As I remember it, there were about thirty students in my class I found it all very different. For one thing it was a two-session school. Pawtucket was one session. I soon picked up friends and adapted to the changes. I had to walk about a mile to school; my brother Donald went with me.
The Old Guard: Close friends since boyhood-Albert Flanders, Henry Flanders, and Edward Bosworth.
Big changes were coming in our life. Henry Flanders turned up at the house with a horse he had found, which we needed. My father also purchased a cow "in milk," which was a welcome addition. Eventually we had a herd of three cows, and the one horse. I was given part of the care of the horse and eventually I took over the milking of the cows. The big event was the preparing of a large area in the field for a garden. My father loved gardening, and he was very successful in it. We had a small orchard. His years of experience prepared him to get much from it. My sister was with us for a while but eventually sought a life of her own.
I found my way into school life, not only making friend but adjusting to the new staff of teachers. I acquired a bicycle that fitted me. I made a great deal of use of it, particularly in summer, doing errands and delivering fresh vegetables. I found a very busy life between and caring for the livestock. Again, my cousin Molly and her family were able to find their way here to North Brookfield, as they had to Greenfield.
Our outside activities centered around school, church, and when time permitted, visits to a local lake. There was one church activity I joined for a year or two, known as the Knights of King Arthur.I do not have much recollection of it except that its activities were of a high spiritual standard. At some period there was a young peoples's organization. When my changing voice settled down, I joined the choir, first as a hand pumper of the organ, later to sing bass in the choir.
There was an icehouse near my home. They had built a small lake by it, from which they harvested ice for peddling during the summer months. At certain periods this pond made good skating. I had learned to skate in Pawtucket, so was happy to develop the art without further experience.
I had one unforgettable experience at that time. One of my school classmates was a boy of Swedish descent. His brother was a test rider for the Indian motorcycle company, in Springfield, Massachussetts. One Sunday morning I was late for church. He flagged me as I was going in and persuaded me to take a ride with him on a motorcycle his brother had ridden home for the weekend. The temptation was too great, as I had never been on one. So we started down the road to East Brookfield, a curving gravel road. It turned out that my friend was more interested in speed than in anything else.So were were off. As we left town, he would announce as we were going down grad on a straight section of the road how many miles per hour we were going. Finally on a slightly longer straight stretch, he called out that we were going sixty miles per hour. I was sorry that I had agreed to go, as I felt at some point we would be in trouble; and at this point we were. He tried to slow down, but the road curved and we found ourselves in soft gravel at the edge of the road. He lost control and we were thrown off. I remember only that I rolled into a ball and found myself rolling end over end until I came to a stop, unhurt. But my Sunday suit was a mess. It was loaded with gravel. He had not done as well. He was caught in the handle bars and stopped with the vehicle. The motorcycle would not operate.
A telephone repair man came along with a truck, saw our predicament, loaded us in and took us back to town. I cleaned up as best I could and sneaked into church. He disappeared I have had little love for motorcycles since that experience.
For some reason I did not like the head of the High School and am sure I made his stay a miserable experience. I was average for scholarship, not exceptional. My brother(Donald), younger by five years skipped grades year after year. It began to look as though he might be in my graduating class. He was in High School before I graduated A new principal came in my junior year. I liked him. He inspired me to do better work, and I did graduate in 1913, with honor.
One area of my life in North Brookfield, I should comment on. There was a lake in Brookfield called Quabaug. It was easily reached by trolley out of North Brookfield, It was a favorite place to spend holidays, swimming, sailing, canoeing, etc. An older friend of mine owned a canoe, which he taught me to paddle. During a couple of summers he wasn't using it much, so he let me use it whenever I asked for it. This was one of the events in my life that brought Hazel Matthews and me together. Another classmate's parents had a cottage on that lake, which played a part in our summer pleasures.
Of course boy and girl attachments developed. My first serious one was with an older girl, named Mildred Thomson. I enjoyed her company and she and I "kept conpany" for about a year. It was then that I became interested in one of my classmates, younger than I but a year ahead of me in classes. Her name was Hazel Matthews. She was bright, witty, And loved to sing. From late summerr of 1912 through graduation we kept company, which developed into a close relationship
From left, Albert, Ernest and Hazel Matthews
These were two summers when I had the use of the canoe. A great deal of time was spent at Quabag.We went down on Saturday if I could get away from farm duties, but always on Sunday afternoon if the weather was good. Other close friends went with us. We picnicked, going home by trolley after dark. A few pictures are in my file, taken during those years.(See series 156 and 175.) I had not felt comfortable in the water since my cousin Lawrence was drowned. We did bathe, using a nearby building where there was a dressing room. I did not make any move to learn to swim. I was overcautious in using the canoe.
The summer of 1912 my brother and wife were living in the Hartness home. My brother left "Machinery" and since marriage was living and working in the advertising field in Springfield. Mr. and Mrs. Hartness were away, spending the vacation in Europe. I was invited up for a short vacation. My sister Emily was there also. The one important event that I remember best involved lessons in dancing that she gave me. There was a phonograph in the living room with a wide assortment of records. From there my sister taught me waltz and two step. She did me a great favor, because when I returned home I was able to take part in dances at social events. It was a big help in social contacts. I never go into the Hartness House living room from the hall but I think of my sister's unselfish efforts to help me socially. The phonograph was in the left hand corner as one goes through the door.
Another event of importance took place in our early life in North Brookfield. At that time, my brother Ralph was an associate editor of "Machinery." A monthly magazine devoted to machine tools. During one early summer he invited Donald and me to come to New York City and visit him for a weekend.
We went down on Friday on a fast train from Worcester to New York, where he met us. When we arrived at the Grand Central Station, he took us to a refreshment stand and gave us both a strawberry sundae. He had a bed and room in a rented apartment in East Orange, N. J, where he lived. It was a wonderful experience to cross the Hudson on a ferry, to ride in subways and on elevated trains. Then on to last Orange for the night. The next day we went back into the city. He showed us the city streets, high buildings, etc. Then he took us to the Natural History Museum, leaving us alone to browse around a while. It was a fascinating experience for the two country boys. Later he joined us and showed us interesting parts of the city. The following day he took us to Coney Island for the day. The crowds, the amusement attractions, the quick foods were a great attraction to us. I was so overwhelmed I can't remember too many of the details. In the fall of 1912 our class had raised enough money so we could plan a trip to Washington, D. C. Memory fails me as to just how we raised the money. Probably plays, concerts, etc. Most of the class went, and I have a photo of the group taken in Washington. It was a great experience for us all. We also spent a short time in New York City on the way home. As before noted, I had been there and most of the class had not. Besides a short look around we attended a musical comedy program. It was a highlight of the year.
I won't try to recount our graduation. It was only a step toward a new life to follow. The family had decided that I was not cut out to be a farmer. So my brother Ralph went to the Norton Company in Worcester and arranged a training course for me as a machinist. This was to take three years, from apprentice to journeyman. It was arranged to give me a broad experience in skill and knowledge. Two weeks after leaving school I entered on my new future. Shop hours were 55 a week, pay beginning at ten cents an hour. I found a place to get board and room at $5 a week, so moved out of North Brookfield. The following year my parents moved to a new home in North Worcester, about a mile and a half walk down a railroad track to my work. It made it easier for me to get along on $5.50 a week. It was a good home, overlooking Indian Lake and the city of Worcester. I enjoyed my new life as an apprentice machinist.
We lived on a trolley line. We made a new church home. Central
Congregational Church near the northern center of the city. It was a busy
interesting place, with many active fine young people.
Ernest and family in Worcester; Ernest at back
One of them, Harold Woodbury, is still a close friend. North Worcester on the outskirts of the city had a community spirit which I felt at home with and enjoyed. One place of interest was a couple of large greenhouses. The owner raised only carnations but it was always pleasant to drop in there on a cold winter day and enjoy the flowers. Our home overlooked Indian Lake, which was a popular place, summer or winter. Boating, all types, in summer, and skating in winter. I did skate there but was not interested tn a boat. Many types of entertainment were available in Worcester, as well as church midweek activities.
My place at Norton, being that of an apprentice, made it possible to move from department to department in order to get the broad knowledge I had planned for. I made many acquaintances and admired the ability of older men who had the background of experience I wanted. My three years of apprenticeship ended in the summer of 1916.