I have two memories that have
stayed with me of the second World War. At the time they happened I had no idea of what
war was, as I was only 5 years old.
My aunt and uncle had moved in with
us, and I enjoyed playing with my cousin, who was just a toddler. My aunt was
so jolly and funny. I just loved being with her.
One day I heard laughter in the
other room and went to investigate. My aunt was holding a little brown colored
pill, looking at it closely. On the table below I saw what I thought was a bowl
of lard. When I asked what it was, I was told it was a new kind of butter,
called oleo. I didn’t think I’d like it. My aunt could find no way to open it
so she held it up as she stuck a pin in it. Everyone had a good laugh as the
yellow fluid squirted all over.
Then came the day my dad bought me
some new roller skates.
I was so proud of them. My dad was
in front of the house showing me how to use the skates when I heard a lot of
noise.
The streetcar a half-block down
from our house had stopped. Windows opened, and people were laughing and
crying. Dad started jumping up and down and yelling. I stood there ready to
run. I was scared. “Dad, what’s the matter?” I asked, starting to
cry.
Dad replied, “The War’s over,
the Armistice has been signed!” I accepted the fact and went back to
skating. I couldn’t see what was so exciting.
It was a few years later before I
understood what the Armistice was.
Evelyn Williams-Hall
Sioux
City, Iowa
Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then Capper’s
Weekly asking for readers to send
in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early
settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from
grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were
received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My
Folks title – My Folks Came in a
Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine
other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.
