Finally, we began to loose our children by death. Two died at about 1 year of age, one at 12, one at 5 and one at 21. I will tell you of only one a little boy of 5 Leslie Russell was his name. He had Scarlet Fever, after that he took cold and it went to his heart. He grew worse. I remember his saying once "See how my heart makes me go back and forth". One day he had become so bad I feared he might not live till night and I said to one of the children as they started for school "You had bettor kiss Leslie for he may not be here when you come back. "Why he isn't going to die is he" was the reply. I dont think he had ever thought of dieing. He cried terribly for a few minutes then he stopped and never cried again. He had made up his mind that he would not die. He had me carry him up to the Reservoir then to Mrs. Hienses . Then to the barn and so all day long. The next day he couldn't speak aloud. When I went down to the barn to milk at night he bent his head that way and I took him down. After milking we saw he was about gone so I placed him in his crib and was going to lay him down he slowly shook his head so I set him up. In a few minutes he fell over dead. Dear, brave little Leslie! That was better than that he should have lived and gone to the World War and been smashed to pieces. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
I was living at Reservoir Heights. On Sept., 19, 1899 dear Lena died. Ernest was born on Reservoir Heights in 1895. Donald was born August, 1900 in Pawtucket. How did we happen to move from that beautiful situation Reservoir Heights? My work was always piecework and when it was under the management of the Bullocks all they cared for was for me to see that work was kept up. They paid me what I considered a fair price I could work at home till 8 or 9 oc when my busy was on. I would then go down and work the rest of the day. But one of firm thought the Bullocks were old fashioned. So when the President died, he thought they should have a more up to date man as manager. They got one from Boston. He (?) round, changed the office, went through the shop swearing. He said what the help needed was more training (?) He stayed less than a year and the Co paid him and let him go.
They then went to Ohio and got a man. I noticed a man walking through the shop one day. I noticed he had a savage chin. We found out that he was from Ohio and was the new manager. He very soon discharged all the old men. There was One man not much over 30 but his hair was very gray Mr. Colwell saw him and discharged him. His boss said he is the best man he had. Not that made no difference, his head was grey. Another rule he made was that you should be there at 7 in the morning or loose a half day. It was now Nov and I rode down on the St. car which got me to the shop at 7-3. Mr. C. told me if I couidnt get there at 7 I would have to move down. So I did. He also had the men loose the time if the shop was obliged to stop. I remember once that the shop stopped for 15 minutes that the man who was out delivering wood. When he got his pay envelope found he was docked 15 minutes. He got through then and there.
They were making Toy Pianos among other toys. I had the job of tuning the steels. Mr. C called me into the office one day and said that he told my foreman the steels were not tuned well enough. The foreman said I told him "I was doing as good a job as I was paid for". Mr. C. called me to the office and told me what the foreman had told him. I said I told the foreman that I was doing just as good a Job an I could afford to for the price I was getting. I asked him if that didnt sournd different. He said it did but the steels would have to be tuned better so he gave me a higher price. Mr. Cs ambition was to get all toy manufacturers into a trust. There were 2 he couldnt get in. They were Course & Son of Winchendon, Mass., & Milton Bradly & Co. of Sprinfield, Mass. They were the largest in the country at the time. He got several smaller ones. His next move was to open an office in New York. Before long the combine failed. The R. Bliss Co. in Pawtucket had lost faith in. Mr. C and offered to buy back the Co and pay 100% for it, but he persuaded them that if they would let him settle it he would pay them more. So he went ahead and took evey cent.
I went past the old shop in the autumn of '28.It was falling into decay. I also saw the man who got Mr. C there in the first place. Not long after he had a shock and died. There's an old hymn that was sung many years ago which runs When we've been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun We've no less days to sing Gods praise Than when we first began Tt is said of Methuselah. All the days of Methuselah were 969 years and he died. There are two things I can't understand and hardly ever think of. One is Eternity there was no beginning and there can be no end. The other is Space there can be no limits in any direction.
But to continue my autobiography. In June 2nd 1902 our daughter Alice died and not long afterwards we bought a small place in Greenfield N.H. where we could take the children during the long summer vacation. It was a beautiful place with Crotchett Mountain to the North and North Pack Monadnock to the South. I would take up the steels, by freight, and tune them. My brother and his family came also and we all had a happy time. We stayed there 4 or 5 years and finally I left the R. Bliss Co and went to North Brookfield where we bought a larger farm. That was a very pleasant place.
It was there I had my first attack of facial Neuralgia. I wasn't feeling well and lay on the sofa when I was seized with the most frightful pain in my right face. It seemed to me that an iron vice was crushing my jaw. I screamed and fell to the floor. I was soaked with sweat. It lasted perhaps for 2 or 3 minutes when it left as suddenly as it came. The pain did not come back for perhaps 6 mos. It came oftener & oftener for 10 years until I went to the Peter Dent Brigham hospital in Boston, and had the nerve removed. I was under the influence of ether for 5 hours and came out of it all right.
In 1919 my oldest son and his wife gave us the means to go West. They said we had always worked hard and we deserved a vacation. We left Springfield Vt where we were living on the 14th day of March 1919. We went first to Dummerston where our daughter was living. After 2 or 3 days we went to Greenfield Mass and went west through the Hoonsac tunnel to Albany N. Y. Thence to Rochester where we had a married son living. We stayed there a few days then visited Niagara Falls. Then went to Chicago where Mrs. Flanders had a brother. We stayed there 2 or 3 weeks and then started for Los Angeles Cal over the Santa Fe road. My son had made out our Itinerary which we found but one change we would have made. We should have had another day at the Grand Canyon.