Rosey Jones from Black River

By Marlynn Groholske

As Rosie’s dreams of becoming a schoolteacher fades, so do her wishes for her own home. Still, she vows never to marry. Young Harmon Pickles has his dreams, too, and he has plans. Can he convince Rosie Jones to be part of them?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781662407512

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Rosey Jones from Black River

Marlynn Groholske

Copyright © 2020 Marlynn Groholske

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-6624-0750-5 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-0751-2 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

With tears running down her cheeks, seventeen-year-old Rosie Jones started down the dirt road. She wasn’t crying because of her bruised and aching face, or that her old shoes pinched her feet. It was the loss of her dreams.

Three months earlier

Rosie Jones lived in a small 1900s farming town in Southern Michigan with her father, Clyde, her mother, Mona, her three siblings, and her grandmother, Burke. The family worked hard to toil the land and eke out a meager living.

Mona depended a great deal on Rosie doing all of the chores that she herself didn’t want to do and an even bigger help caring for Mona’s elderly mother, Annie Burke. Annie Burke had been a granny woman as long as she was able. Rosie was only nine years old when she helped her granny birth her twin brothers. Her grandmother was almost an invalid now and didn’t tolerate much these days. If any of the younger Jones got too close to the old woman, she was sure to give the offending one a good rap with her cane!

Life on the little farm was pretty much uneventful until three years ago when her father’s older brother, Sidney, and his new wife, Edna, came to the farm for a visit.

Uncle Sidney and Aunt Edna were from Flint, some thirty miles away. Flint was a bustling city loaded with industry and opportunity. Sidney’s wife, Edna, had been a wealthy widow with a young son who inherited her late husband’s profitable businesses, one of which was a grist mill in Black River, just over the county line from Flint.

Sidney wanted his brother to give up share-cropping and take over the grist mill. Mona jumped at the chance to leave the farm, but Clyde was uneasy about anything new. He liked old and familiar things; then, too, he had a hard time with reading and writing. Plus, Clyde was dead set about the woman, even his own wife for that matter, having the upper hand whatever the situation! Knowing his own limitations and the common supposition of the time, Clyde knew if he took over the mill he’d have to depend on Mona more than he’d ever had to in his life. But finally, with his wife’s words of encouragement and a few trips to the mill, Mona finally convinced her husband to take on the new venture.

Within a few short months, the Joneses were fitting in nicely with their new surroundings. Sidney and Edna had stayed on in Black River to help get the family settled and acclimated to their new life. During this time, her aunt Edna saw how quick and handy little Rosie was and conspired to take the little girl back to Flint with her. She could use that perky little girl to her own advantage, and so Edna made an effort to befriend Rosie. Soon the little girl was confiding her hopes and dreams with the grasping woman. As time went on, Edna led Rosie in on a plan to accompany her and Uncle Sidney to Flint, where she would live, go to school, and meet her new cousin, Homer.

Of course, Rosie, I’d expect you to do a few chores and help around the house a little, stated Edna.

Oh, I’d be glad to, Auntie! said Rosie.

Edna knew that Mona would be her only holdout. Sidney was getting them ready to head back to Flint, so she had to act soon. One night, as the family was gathered around the supper table, it was then that Edna broached the subject of Rosie accompanying her and Uncle Sidney back to Flint. Mona immediately began to object to her daughter leaving.

"Why, I couldn’t possibly let Rosie go! Who would help with all the work around the house? With Granny? No, Rosie needs to stay home and help out. The burden