The World Was Flat: Five Boys Search Their Future Growing up in a Small Rural Texas Town

By Danny Russell

Jake and Elzie were lifelong friends.
Their folks farms joined and lived side by side
until Elzies grandfathers death.
It changed everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504915526

Danny Russell

Danny Russell grew up in a small rural town and relates his own experiences in this book. He is a graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, with a degree in psychology. He spent a career with the USDA/NRCS division as a civil engineering technician before retirement. He enjoys writing, history, genealogy, and playing bluegrass music. He plays the fiddle and mandolin.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I t was mid May 1954, Jake Oldham and Elzie Tatum were riding down Tatum Hollow road heading home from school.

Hey, Jake, pull over, I gotta pee, Elzie said.

Jake braked the 1950 flatbed half ton Chevy to a stop.

Ok, cousin let er rip. Jake always called people he was fond of, cousin.

On second thought, I need to pee myself. And with that, Jake got out on his side while Elzie had bailed his stocky frame out on the other side.

Whew, Elzie said, that coke we got at the store filled me up.

Yeah, me too, Jake said, I don’t mind watering the county road.

The two boys rode to school every day together, as they lived neighbors. They got back in the truck and drove on home crossing Tatum’s hollow which ran into Denton Creek.

We got enough rain last week to let us finish plowing, Jake said, but will we get enough to make a crop?

We hadn’t made a crop the last two years because of the drought, maybe this is the year it will start raining again, Elzie said. If we don’t I’ll bet your dad has to start selling stock.

We’ve been luckier than most. Jake said. Old Denton creek’s got some springs that have kept us in enough water to keep the cows, but you’re right, if we don’t get some rain to fill our tanks, we’re going to have to sell. Daddy says the price for cattle is rock bottom too.

The boys wheeled up in front of the Oldham home. Jake’s parents had a two story frame home that his father had built when he married Jakes mom, Mary Phame. It sat just off Russell’s loop and faced the road. Jake’s grandparents lived on the farm about fifty yards from Jake’s house. Jake’s grandfather, Lige Oldham had farmed the place with his father, was the only one of his brothers and sisters to stay on the farm. Lige and his wife Berthie May had two sons P.D. and Clois. Clois was a ranch hand for the Donald Cross Bar T ranch. The Cross Bar T was a ten thousand acre cattle ranch that Clois had worked on since he was a teenager. He had not finished high school as he was considered slow by some standards.

The Tatum home was the next place over from the Oldham house. The Tatum’s place actually belonged to Lee Pariot, Elzie’s grandfather on his mother’s side. After his wife had died, he had asked Elzie’s parents, Lester and Ida Lou, to live with him and take care of him. He had suffered a light stroke and was no longer able to farm. Now Lester Tatum had been injured while serving in the Army, causing him to loose most of the use of his left arm and was crippled in the left leg. Jake’s dad had leased Lee’s land and Lester helped P.D. with the farm work.

Since 1951 there had been a severe drought, a lot of farmers and ranchers had sold a lot of stock because they had no water and very little grass. Somehow, because he had water, P.D. had held on to his thirty mama cows hoping the calf crop would get them through until the peanut harvest, if there was a harvest and P.D. planned his farm for a harvest. They would plow the bottoms, plant twenty acres to melons and the other fifty to peanuts and pray for rain.

Hey Elzie, ain’t that your Grandpa sitting on the porch with my Grandpa? Jake asked.

Yeah, that’s him, Elzie said.

Lee and Lige were sitting on the front porch enjoying the moment as elders of their clan had earned the right to have leisure time.

Lee and Lige had grown up together in Montague County. Their daddies had been good friends as their grandpa’s had been the early settlers settling this part of the county. They had withstood famine, beast, robbers and Comanche’s to keep their places. Although Lee was five years older than Lige, they had gone to Franklin School together. Franklin was about a mile from their homes and they walked to school every day. It wasn’t uncommon for Lee to walk up to the Oldham house to visit Lige and Berthie May.

Lige, you got a plug of tobacco in your pocket? I’m fresh out, Lee asked.

You know good and well I got a plug in my pocket. Berthie May never lets me run out. I only chew Spark Plug, will that do you? Lige replied.

Oh yeah I guess it will but I prefer White Tag Tensley myself, Lee replied.

Well, old man, trot yourself down to Hunter’s store and get you a couple of plugs and you wont be mooching mine, Lige said as he chuckled.

By God, Lige, the next time I’m in Sunset, I’ll get a whole box then I sure wont be asking you for non of that little sissy plug you pretend to chew.

Both men had a big laugh, as they sparred each other. They did it all the time but it was always in jest

Hey look there, Lee, yonder comes two old boys full of piss and vinegar, Lige said.

Wonder what they aim to do? Lee said. The two men studied the boys. There was Elzie, a stocky boy with blondish hair and blue eyes around five foot six in height. Jake was about the same height, less stocky than Elzie, light blond hair and wide blue eyes. They boys were talking with Jake making gestures with his hands as Elzie listened with a mischievous grin on his face.

They better aim to plow Denton Creek bottom, Lige said. I told P.D. I’d have them boys on the tractors when they got home from school.

Hell, Lige you and I could have plowed the field, Lee said.

I know it, we could have, but you know since your spell, your daughter wouldn’t allow you on a tractor a’tall. Besides, those boys can handle it and working keeps them out of trouble

Hey Grandpa! Both boys said almost in unison.

Jake looked with deep affection at his grandfather. Lige was thin short man of five foot two, graying hair that receded on each side of his temple, clad in overalls and his straw hat laying on the porch beside his chair, looking through wire rim spectacles. He wore his father’s pocket watch and fine chain with a fob hanging in the middle. He sat leaned back in his chair with his arms resting on the arms of the chair. Lee was not any taller or heavier, a worn face and faded gray eyes. Liver spots spotted one side of his face. Both men almost always wore striped overalls, long sleeves and were never outside without a hat.

What kind of problems are y’all solving? Jake asked.

We ain’t solving nothing, just waiting on you two to get to the plowing and get your mind off girls,Lee said with a laugh.

Jake asked, Grandpa, Can I have a chew?

Well hell’s bells Lige said, first this worthless bum takes half of my plug for a chaw, now you going after the rest of it?

Just a small cut, Jake said, as he took the plug and with his pocket knife cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth. You want any Elzie? Jake asked.

Naw, I sure don’t Jake it makes me sick, makes me puke like a buzzard, Elzie said.

Of course Jake already knew that. He had seen that in action one time when they were fishing. Jake had got some tobacco and they had shared a chew. All of a sudden Elzie had turned green and started puking his guts out. Jake laughed and laughed, but Elzie didn’t laugh at all. All he could do was lay down and moan.

Lige, what are you making so much noise about? Berthie May came to the screen and ask. Berthie May was a good two inches taller than Lige and twice his size. She was solid as a rock and built like a big wooden barrel.

Now Gal, Lige said this out here is man talk.

My foot! She snorted. I heard you hollering about your plug tobacco. You know good and well you got three more plugs in here and that will last you a month, no more than you chew.

Never you mind, now, Lige said, Lee you want supper?

Berthie May turned back behind the screen headed back toward the kitchen, knowing that everything Lige had said was in jest. She knew that when she told him where to head in, he would head in.

Oh probably not, Lee said. I imagine Ida Lou will cook when she gets home from the plant. If Sarah was living, she could be cooking. Course Leck tries to cook but with one arm it ain’t very easy for him. And I can’t even boil water!

Well, stay and have supper anyhow. You ain’t been over in a week, and we sure ain’t through visiting. Lige said. It don’t take any more food for two than it does for three. It takes a whole table full for them two there though. Lige said, pointing at the boys. Like feeding a whole thrashing crew!

The boys headed for the shed to get the tractors. P.D. and Lester both had Model TO-20 Massey Ferguson’s. They were top tractors for 1954. Most folks had Farmall’s. In fact Lige owned a Cub model Farmall. It was ideal for a garden, which both families raised.

The gas tractors came to life easily and both were already hooked to the breaking plows. Jake went down to his dad’s bottom and Elzie to his place. Only a fence separated the two bottoms. Since P.D. had leased Leck’s place, he had installed a gate between the two fields.

The boys had started the day before and with luck they would finish by tomorrow. They had been plowing each evening for a couple of hours before supper.

About 6:30 just before the sun fell below the horizon in a cloudless sky, the boys parked the tractors back at the shed. Every day, Leck would check the oil, the transmission oil, and hydraulic oil, and would fuel up the tractors for the boys.

You boys hungry? Berthie May asked.

Does the wild man live in the woods? Jake replied.

No use you getting smart now, she replied.

Go wash your hands and I’ll set your plates. Berthie may said.

Lige and Lee were already at the table, Berthie May had set Clois a plate as he usually came by and ate too. Clois was single and totally depended on his mother. He lived on the Donald ranch, which had a cook for the family and hands, but Clois liked to come over and tell his mama all he had done that day.

Jake and Elzie had just sit down when they heard Clois’s Chevy truck drive up. It was a ’52 model army green. Unlike Lige’s black flatbed, Clois’s truck had the standard stepside with the spare tire mounted right behind the driver on the side of the bed.

Come on in Clois, Berthie May called. Go wash and I’ve got your plate set. Clois nodded to everyone as he hung his hat on the hat rack, went into the bathroom to wash. The house hadn’t always had an indoor bathroom. Lige wasn’t sure he wanted it, but Berthie May had been insistent and had won out. The room had been built by splitting the store room which was just off the kitchen. The store room held an extra bed, and canning goods from the garden. Berthie had a wood cook stove in the kitchen but had recently purchased a propane cooking model. Occasionally she would revert back to the wood stove when it was cold weather. The house had originally been Lige’s parents home, built in 1895. The original house was a log two room built by Lige’s grandpa. However, Lige’s parents, Henry and Caroline built the home from lumber cut in Gainesville. Henry’s father and Indian fighter neighbor Bart Trailer had help build the house. Henry’s father, Elias Elijah Oldham, had died shortly after they had moved in. Henry had died in 1945, but Caroline was still living but lived with a woman, a Mrs. Brown, who cared for old people close to Bowie. Caroline lived in another world and didn’t know her family. It was hard for Lige to move his mother from the farm, but Berthie May didn’t feel she could watch her mother in law all the time. She tended chickens, cooked for the family and seemed to be always busy.

I don’t know if P.D. and Mary are coming for supper, Berthie May said. She pulled her graying hair from her round face.

Both Mary and Ida Lou worked at the slack factory in Bowie. It provided a much needed income to the farms.

Now, Berthie May liked to cook and to be fussed over for her great meals. However in the Pariot and Tatum house, there was no second woman to help with the cooking and housework. Lee’s wife had died in 1940 and it had been hard for the family, but they did the best they could. Sometimes Berthie May would send word to Leck for them to come and have supper especially if all the men were working together. When the gardens were in, Leck would help Berthie May and she would can things for the Tatum’s. Leck and Ida Lou had five children. The oldest was Nolan, three girls, Laverne, Susan and Elwanda. Elzie was the youngest and still at home, the rest were grown and on their own.

In Jake’s house, he was an only child. Although he was an only child he never felt he was alone, as he had grown up side by side with Elzie although Jake was a year older. The boys felt they were more like brothers than just friends.

Berthie May had fixed fried chicken, fried potatoes, a pan of cornbread, a bowl of gravy, and opened her last jar of green beans with new potatoes. I got two pitchers of tea she told them, so drink all the ice tea you want. Jake loved sweet ice tea. He could almost drink a full pitcher without blinking.

Each boy raked three pieces of chicken in their plates, green beans, fried potatoes topped with the gravy, and slab of cornbread.

Glad I cooked two chickens, Berthie May said smiling.

The boys ate with a real gusto, as most teenage boys.

Mama, Clois said, Mr. Donald got two hundred cows, and I count em every day.

In Clois’s world what he did was the most important thing there was and he always wanted to tell everyone about it sometimes dominating the conversation.

That’s good Clois, Berthie May said, are you tired honey?

Yeah, mama, I’m tired, work hard But, I can’t stay here, I have to go back to the ranch. They need me first thing in the morning, Clois said.

They were half through the meal when P.D and Mary came in.

Ya’ll want supper? Berthie May asked.

Mary replied, It would be nice tonight; Berthie, Ida Lou and I had a hard day.

Well, run down there and tell Ida Lou and Leck to come up and eat too. Lee’s already here so they might as well eat too, we got plenty. I’ll make another pitcher of tea, Berthie May said.

I’ll fix the tea, Mary said.

"No, no, Berthie May said, you just sit down and fix yourself a plate.

Jake you and Elzie go down and get Leck and Ida Lou; you can have chocolate pie when you get back, Berthie May said.

Both boys shot up from the table and headed for the door.

They didn’t drive down to the Tatum place, they just ran down. It was a quarter mile from the Oldham house to the Tatum’s.

Ida Lou was talking to Leck when the boys arrived.

What you two up to? Ida Lou said.

Grandma wanted y’all to come to supper, Jake said. Your dad’s eating up there, so’s mama and dad.

Leck? Ida Lou said.

There ain’t a better cook on Denton Creek than Berthie May Oldham, Leck said.

Come on boys, I’ll get my truck.

Ida Lou straighten her hair and came out on the porch when Leck drove up. Driving was difficult for Leck as he had to steer and shift the gears with one hand. Sometimes he would rest his left hand over the wheel to help guide while shifting the gears in his ’49 Ford pickup. The boys loaded in the back with the tail gate down sitting on the edge while Ida Lou got inside.

It took only a minute for them to go from one house to the next. Lige and Berthie May’s house was a very typical style of the 1890’s. It was called a T house. Two front rooms, one a bedroom the other a living room, which in Lige’s boyhood was another bedroom, and the third room was the kitchen.