<TITLE>18. Par 60-64</TITLE>L-60 But her father was the President of the Brotherhood on the Pennsylvania Railroader. Many of you railroaders here might know him, Charlie Brumbach, just recently went to glory. And a very...He had a good job. And he made about five hundred dollars a month. I was making about twenty cents an hour in a ditch, digging. And me go with a girl like that, I thought, "Uh-oh, something wrong here."
So I went with her for awhile, and I seen that she was every bit of a lady. And I knowed I had to make my choice now. I--I couldn't let--take that girl's time. I loved her too much for that, that I couldn't take her time, to me, because it wouldn't be right to--to spoil her life like that. It... I thought enough of her if I...

L-61 As poor as I was, and I didn't have no dad at that time and so forth, and ten children to take care of, and... Dad left her nine, ten, with myself. And I thought, "How, then would I--would I ever be able to support someone like that?" And I thought, "I've got to make up my mind. I've--I've got to either ask her... to marry her, or I've got to let her go, and let some good boy that'll take a hold and she'll go with him, and marry her, and make her a good home and everything, and she'd be happy...
And along in that time, I begin to study. And I just... While I was going with her I had come to Christ and had found Him as my Saviour, and was studying in the ministry, the Baptist church. Then, a little... an old... Time kept going on and I was ordained then as a local elder, the exhorter, then they had my ministerial license. And I thought, "Maybe, if I'd go to preaching altogether, could I make her a living?"

L-62 So one day, I thought, "I--I believe..." Made up my mind, I was going to ask her if she... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] how was I going to do it. That was the big problem, how was I going to ask her to marry me? So I said, "Well, I will ask her tonight."
Well, I'd go up, you know and I'd talk, and when I'd get right down to that spot, I--I just wilt away. I couldn't do it. I couldn't ask her to marry me; there's too many circumstances there. And I said... So I thought, "Well, how in the world will I ever get--get it over to her? Maybe I could ask somebody else to ask her if she would marry me. You see?" I thought, "That wouldn't be just exactly right. She might refuse me on them terms."

L-63 So you know how I done it? I wrote her a letter and asked her if she would. So I wrote a letter. And now it wasn't "Dear Miss..." you know, it had a little more than that. It wasn't a business letter, yet it was in one way. But I wrote and told her how much I thought of her, and asked her if--if she would--she would marry me.
And then I thought I'll just hand it to her some night. And I thought, "No, I believe I will put it in the mail." So I put me a stamp on it, and I was going to work, and I stuck it in the mail box. I was to meet her on Wednesday, and that was on a Monday morning. So I wrote the letter, and put in the mailbox, went on to work.

L-64 And all that week I was waiting for Wednesday to come to go get my girlfriend. We was going to church. So that night, I remember, when I started up towards the place to where her people lived... They lived in a lovely big home up there. And I thought, "And here I lived. Oh, my. And I thought... Well, I--I drove up in front. And I thought...
I knowed better than to blow the horn. I--I know her mother and dad would both be out on me. And I think that's right. That's cheap for you boys to go up blow the horn for the girl to come out. If you don't think enough of her to go in and talk to her, and bring her out, and talk to her mother and dad, you ain't--you oughtn't to be with her anyhow. That's right. Go, be a man.
So I walked up on the door, and I thought, "I will stay outside tonight." And I happened to get to thinking.


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