Harriet's Memories

My Mom shared this with me in 2003...

When I was 8 or 9 years old, my sister Alberta left home to go to nurses training, I was so lonely without her. When Christmas time came she wrote home that she would come home on the train and had one big wish. The wish was that Dad would come meet the train with the sleigh and horses. So Dad put the big grain box on the four-runner sleigh and put harness on the horses. The harness had all kinds of silver bells on it. Mom heated up bricks to keep our feet warm and we got in the sleigh and had the fur robe with us to cover our feet and legs. The horses trotted over the snow and the rhythm of their trot made the bells ring out a beautiful melody that only you can remember if once heard! Just writing about it I can still hear those bells jingling in my memory. It makes tears come to my eyes thinking of what we are missing today!

My Dad loved to play pranks. Alberta and I had been uptown one evening and came home. There was no one home and we came in and lit the kerosene lamp and sat at the kitchen table by the window. She was reading stories to me. I was listening really good but also had my eye on a coat that was on the door knob of the door going into the dining room. I saw the coat move and told Alberta and she said it didn't and to be quiet and listen to the story. Previous to this something kept hitting the window and I was scared and Alberta said it's just acorns as it was the fall of the year. She went on reading and I listened and all of a sudden I looked and the coat was gone. I said how come the coat is gone now. Alberta picked up the lamp and held the bottom of the globe with me behind her, and bravely walked toward the dining room door. Just as she entered out popped our Dad with a big BOO!