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Life Recollections

Chapter 4, Part 2
Romance & Marriage


One day she called me to the phone and said someone was asking for Ann and would I please answer it. When I answered the phone a man said, "This is a little bird named Tyler Atkins, to you remember me?" All I could say was "Ann is married." He asked me if I was married and I said, "No," so he wanted me to meet him down town. I said I would only to find out Mrs. Lyford was planning on me babysitting that night, but when she heard who it was she said they would wait and for me to go down and meet him and bring him out there to visit, which I did and thus, our romance started. This was in June 1919.

Your Dad never was one to dance but we had many good times that summer and in the fall he asked me to marry him. I knew nothing about his background and of course he knew nothing of mine, but he seemed like a pretty nice guy so I agreed. Mrs. Lyford was very happy for me and liked your Dad, too. She thought I was more suited for him than Ann. Mr. Lyford was a very quiet person but I guess he was glad for me, too, for he told Mrs. Lyford to do something nice for me. She took me down town and bought me a whole new outfit from hat to shoes. And gave me a nice little sum to carry in my purse.

Not I am going to tell you something we have never talked about, my wedding day. I was up early and dressed in all my finery and I waited and waited and your Dad never showed up. Both Mrs. Lyford and I were real hurt and could not understand it. We inquired everywhere we could. The next day I got a telegram that his brother was taken real sick and would I please forgive him. I packed my things and went home to the folks. It was very embarrassing but Mother seemed to understand though I'm sure my father was very disturbed. I had only been home a day when Mrs. Lyford called me and said a telegram had come and he was coming back so she told me to come back to her house, which I did. He arrived and all he could say was, "Will you ever forgive me?" Well, we were married on Saturday just a week later than we had planned. I had phone the folks that we would come home on Sunday so intended to take the interurban streetcar to Everett that night. It was a cold December day in Seattle. As you know, we were married at noon. We had lunch at Boldt's Restaurant on 3rd Avenue. I can remember Dad calling me Mrs. Atkins all afternoon. When we went to the depot to get our tickets they told us there would be no car going out that night as everything was froze up. We went and got a room at the Plaza Hotel. This was where Bartell's down town is now. I was pretty near frozen after waiting around to see if we could get off that night. It was so nice and warm in the room it sure did feel good. Dad wanted to go out and have supper but I told him I wasn't leaving that nice warm room, so he went downstairs and had a bite by himself.

Our honeymoon night was very strange. There was a fire nearby and all night the fire engine kept racing all around the hotel. We thought sure the hotel was on fire.

The next morning we left and went home to my folks. Mother, of course, loved your Dad at once. My Father was a little distant. We stayed there a week. Your Dad helped with all the chores. He kept my mother's wood box full and made plenty of kindling wood. My father put him to work sawing up a big log at the edge of our field. One of the neighbors came and asked who in the world was sawing wood, as he had never seen a man pull a saw like that. My father very proudly said, "That's my son-in-law," so I knew then he had accepted your Dad.
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