New Beginnings & Cherished Memories
New Beginnings & Cherished Memories
The fourth series in the Dusty Town sequence.
Aunt Daisy! Episode 9
August 1, 1899
Dear Aunt Daisy,
All of us have been thinking about you and wishing you were here. It may be a crazy thought, but we were wondering if you could travel and all, would you come for a visit? You could stay as long as you wanted as there is plenty of room and plenty of people who would love you. My boy Willie has three young children that you would just adore and they would think the world of you! You could travel by railroad to just north of here and then we would come and get you. We’ll be starting up a town newspaper and I’m sure you would have fun with that, if you were up to it and all. I could never forget all your past kindness toward me when you barely even knew me. Please consider coming if you can travel.
Respectfully and with much love,
Jacob
As Jacob finished addressing the envelope to Aunt Daisy, he heard a knock on the kitchen door and there was Betty Lou with a folder of papers in her arms. “Just a minute,” Jacob yelled.
“Betty Lou, what do ya have there? Need some help?” And just as Jacob said that, down went all the papers on the floor as the folder wasn’t quite large enough to hold them all.
“Well,” Betty Lou began as they bent to pick up the papers, “over the years Maddie and I came up with some ideas for the newspaper should we ever really start one and we would write the ideas down on these loose sheets and I would tuck them away for when we were ready. That day never came until now, so I thought I’d bring ‘em and you could look ‘em over. You know, you bein’ the writer and all.”
Jacob smiled as he glanced at the ideas. “So many of these are about the boys and Maddie and you and all the times we spent together.”
“You don’t like the ideas? We thought we would write about what we knew best and then fill in with other things too. After all, you and Maddie did so much journaling about your lives and the people in them, we thought why wouldn’t we start there.”
“I see,” Jacob responded.
“Now Jacob, you makin’ fun o’ me again? Shame on you, pokin’ fun at this old girl!”
“Not at all. Just never thought of writin’ about us and all. Seems like no one would care or maybe I just don’t want to tell everyone. I’m sorry. We can, I guess, I don’t know. Do you understand?”
“Hmm, I guess I do. Why don’t we just see how it all evolves once we get started. I’ll tell you one thing though, Mr. Strong, there’d be more people interested in reading about your lives than you’d ever think.” And with that, Betty Lou left Jacob with the pages and pages of ideas and a wink of her eye.
Read Prior Episodes of New Beginnings & Cherished Memories
Starting Over Again in Kansas. Episode 1
Nothing’s Changes. Everything’s Changes. Episode 2
Knowing What to Do When the Time Comes. Episode 3
Still Plenty of Sweet Living Left for Them. Episode 4
Morning Light. Episode 5
”You can’t count how much we all love you.” Episode 6
A Spare Room in the Back of the Store. Episode 7
The Stars at Night. Episode 8
Aunt Daisy! (This one)
