A Place to Call Home
by
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Benjamin left the hauling of water to his sons and went home early, hoping to find Salina alone so they could talk. The decisions they were about to make would affect not only them but their entire family as well. Benjamin stopped on the back porch to wash up and stamped the dust from his feet before he entered the house. He found Salina sitting at the sewing machine with yards of pale blue Broadcloth spread on the bed. She was sewing dresses for Carrie and Lillie. Benjamin moved Salina’s sewing basket from a chair and sat next to her. Benjamin was a direct man who did not believe in putting off unpleasant subjects. He knew Salina would know he had serious business on his mind to be home in the middle of the afternoon. Benjamin came right to the point. "Salina, have you given any more thought to homesteading in Arkansas." Benjamin saw the troubled look in Salina’s eyes and waited for her reply. Salina had thought much about leaving Indiana in the last few months but had hoped it would not come to pass. Now as Ben bought up the subject again Salina grew more concerned. As Benjamin waited for her to answer, he knew if she were totally against leaving he would never ask her to leave. "Benjamin, I know things are bad for us financially now and although our crops are fairly good, we won’t be able to meet the mortgage payment. I have never liked to owe money for any thing, especially mortgages on our land. I also know if we lost the land to the bank it would break your heart. If it meant making the mortgage payment or caring for our family you would lose the land. If we can sell the land for enough money to pay the mortgage and have enough to travel to Arkansas and build a house when we get there, I suppose it would be best for us. But, I refuse to live in a shanty. You see, I have talked to people about Arkansas, too." A short distance from the top of the hill the Streets turned down a dirt trail through forests of huge oak and hickory trees. When they reached an open field. Benjamin took out the map the land agent had given him and found the boundaries of his land. "I believe this is where our land starts. See, here is the field the land agent described. Farther down in the valley is the creek with a spring." They started on down the trail and stopped at the crest of the hill. The whole family looked down on a wooded valley ablaze with color. Hugh oak trees were various shades of gold, brown and dark red. Hickory trees were a bright yellow and gold. The hickory and oak trees formed a canopy over the dogwood and redbud trees, with their leaves of brilliant red. The creek and spring flowing through the valley formed the most beautiful scene they had ever seen. Even the boys were in awe of the beauty of the splendid scene they were viewing. Carrie stood for a long moment taking in the beauty of the valley. Finally she spoke, "Mama, what a beautiful place to call home." "Yes, Carrie it really is a beautiful place for a home."
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About the Book
The two young sisters overheard a conversation between their parents as they discussed leaving Indiana for some unknown place called Arkansas. Carrie was filled with fear and apprehension, while Lillie was excited about the prospect of a new adventure. Neither of them knew what adventures and trials lay ahead for them as they traveled on a wagon train crossed a great river on a ferry and built a new life in a distant place. These adventures would prepare them for greater hardships later in life. Benjamin and Salina Street were well past fifty years of age when they left Indiana, traveled by wagon train and carved out a new life when they homesteaded land in north Arkansas as the nineteenth century was drawing to a close. This is their story.
About the Author
Darlene Martin grew up in north Arkansas not far from where Benjamin and Salina Street homesteaded land in 1898. She lived in central Illinois for many years and graduated from Illinois Central College with a degree in Registered Nursing. In 1992 she moved back to north Arkansas and now lives in the last home Jay and Carrie Beavers owned. She retired from the nursing profession in 2000 and now devotes her time to writing. Darlene always remembered the stories her grandmother Carrie had told her and had hoped someday to write them down for future generations. In 1996 with retirement approaching she began writing A Place to Call Home. The novel is partly fiction but is based on her grandmother’s stories. She has begun work on a second novel that she hopes to complete next year.