April 6, 1986
A little more about Hortense. In 1924 the two big study halls in high school were in the auditorium. There was trouble no end. No one seemed to be able to keep order. Hortense was put in charge and the trouble stopped. Just why, no one knows. It was her way. She talked to the troublemakers, of which I was one, and it seemed you were on her side at once. I mention this to bring out another facet of her life. Shortly before her death we were discussing her early teaching in Chariton. She taught Ancient History. By error one day she wrote on the blackboard Papa Bull instead of Papal Bull, which she meant to write. The class roared with laughter. Hortense was calm and said, “All right, we’ll talk about Papa Bull today and Papal Bull tomorrow.” She asked one of the farm boys if he would like to come up and talk about Papa Bull. No one came. There was silence. The discussion of Papal Bull went on as though nothing had happened. Hortense remembered all this vividly.
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