Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

An Enduring Romance: Part Two

If you missed part one, there's still time. Go here.
Do it now. We'll wait . . .

In her own words.
More from Grandma's journals:

Grandma Stringam watched George, the man who would later become her husband, as he rode away on his white horse, thinking he would one day make someone a fine husband. She was sure, however that he would be married long before she grew up.

Six years later.
I was nearly nineteen and he was still not married although everyone expected that he would marry his first wife’s sister because he had been taking her out.
It was about in June after I came back from teaching that there was a new baby in the home of my Uncle Walter. I went to their home to help. While I was there, George and two of his sisters came to visit my uncle and see the new baby.
After a while George left and went over to my home and asked my younger sister to go for a ride. He came back a short time later to pick up his sisters and said just as he was leaving, “Your sister tells me you’re having a dance Tuesday night.”
I said, “Yes. Bring a bunch down and we’ll have a good time.”
The next day, I went home and there was my younger sister letting the hem of her dress down. In those days if you wore a dress long it meant that you were older and I knew she was letting it down because she was going to go to the dance with George.
Tuesday, when it was getting near dance time, I went home to bathe and get ready. My sister was also getting ready and I said, “Maude, are you going to go to the dance with me?”
She said, “No.”
Then I was sure she was going with George, so I went on alone.
Right after the dance started, it started to rain and it kept on raining. By nine o’clock almost everyone was there, but George and his sisters hadn’t arrived.
About ten o’clock, when I was dancing with somebody quite near the door, it opened and there stood George.
He said, “Where is Gus?”
I found Gus for him and he asked if he could put his team in our barn. After he helped his sisters to get out of the rain, he and my brother took the team to our barn.
My sister, Maude, had come to the dance alone a little while before this so I knew he wasn’t bringing her.
At midnight we served lunch and it was still raining. Nobody wanted to go home in all that rain so we decided to keep on dancing. At four o’clock it quit and as I was ready to start for home, George came up and said, “Can I walk you home?”
Of course I told him yes so my brother and his girlfriend, George’s two sisters, George and I made our way to my home and waited until the horses were ready.
Just as he was ready to leave, he turned to me and said, “I’ll be down on Sunday and will very likely see you then.”

13 comments:

  1. Clever, that young man. I wonder how many other family members were "in on this". Also pondering "midnight lunch" you young ones kept some long hours after a hard day of work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. So interesting to hear about society in general and courting specifically right from the thoughts of someone who lived then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She is so matter-of-fact in her journals. It's fun to read!

      Delete
  3. I'm thinking the same as Karen, above. Maybe people didn't talk about it with their kids, so the stories didn't get passed down orally. After all, nobody thinks their parents had those feeeeelings! hah

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ooooh.....the plot thickens. I wonder if the sister wasn't in on getting them together.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She obviously told him about the dance. I've always wondered the same thing!

      Delete
  5. Love these stories, Diane. You do such a great job bringing your family and home to life.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is down right fascinating - and how lovely that we know it had a happy ending.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes it's fun to know the ending at the beginning . . .

      Delete
  7. This is a good idea thank for sharing on the website
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    ReplyDelete

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