John & Emma Robinson (Martin's mom & dad), George
& Anne (Georgie & Artie in the story....Martin's half bro & sis from
Emma's previous marriage) and John is holding Lillie.
Little Lillie dropping the nut-meats into the cup beside her, was also
daydreaming. Tomorrow she would be six years old. No longer the youngest
in the class. Maybe she could learn to unfasten her own underpants and would
not have to go the teacher's desk, pull her dress up and have her unbutton the
underpants before she could walk out into the backyard to the outhouse,
holding up her clothes. Then upon coming in, reverse the process. Some of
the underpants had big red roses on them, others had large blue stars. The
sacks of which there were made of were either from the Arizona Flour
Company or Arizona Star. Of course, many of the children wore undies made
of the same material but didn't advertise them.
The mother was thinking that she would have to start packing all their
belongings, thought they didn't have much, except for the clothing of the
parents and the five children, and a few household things.
There were Artie, the oldest girl, then Matt, just older than Artie and
Johnny, just younger than Lillie. Matt and Artie did not belong to her
present husband and neither child cared for him so telling them there was to be
another move would not be easy. She had hoped when they found this little
place it would be permanent. He had promised her when they left Michigan it
would be, but again, another move in the dark hours of the night. Where to?
No one knew. They would only go until they found a place where he could
work awhile until they were forced to go on to a place where they were
unknown. Little Lillie stood up, shaking the dust and leaves from her dress. She
took the cupful of nut-meats to her mother and asked if she could go see her
friend next door. She was told she could, but only for a short time. They
would have to eat as soon as Daddy came home. Little Lillie went running to
the neighbors where Johnny was. Their bus driver lived there and she was fond of him.
He drove the school bus, which was a van or panel truck with no way to go through
from the back into the front seat. Should anyone get sick, the driver only knew
when he stopped.
He had been good to the child and on finding she got sick from
riding in the back of the bus, allowed her to begin riding up front with him.
Thus, she was known as his pet and teased about it.
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