. She told them she'd be right back. When Lizzy got to the well and took the wooden top off she looked down into the well and thought about her short life and wished there could be another answer to her problem, but all she could see was her faint reflection from the depth of the well. She pulled herself up on top of the rocks surrounding the well, and then looked back at the kitchen window hoping the girls wouldn't see her, for if they did they might try to mount some rescue attempt. Once her feet were firmly planted atop the well she looked one more time back at the house, and then said "goodbye children" and jumped in. By the time the children discovered what had happened it was too late. She was pronounced dead shortly after being pulled from the well by neighbors. Wilson went to tell his grandmother who immediately came to the house to be with the children. She called Thornton and Clemmie and they came just as soon as they could. The children sat side by side holding each other's hands, numb to the fact that their mother was dead. She had cancer, but had selected suicide as her remedy as had her husband some twelve years before. Wilson, Vick, and Rosa were nobody's children, now all they had to do was continue with their lives without parents who both committed suicide.

The funeral was held two days later at the Baptist Church where Lizzy attended regularly, but she was buried next to her husband in the family plot behind the Methodist Church. Lizzy had more people attend her funeral services than did Matt. The children repeated the ritual of placing a flower on the coffin as it was being lowered. That night Wilson, Vick, and Rosa stayed at their grandmother's house. Uncle Clemmie came over and talked to the children and told them their mother had wanted them to live with him after she died. Clemmie had just buried his wife the previous month and now he had witnessed the burial of his sister. He would take in Lizzy's three children to live with his six children and do the best he could trying to provide for them in a loving, secure home.

Lizzy's children stayed with their grandmother for a week. They went back to the house and tried to pack their belongings for their move to Uncle Clemmie's. For months the old home place would sit idle until Rosa suggested it be sold to help Clemmie with the expenses of raising three more children. Wilson initially raised a fuss, but then gave his consent. In October, 1930, he reached his eighteenth birthday and planned to leave Uncle Clemmie's in search of a new life in a new town. He knew his sisters, since they were in their teens, didn't really need a big brother to watch over them and what with Clemmie's big family there was always someone around to help cheer them up. When Rosa and Vick returned to school Vick's work was not affected, but Rosa's grades became progressively worse and Vick tried as much as she could to console her sister, but the loss of her mother affected her more and always would affect her more than her siblings. Rosa would become close to Clemmie's daughters, Lucille, born in 1920, Eunice, born in 1923, and Thelma, closest to her age, born in 1915. Rosa would never be free of her sadness and insecurity of losing both parents to chosen suicides. While she knew her mother had cancer she was never at peace with the fact Lizzy, by choice, left her before she needed to, consequently, Rosa would never again allow herself to be close enough to anyone to fully give and receive love.

Wilson would move away to Henderson and there he would remain until his death on May 13, 1989. He secured various jobs in Henderson and saved his money and eventually bought a farm and later owned a gas station in downtown Henderson. He had a son by his first wife, Margaret, and later when he remarried his second wife, Sue, she had a daughter, and Wilson's son and Sue's daughter would marry. Vick married Mark Gupton and they had two sons. They relocated to Robeson County and lived there for many years before moving to Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Vick died in Rocky Mount on March 27, 1968, of ovarian cancer. Rosa married Edward White of nearby Norlina on August 31, 1940 and in March, 1941 they had their first child, a daughter and would have two more children, another daughter and a son. Rosa died on February 10, 1990 of a massive heart attack at age 73 while performing her morning household chore, sweeping.
