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Another incident that is tied in somewhat with this disobedience was a time when I stayed out too late. I was afraid of the dark and we were always told to be home by dark, because it gets very, very dark in the country when there is no moonlight. We were all quiet a ways from the house playing this particular time. Suddenly, I looked up and saw that my brothers and sisters were nearly to the house, and here I was a long way from the house. I started running, but they were in the house a long time before I could reach them. My mother tells that they decided this would a good time to teach me a lesson. So they put out the lamps ( we usually had one upstairs and two downstairs, and maybe a latern at the doorway) and they all hid. To reach the door of the house was like reaching a safe haven. I opened the door and called and nobody answered. I went screaming through the house and couldn't find anybody. Mother tells that then they had to come from their hiding places but it took a long time to get me out of my hysteria and shock of there being nobody there. I don't know if that had a long last effect, but I know when I was in high school and going out to baby-sit in the evenings, I left more lamps on then I was supposed to and I was still afraid of the dark.
One of the things about having a big house and a wonderful stairway was that there was this big closet that went under the stairs. It was normal size at the doorway but then it went back into dark nothingness. We were all frightened by this because we were often told we would be locked in there f we didn't do this or that or the other. Of course since I was afraid of the dark, I was afraid of that closet. I don't believe I was ever locked in it. I remember one time my sister Fern got locked in there because she caller her sister a fool. I don't recall the passage in the Bible where it says you must not call your sister or brother a fool, but that was one word we were not allowed to use to each other. Mother had cautioned Fern many times, but after she said this one more time she locked her in the closet. She would go to the door every little while and say, "Fern, are you going to say you are sorry? " Apolige to your brother or tell him you didn't mean that and promise never to say it again." Fern would say, "No." It seemed she ws in there a long time. Mother got really worried, but thinking she could cure Fern's stubborn nature, she left her in there. Finally, after having no lunch and as it was getting close to dinner time, Fern said she would apologize, so Mother unlocked the door and let her out. Fern ran a little way and turned on her heel and said. "I won't apologize and he is a fool." She ran as fast as she could go. It seemed as though Mother's discipline didn't work with Fern.
Going back to when we'd moved back to Baker, my dad gave up the ranch and came back to live at home with us. There was a very little for him to do but he did have a field across the road where he planted alfalfa. There was always a chance to sell hay and this was not too big a project. One day he decided to go into town to get some barrels of water. We lived in this house outside of town and we had to carry water from the stream or sometimes some neighbors would help us by bringing us a barrel of water. Dad took several barrels in the wagon with his favorite team of horses. The weather was cold and icy. He had loaded some of the barrels back on the wagon , but somehow one of the horses slipped on the ice, bumped Dad and knocked him down which broke his leg. What I remember about it was the man who came running from town, telling us Dad had been hurt and coming to get Mother.
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