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Name Ethelda Stoddard Richardson
Topic Study of Folklore in the
Berkshires
Up until last year there was in the section of the town,
known as East Colrain, a man of fine lineage living on one of
the old family estates. Calvin S. Coombs a farmer known every
where as just "Cal" Coombs was this man. Last year he died at
the age of eighty-eight and people conjectured even more than
they had while he was alive. For a few days after his death a
person would be almost certain to hear some story aoout "Cal" or his
life. he was odd and even those who did try to understand him (as
the local minister of Yr. Coombs' church did) did not even pierce
the shell which he had placed between himself and the livorld.
Coombs never went to church but contributed dutifully and regularly
and upon his death he left a large sum of money to the very church
he had refused to attend.
Strangely enough however the subject is not to be "Cal" Coombs
but his hazekeeper who worked for him for thirty years and more.
Eliza Dole more familiarly,'Liza Dole, came to work for "Cal"
when she was a fairly young woman. ire Coombs was then probably
in his early fifties, well known, respected and with a moderate
amount of money. 'Liza was slim and dark and had married into an
excellent family herself. In Shelburne Falls the Dole name has
much significance and of the present day Doles one man is a state
representative and others hold high positions. Somehow 'Liza
didn't stay intimate with the pele family for long and "Cal" COOM06
fpequired a housekeeper. "I dassen't say for eure" (and you know
Name Ethelda Stoadard Richardson
Topic Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Page 2
he's told the story for fact for years and thoroughly believes.it
himself) I aassen't say, but it's common talk 'roundlaown, that
Liza Dole hea a boy wall I know she had one --and he goes by
the name of ,dole out "Cal" Coombs is the boy's father alright.
He don't look no diffunt from old "Cal" than peas in a pod. They's
another man intaawn that belongs to Coombs too. I'll tell ya his
name. It's Jay Ernest Jay. He aint no more a Jay than I be. I
heerd he was peekin around about Old "Cals" estate too. It's wirth
lookin' inta, reckon." Thus out comes some "choice morsels" from a
lonesome farmer, expanding in the sun of his hdilse vegetable garden.
"'Liza come of a good family. They never had no great amount of
money out the IoiKS was alright. Sems like 'Liza could of made
mor'n she aid of herself out then it's ev'y one ta his own likin's."
'Liza Dole was always unusual looking. She was one of those persons
who are both light and dark. Her hair and eyebrows and her eyes are
extremely black and her skin had that peculiar almost -transparent
whiteness. Today her hair is still amazingly black and Liza is in
her fifties. Hr skin however is now drawn tight over her face
bones and it is very sallow. The first impression one has of her
however is that her eyebrows are startingly dark and compact. From
a distance they seem to oe heavily penciled but closer inspection reveals
that Liza does not employ such methods of allure. Liza's face reveals
little of the craftiness of her nature. One might call it frankly
a blank face for it rarely registers more than a mild (evidently)
curiosity. he wora "evidently" is used because Liza is acquainted
with more facts than those who are active around town and see more
Name Ethelda Stoadard Richarason
Topic Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Page 3
people than she does. To watch her on one of her rare visits to
town, it seems she does not notice anything of importance. In
reality, little escapes her dark, roving eyes. 'Liza enhances her
unusual looks by wearing clothes of very many years ago. She is
very untidy. One hired man or rather former hired man on the Coombs
farm worked there for only a short time before his fastidiousness
,caused him to leave. He was supposed to have his meals in the house
with kr. COOMOE and 'Liza but after one day he boarded out. He had
lost his appetite with the first meal 'Liza served and soon he gave
up the farm work entirely and left. Few of the hired men remained
'Liza was a good cook too.
The hired man mentioned said that 'Liza had a dress that he
didN't believe it ha been washed since she bought it years ago.
he wore her clothes an absurdly long time and rarely took them
off. There was a brown light plush coat which Ehe wore when she
came to town in the early spring or the Fall. It was tremendously
long and sizes too large for her out instead of hiding her spare
frame it only seemed to emphasize' it. On the very to of her head,
covering the knob of her tightly drawn up black hair, is set an
amazing affair. It is a hat but it might be a plant experimental
garden or an aviary for there are both riotous flowers and fruits
and large birds in profusion.on it. The color of it is an indefinite
brown perhaps the sun has faded it. Liza pulls the hut straight
down, as near to her ears as possible and if her face is vague looking
without a hat, it is doubly unexpressive with one. Liza's shoes too
Name Ethelaa Stoddard Richardson
Topic Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Page 4
were made for wear not comfort or beauty and they served her winter
and summer for they were large enough to permit her to wear extra
stockings and wool socks in the winter time.
Unfortunately, years ago Liza became afflicted with an ailment
which made her unable to control her urinating. She had ample money
to have gone to a competent doctor and received treatment but she
preferred or was overls modest and tried "doctoring" herself with
old remedies and herbs. Of course she grew worse. When she came
to town she had 4o stop at a number of houses re.gularly and those
meticulous housewives generally had a very disgusting job of clean-
ing up after Liza had been there. She was very careless and thotless
and didn't always bother to thank the kindly woman of the house for
allowing her to use their personal toilet. The woman finally had
to refuse to let her in. When they saw her coming into town they
would all pull down their window
tend to oe away. One such time,
found all the women "away". The
blinds, lock their doors and pre
in the middle of the day, Liza
blinds were down in her accustomed s
stopping places and so oecause her need was so imperative she wasted
no time in hunting for a secluded spot out hurried over to the high
wood steps leading into what was at that time a novelty store where
there was always a congregation of men. Without further ado she
satisfied her desire. One woman close by said, "The dirty 01' devil
cocked herself right up to the weather in front of all these men, tool"
When Liza came to the grocery store in Colrain City (the center), the
owners or one of the clerks would rush out and get some sawdust and
sprinkle it around in front of the counters where Liza might walk.
Kane Ethelda stoddard aichardson
Topic Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Fage 5
It seems pitiaole that one's affliction should be held up for
puOlic gossip out the blame lies with Liza herself. She had money
enough to been cured many times over but she was careless with this
as with other personal matters. Consequently she 1-1—=• ruined her looks,
disposition, char cter and self-respect.
Liza had many characterietics some commendable and others not
so excellent. One mannerism, pro0aoly porn of her life in the country
almost manish way of standing in a moving wagon or cart. She
hae oeen seen standing, feet wide apart, (and there was -a seat on the
wagon too) balancing casually with the movements of the vehicle which
had oeen drawing a few minutes before, manure to fertilize some field
on the Coombs farm. The w gon was being driven into town. The at-
titude of abliviousness to surroundings, however sordid, and a spirit
of independence typified by her preference to stand up in the wagon,
are characteristics rarely found together. Another characteristic
was an apredictable unselfishness. She was very uncharitable in some
manners and could still show an amazing kindness of spirit. Old Er.
Coombs was "stingy", accoraing to a neighbor farmer. "Liza was fox,i
quite foxy, thou, he said. "She ust ta send eggs out by the dozins
to folks with large families. I aon't know now ri,any dozins she's give
ta Ella over here." (The Ella to whom he referred was a poor woman
with a r:ther shiftls husoand and twelve youngsters to feed."
"She aid it ta bCt 0-ck at Cal for being so clost and et was a good theng
too long as Cal livnt wise." "She oought her boy and his family little‘
thengs and helped him all along by getting little things here and
there and chargin' em to Cal's grocery account. Did you know what
Name Ethelda Oto dara Hichar son
ToiAc Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Pe 6
she did right after old Cal .iea?" It seemed to cause him a Lreat
deal humour and it proved contaLious. "She switched herself riLht
d-Jwn to the
stahted out
pound more.
Lrocery store and Lot twenty pound of cheese. She
with it and then came pack and ordered thu ty (thirty)
ImaLin' a woman stahtin' out with fifty pound of cheese
all ta once! Well she was doin' the cjoo up brown. She knew they
want Loin' ta oe no more Lettin' thins an char6in, 'em ta old Cals
account so -she was makin' the most of the time she hed. Thompson's
at the store cen tell a that. Seems like her ozy's iamily must of
et cheese for quite a spell. Liza and Cal had a run in years Oack.
Cal waS quite a man ler the wimmin and I reckon Liza that ta Let a
better hol' on him. They was quite a flare up et the time. She
had him pinched for some business, I don't rememba ri8htly I dassent
say- rer sure vat twas, suthin' like an unatchal ac' (unatural act)
aLinst her. It coe cut, then she Lot ol' Cal all
he couldn't squeak, that she hadn't hed no pay fer
years up to the time of the scrape. Well naow she
cramped up so's
thuty (thirty)
hed ol' Cal Lood
ta riLhts and he hed to settle all ta once. She Lot nineteen hundred
dollars in back pay which was as et should be, out I cant oe sure but
if I remeLber kerectly (correctly) she a 'nt it much fer her trouole
'bout the uh-tchal ac'. I guess those in charLe of the aff ir didn't
fiLLer thet would Live much trouole seein's how she'd stayed putty
clost fer the number of years she he. an' hedn't made no complaint."
Liza is living ith her son and his f. ily and the arran-ement
iwrxe Ethelda Stoddar, RicLar Eon
ToA.c Study of Folklore in the
Berkshire
Pie
is ver, uneatisiactory. The feJadly not even with her son wants
her with them -na she h,s oeen used to uoin6 almost anythin6: she
pleased or in not u•-ine„ and it piques her to nave to oe ordered
it)una now. If an one woulu accept her Liza would like to o pack
to nousekeepino ior eol-eone. ,.c) one in this town or nearoy com-
munities has not her of Liza ijole an her aisqu-lifications however.
ihe likely outcolLe will oe that she will live with or they will tol-
erate her until all of her money is gone and then her bon will pro-
oaoly nave her sent to the poor farm if she is ntt ready for an insane
,sylum. Thus will end the days of an unfortunate peculiar woman of
olr-in. She miLht have oeen more hi d she not 61ven her youth to
the low aim in life which she did. She was careless of her youth,
her reputation and her future and as her carelesEness grew, she as
a personality died. fihat narrowing sense of vindictiveness, like her
n6ettinL Jack" at iv:r. Coomos for mistreatin her, 8radually warped her
life coL:pletely and her disinterest in thins of the mind finished
the deadenin8 of her exjstence. The sharp thin lines of her f ce
and the almost sullen look of her Olack eyes are what the townspeople
see now and few try to rememuer that she did some generous thins in
her life and asked no favor in return.