Carollyn, Grand ma wrote that in 1927. I will keep the town's name private as the town is still small and even though all the folks mentioned in the letter are deceased they may have kinfolk I was not able to reach. I have written to every one in the town pretty much and the City Manager has copies of the letters.. ah think it is still best though... The town was (is) a small one near the Texas border. During the time of this letter life was changing for Elsie. She herself had taken up bootlegging, deciding Grand dad Joe Ratliff was not the only one in the family who could brew up a batch of beer and make money from it. Grand dad spent most of his time out at old # 2 as they called it., brewing up hard liquor. The house was situated on the border of Texas and Oklahoma so that still could be placed on the line. That way when the law come, according to which direction it came from, Grand dad could step over the state border and be a free man... they could have the still, but could not cross over to catch him. Kind of a nannar nannar situation. Grand ma, and pa when he was home, ran a smaller motel after the Central burnt down. From folks who lived in the town when my family went back there, the hotels were well remembered (Both of them). Grand ma kept up the appearances of a modest hotel, while she was brewing up beer in the back rooms and running the gambling casino up stairs.... She sold the beer she made to a fellah who had a kind of snack shop next door. My mother called it a Candy store, because that is what she bought there and best remembered about it. The Railroad was situated near by and his store offered resting passengers a bite to eat on the run, rather than going to the restaurant a few more doors down. We always laughed about how he sold candy out the front door and grandma's beer out the back door, by the bottle or bucket, either way. Times were tough and making a living was hard. Day to day jobs, working 9-5 were few and the only ones who had them were mostly business owners. Grand dad was a cattleman, a fine one too. But the money he could get from selling a bottle of hard liquor verses riding for weeks on the Chisholm trail could not compare. I love my grandparents, but they were not saints. Grand ma was not one to stand behind the door and keep her thoughts to herself. If you knew her from what my mother said, you knew how she felt right up front. She would bend over backwards to help some one else out, but she could fight a tornado if she thought she was right and you best not get in her way. This town had its first one cell stone jail house courtesy of Grandma. Why, so she could have Grand dad locked up now and again to sleep it off. Oh, I will tell you... I do have some stories on my family and we have shared them for years.. they shared them too, so I really do not think they will mind me sharing them again. Especially since I am one of the few who is alive and remembers them. Kelly ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]