<TITLE>14. Par 50-55</TITLE>L-50 "Well," I thought, "no, I can't do that, now. I've got to go. So what am I going to do about it?" So, I thought, "I'll just drive up out front, and go easy." I knowed better to drive up out front and blow the horn. And boys, I'm telling you that now too, and to you girls, if your boyfriend don't think enough of you to come up to the house, ask for you, keep away from him. That's right.
So I pulled the old Ford up out there; it was stopped. Got up on the porch, I thought, "I just won't go in the house, you know. She'd get me in the house, then I'd be in an awful fix." So I knocked at the door. And so, Hope, my wife, or sweetheart then, she come to the door. She said, "Hello, Billy. Come on in."

L-51 And I thought, "Oh, oh. No, no. I'm afraid to come in. If your mother got that letter, then I'm going to be--get me in the house I can't get out, then. So I would be in an awful fix."
So, she said, "Won't you step in?"
I said, "Thank you," I said, I'll just wait right here on the porch."
And she said, "Oh, come on in."
My, I walked and set down at the door, and hold my hat in my hand. I thought, "Oh, this is sure under a lot of strain."
After while, her mother come in. She said, "How do you do, William?"
I said, "How do, Mrs. Brumbach? Sure a fine day."
"Yes, sure."
So went on. I thought, "She never got that letter."

L-52 Went on to church. I didn't hear a thing Dr. Davis said that night. Only thing I was thinking about, "She's... Just as soon as church is over, she's going to tell me, 'All right, this is your last night.' I was going to lose my girl then." Had that on my mind. You know how the devil can tell you lies. So then I thought, "I will lose my girl as soon as church is over."
So then, I never heard nothing the preacher said. When we went home that night, we... She said, "Let's just walk."

L-53 I thought, "Oh, oh, I know she got the letter, now." So I was just walking on down the street. I kept looking over at her. Oh, my, those dark eyes, and that moon shining down, you know. I--I just hated to have to lose her. So I--I thought, "I know I can't marry a girl like that. So I guess maybe I'd just go ahead and have to be an old hermit. Always said I was going to have a bunch of traps and a dog, and live back in the woods.
So I thought, "Well now, I just guess this is it." And we kept on walking, and got almost to the house, why, I thought, "You know, maybe she didn't get that letter. Maybe just hung up in the mailbox, and she didn't get it." So I got pretty bold, you know, then. I was talking right along. She didn't get the mail, so I was kinda glad she didn't.

L-54 So then I--I was going on, you know, talking fine. Just about the time we got almost to the house, she said, "Billy?"
And I said, "Yes, Hope?"
And she said, "I got your letter."
And oh, my, I said, "You did?"
She said, "Uh-huh."
Well, I thought, "This is it."
So walked on a little farther, and she just walked on just a quietly. You know how a woman can keep you under suspense, you know. I thought, "Well, say something. Tell me not to come back no more or do something." So I just kept walking on. I looked over at her, and she looked over at me, and just kept on going. So I thought, "Well, what are you going to say?" Well, she just kept on walking, just never said nothing. I thought I'd kinda break the ice, and I said, "Did you read it?"
She said, "Uh-huh."

L-55 Well, I thought, "Well, comment it some way." So didn't say a word, just kept on going. We was just a little piece from the house, and I thought, "You're going to lead me right up to your mother, aren't you? And then I know we're going to have it." 
And so I said, "Did you read it all?"
She said, "Uh-huh." That's all I could get out of her, "Uh-huh."
So I said, "What did you think about it?"
She said, "Oh, it was all right." We got married...?... It worked fine. Yes, sir.
The trouble of it was, I... We had to ask her parents. And she said, "Billy," said, "you'll have to ask mother and dad."


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