The Move North

All of this [scandal], of course, led to a lot of gossip, so my pappa sold the farm and left, going to Granite City, Illinois, to work and make a place for us to come to.

When the news came that he had an upstairs flat, four rooms with cold water and an outside toilet, my mamma got six kids ready, packed the feather beds, quilts, and the sewing machine she would be needing to sew for the new baby expected in three months.

My pappa sent a friend to travel with us and help my mamma on the train. We traveled by night mostly. We all were dressed in our best coats and hats, and we had fried chicken lunches packed in shoe boxes for our all night ride. We had to stay in those shoes and hats all night.

That trip seemed to take us so far away from home, but to see my pappa at the end made it worth any sacrifice.