TRUE STORIES ABOUT CATHERINE LOUISA WHITING
by Sarah Jane (Jennie) Talcott to her granddaughter, Violet Adella Whiting
and given to her as a Christmas gift in 1919 or 1920

She was a pretty little girl, very fair, with blue eyes and jet black hair. She was the oldest daughter in the family and had to begin helping her mother when she was quite young. I don’t know just how old she was when she began helping about the washing, but she was helping wash one day and her mother told her if she worked good she might go and see her friend, Permelia Pritchard, when the washing was done, and as she lived more than a mile distant she might stay over night.

It was very lonesome living on a farm in the thick woods of Ohio, without any near neighbors, and the idea of going to stay all night with Permelia was very pleasant to her and she worked so well that the washing was done and put out to dry early in the day. She then combed and braided her long black hair and put on a clean dress and apron, donned her wraps and started, smiling happily at the thought of the pleasure before her.

What was her consternation on the coming out of the door to find their old pet goose waiting, with the apparent intention to going with her? She liked to play with him well enough around home but did not desire his company on this occasion so ran around the house two or three times trying to get away from him. It was of no use, he could run faster than she could, so she thought of another plan. Snatching a wet sock from the bushes, she caught him and holding him fast drew it over his head and long neck, saying to him, "I won’t have you tagging me every place I go." She climbed over the fence and ran quickly up the path through the woods. The old gander was badly frightened and ran ‘round and ‘round trying to liberate himself and getting up such a squawking that your great great grandmother soon came out to see what was the matter and what all the racket was about. She soon liberated him and was so indignant of Catherine’s treatment of him that she would have called her back if she had not ran so fast she was out of hearing distance now.

She stopped running as soon as she thought she was out of danger of pursuit from the gander and walked along through the woods, listening to the songs of the birds and admiring the wild flowers that grew in great profusion everywhere.

She found on reaching Permelia’s house there was a peddler there displaying his goods. She was too bashful to think of going near although she would have liked to see the pretty things he had. So she sat down in a chair by the fireplace although Permelia who was not a bit bashful was flitting around here and there. Seeing how quiet Catherine wash, and knowing how bashful she was, she thought of a great joke she would play on her to tease her. Stepping around back of her chair she slyly tied Catherine’s long apron strings to a stick of wood lying on the hearth. Catherine heard her fussing around behind her chair but was so engrossed in watching the peddler she forgot how fond Permelia was of practical jokes, and when she said, "Come on, let’s go out and play", she rose unsuspectingly and started to follow her. But what was that thing following her and making such a noise that everyone turned to look at her? On glancing back over her shoulder she saw the big stick tied to her apron string and she was so embarrassed and angry she had a great mind to turn around and go straight home.

It was nearly dark by this time and she was afraid to go alone through the woods, and then she knew well enough she would get a scolding from her mother for treating the old gander so badly; so after telling Permelia what she thought of her little joke, went with her to play, for she realized she really meant no harm but was just full of fun and mischief…