This is a story of two chairs in the Piper family. The rocker is upstairs in my home at the present time. It is in good shape and is used by company as it is so comfortable. It is not in my bedroom so I seldom use it. My folks obtained this chair while in business at Oakley before the turn of the century. The folks saved tobacco coupons. When the right amount was saved they sent them in to the tobacco company, and received the chair. They also saved coupons and got two huge leather chairs and a library table. Where these things are I have no idea. When my brother John and sister Helen were real small, my mother was sitting in this chair upstairs during a violent storm. Father was gone that night. The wind blew the roof from the house and landed it a block away. Neighbors gathered the next day and sawed the roof into four sections and put it back on. Mother got wet as did the children who were downstairs during the storm. Dayton, Will and George were down there. Joe Howard and myself were born in Chariton.
Now the story of the second chair. Ladies Aid was being held at our house in Chariton. We children were to stay outside and be quiet. Mother’s orders. We had the running gears of a buggy that we were riding down the hill on. Four rode down and eight pulled it back up. The next time down the other four rode. One of our neighbors had a huge mastiff dog that was always chained. Somehow it got loose and came over to where we children were. The dog got excited and grabbed one of the boys by the upper arm and wouldn’t let go. Several men came but couldn’t make the dog let loose. I ran into the house to tell Mother and she came outside, sized up the situation, grabbed my old high chair and hit the dog with all her might. The dog let loose and ran home. The Ladies Aid was royally entertained that day. Today the chair is up in my attic tied up in a bundle with twine.
George, Charles and myself went northeast, stayed north and west of Knoxville, reaching Red Rock later on. Crops look great up that way and more rain than here. It was mostly a new area to us. Didn’t see many flowers or birds. We stopped at the south end of the dam to visit the museum. A wonderful place. Tells of the future and the past. Good view from the lookout. It’s all air-conditioned with movies of your choice in a theater. Coming out we found George’s car had a flat tire. We all changed it but George did the work. During a short ride Friday eve, we found butterfly weed and other. George arranged four vases at church. Beautiful orange butterfly weed in the two Wiley Curtis brass vases. The other two vases had verva in, with lead plant, black-eyed Susan and baby’s breath. We always give the flowers away to someone to enjoy.
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