Growing up in Supply

When I was growing up in Supply both my father and mother worked in the bank. I remember having to go to the bank with my parents after supper so they could finish the day’s work. I would sleep either on the counter o on a desk curled up around a typewriter. I was always afraid of being put in the vault.

My grandfather died when I was only one, thus I never knew him. My grandparents had a large, beautiful two-story house. It had a large porch that went around three sides of the house, with four different doors into the house. There was a white fence and I remember the passionflower and trumpet vine and the honeysuckle in the yard. We also had a separate chicken yard, a little storage barn, and a potty under the trees. There was a garage where my parents kept a large touring car. I would sneak into the garage, get in the car and pretend I was driving.

The inside of the house was beautiful and the rooms seemed large; they had pocket doors. When you came in front there was a large staircase right at the door. At the top of the stairs there was a door and a step or two going down to a small room on the front of the house. There were bedrooms on either side of the hall and at the end of the hall was a large room with a beautiful dance floor. Parties and dances were held here. Also there was a small room off the hall that was used to serve refreshments when we entertained. I remember the Christmas tree was always in the parlor and we could not open the doors until Christmas day. I remember my grandmother had a very large woodburning stove in the kitchen. It had ovens on the side, a warming oven above the burners and a tank at the end where hot water was available. I really loved this old house and was very sad when it was blown away by a cyclone after we moved to Woodward.

After my grandfather died my grandmother moved into a smaller house closer to town and my family moved into the large house. This house was further out on Main Street where the road turns to go to Woodward. As a little girl I remember playing games on Saturday beside the bank and at Davis’ drugstore. At times I would buy all the other kids something to drink and then charge it to the bank. My daddy was not always happy with this.

The house was probably less than a mile from the river and I remember at night hearing the cattle going down to the river during the cattle drives. Also there was an old wooden bridge not far from the house and when a car or truck went over the bridge it reminded me of thunder.

I also remember the houses where the Cunninghams, Uncle Burrel, Aunt Jo, Dr Stelcher, and where the Hursts lived. Aunt Ethel and the children would come to Bonnie’s in the summer to visit Dr. Bagby and Mary Lou (or Davis). Mrs. Bagby taught me "expression", which was how to talk and conduct yourself as a lady. The two-story schoolhouse had a tube-like fire escape. We loved to slide down it although we were in trouble if we got caught. Daddy and Dr. Stetcher would play checkers at Davis Drug Stores, Daddy would be puffing on a cigar and Dr. Stretcher would have his pipe.  Dr. Stretcher is the doctor that delivered me.

There was much love in our family. I adored my brothers, nine and ten years older. Like many of us, my parents were mostly concerned with teaching me to be polite and do the correct things. My mother believed in the saying "children should be seen but not heard." So I thought about many things that were not said.

My brother Don played the trombone. At times he and Red Vaughn, whose wife was the postmistress, would start playing late at night in the town’s bandstand and my daddy would have to go down and bring him home.

I remember Mother, Don, Sam and I moved to Norman for the school year, 1926-27 so Don could go to OU. This was Sam’s senior year and he graduated from high school in Norman. He was not happy because he couldn’t graduate from Supply.

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