RIP "Old Tom" You Were a Fine Horse.

A Day in the Life: January 26th
 
(Aged 14)
Wea. cloudy                                     SUN. JAN. 26, 1896         Ther.  34

Stayed at home.  Pa + Ma went over to Sarah Babbits.  My arm is worse.                    


(Aged 16)
Wea.   snowy                                 WED. JAN. 26, 1898                      Ther.   24

Went to school.  Had examination in El. English.  Elmer Warn rode down + back from school with me.  We have got a sleigh ride started now it is sleighing.  In evening drove over to grandma’s + then went up to the King's Sons + Daughters  meeting. 


(Aged 17)
Wea.                                              THUR. JAN. 26, 1899                     Ther. 

In A.M. cut brush on the Webster Place.  In P.M. Glen came down with his dogs and gun and we went hunting but didn’t kill anything but started two rabbits just about dark and while the dogs were running the last one an awful wind + snow storm came up + covered the ground  in a few minutes.  It covered us too.

Glen is going to stay all night with me.

 
(Aged 18)
Wea.                                              FRI. JAN. 26, 1900                         Ther.

Stayed at home all day.  It stormed awful.  In eve there was a meeting of the Trustees of the Baptist Church here.  I was to take Alice to a lecture at the burg but it stormed so we did not go.

 

(Aged 19)
Wea.                                               SAT. JAN. 26, 1901                        Ther.

Frank came but Charlie was sick so he could not come.  I cut bolts with Frank.  Ma, Grandma and Rollie went up to see Pa.

 
(Aged 20)
Wea.                                              SUN.  JAN.  26, 1902                      Ther.

Ray went up to Factory.  I took Alice up home and came back to Pa’s.  Old Tom was taken sick with the colic.  I drove him home and took him up to Shaw’s.  I sent for Dr. Bender but he didn’t do any good.  Tom died about 11 A.M. today.
Frank Cass on who we believe to be "Old Tom"


 

(Aged 21)
Wea.                                              MON.  JAN.  26, 1903                    Ther.

Took Alice over to Pa’s to do her washing.   Dave drew out manure.  I took him up to Jamestown in the evening.  He gives me a dollar. 
We went to the theatre.  We saw all sorts of tricks.

 

(Aged 22) 
Wea.                                                TUE. JAN. 26, 1904                      Ther.

Jim + I worked up in woods.



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Editor's Note: 
Allen's snowball-throwing injury worsens.  Mrs. Babbit gets a mention and a visit but, as of yet, not found in the Census of the time.

In 1898, Allen is heading off to a relatively new religious order.  As noted in the history I attached it was simply for the King's Daughters at first and the Sons were a late addition.  Allen does not consciously mind the afterthought though he does transpose the placement of Sons in front of Daughters in the title of the group.

Allen and Glen are first cousins.  I believe they have hunted together before but they never seem to have much luck.  I can imagine the snowstorm that blew up so well. 

Cutting bolts has been deciphered!  It refers to a lumber and I will post on it soon.

Poor Old Tom.   Colic in horses seems to be fairly dangerous.  Dr. Bender was a veterinarian from Jamestown.  Between the summons and his arrival, Old Tom probably just couldn't hold on.  I am curious as to how old "Old Tom" was and if he was once just called Tom.  There is more than a good chance that it is Old Tom that Frank is riding on given the 25-30 year lifespan of a horse.

A year later Allen is off to town watching magic tricks with his hired man Dave while Alice is doing her washing at her in-laws.  Something doesn't seem fair.

Comments

  1. I already feel so ridiculously sorry for Alice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. We had a horse die of colic once. While it can happen in any horse, it tends to happen in older horses.

    ReplyDelete

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