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Hello! My name Memitta Simpson . I am 16 years old, and I am the second oldest,
In our family of six. There is papa, Thomas Simpson, mama, Ona Rose Simpson, Johnny,
Me, Lila, and Eddie. Johnny is 16, two years older than me. Lila is 10. And dear little Eddie.
He is but 3 years old. He has the biggest heart anybody could ever have, and the sweetest
Smile. Lila is Not like Eddie. She is very……… Well, I’ll not get into that right now, that
Would take too long. I’ll just say she’s very headstrong. And Johnny, he is like papa, always caring about someone else- oh! Mama’s calling, I must go!
Love,
Mitta
P.S. the year is 1910.
Dear Diary,
Sorry about the interruption yesterday,
Mama needed me to give Johnny his lunch, for he had forgotten it at home again. You see, Johnny and Papa work at the Madam Ballet’s Palace. Well, I call it a palace, because it is so beautiful, and could be one. But of course, papa says its just an ordinary rich folk’s house. We are definitely not rich, and we are not poor. I am glad we are not poor, but even if we were, I would never say so, for I would be ashamed. I just couldn’t stand being poor! Now, about madam Ballette. She is one kind lady. Of course, I, myself have never seen her, for she is always in the ‘ Palace’ and whenever she comes out, I am hard at work. For you see, me and my family work for Madam Ballette, We are not her slaves, of course, we have chosen to work for her, as our own decision. Papa says that if we were not working for her, we would be poor. I try not to think of that! I have never seen Madam, or the inside of her house. But someday, I hope I will. Aha! I can hear Johnny whistling! Papa too! I must go greet them, and hand them fresh clothing, for they have come back from working. I will try and talk to you later, My Friend.
Love, Memitta
Dear Diary
I am sorry if I sounded angry, yesterday. I just finished reading what I had written yesterday. Sometimes I just get so worked up when I am talking about something. Oh, mama says its time to eat!
Love, Mitta
Dear Diary,
Church went fine today, especially since Willem Prow was there! Ah, Willem is such a good friend, we love each other like brother and sister. We have known each other since we were little ones. Such a good friend is he. He is also my second cousin, and he teases me about it continually! Today, at church, as soon as he saw me, his sad face lit up. I had no idea why he would be sad, so I asked him about it.’’ Ah, dear Mitta, How I need your words of comfort right now! I am indeed needing your comfort, for I seem to be in great trouble.’’ Dear Willem finished, steering me towards a corner, in back of the church. ‘’Willem, I will indeed help you in any way I can! What is it, that you are in so much trouble?’’ I said, looking questioningly at my cousin.’’ Well, Mitta you see,………. Well, do you know Belle Caps?’’ I sighed and said sarcastically, ‘’ Oh, you mean that rich snob that is always pestering us about how rich she is?’’ Willem laughed and said, ‘’ Yes! That is who I am talking about, but you need not tell me what she is like--- I already know!’’ he added, then continued, ‘’Indeed, that is what I’m worried about, you know how I work at Mr. Jenson’s little store? Well, Belle works right next door, at Madam Ballette’s house, witch is not a good thing.’’ Why not? I asked, looking up at him. ‘’Because, now Miss Belle keeps, you know, bothering me! In fact, Mitta, I think she’s in love with me!’’ He finished desperately. Oh, Wilem! Don’t worry! Its going to be alright, all you need to do is tell her you don’t like her, and that is that! I said. But Mitta! You know how hard it is for me to talk to girls! He moaned. Just then, Miss Belle herself came flouncing over. ‘Well, hello sweet William! She said smiling sweetly. Willem growled, saying; ‘’ My name is Willem, not William!’’ then turned away. Miss Belle of course excused this with a wave of her hand. ‘’ Whatever, dear.’’ Then turned to me. ‘’ And what are YOU doing here? In this sacred place, where only clean people come? ‘’ She laughed with a sweet, tinkely sound. I of course was furious, and started to ball my fists at her, to show her a thing or two, when Willem’s hand came softly on my shoulder. I turned to look at him, and the look he gave me clearly said ‘’don’t.’’ So, I didn’t. I respected what he said, and whenever he said don’t to me, that meant that I, wasn’t to do anything, he would take care of it, so I stepped back. Willem stepped up to Miss Belle, and towered over her. ‘’Miss Belle, I want to remind you that we are all God’s children, and that He loves us, and it does not matter how clean we are, he still wants all of us to come worship and adore Him, and I will kindly now ask you to leave my dear cousin alone, whom I dearly love, and I don’t want anybody, to harm or hurt her, and that means you too, Miss Belle. Thank you, and good day.’’ He finished, as though he did this everyday. Then, he held out his arm to me, and we walked away. I did not look back once.
Dear Diary,
I am sure now that Miss Belle will now leave Willem alone, and hopefully me too. I am so very grateful that Willem stood up for me, he is so kind! He and Johnny are also best friends, and tell each other everything. They often get together, and do things such as horseback riding, fishing, and sometimes help Mr. Smith unload some crates at the train station. I myself have a best friend too, her name is Libby Merle, and she lives just down the street from me, in a medium sized house, witch is the color of baby blue. She has beautiful black hair, that reaches her waist, and when in the sun, you can also see streaks of red also. And her thinness is the envy of all the other girls, ( except me, because I am as thin as her) and she walks with a floating grace. But, the way I described her, she probably sounds like a princess. Ah! But she is not! She is as crazy as me! We are both what you would call tomboys, and there is nobody as crazy as we! You should see us run! Mother says we run like a bunch of wild horses. I don’t know, maybe we do! All I know is, I have the most wonderful best friend I the world.
Love, Memitta
Dear Diary,
Tomorrow is the church potluck, I can’t wait! Both Libby and Willem said they’d be there. I am making my famous French pie, the vuocie. Everybody loves it. My main ingredient is apples, and molasses syrup. And the crust is wonderful too. Libby always makes her delicious cherry pie. The tables are always loaded with favorite foods, such as; apple dumplings, fried chicken, corn on the cob, Irish bread, and my mama’s thick potato soup. It be great, well.. almost. It would be great, except for the fact that Paul will be there. Paul Bumming is a strong tall lad, and the age of 17. He’s also the worst bully anybody could have. Actually, I haven’t seen him since I was 14years old. He was a bully then, but I don’t really know what he’s like now, I’m assuming he’s going to be the same. Libby has seen him, though. That how I know, she told me Libby goes to the same school he does. She said she doesn’t see him much, because they aren’t in the same classes except two. Oh, I hope he’s changed! Well I need to go start making my vuocie, so I’ll write tomorrow, to tell you how it went!
_ Mitta
Dear Diary,
Libby was right. She described Paul perfectly. Oh! How handsome he is now! When I last saw him, he was a chubby mischievous boy. Now he is almost a man, with dark brown hair, tanned skin, and dark blue eyes, and oh, how his eyes twinkle. Oh, how they twinkled when they saw me! That’s when I started to get worried. As soon as he saw me, he strode over to me in four giant steps. ‘’Ah, Memitta! At last, we meet again. How lovely you have become! Ha! Your face turns red at that! Come, please, will you be my partner for today?’’ He said. I answered, ‘’Well, Paul, I am very sorry, but my dear cousin, Willem has already asked me! And here he comes now!’’ Willem was coming, threading his way through the people to come his partner. Soon he and Paul were looking at each other, eye to eye. ‘’ Com’on Memitta, lets go’’. Said Willem, grabbing my hand, and starting away. All of a sudden, Paul was there, hand on my waist, pulling me towards him. I pulled away, only to have him pull me tighter to him. ‘’Willem!’’ I screamed. But, my voice was lost, in the noisy crowd that was standing by the church, talking. I looked for Willem, and he was suddenly there, fighting with Paul, and me still in his arms. WHAM! Paul had swung his arm, knocking Willem to the ground, then dragging me away, before Willem could get up. He dragged behind the church, where there was a small gardening shed. Once behind the shed, he finally let go of me, and I fell to the ground. He laughed hoarsely, ‘’Finally! I got you to myself.’’ He then sneered and grabbed my arm, and pushed me, standing up, against the wall, and put his face close to mine. ‘’Now you listen to me! You come with me nice and quiet, and you won’t get hurt.’’ He said, glaring at me. I then said, ‘’Why? Where are you taking me?’’ Paul answered my question with cruelty in his voice, ‘’I’ll tell you where your going. To the slave market! To be sold! People from all over the country to buy and sell slaves, and your gonna be part of it. I’m gonna make big money off of you, baby!’’ With that he laughed cruely, and pushed me closer against the wall. ‘’No!’’ I turned my wide eyes to his. ‘’You can’t do this to me, I’m only 16!’’ Just perfect,’’ he answered smiling, and putting his face closer to mine. I tried to push away, but he was too strong. Just when I thought he was about to kiss me, I found myself In the arms of my faithful friend Willem, and about 12 men were there, in including Johnny, dragging Paul away, bound hand and foot. Finally, we were alone. That’s when I let it all out. As I cried, Willem held me. We said not a word, but nothing needed to be said.. As I wiped away my tears, he looked into my eyes and said, ‘’Mitta, don’t worry, I’ll always take care of you,’’
Dear Diary,
I wish everybody would act normal towards me, though maybe I haven’t been acting normal myself. I’ve had a lot of sympathy shown to me, especially mother. Paul is in jail, far away from me, thankfully. He has been haunting my dreams. I just hope he stays there, because I hate him even more then I did before. I know that sounds horrible. But, it is the truth. Ah! Here comes my sweet Willem.
I’ll write later, Mitta
Later~ Willem is so nice to me. When he came by, he offered to take me on a picnic. I asked mother, and she smiled and handed me my shawl, and a basket packed with all sorts of delicious things. Then Willem offered me his arm and we started towards Rolling Hills, a favorite picnic spot. We didn’t say a word until we were almost there. Willem stopped suddenly, and and stood in front of me, his hands cupped my face. He looked deeply into my eyes, as if searching for something. Then, I spoke. ‘’Willem, I cannot tell you how scared I was! Why, why did it have to happen to me?’’ I cried out. Willem hugged me tight, his arms comforting me. Then, I spoke again. ‘’Sweet Willem, what if it happens again?’’ Willem looked at me, determination in his jaw. ‘’Don’t you worry, Mitta, for as long as I live, I will take care of you.’’ He said, leading me to a large rock to sit upon. Oh, Willem, you are so sweet to me! I exclaimed, looking at him with tears in my eyes. Willem smiled at me, then suggested that we begin our picnic. After we had eaten, Willem took me home. There is no doubt that I love a very special and sweet someone who would undoubtedly give up his life for me.
Dear diary,
Today I went to a quilting bee with Mother. At least Libby was also there, other wise I would have been board to death! As we started quilting, Mrs. Lee asked how Eddie was doing, and how was his cough. Mother said he was doing fine and his cough was nearly gone. Then, Mrs. Lee turned to me. “My dear, is it not time you find a mate?” Me and Libby exchanged glances, for we knew what was coming next. You see, Mrs. Lee has been pestering me for quit some time now to find someone. Of course, I always say the same thing. ‘’Mrs. Lee, Since it is my business whether I like someone or not, I shall not say who I like, but when I decide to get married, then you’ll know.’’ At that she always gets red in the face. ‘’Well! You don’t have to tell me who you like, I know! Its that Willem boy that is always hanging around you, waiting for you to agree to get married to him no doubt!’’ Mrs. Lee finished, a satisfied look on her face. I was at a loss for words for a second, but recoverd quickly. ‘’But that is not true!’’ I said, rising to my feet and rushing out the door, with Libby close at my heels. ‘’Oh, that Mrs. Lee!’’ I raged, ‘’Won’t she just mind her own business?’’ Libby Sighed, saying, ‘’I know how you feel. Everybody is asking if I’m going to marry your brother, Johnny.’’ At this she blushed. I knew that Libby and Johnny really loved each other with their whole hearts, and were planning to marry someday. I suddenly sighed and said, ‘’You know Libby, I am so confused! Love is such a terribly confusing thing.’’ Libby smiled knowingly and and linked my arm through hers.
Dear Diary, I’m sorry it has been so long since I’ve written in you, but not much has been happening. Paul was sent to the jail in Bellcove, a bigger town about ten miles from here, Willem was just here, telling me how Miss Belle was annoying him again, for her and his family went on a picnic together. I am not jealous, because I know Willem so very much dislikes her. But, before he left, we took a walk together, and said something that made more happy then I’ve ever been before. He said, ‘’Memitta, as soon as I get a good steady job somewhere, (other then Mr Jenson’s store) and I make a house out in the country by Falling Oaks, Will you marry me?’’ Oh, I was so happy, that I stated crying, and laughing, and hugging Willem all at the same time, that it took me a while to calm down. ‘’Hmm…I take that as a yes?’’ He laughed, hugging me and twirling me around. As soon as we got calmed down, I ran home and told mother. She laughed and cried with me, and congratulated both of us, then Father came in and he congratulated us too, and then the rest of the family came in too. That was the happiest moment of my life.
-Mitta
Dear Diary,
Me and Willem’s courtship is now in full bloom. I have never loved
anyone on this earth so much as my Willem. He is so sweet, kind, thoughtful,
and many other things. Tonight Willem is coming for dinner, and after while me and mother clean up dinner Papa and Willem and Eddie are going to play a bit of baseball outside. Well, I had better go help mother get ready for dinner.
I will write later tonight if I can.
Mitta.
Later~ Oh, we had so much fun! Dinner was indeed a splendid ordeal,
And I think Willem enjoyed it immensely. After dinner the men and Eddie went outside for their game, while mother and I cleaned the dishes. As we cleaned, mother smiled and asked me how I felt about Willem. I laughed and talked excightedly. ‘’Oh mother, he is so kind and good, and whenever I think of him my heat skips a beat!’’ My heat thudded so fast I thought something was wrong with me. I put my hand on my chest, feeling the heartbeats. Mother looked at me, with a knowing look on her face. ‘’My daughter, don’t worry, I felt the same way also. And I still do.’’ Ona Rose looked dreamily out the window at her beloved Thomas. She loved him just as much as when they first married. She thought he was the most wonderful man in the world. She looked at me and said, ‘’When you two become one, give everything to him. Respect him, cherish him, trust and obey, and love him as long as you shall live.’’ She had tears in her eyes as she held me close. I shall always cherish the words my mother spoke to me that night.
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