7-13-71 Hi Pat, I think the picture you sent is Mort Teague and his first wife. Did you ever find out anything about Uncle Marley? If I wasn't so dumb I would remember where in NM he was killed, I have heard it enough. As for Fanny, she was almost my step-mother. After my mother died Dad loaded us kids into a covered wagon and that was our home for several years. He just worked at anything. He broke horses, picked cotton, or anything. When we first went to Texas, Uncle John was foreman on the Lonesome L. They hired him because he was the toughest and meanest fighting man in that part of the country. I have a lot of true stories about his fights. None of the McLaughlin boys were pets. Dad was supposed to be the cool-tempered one but I never knew him to go six months without a fight and he always won. Maybe not so fair. In '37 when I was down in NM the old timers still argued about who was the best bronc rider, Ed or John. Dad always said Uncle John was. He got thrown more but Dad said that was because he took chances. He was as wild as a tiger and had about the same disposition. Enough about Ed and John. They both always said if they came back, they wanted to come as a horse. If they do, somebody will have a pair of outlaws on their hands. I know a lot of good things they did. Anyone down and out, they gave a hand. Or, let someone pick on some weak person and they were on the warpath. Back to Dad and Fanny...One year Ed, John, and George Teague and families were picking cotton for Mr. McLaurine. I think it was near Aspermont, Texas. That's when Dad got to courting Fanny. Us kids really wanted her. After we left there, Dad was coming back to marry Fanny. We camped at a crossroads a few miles from their place, and he was going to drive over and get her the next day. He got up and took off down the other road about 3:00 AM. Years later I asked him about it and he said Mother came to him in a dream that night a broke off the romance. He went pretty heavy on dreams. Us kids always felt gypped because we didn't get Fanny. The last year we travelled in a wagon was 1920/21. We went from Camp San Saba out to NM, visited kinfolks and wound up at Roby, Texas. Uncle John, Virgil Pharr, and McLaurines were all farming there. Everyone was pretty prosperous that year. That was the last time I ever seen any of them except Bill and Ethel in '37. Grace, Louie, and Arch were at home. Louie had typhoid and was in bed for over a month. Dad would go over there to sit with Louie and us kids would go along. I would sit out by the house with Mr. McLaurine and listen to his stories until some adult came along, then he would clam up. That year he bought a place in Winnsboro, Texas. Dad and him went into a general store there and Mr. McLaurine told the man he would take the place. The man said OK, so Mr. McLaurine pulled out a roll of bills and handed them to him. The man didn't even count it. He said, "I'll get you the deed", Mr. Mclaurine said, "Anytime". Then the man gave us all a bottle of pop and a candy bar. In 1930 Dad and I went down there to see the McLaurines and Virgil and Stella but Mr. Mc had died and all the rest had moved away. What I was going for was to see if a certain little girl was as cute as I remembered her. The Coat of Arms I have is a big deal mounted on a board. My daughter in Minnesota has the one on paper. I'll get it for you. I've did a lot of ramblingwithout telling you much. I didn't even tell you about the time the sheriff come and got Uncle John for stealing a mule! Red