Unwanted Advances
New Ipswich Historical Society
Marion Davis Audio-Tape Transcriptions
Sometime before her death in 1986, Marion Davis recorded her memories at the encouragement of her brother, Walter Buck. The recordings were transcribed by a secretary.
The Friends of Wapack have made these available to the Historical Society. Marion was born on February 8, 1894 in Fitchburg, MA.
Wool exhibits and unwanted advances
This was good schooling for me. I enjoyed very much the people we met and then explaining our exhibit. We had some wonderful woolen suitings for men on exhibit and I remember going to one of the booths where someone had some woolen goods they were trying to sell. I took a piece of our goods, which was a blue serge; this happened to come from CT Sheepbreeders Assn. but it was a beautiful piece of material. I took it over to this man and I said, "Have you anything like this with your goods.?" He said, "Non Mam, it would take 3 of my suits to wear out one of goods". We also had wool socks and people were so thoroughly interested in what we had. I learned at that time of the different kinds of wool that sheep raised--fine, coarse, medium. The folks at these exhibits liked to joke around a bit and Frank went out and he put 10 cents on where they had a roulette; he thought he might get some money. Anyway he had to try it for the fun of it. When he came back Lawrence Carlyle just for the fun of it pitched into him. He said, "I'm surprised at you at hat you'd be a bettor. I can't understand that in you." Mr. Bobbins said," Well I put out 20 cents but I got 60 Cents back; I guess that wasn't too bad".
There was a man (I don't know who he was) who tagged me around considerable. Then I found out he had 2 sisters who ran a summer boarding place and he had to run around waiting on them hand and foot There must have been little peculiarity in him, but he tagged me around. I got kind of sick of it so I asked another young fellow who was in a booth near us (we'd got pretty well acquainted) if he'd help me out in a little game I was going to try to play on somebody. He said, "What is it?". I said, "Would you mind posing as a real friend of mine? See that fellow over there? He's been tagging me around "til I'm sick of it." He said, "I'd like nothing better".
We went out around the booths a little bit and left somebody else to look out for mine and that fellow followed us around a little. He even went out and bought me a ham sandwich and a bottle of tonic and we were standing there having a big laugh and joking. This fellow stood at a distance and was watching us. I guess it started to cure him, but we had to carry it out another day. We were there 3 days at Laconia. When I got home I got a letter from this fellow and he was very sorry that he found I had another friend. He had taken quite a fancy to me.
Photo Archives
Portrait of woman in lace
James Roger diary entry & pullet count
20th December 1912
Fair, cool, N.W. wind. The lecture last night was very good. The pictures of pagodas in Burma first-rate. David enjoyed it very much. David choring round in forenoon and went to Greenville in afternoon; bought hairbrush for himself, purse for Mary Mair and handkerchiefs for girls at Ayer, and changed my Arties. Got letter from May – all well. E. sent her drawing and M. arithmetic—both well done. Sandy sent S. A. with a very good poem of his in it. Alice sent a parcel of red flannel. Pullets 9.
Clever Marion ever navigating the social swamp with imagination and moxie.
And the picking and the eggs. And the pullets. It was the chickens’ world back then and James Roger lived in it.
Suitings?? Arties?? Will have to look these up. James must be feeling better, his entries are back to normal length. Marion was quite a character. She is sometimes referred to as Miss Marion Davis but her brother was a Buck. Was she ever married?