There was no phone or electricity , so kerosene lamps and candles were used for light , and a flashlight was kept handy for emergencies at night . On rare occasions , a gasoline lantern was used when more light was needed . We did have a small batteryoperated radio for entertainment and to keep us in touch with the latest news . Never shall I forget the feeling of horror when , on December 7 , 1941 , the awful news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor was broadcast . The food I was fixing to feed the girls was probably all seasoned with salt tears which could not be controlled , as I thought of all the boys that were killed and of the grief their loved ones must feel …

During that time , it was hard to keep enough supplies , for wages were very low . We received only fifty dollars a month cash , but we were allowed to buy staples on Mr . Duncan ’ s account at Wynn Hamilton ’ s store in Saragosa , since Mr . Hamilton sold merchandise wholesale to ranchers in this area . Beans and flour were bought in 100- pound sacks , lard in 50-pound cans , coffee by the case , bacon by the side , and syrup by the gallon . We kept a cow that furnished us with milk and butter ; a few chickens to furnish eggs and fryers , and we had a good garden spot that furnished fresh vegetables . There were a few bearing fruit trees that Mr . and Mrs . Childress had planted . The garden and trees were in a flat place a good way below the house , and a pipe had been laid from a spring-fed pond on the hillside to the fenced-in area to carry water for irrigating . The only trees near the house were two shade trees , a large tree in the north end of the wire-fenced front yard and a smaller one on the north side of the back yard .

FRESH PORK

“ Mr . Childress had released a number of domestic hogs when he was on the ranch , and they were allowed to run wild and multiply in the mountains . One fall day

Cassie and Casey Farrington . Photographer unknown .

Casey returned to the ranch house and said he had killed a large hog and needed help bringing it in . Mother was staying with us by that time and could look after the children so I could go help . Casey gave me the horse he was riding , and he rode a halfbroken horse that Mr . Childress had left in the corral until he could come back . Jack , the small mule that was in the hay barn , was taken to carry the hog . We rode back several miles into the mountains where the hog had been killed . It had been on a ridge when shot but had rolled down into a deep ravine , then into a washed-out pothole in the narrow bottom .

We had to dismount to scramble down the steep sides of the ravine ; then we had trouble finding a firm footing for the animals in the narrow bottom . As soon as the bronc smelled the fresh blood , he began rearing and trying to break loose , and Casey had to take him back out on top and tie him . When Casey came back , he positioned the mule near the pothole and , after both of us heaving and tugging , he succeeded in getting the rope under the hog . Then , with the help of the horse , we pulled the hog out of the pothole and across the little mule ’ s back . When the rope was almost securely tied , the mule flipped and landed on top of the hog back in the pothole , with all four feet up in the air . It was no easy task to avoid those thrashing hooves and get the mule untied from the hog and upright again .

Casey decided that the hog was too heavy for Jack to carry , so he unsaddled the horse and put the saddle on the mule . Then with his help , he again got the hog out of the pothole and loaded onto the horse . The ravine was so steep that Casey had to use all his strength to help support the hog while the horse climbed out , and , by hanging onto the mule , I was able to scramble out .

It was impossible to lead the packed horse with the bronc , for he wouldn ’ t get near that hog , and the gentle horse wasn ’ t very docile with that dead hog on his back . So Casey helped me onto the bronc and he led the pack horse . I managed to keep the bronc under control until we got back to the corral but I expected every step of the way for him to start pitching with me , and I knew I couldn ’ t ride him .

The meat was surely gotten the hard way , but after we had scalded , scraped , cut up and had the hams and bacon smoked and cured and sausage made , it was delicious eating , for the hog had fattened on acorns , pinon nuts , and wild berries , and the meat was well flavored . However , that was the only time Casey ever killed one of those hogs .

My family left Woulfter Ranch for Balmorhea in 1942 so that Jamie , who turned six that summer , could attend school . And the ranch changed , too , with ownership going to W . L . Kingston , then to Ad and Jess Neal , and from them to their descendants , the Lethcos , who own it today . �