1891 Journal 2

July 26^th 1891 (No 3.)

 Today my little Laura Keene born in the year of the three eights is three years old.  There are three little girls, and between each little girl there are three years.  Baby’s Mama gave her her first big doll, and she loves it like a real Mama loves a real baby.  And what do you think of her pulling out its teeth because she said they were loose likeAlice’s were when I pulled them.  She says dolly only does “no bad sing, she takes a wag gin – and a waggin her head, until after while she’ll wag it off”. (The dolly’s head was loose.)  (That was grand-daughter)

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To Girlie No 3.  (Laura Keene Gleaves)
My three Daughters

All grand things must count by three
Faith, fond hope and charity
E’en the blessed Trinity.

One for the Sun-beam of the place,
One for beauty of form and face.
And still a third to queen her race.

                                                Mama

No. 3

 How many, many names had No. 3.  Just like every other little baby that is named after its Mama I suppose.  First she called herself "Me! Me!” since when the others called “Me” when I asked who would do any thing, she wanted to be twice as willing as any one else.  Then she called herself “Ham” because she loved it so.  Then “Ham-bone” after she was so sick.  ThenAlicecalled her Geleans, trying to say, “Gleaves”.  No 3.  changed it into Gebers, and Uncle John Richards intoGeneva.  So altogether when asked her name, she said “Me! Me, Ham-bone, Gebers, Gelever,Geneva, Laura Keene Gleaves, for you see I’m named after Mama. “  This of course produced a laugh, which hurt No. 3’s feelings and the first thing she did after she was three yrs old was to rebel against all such names.  She said “Anna is Granding’s baby and is named after Grandmas. Aliceis Aunt Alice’s baby and is named after Aunt Alice, so I am Bis’ baby, why ain’t I named after Bis “and so she because our Little Belisa Laura Keene Gleaves.

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To Girlie No 3. (Laura Keene Gleaves)

When baby came, our hearts were sad,
We could have wished a little lad.
But when she nestled to my arm,
Another seemed an added charm.

When baby came her eyes were blue,
But when she found that would not do,
She rolled them up, she rolled them down,
And rolled the blue into a brown!

                                     Mama

Aug. 5, 1891

A Ridde for the “buff” of Alice M. Gleaves.

 I have 3 little girls, the youngest was born in the year of three eights (888) and the three little girls have each three years between.  Today if you stand my eldest daughter on her head she is just as young as my little “middle” daughter, and if you stand my little “middle” daughter on her head she is just as old as my eldest daughter.  Now what are the ages of the three.

 Ans. 3, 6, 9.

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Belisa Gleaves
1894

A Remarkable Case.

  In a conversation with Dr. C. W. Gleaves on Main street, yesterday morning, he related to us the following most remarkable case:

  One Sunday last November his youngest child, a little girl, was left on the bed by the nurse and was given a pincushion, in which there were a lot of safety-pins, to play with.  The child had only been there a few moments when she was taken with a violent spell, first of coughing, then of gaggling and vomiting, during which some blood came from the mouth.  The doctor says the child was thoroughly examined at the time, but no cause could be assigned for the vomiting, followed by blood.  In a few days the incident was dismissed from the minds of those who were present. – But on last Thursday, the 21^st, the child had an action of the bowels, and the nurse discovered something protruding.  She called for Dr. and Mrs. Gleaves, and the object proved to be a safety-pin, wide open, the point coming out last.  The doctor removed the pin without any difficulty whatever, and he at once recalled the spell which the child had in November last.  How the pin could have gone through the child’s throat, stomach and bowels, open, without being caught, is most remarkable.  The pin was shown us; it was something over an inch long, and was somewhat corroded from the action of the acids of the stomach.  The doctor tells us that so far as he knows the child never suffered any inconvenience whatever while the pin was passing through the body. 

Grandpa Gleaves and Anna & Alice.

 Grandpa was very fond of taking the children out with him. – The very last time being when the Rev. Mr. Piet presented him with a beautiful gold headed cane.

 The day after Grandpa’s death I called Anna and Alice to me, and asked them if they were not quite sure their dear, good Grandpa was in Heaven.

 “I don’t think he is” Anna solemnly replied “every nice place he went he always took us children with him, and Heaven is so very nice, I don’t think he’d like to go in without us!  Mamma,Alice& I have talked it over and we think Grandpa will wait for us!”

Anna M. Gleaves.

 My Anna, my first born, my Mamma’s name-sake was very, very ill of Typhoid Fever, and death was so frequently mentioned amongst us, that little Alice learned the significance of the word.  “Mamma”, she said at the breakfast table  “what would you do, if all three of us would die at once!”  “Oh! darling” I replied, choking back the sobs “Mamma would know you all were safe with God, and after awhile, I’d stop crying, and think of how sweet it would when I died too.  I know my little Anna and Alice would each run, and open one of the Golden Gates when they

saw dear Mamma, and my dear baby, Laura Keene, would fly above my head and point the way for Mamma!”
“You’ve got it wrong there, Mamma,” Alice stolidly “in Heaven it would be just like it is here, if I got to open the gate at all it would only be with one hand, for I’d be minding that baby with the other!”