Saturday, March 29, 2008
If only we had known.
Soon we were in more traffic than we had ever seen before. The farther we went, the more confused we girls got. Daddy, too, I'm sure began to wonder where we were what what we had gotten into.
We soon found a big brick building with lots of steps up to the door and we girls were too tired to play on them, even if Daddy hadn't said for us all to behave and be real good.
A woman came out to the big room and Daddy told her we were on our way to California to Mother and she said," Mister, you are already in California!" Daddy told her we all needed some food then we would go on our way and find Mother.
"Wait out here," the woman said," I will be back."
We sat real still like Daddy said to while we waited. It seemed like she never would come back. Well, in fact, she didn't. Instead, a big policeman came up the steps and said," Mister, do you have a job?"
"No sir, I don't," Daddy said," Thats why we are here. My wife is here with a job and we are going to join her."
Well, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. He asked Daddy to go over in the corner to talk with him so Daddy said for us to wait in the chairs for him.
After a bit they came back and Daddy sat down with us and told us we had to go to one place and he had to go to another place. The officer said it was just until Daddy got well then we could go where we wanted to go.
That started us all crying. I don't think Joan would have cried if I hadn't started but I let out a howl like some one was hurting me. Daddy said they would be good to us and give us something to eat.
That didn't help much but we all got into the big black and white car and Daddy said to let us kids go to the home first and he would take us in so we wouldn't be so scared. The oficer drove us to what I thought all these years was an orphanage but Mickey said it was a reform school. I never did meet any bad people in there but she probably was right.
Daddy took us into the building which was really big and made out of bricks. The then a woman came in and Daddy said," Now girls, I want all of you to be good and mind the ladies in this place and, Mickey, they said they would get you girls something to eat."
Daddy left with the officer and that was the worse thing ever. We really howled and the woman said she would not have any of that and to shut up at once.
They took us to a big room and told us to get off our clothes and I was scared to death and so were Mickey and Joan. We said we weren't supposed to take off our clothes and she said,"You will all get clean clothes but you have to get yourselves clean first." So we all got in a shower and washed.
When we dried off, they gave each of us a dress that was just straight over our head, but at least they were warm. Then she took us down some stairs to a basement and told us to sit there and wait for her. There were long tables and benches all across the room.
The woman soon came back with a tray with three bowls of soup and three sandwiches on it. She said that would do us until dinner time.
After we had eaten, she took us upstairs where there were long rows of single bunks. I think they were just cots but she said this was where we would sleep. Mickey and I would sleep here but Joan would sleep in another room. We didn't like that idea. Mickey said Joan was supposed to sleep with us.
"Well," the woman said, "Look who is telling me how to run my business!!"
We didn't say anything else . She said we could all go out in the back yard to play till dinner. We went and stuck together like glue. We were finally called in to eat dinner and we went down the stairs again and sat at the long tables. We had soup again and sandwiches. We didn't know any better so we thought it was really good; at least better than we had in the past two weeks.
Then up the stairs we went again. I slept on the cot next to Mickey.We were so tired I hardly knew what was going on till a woman came in with a cot and set it up between us and said,"Here is your little sister. She won't stop crying." So Joan got to sleep with us after all! I think she got into bed with Mickey.
I think the woman had slapped mickey on the seat for asking about Joan. But then, Mickey fixed her; she wet the bed! But that never happened again!
Well, my fingers are getting all prattled up so I will call it good for now. Correct me if I'm wrong, Sister.
Shike, prattling on...
We soon found a big brick building with lots of steps up to the door and we girls were too tired to play on them, even if Daddy hadn't said for us all to behave and be real good.
A woman came out to the big room and Daddy told her we were on our way to California to Mother and she said," Mister, you are already in California!" Daddy told her we all needed some food then we would go on our way and find Mother.
"Wait out here," the woman said," I will be back."
We sat real still like Daddy said to while we waited. It seemed like she never would come back. Well, in fact, she didn't. Instead, a big policeman came up the steps and said," Mister, do you have a job?"
"No sir, I don't," Daddy said," Thats why we are here. My wife is here with a job and we are going to join her."
Well, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. He asked Daddy to go over in the corner to talk with him so Daddy said for us to wait in the chairs for him.
After a bit they came back and Daddy sat down with us and told us we had to go to one place and he had to go to another place. The officer said it was just until Daddy got well then we could go where we wanted to go.
That started us all crying. I don't think Joan would have cried if I hadn't started but I let out a howl like some one was hurting me. Daddy said they would be good to us and give us something to eat.
That didn't help much but we all got into the big black and white car and Daddy said to let us kids go to the home first and he would take us in so we wouldn't be so scared. The oficer drove us to what I thought all these years was an orphanage but Mickey said it was a reform school. I never did meet any bad people in there but she probably was right.
Daddy took us into the building which was really big and made out of bricks. The then a woman came in and Daddy said," Now girls, I want all of you to be good and mind the ladies in this place and, Mickey, they said they would get you girls something to eat."
Daddy left with the officer and that was the worse thing ever. We really howled and the woman said she would not have any of that and to shut up at once.
They took us to a big room and told us to get off our clothes and I was scared to death and so were Mickey and Joan. We said we weren't supposed to take off our clothes and she said,"You will all get clean clothes but you have to get yourselves clean first." So we all got in a shower and washed.
When we dried off, they gave each of us a dress that was just straight over our head, but at least they were warm. Then she took us down some stairs to a basement and told us to sit there and wait for her. There were long tables and benches all across the room.
The woman soon came back with a tray with three bowls of soup and three sandwiches on it. She said that would do us until dinner time.
After we had eaten, she took us upstairs where there were long rows of single bunks. I think they were just cots but she said this was where we would sleep. Mickey and I would sleep here but Joan would sleep in another room. We didn't like that idea. Mickey said Joan was supposed to sleep with us.
"Well," the woman said, "Look who is telling me how to run my business!!"
We didn't say anything else . She said we could all go out in the back yard to play till dinner. We went and stuck together like glue. We were finally called in to eat dinner and we went down the stairs again and sat at the long tables. We had soup again and sandwiches. We didn't know any better so we thought it was really good; at least better than we had in the past two weeks.
Then up the stairs we went again. I slept on the cot next to Mickey.We were so tired I hardly knew what was going on till a woman came in with a cot and set it up between us and said,"Here is your little sister. She won't stop crying." So Joan got to sleep with us after all! I think she got into bed with Mickey.
I think the woman had slapped mickey on the seat for asking about Joan. But then, Mickey fixed her; she wet the bed! But that never happened again!
Well, my fingers are getting all prattled up so I will call it good for now. Correct me if I'm wrong, Sister.
Shike, prattling on...
# posted by Shike @ 4:14 PM 
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well sis, that was a detention home and i did cry all the rest of the day until i went to sleep and then, i wet the bed. upset people? uh,huh! then the day came when they stuck us with a needle- checking for t.b. one girl named betty showed positive and was sent away. sad for me cause i followed her around listening or trying to. she said i was to young to hear what they said. guess i was. put this in your blog if you need it to finish . mickey
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# posted by 
: April 1, 2008 at 1:15 PM
: April 1, 2008 at 1:15 PM Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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