Page 58 - memories-of-golde-dicks-markham-(1996)-golde-dicks-markham

Memories of Golde Dicks Markham (1996) Golde Markham Dicks 43/125

up. I’m out here bogging up to my knees in mud, stumbling over all those roots the water
has left exposed, and stepping into holes belly-deep on me.”
Pa must have suspected what that old mule was thinking. After about twenty minutes,

the old mule decided he’d get up. Pa drove about a quarter of a mile when we came to a
black man’s home.
Pa drove the mule up to the gate and yelled out, “Neilous! Neilous Williams!”

Neilous came to the door in no time flat. He had a burning kerosene lamp in his hand
and said, “Who’s there?”
“John Dicks.”
That was all Pa had to say. Neilous bounded right out to our buggy. Pa asked him if

we could come in. He told him he had been to Philippi to preach, the road was washed up so
bad the mule started balking, and he didn’t believe we could make it home that night.
Neilous said, “Sure, John, by all means!”

Pa got out and told Neilous he’d just hitch the mule to the fence post.
Neilous said, “Oh no! I’ll put the mule in the stable and get that wet harness off him.
You take your wife and Golde on into the house, and I’il take care of your mule and be in

myself in just a minute.”
There was still lightning way off in the distance. Neilous yelled to his wife to come get
John and his family and take them into the house. By that time we could see a dim light in

every room. Neilous’s wife came bustling out on their front porch, holding the lamp up so
we could see the steps.
She was real gracious and told us to come right in -and asked if we had eaten supper
yet. It must have been very late by that time. I was getting real sleepy. I hadn’t been able to

sleep earlier because the ride was so rough. Neilous came in and said that the mule was
tucked in the stable and the buggy under the shelter.

Neilous took one look at me and told his wife, “Take this child and put her to bed.”
She took me by the hand and led me to a bedroom. Ma followed. She had already lit a
lamp in that room. I gasped when I saw that bed. It was as high as I was. Ma pulled my dress

off and left my slip and yellow homespun drawers on for me to sleep in. Neilous’s wife
picked me up and lifted me in that big clean white bed. It was as nice and clean looking a bed
as I’ve ever seen.

I was no stranger to Neilous Williams. His skin was almost white. He had seen me at
Grandma and Grandpa Dicks’s house many times. I always wondered why the black people
who ate a meal at Grandpa’s house sat at the cook table in the back end of the kitchen. Not

Neilous. He always sat at the table with the family. I never asked.
I never knew if Ma and Pa went to bed at Neilous’s house that night or if they sat up
the rest of the night.

43

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: C15F5985-B57F-498C-9C99-F425FA07E049