It was a way back when there was no electricity, no telephone, no television, no running water and, of course, very few other niceties we take for granted today.
I was in the second grade in our little country school when Pebble Nix invited the whole class to her birthday party.
The Nixes were one of the oldest families to live in Morton Valley. They were rather unusual people. The father, John, had been one of the earliest peanut farmers in the area. He was a big man and a member of the school board. His wife, Josie, was a heavy-set woman -- built like a refrigerator. There were four kids, all strikingly good-looking, a son and three daughters. They had expressive dark brown eyes, curly black hair, olive skin, and long eyelashes that everyone envied.
Their little house had an unusually low ceiling, and was covered outside with poison ivy vine that they claimed repelled evil spirits. They talked and laughed like everyone else, though.
A new natural gas line had been moved to near their house, and they had the first gaslights in the area.
The party to which we were invited was to celebrate Pebble's seventh birthday, and to let us see their new refrigerator powered by natural gas.
Most of the kids arrived at Pebble's house about 5 p.m. on the designated day. Homemade cookies, roasted peanuts in the shell, ice-cold cocoa, and the cake were served.
Suddenly, one kid became very sick. He could hardly breathe, and Mr. Nix drove him home in his old Ford. The kid's parents rushed him to town to a doctor, where he was diagnosed as allergic to peanuts. Fortunately, he survived.
In spite of the emergency, we enjoyed the party, but no one stayed very long.
About nine years later, Mrs. Nix died from a heart attack.
Tommy Nix, the handsome son, finished high school and went to work for a company that installed new screens and windows. He was only 18 when a wasp stung him and he died almost instantly. He had been a real nice young man and a good athlete.
One of the Nix girls, Jo Jane, got married and died trying to give birth to her first child. Shortly after that, Mr. Nix was gored and killed by a Jersey bull in his barnyard.
Johnnie, another one of the Nix girls, married and had a little boy. Her husband was killed in World War II, she died from lung cancer, and her son was struck and killed while riding a bicycle.
Pebble, the youngest of the Nix girls, died recently at the age of 87. She appeared healthy when I last saw her.
It is distressing to reflect on the tragedies that this family endured. I sometimes wonder if the poison ivy provoked rather than prevented bad luck, because they certainly had more than their share of misfortune.
-- Louis Houston is a resident of Siloam Springs. His book "The Grape-Toned Studebaker" is available locally and from Amazon.com. Send any questions or comments to [email protected] or call 524-6926. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Community on 01/18/2017