My Short Stories

MY GRANDMOTHER’S BOARDING HOUSE

            If a house could talk, this one would have many things to tell.  Even after all the years, it still stands with an ageless dignity and grace, yet there is a certain sadness about it that is easily felt and hard to bear.  The house was built in 1885 by a young preacher and school teacher named James Monroe Petty for his beautiful young wife, Emma.  He had gone back to Cobb County Georgia for furnishings.  He had brought back fine marble topped furniture, oriental rugs, and wonderful paintings.  The house was built like most of the houses of that day with rooms divided by a long open hall called a dogtrot.  There was always a porch across the front and sometimes a smaller one on the back where people sat to rest, entertain company, or just watch the cycle of the days and the seasons go by.  This was such a house.

            Five children were born into this happy family.  Although they really felt blessed, a tragedy was imminent.  One sad Sunday, the young preacher died with a heart attack while he was in the pulpit of his church preaching the Sunday message.  His young widow was left with five young children and no means of support.  She had land, but it was difficult to get help in making it productive.  For most young widows, remarriage was the only option.  Emma made a disastrous choice to do so, and the charmer showed himself to be mean-spirited and abusive.  Emma could not live with him and obtained a divorce.  A divorced woman had a very difficult time and was often considered to be of undesirable character.  The evil man managed to take many of her nicest possessions in the divorce, but he could not take her land and home because of provisions made by James.

            Emma found herself back in the same situation of needing to make a living for herself and her children.  A chance encounter with a woman from Jefferson, Texas, a few miles from her home, gave her some encouragement and direction.  The woman owned a boarding house.  She told Emma that the railroad was coming through her area, and she could do the same thing with her home as the woman had in Jefferson.  There would be lots of people needing a place to stay and a place to eat.  Emma knew that she would not make the mistake of marrying again no matter what she had to do!  The boarding house sounded like something she could do.  She could cook and clean and was not afraid of hard work.

            By selling a few of her acres, Emma added two rooms and refurnished the house to make up for the possessions that the greedy man had taken from her.  She had tables and benches built to seat more people in the dining room and opened for business.  It was hard work and there were sometimes ups and downs that caused her to think she wouldn’t make it, but she called upon an inner strength and a favorite scripture of her husband James to help her through.  The children grew up and thrived, eventually marrying and leaving home. Emma lived a long and happy life in the boarding house.  After she died, her daughter Exa inherited the house. Even though she loved the house and had grown up there with lots of memorable times, she couldn’t live there.  Eventually, she boarded up the windows and doors and left the house empty because she had her own home and life in another community. 

            As the house sat there, uninvited guests entered.  Small animals and insects found their ways in.  Vandals destroyed what they could and marred the beautiful floors and wall paper.  The old house with its underlying beauty still evident was in a sad state of disrepair.  Many considered it an eyesore and thought it should be destroyed.  If they only knew the stories of events that occurred within its walls!  If they only knew how important this house had been to the community!

Emma Gets Arrested!

            It was a success from the beginning.  After the unique way Emma first advertised by giving away free lunches to the men at the gin and mill and on the railroad, the house drew customers in to eat Sunday dinners, and then the railroaders stayed and brought their families to stay when they visited them.  Emma soon had her debts paid.  Her beautifully furnished rooms were used for parties and receptions.  Even a few weddings were held there.  The people trusted Emma to prepare and serve a beautiful reception.

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Softcover

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