I have told you about Grandma and Grandpa Hague. I had a grandmother Underwood, too. She lived at Fishers with Uncle Mel and Ida his daughter and visited with us quite often. I remember one time she came to surprise us. Edith and I had promised to go home with Mabel Russell and stay all night. Norma Brunson went too. We slept crossways on the bed with the ironing board on some chairs to increase the length of the bed. We all had bad colds from that experience and finding Grandma Underwood had been down that night and we missed her only added to our woes. She stayed with us once in a while the folks went the fair (children were seldom taken in those days especially the "babies") so Girstle and us were home with her. We had soup, beans, and drop dumplings for dinner. She made the first batch, we ate them and begged for more. She made the second batch and they too disappeared but she was firm in telling us enough was enough when we begged for the third time.

The first time Edith and I were separated for a night was when we decided to take turns and go to Grandma Underwoods one at a time. I never was so homesick and it was a long time before that episode was repeated.

[margin] Grandma U lived at Fishers and as we were going to school there we went to her house for the night

[margin] The day of the surrey episode we had new white dresses with beading around the neck and waist with blue ribbon run through. We were so proud of the dresses.

Uncle Mel always kept a whole big box of chewing gum in a bookcase in the living room. That helped a little in getting through the evening. Before Grandma went to live with Uncle Mel she had a big house (see below) that stood south of the Sun Blest Golf Course [since 1990 it is called River Glen Country Club] at the northwest corner of Allisonville Road or old 37 and the Fishers Road. The folks had a new surrey with fringe around it. We went up to grandmas to spend the day. In the evening the horse was hitched to the surrey for the trip home. Edith and I crawled up in it and each one taking a line proceeded to drive over a big pile of rocks and rather damaged the surrey. That pile of rocks may still be seen along the fence on the west side of old 37. The house is now a part of the present house south of Sun Blest Golf Course. Grandma lived 4 years longer than my mother and we all loved her, too.

          end of part seven

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