Hey, Mabe!
by
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Our family bathed in the kitchen in a round tin washtub filled with water heated on “The Black Queen”. For privacy, kitchen chairs with towels over their backs ringed the tub. The first person had the luxury of absolutely clean water, but the next person bathed in the same water with a few pots full of hot water added to warm it up. Ruby and I both coveted first turn, and one night we had a little argument about it, both of us dressed only in undershirts and panties, ready to jerk them off and leap in. As our tempers rose, so did our voices. Several times, Papa yelled from the next room, “You two girls stop your arguing! Quiet down! And get that bath over with!” EP In the heat of debate, we ignored Papa’s warning. Again he growled, “I’ll settle the argument for you, if you don’t quiet down!” Instead of obeying, we kept insisting, “My turn!” Soon, we made a game of playfully pushing and shoving each other at the edge of the tub. Next, we chased each other around the room. Before we realized what was happening, Papa ran toward us, grabbed Ruby, delivered a few spats to her backside, and turned to grab me. I ran! Dad chased me around the kitchen and dining room several times, then I twisted and turned and ducked under the table. He finally gave up! I felt really smart because I remained “spatless!” But the last laugh was on me! While Papa chased me, Ruby slipped in for first turn in the tub.
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About the Book
In the summer of 1916, Mabe, and her family moved from central Utah to join Papa in Copperfield, a small settlement near the town of Bingham, and the Utah Copper Mine, ‘The Hill’, where he was head guard. His participation in the man hunt for the famous killer, Lopez, and his efforts to uphold the law earned respect for his bravery and honesty. Mama gained the love of her neighbors as she comforted women whose husbands were hurt or killed in the mines, offered protection to a neighbor whose husband beat her when he was drunk, nursed neighborhood children with serious diseases, and served in the war effort group during World War I. Mabe helped her family save their home from a fire and watched a fight in the coffee house next door erupt into a murder. Mabe, who had difficulties in school, dreamed of becoming a good student and making her mark in some positive way. She overcame those problems and succeeded as a leader in high school, but experiences confirmed her observation, “Females are just as good as males, but they aren’t treated fairly”. She embarked on a quest to change that and to show women could be as outstanding in sports and other endeavors as men. As a switchboard operator, she handled hundreds of calls during a devastating avalanche in the area, and returned in a sleigh filled with bodies. She witnessed floods and mining disasters, and experienced Prohibition, the Great Depression, and two world wars. As she helps us learn more about this fascinating place, we watch Mabe grow, with encouragement and support from her family and neighbors from many ethnic backgrounds, from unsure girlhood into an outstanding, confident woman who was far ahead of her time.