Lois Andrus
Sutton (Mrs. Warner P.)
by Her
Daughter Ethel Felice Sutton Kimball (d. 1879),
written May 1946
Copy
obtained from the
Saida had come by Clipper - 35 hours of flying. Mother had clung to life by
sheer spirit - so weak - so low - though aware of every sound and activity in
our house.
Carl and I met Saida at the
When Saida's cable came, we told Mother - and
from that time on she just waited - asking often, "When is she coming?
Jean and Mrs. Whipple were with Mother. She insisted on being up and
dressed as she didn't want Saida to see her in bed.
Of course that couldn't be - but she had her hair nicely done - and wore her
pretty blue gown.
Saida walked into Mother's room and. said.,
"Here I am, Mother" -- what happened then seems a miracle.
Mother opened her eyes - began to talk and in a few minutes sounded
quite like herself - even laughing. This was after a week of lying with eyes
closed and speaking is a whisper. Carl, Saida, Jean,
and had quite a gay little party with her. Dr. Judd came on his morning call -
he was amazed. Mother said, "Dr. Judd, what do you call my trouble"
He explained that her heart was a little too slow and that he was giving her
medicines to help that. Then she asked her next questions "Do you know how
old I am?" "Do you think that my age has anything to do with my
trouble?" The Doctor looked at us - quite distressed by this cross
questioning and finally explained that her age made it take longer to get a
response from the treatment. Then Mother looked at us a moment and said, "Its all right. I've lived a long and happy life and I have
good children." That was the end of her conversation. It was like an
audience with royalty. We were dismissed.
Dr. Judd said he had never seen anything to compare with it - it was
pure spirit and will power. After that, Mother was quiet - with eyes closed,
though not asleep. She whispered when she wanted to speak - but said, "I hear
everything you say."
Saida and I were constantly with her, holding the hand that she reached out
to us. She would ask, "Saida?" or
"Ethel?" and seemed quite content.
In the early days of her illness, she had a regular procession of
family.
Mother had every attention from friends and neighbors and the church, and with this complete
sense of "family" she seemed content.
At "Bed time" Carl and 1 had read her favorite scripture to
her, so it was by custom That we read or repeated a
Psalm. Most often it was the 23rd. - her favorite.
The last night - September 30 - she was in sone
pain. We had given her medicine for quieting and thought that if we began the
Psalm, she would feel it was "Bed time." Saida
and I began- we could see Mother's lips shaping the wordy - no. sound at first.
After a few lines she was whispering them and near the end was speaking them
plainly. We finished the Psalm - "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me - all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."
Mother continued - "All the days of my life" and again
"All the days of my life." Those were her last words - for her
wonderful spirit left the next day - October 1, 1939.
That phrase has come to me over and over - so constantly recurring that
I feel impelled to recall some of the "Days of her life."
Mother liked to tell us that she had seen ox carts - stage coaches -
river boats - trains - automobiles - ships and planes - in fact she had
traveled in most of these ways - now she wanted to fly. In
She remembered the nows of
When she was very young, she taught a distract school in
Mother and Father met at a Teachers' Meeting in.
Father's appointment to
Going to
American businessmen and missionaries -
quite a number of Germans and some English.
Playing with other children at
The big place in Matamoros - huge rooms - little balconies over the
attest - the big corridor on the patio - horse hair furniture - Dr. MacManus - the lovely four-poster canopied rosewood bed -
Antonio - in the kitchen and our nurses - Chona, Florencia - with her cigarette - the busy patio - the
peacocks - Mr. Ituria and his him wheeled bicycle the
plaza - the Little mission church
with service and catechism in Spanish.
Vacations at Point Isable - were a joy. We
stayed in a large warehouse - had bathing - fishing and boating - we gathered
shrimp - caught crabs - saw sharks and "Stingarees"
- (sting ray?). Often we went in a sail boat with "Pasqual"
around the island out into the
Gulf. One
Another impression is of the chubascos - when
we were taken down under an archway of the building for safety - always there
was small pox and sometimes great epidemics.
Near us was the big Theater - this I remember only as a place full of
bright lights and full of beautifully dressed people - Mother had a beautiful
costume with a fan and by hearsay only - there ''as the occasion of a Grand
Ball for the President Porfirio Diaz - when he asked
Mother for the honor of a dance - these stories and places are only vague - but
I can remember being in a box in the theater and seeing these things, though I
do not remember the occasion.
Father took us to see things and always explained them in detail. In
the spring we drove out of the city to fly huge kites that were made for us. I
remember a sugar mill - somewhere - and the lighthouse at Point Isabel - on a
ship or on a train we saw everything and he explained it to us. I remember,
too, the fine dame he brought home in the winter season: ducks, quail, plover.
Mother had to be teacher for all of us in Matamoros - each in a
different grade - Saida was so advanced with history
and novels - White and. I had simpler studies, but how we loved it. She was a
gifted teacher: piano lessons were given by Miss Braids - and we loved those,
too - one more diversion in a very restricted life.
There were about 11 years in Matamoros - one outstanding experience was
Saida's terrible illness, She had visited the Halls
during Christmas holidays and soon after coming home had a severe attack of
pain - (abdominal) ~ I can still see Father walking Saida
up and down the corridor - telling her to "Brace up" - it would soon
pas. It did "pass" no doubt a ruptured appendix - and this was followed
by endless weeks of terrible illness (peritonitis). Every Doctor within reach
was called Surgeons and Doctors from the Army Post as well as our own Dr. MacManus. Father made arrangements to have Saida removed to Texas in case of death - as the Mexican 1aw
required prompt burial (24 hours). I must have been about five or six, but the
memory is vivid: it was terrible for all of us - and months before Saida could walk again; Mother had to cope with the climate
and the servants - Antonio - who was good when he was not drunk; and nurses - a procession of them - I
remember only two: Florencia - Who seemed always to
be sitting in a doorway by the corridor, knees to chin and smoking a cigarette.
Chona was the other - she was good to us and we loved
her dearly.
There were Chubascos or small pox epidemics
and the threat of the "evil eye" if some dirty old woman was not
permitted to kiss us on the street. Because we were "hueritas"
we were considered beautiful.
One incident I remember because Father was very angry about it. Some
officers wines from the Post in Brownsville made a social call on Mother - but
used the call to put yards of dress goods bought in Matamoros - duty free -
under their skirts to smuggle across to the U.S. Father was incensed that they
had the nerve to use the U.S. Consulate to defraud the U.S. Government. It
never was tried again.
Mother's best dresses were made at Madame Demarest's in
Besides sewing and teaching, she entertained us reading - playing games - and I especially remember marching around before bed time to
her playing. It was a problem to keep three children happy and fairly quiet -
her only peace carne when the nurse took us out every afternoon.
Going to see the Halls in
Early in '89 Father was called to
Mother and Uncle Charlie arranged for packing and shipping our
household goods - they were sent by stage and ship and railroad. My
recollection is only of excitement and pleasure, but it must have been an
ordeal for them.
Next came our own journey . we
went by stage to Camargo about 18 miles over dusty
roads - Mother Uncle Charlie, Saida, White, and
myself. My only memory of that stop is that we were to someone's house and I
fell out of the upper of a double decker screaming with fright - White being younger., was in the
lower.
From there we started on a two-day cross-country trip in army coaches
or ambulances with an escort of soldiers from Fort Ringold
there was no road jest a
direction across endless plains, cactus, sage brush, buzzards and some cattle.
There were tents and a good cook and how we enjoyed the meals prepared for us!
The first night we camped near a small lake or water hole. There was a violent
thunder storm: the next night we were near a small settlement - Los Positos - Uncle Charlie slept at the door of our tent - and
we learned later that the village was the camp of a notorious band of brigands.
Our escort purposely camped there and were on guard all
night - we were not molested in any
way. Late in the afternoon of the second day we reached a railroad
station - the end of the journey by coach. We were tired and cross and sore and
sometime later, we took a train to
That summer of 1889 - passed like a dream just a few incidents stand
out - Grandmother Andrus was with us at a cottage at
Mother was so pretty'- so well dressed and seemed to know a12 about the
city. We were at 1301 K. on
We children attended
In late fall - probably November - we returned to
We three children were seat to a Seminary on the
The four years in
Thomas and Maria lived near by - they did most of the house work -
floors were washed often and we
hid no fleas. We had a lovely garden and
lawn. The grass with much watering made a solid turf in time; the passersby
used to shop and look though the high picket fence to see the green yard - 1t
was a curiosity.
There was much illness in
Our school days were spent at
When Grower
At the Strathmore Arms - we heard many people of note - the company was
more illustrious than the food, but it was as interesting time for all of us.
Here again Father and Mother took us to visit points of interest. We had
bicycles - went on long trips. It was during this time that the "Cheek
Cased" was settled and that meant comfort to us all in the years of
Father's illness.
How we loved the Saugatuck summers: Our school days were from November to
May. It was only by the use of imagination that we met the entrance requirements
for Oberlin.
In Saugatuck - the house was always full - some friends spent most of
the summer. Everyone visited us there. We had great time with a canoe - a skiff
and small motor boat - picnics - swimming and fishing - and Mother of course
had to plan for us all and somehow we all had our duties and things were done and
everyone has a good time,
In 1898 Father offered his services - if needed he did not want
to go - but was called to serve with General Nelson Miles in Puerto Rico - a
confidential secretary .. not a military duty. He
heard a few bullets - the war was soon over - but he was left with malaria -
which caused his long years of illness and his death in 1913..
Here again Mother had more duties - she took over all his business
affairs under his direction she managed very wall - accounts - letters - investing
- and with all this, cared for him until a fulltime nurse was needed. In spite
of his illness they managed to put all the children through college.
Caring for Father - even with a nurse - finally brought an illness and
Mother and Father came to
Most devotedly Mother cared for Father for the next four years - twice
a day she walked down to spend hours with him. People along the street said
they could set their clocks by seeing her. She was so punctilious about her
visits to him. She read many, many volumes to him - and wrote his letters. He
was comfortable and quite contest. He always expected to go home to
Mother felt she had nothing to live for - before Father's death she had
felt keenly the need to live so that no one else should have that care. Now her
hands were empty. She spoke of it often.
In 1914 - Mother went to
From that time on - Mother made a real place for herself in
After that she seemed to live in her interest in our activities: she
death loved automobile trips and was always ready to go - one trip when she was
past 84 - we left Madison very early and crossed the Mississippi by daylight -
after 596 miles we decided to stop for the night - her comment was characteristic:
"I hope you aren't stopping on my account. I'm not tired." The rest of us were groggy from weariness. In
the morning she was the first one up - ready for another day. Little by little
she had to give up, but she was methodical about each activity - table setting
- drying dishes - putting things in order mending - crocheting - she made three
medallions every day - and had made four lovely bed spreads and was well on
toward a fifth - she read some Spanish - and a magazine article every day - she
loved the yard and picking flowers.
She delighted in any little thing we did for her - and was proud of any
accomplishment we might have or seem to have - she was loyal to the limit to us
all.
Saida's visits were high spots in her life. She wore her best clothes and loved
going on drives and to nice places for dinner or a show - on that last trip -
when she expected Saida - she wanted to be dressed
and ready for whatever good time Saida might plan. It
was sweet - but tragic too.
She met life with courage and a kind of gaiety she was always exquisite
and lovely to the last.
"All the days of my life" keeps repeating in my mind as I
think of her - and what an interesting life she had: One picture I have of her
is the way I often saw her - when I went to her room and saw her reflection in
the mirror - sitting with her Bible reading - and looking out of the window .. too - from time to time. She found pleasure in everything.
These are only a few of the many incidents that I recall. Many are
vague. This is just a sketch which may serve to help you recall other events -
perhaps you will put them in writing and send them to me.
She surely was a Mother to remember with love and pride - and
amusement, too.
Written by
Ethel May 1946