Stories as told by Arthur Robinson
Art and Henry Stapleton were coon hunting one night. They were evidently also drinking as Art said that they lost their lantern which was lit at the time.
There was a truck wreck of a load of beer on Highway 18 just east of their house. Art hid some of the beer for later consumption.
Art and Lynn were living just north of Keller and Della Robinson’s. Lynn said that she awoke and all she could see was fire. Fire was around their house. They lived on the west side of a meadow and it was on fire. Lynn said that she thought that it was the end of the world. (time about 1939)
Art had been thrown from his horse and broke his leg. His cousin Oresa was there and later asked “What happened to that boy who lay down and died”. She was probable three or four at the time.
In the late 1940 Art was riding a horse again and was thrown. He broke his arm. He sent Ray and A.G. to the Hallum’s as they had a car and Mr. Hallum could drive him to the doctor. The Hallum’s lived just over half a mile east and the boys ran all of the way there.
In the spring of 1949 it started snowing. Ray and A.G. were in school at Lone Jack and had to walk home. Lynn had 3 children at home and could not get them out in the weather. Also the car would probably not start in that type of weather. They were very cold when they got home. It sleeted on top of the snow. The sun came out and there was a glaze of ice. All that was visible was ice. Ray and A.G. got a scoop shovel and used that for sledding. They also went out to the road and slid down hill to the east. They found that they could not walk back up the hill. They were able to get across the ditch to the fence. Using the fence for support they were able to make it back up the hill. Art had horses at the time. The horses were in a small hallow when the weather broke and were not able to climb out. Art slid hay down to them so they had something to eat until they could get out.
In the fall after James was born Lynn went to stay with her parents for a few days. Art was cultivating with the tractor. After he parked the tractor A.G. climbed up the cultivator and stood on the bar next to the engine exhaust. The exhaust had been glowing red before the engine was shut off. He grabbed the exhaust for balance and burned his hand. Art took him to the house and put wet tea leaves on it. His hand did not blister or scar. During that time Art said that he would be glad when Lynn was back to cook. A.G. said that he did not see a problem as “Daddy you can always open another can of beans”.
Ray and A.G. were always playing in the barn. Art was working at Dewey in the fall. They got into the grainery and climbed up to the small window where grain was shoveled into the grainery. A.G. was sitting in the window and fell outside to the ground. Actually beneath the window was solid rock. He may have been knocked out. At the least he lost his breath. Ray ran to get Lynn and she carried him back to the house. Nothing was broken and he had no problems from the fall. The barn had a hay loft. The east side of the barn was set up for milking cows. Between the hay loft and the cow barn there was an opening. They was hay on the ground, so Ray, A.G. and Carol started jumping out of the loft. One time Carol jumped out and when she landed she fell back onto a hay hook. She was mainly pricked by it, but it scared them and they quit jumping out of the loft.
Art had a calf tied to a tree as he was weaning it. Carol started chasing the calf. As the calf went around the tree its leash got shorter and shorter. Finally it caught up with Carol and ran over her. She got a cut above her eye from that incident.
There was a garage/shed with a support for the door when it was opened. There was a swing for the children there. They took turns swinging and pushing each other. Sometimes they pushed too hard and the rider lost his seat at the top of his swing. There were several incidents like that but no one was seriously hurt.
There was a windmill with a concrete stock tank. The windmill kept the tank full. The three older boys liked to swim in it. They were just big enough to get into it. Roy could not walk very well and he fell down and slid into the water. The water was just over his head. Ray and A.G. had to help him up and out of the tank.
About the time Carol was born, Roy was ill and was unable to walk. Ray and A.G. would pull Roy in a red wagon. They would take turns one pulling and one pushing. Eventually Roy got where he could hang the back of the wagon and take steps as is was being pulled. He learned to walk again this way.
During World War II there were shortages of many things. Lynn made most things for the family. One time she bought Baby Ruth candy bars for the children. She saved the wrappers and made treads several times using the wrappers. The children thought that was great. They happy that their mother could make them candy.
One summer it was windy and dusty on the hill where the family lived. Art had a wagon that he used. It got so windy and dusty that dirt was piled up around the wagon wheels. This happened in a short period of time. The place where the family lived was an Indian lease. While Lynn was preparing the garden one spring with Ray and A.G. “helping”. A medallion was found. It had George Washington face and name on one side and a handshake on the other. Ray still has this medallion.
The Pratt family lived south of the house and Art would go to visit them at times. Roy and Ray followed him one time without him seeing them. He had to cross a small creek. Roy and Ray were able to get down the bank into the creek bed but were not able to climb out. Roy stayed there but Ray started up the creek to the west. He was eventually able to get out of the creek but got his coat caught in a fence about a half mile from the house. When Art came back he found Roy and started looking for Ray. The whole neighborhood started looking. A man on leave from WW II found him caught in his father’s fence.
Another time A.G. was playing with a hammer, probable was not suppose to touch it. Lynn could not find him and started looking. Eventually she started towards the Pratt’s for help. When she looked back she could see A.G. following her. He got a spanking for not answering her when she called.
Art had two big work horsed and a smaller half Shetland pony. One time Art was letting the three older boys, Roy, Ray and A.G. ride her. Roy was in front and Ray was in the back. She started rearing and kicking. Ray fell off and Art caught Roy. The pony ran into the barn between the two work horses. A. G. was still on the horse. Art said that he was sure that something would happen to A.G. in the barn, but when he got there A.G. said “Daddy, I rode her”. When the pony was rearing up she kicked out some of Art’s front teeth. Art had to go to the dentist. The dentist gave him gas before trying to talk out his teeth. Art said he came to and had the dentist in the corner and heard the dentist saying “Now Arthur, now Arthur”.
They lived five miles from town but that was a foreign country practically. During WW II they had no mechanical transportation. Art had a one horse buggy that they would go to town for groceries. The bridge north of the house was out so they had to travel an extra mile go get around it. In 1945-46 they moved about 3 miles northwest of Pawnee. Art drive a team with a wagon with the last few things to be moved. The boys got to travel with him and it was excitement the whole way.
Keller and Della Robinson had a pickup, but the first time that a car had been to A.G.’s house was when Carol came home from the hospital. The big event was not her but Lynn coming home in a car.
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