Anna's Story
page 20
pages 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30...
This grandmother had an obsession about a "straight as an arrow" baby. She would put the infant on a blanket with its tiny arms pressed against it's little body, straighten its legs and wrap it tightly in the manner of a papoose. She defied anyone to unwrap it, except when it was time to bathe or change the child. Anna knew that babies needed to kick and exercise, so she would unwrap them every chance she found. The babies would be so happy to be released and would kick and smile with joy. As the girls became older, they wouldn't let grandmother do that to the younger ones and took over their care.
When ever they needed another work or saddle horse, Tom would buy untrained horses or break the horses he had raised from colts, which also needed to be trained. Training took a lot of time and energy. Usually, he started by putting a novice together with a horse already broken. The wild horse was teamed with a strong, tamed animal that would help to control the unbroken horse. He would hitch the two together to pull a heavy load; the heavier the load the less trouble he would have with the high strung horse. And so it went, day after day, until finally the habit would be formed and the horse would be trained.
One weekend, Tom and Anna were preparing to go to Canada to take their young baby, Paula, to be baptized. Anna was so excited about the trip. She didn't often get a chance to go out. It would be nice to get away from all the chores and children and leave everything in her mother's competent hands. She was eager to see Tom's nephew, Pete and his wife Pearl, whom she dearly loved. She and Pearl had so much to talk about when they got together. They would stay there for the weekend and go to church on Sunday for the christening. Her excitement turned to anxiety when Tom announced that he was taking an untrained horse on the trip. He explained that the long trip and steady pulling was tiring and the horse wouldn't have enough energy to get too frisky. Also, he would be teamed with a reliable mare and nothing would go wrong, he assured Anna.
The evening before the trip, the clothes were washed and pressed; the baby's things and Anna and Tom's good clothing were folded and carefully packed. They went to bed early that night, looking forward to an early start tomorrow.
Up at dawn the following morning, they were eager to be on their way. Meanwhile, Bronie, who was still a very little girl, was taking in ail the fuss and excitement. "Why does the baby get to go," she wondered, "while I miss out on all the fun". No one would notice if she crawled under the buggy seat. The blanket on the seat draped to the floor and she would be hidden from view.