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Show r THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1993 PAGE 10 - 1 Stock' story tif I$c in tkt tarty 20tk century, I redbud . Note In trying to fmitiurigfti tide for Venn Out "History of Moat" nu compUtdy inadequate. Her story aibncet m0 of southeast Utah. Therefore, Tve gate back to the title Verona herself used.L . My Personal History Life & Times in Southeast Utah By Verona Stocks The form in Binding . When ichool was out a family Mend took Aunt Pearl, Mary and me to Blinding. The night before we left, i well dressed elderly man stopped it Grandma's house, he ate eupper with us, they asked him to stay the night He said no, he wu passing through Blinding and would be on his way. When we arrived in Blinding Dad and Mother were expecting us. They said a man had come to their house and had breakfast with diem. He told them what time we would arrive. They described die nun who ate supper with my Grand parents one evening and breakfast with Did and Mother die next monring. It took us three days to drive there in a buggy, die man was walking when he came to die Murphy Ranch in Moab, and he arrived at Dad's hum five miles below Handing the next morning for breakfast and he was walking. That was very puzzling to us all, still is to me. 1 do remember my first look at our fium. We went down a long ridge to the bottom of what was called a Swale. A wide place between two ridges. There was a big tent, surrounded by tall beautiful sage brush with patches of grass and flowers here and there. It was like the parks on the mountains, except there was not a tree in sight The sage had a purple tint and was as tall as a mart, and so much grass. There were lots of big white Sego Lilies. Dad cleared and fenced ten acres, he planted com, beans, and potatoes. It was over the ridge east of die house. One of Mary's and my chares was to keep the weeds out erf the garden Mother had planted before we got there. We spent a lot of time digging Sego l illew so we could eat the bulbs. Another chore was to go about a mile to get the mail. We had a little sorrel mare called Bird to ride, she was built something like a donkey and she thought a lot like them too. Full of all kinds of tricks. Mary could ride her but when she tried taking me with her, Bird would go so far then she would rear up. I would scream and Mary would have to bring me back. She either had to ride alone or make me walk with her. That didn't work out too good either. One time we went after the mail and just before we reached the road sane Indians showed up and as for as we could see down the road there was more Indians, most of them on horse back, they were headed toward Blanding. Mary said we should hide in a wash dose by. But not me. I had to get up on the bank behind a little bush and watch those Indians go by and did not come our way. They saw me alright, pointed my way and laughed. Mary was furious and scared too. April 4, 1914, Mother, Mary and I were baptized. It was not supposed to be a cold it day, was, the water was very cold. The paid we were baptized in is now called Jackson Pond. Joe Huff was visiting his folks in Moab and he baptized all three of us. I was afraid erf water, after watching Mary and Mother get dunked all over. I thought if they could do it so could I. I was very proud to be baptized when my Mother was. I can remember one friend who was baptized that day. It was Bessie (Shafer) You von. Aunt Tim was anxious to see her daughter so we left for Blanding, her grandson Howard wanted to help Mary drive die milk cows. She did not need help but he had nerve and stayed right with her. Arthur Christenson, who lived at the foot of Peters Hill was on his way to Montkelfo, he helped drive die cows and showed oft for Mary and Howard, She had her first crush. Howard felt hopeless about ever being a cowboy. He knew he never would be able to stand on a hose, let atone stand cm his head, do somersaults, twerle a rope, rope a cow, whisfle like Arthur even though Arthur was riding a burro. We stopped at the Carlisle ranch. The next morning we drove straight through Monticelto. It was raining, the mud was deep the hoses I was very sick and Great Aunt Tim was a cute elderly little lady but not used to what she was going through on this trip. Then it started raining harder, we were near Verdure and had to stop. I was sitting a pull-har- d. on the seat of the wagon Mother was driving. Aunt Thn and the younger kids were back in the covered wagon, warm and dry. Dad drove in among some trees and set up die little tent Mother told me to hurry and me to the tent and fixed a place for me to get into it I tried but could not walk. Dad carried lie down. Aunt Thn came in and they got her as comfortable as possible. Dad, Mother and the other kids had to sleep in die covered wagons, except Mary, she slept with me. Dad stretched a canvas between two trees and built a camp fire so Mother could cook out of die rain. Then took them so long and she told him Mary and Howard came and she was mad. Dad asked what there was a bull back there and one of the cows had jumped the fence and they had a hard time bade. getting her back an the road and the she kept trying to go Aunt Tim really gave Mary a lecture, she could not be a lady unless she watched her Mary saidWell it was a buH Aunt Tim said, "no it was a gentleman cow. We stayed in that camp ten days before we could move on. The rain stopped but I was too sick. It was my appendix. Aunt Tim and Howard were glad to be united with their folks and to be in a house again, when we finally reached Blinding. Bucking Burros k Chewing tobacco Dad cleared land for other fanners dose by and he cut posts and built fences. There was a lot of cattle and wild horses on the White Men, where we lived. Dad located our burro and brought her home, she had a cute little burro colt Mary was going to ride our burro, she had the summer before but that donkey had run wild for so long she had other ideas. Mary said I had to lead her, Mary got on, no way to hold the donkey's head up so she bucked, Mary flew high and came down head first in a pile of pasts, nothing showing but her feet. Dad got her out, she was scratched up and mad. Dad told her to put a bridle on the burro and hold her head up so she couldn't buck, that worked. Dad chewed tobacco and we had some goats. When Dad and Mother went after water and left Mary and me alone, Mary would get out a plug of tobacco and give each goat a chew, they liked it She finally figured if the goats could chew tobacco and not spit she could too. She tried it, soon she turned green, maybe she was just a little pale, well whatever, she was just one sick kid. I sure was glad to see Mother and Dad show up. Dad stopped chewing tobacco and he got rid of the goats. He never figured out for a long time just how those goats could find his tobacco, no matter where he hid it Grandma Murphy and Otho come to Blanding for a visit. He was five years older than he but Mary always seemed younger. Therewas no water on our place. We hauled our culnary water from a spring of good water about a mile and a half from our place. Our cows and horses watered there, unless the Indians were on the move Otho was with us one day when we went to the spring after our cows. That time erf year we did not expect Indians but they were there and getting ready to eat It was Chief Posey and some of his people. One of his women brought food to us. Otho and Mary kept poking me and saying "You eat and don't say a word." I ate. Otho kept saying, "It might be dog meat or rattle snake." He did not know but I did, it was goat meat and fresh, I saw the hide hanging there. He was a town boy. One day Mother went with us to get same vegetables from the garden which was over a little ridge from the house. We got to the top of the ridge and could see the garden below us. Rover our dog kept trying to turn us back. He was growling and the hair cm his neck and back was standing straight up. An animal howled down by the garden, Otho just turned and ran. Mary said come on. Gee, I was going as fast as I could. She came back, gave my arm a jerk, I beat her to the house. Mother looked at Rover, his hair still standing on end, he was still watching that ridge. We were told to stay by the house and dose the door. At times Dad rarrind the mail to Bluff for the regular mail man. When he returned he told us a crippled wolf had two Indian women in Bluff two nights before. We were not allowed to leave the men until the tracking yard the wolf let us know it was out of the area. It was killed in Colorado. We moved bade to Moab that fall. Mary, Annie and me walked the two and a half miles to school all winter. A Loss to the Family Mother was eight months pregnant when her second baby boy was still barn. Mother was alone when the baby came and she was heart broken, they wanted a boy so bad. Us kids came from school, we knew Mother was not feeling good when we left that morning. Mary chased us out into the tent where I fed the kids while Mary was trying to do something for Mother. Unde Heber stopped in and saw the situation, got Aunt Nellie to help Mary. He built a little casket, Aunt Nellie fixed it up with silk doth and lace, then they had a little service for the baby and Unde Heber buried it Dad was out rounding up cows at the time. Mary stayed home from school until the folks realized just how sick Mother was. Unde Heber and Unde Felix kept a dose watch on Mother. Unde Heber saw that sane of the women took food to her. Unde Felix saw that there was plenty of wood and fresh water. Us kids were chased off to school before Mother was up and around Mary and I always brought flowers home to her from Essie Shaffer's flower garden. After Mrs. Shaffer found out Mother was so side she always had flowers ready, when school was out, us to take home. We had plenty to do when we got home. Mary would let me hdp her cook then she fed Mother, milked the cows, fed the chickens and I fed the little kids, did the dishes, put pigs, fa |