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PORN A
Vermont
Mrs. Rebecca 11. Halley
West Newbury, Vermont
October 12, 20, 1938
Square Dances, Play Parties
1. October 12, 20, 1938.
2. At Bert Wheeler's home.
3. Herbert Wheeler, West Newbury, Vt.
6. Bert was working in his garden. He was digging beets,
getting them ready to go down cellar. He wiped his knife
on his pants and shut it up as we went toward the house talk-
ing about the "Tornadic". It was a beautiful day, nice and
warm in the sun, the first day I was there, no we sat on the
cement steps and had our visit. The next time we sat in the
house. Bert has a pail of ashes by the old broken rocking
chair which he uses as a spittoon. His wife passed away,
suddenly, toward the end of summer. Now Bert is one more
widower living alone with his horse and his hens: lie is an
adept at bitting the spittoon from any angle. He gives it
half a glance and a brown stream slides across the room and
cuddles in the ashes, which give a surprised puff of fine,
grey, dead smoke.
The house site on a little rise above Peach Brook. There
is a lawn marked by the curve of the drive. Two or three trees
group together at the end of the house. Across the fence Peg-
2.
gie„ the horse, listened interestedly to our conversation.
While we visited the grain man from Groton stopped and gave
Bert news of his relatives there. Bert has relatives every.
where round about.
The kitchen is a forlorn place, missing the touch of
its mistress, Bert does the best he can and there are no
apologies offered or expected. I would like to help him *red
up a bit* but I know it would infer a slur on his housekeep-
ing, so we walk carefully round the subject.
4)..4..), 1.
FORM B
c't
Vermont
Mrs. Rebecca 11„ Halley
West Newbury, Vermont
October 12, 20, 1938
Character Sketeh of Bert Wheeler, including Play Parties and
Square Dances
1. Bert ix a Vermont Yankee.
2. October 26, 1870
3. No Children. His wife died the last of this summer.
4. Always lived right round Newbury.
5. Went to Newbury schools.
6, Always been a farmer of sorts. His wife was a nurse and
went out an eases. She took care of old Albert Kendrick in
his last illness and Kendrick left his place to them, since
he had no relatives.
9. Bert is a small man, short, slender. He droops. His
moustache droops, his eyes have that downward wistfulness of
a bound dog. His shoulders droop as though the heavy cares
of the world had been too much for him. He is bowlegged from
sitting with his knees apart to spit between them. His favorite
position is to perch an stump or step, place hie elbows an
his angled knees and contemplate the world over a stream of
tobacco juice. His voice is disconsolate. It has the our
prising habit of huskily fading to nothing. It sounds as
though it started strong from his chest and met some obstruc-
2.
tion which tore it to shreds. His laugh is rusty. It seems
to hurt him for often he chokes. A futile little man waiting
his time out to join the wife who has been for many years his
motivating force. He is kind. He is lonesome. He told Jim,
'I wisht your wife would come agin'. 'Twas a fine visit we
had them times. Sakes: I don't see many folk3."