The Store bought Dress
I love stories about Appalachia, and I like this story so well I’ll use it as a Christmas story. Better yet two stories.
While we’re at it let’s make it three. Hang on!
The people of Appalachia are some of the happiest, and friendliest people ever, although they had a very difficult life. Most of them raised every thing they ate and bought very few things from a store. Most were religious people, and their faith was the one thing that they could depend on.
Al and Eva were known as king and queen of the mountain. They were known as most generous people around. If you needed something you could always depend on Al or Eva. One morning in early winter Al stepped out to get a bit of kindling to start a fire for breakfast. As he stepped out he saw smoke rising, it had to be a big fire.
He went running to the neighbors and sure enough their cabin had burned to the ground and was just smoldering. The neighbor had gotten up and kindled a fire in the stove. He went back to bed and the fire got so hot it melted the stove pipe.
He found the neighbors under a tree just huddling together to try to keep warm. He took them home to his house and they lived with them a few weeks, but the neighbors were unhappy, they really wanted their own home. Al rounded up all the folks he could find.
He was going to build them a cabin. The neighbors gathered, they sawed down trees, split lumber, and Al would not rest until the house was completely finished.
He sent out a group of ladies to go across the mountain, and collect anything that people could give. Pots and pans, blankets, a bit of food, anything that they had. Everyone gave something even though they had nothing to spare. Al would not settle until the neighbors had what they needed. Al and Eva became known as king and queen of the mountain.
Tom and Mary had been married two years and were just getting established. They had built their own cabin, were able to raise the food they needed, and even a bit extra to sell. Life was good.
One day a gentleman come by and offered Tom a job of taking a wagonload of goods to New York City. The pay was good, he would get half now and half when the load was delivered.
The drive would be quite difficult, so he asked his friend Sam to help. The wagon was heavy, and it took nearly a week but they finally arrived. They unloaded their goods, got paid the rest of the money, and began their trip back. But something was beginning to weigh on the boys. They were beginning to realize that they were poor.
Everyone had fine carriages, the shops were beautiful, and people stared at them in their rickety wagon.
Al was determined to buy Mary her first store-bought dress. They stopped at a shop, but it would have taken all the money that he had made. When they got back home Al stopped at the local merchandise store and did buy Mary a dress.
Mary was ecstatic to get the dress, but she reprimand Al for spending their money on something they didn’t need. She was quite happy with the two feed sack dresses that she had, one for church, and one for everyday.
This morning we had something for breakfast that we have quite often, a piece toast and a bit of peanut butter. Only today we broke into a jar of frozen strawberry jam my wife had put up 3 years ago. The jam was wonderful and I slathered it on.
lt reminded me of my father-in-law. He enjoyed a bit a jam or even apple butter, but he used such a small amount, and spread it very thin. I always used my share. I think he had experienced some of the effects of the depression. As I get older I am beginning to understand the simple farm life of our ancestors. This Christmas let’s connect with a simple line that truly makes one happy.
—James Neuhouser