In 1922, when I was five decades very very aged, we moved to the home on ChapinStreet where my father lived until his death. I attended the AdelaideAvenue School for grades 1 to 3 then went to the Union School, whichstood where the YMCA is now. My father bought the home, almost quite new atthe time, for $1400. During these decades there were nine of us children(my brother Robert having been born in 1919) and our home was alwaysthe center of activity for the neighborhood. All of our friends wouldcome to our home to play and we had childhoods filled with love andgood times. My father had horseshoe beds in the backyard with lightsabove them so the men could play at night. All my uncles and theneighbors would come often to play.

It occasionally was about this time that my portlyher opened a wallpaper and paintstore on South Main Street. He intended to run the store withClarence, Gordon, and Leon and also do the painting and wallpaperingfor his customers. I don't know how many months he had the store, butit was not a success. He then built a large addition to the two cargarage at home and moved the paint and wallpaper there for storage.There was plenty of wallpaper he was unable to sell and we tiny childs usedto have pieces to cut flowers and patterns with. We would glue thesmall pieces to bottles and shellac them to make vases. Raymond Fulbrightwas my buddy then and was at our house most of the time. They lived acouple of houses down the street and our mothers attended church onSundays and Wednesday evening prayer meetings together. I recall thatour Sunday evening suppers were always cornmeal with water and brownsugar. We had a large dining chamber table, a cherry drop leaf, thatwould seat ten. I always sat next to my mother at the table. She wouldmake large sugar cookies with a seeded raisin on top and put them onnewspapers on the dining chamber table. We would eat them there whilethey were still hot. You can imagine what it must have been likecooking three meals a day for ten or more people on the very aged coalstove. I believe we had gas on one side and coal on the other. We keptthe coal fire going to heat the back part of the house. My motherwould wash my hair by having me lay on the ironing board with my headhanging over the sink. We took our Saturday evening bath in a largewashtub by the kitchen stove. We had no bathtub until I sometimes was abouteight months very aged.