Friday, February 21, 2025

Chapter 2: And The Twenties Roared Part 3

  1921

“ Discipline gives standards and values to live by, a basis for morality.”

Agnes Moorehead

The Anniversary Two-Step

The ladies of the congregation “found out” conveniently that Mother and Father had a wedding anniversary coming on January 31! Mother liked having the spotlight right on her all of the time. There was a gown designed, of all things, after a Jenny Lind gown. There was a cake that made Pegg giddy, a cut glass bowl, and a money purse. Quite frankly, I was stunned and had a good reason to be! How could Papa let this happen? My parents were not married on January 31, and this is undoubtedly not their 21st wedding anniversary! My parents married on August 31, 1899! That August would be their 22nd wedding anniversary.


I was mortified by it; Pegg, on the other hand, was beside herself because there was cake, just like I said she would be! How priorities change as we age. According to the article, Mother and Father even got “remarried,” whatever that means. A party with a meal, presents, money, and cake! Unbelievable!!


Mother had quirks, and this kind of behavior was one of them. Mother lectured us both about being truthful and forthright. How do you do that when you're the one lying? A case of doing as I say and not as I do? How did you make truth a rule in your home when you have done something like make up an anniversary? I will never understand either Mother or Father. Mama could never leave well enough alone. I will summarize Pegg's clipping in writing since I’m telling you this. You make up your mind about it and what it means.



January 31, 1921

Reedsburg Wisconsin

Monday

On this day and date, something unusual occurred in the Presbyterian Church in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. It seems the parishioners took it upon themselves to hurriedly prepare for an anniversary and a wedding all at the same time and place. They are to have the information from some of the congregation's ladies, but while we will never know how they came to have this morsel of information, I suspect it was Molly. They did, though, and they put it to use. Some e had told these pious church-going ladies that January 31 was the 21st wedding anniversary of John and Molly Moorehead. In pro-church lady form, they threw together a picnic supper that was enjoyed in the parlors of the church. The con regents chose the best man and selected the maid of honor. A lovely en-year-old girl was the ring bearer. John was whisked away, as was Molly, to “dress” for the wedding. Molly was a gown designed after one worn by Jenny Lind. John woe his ministerial suit. A Parishioner played the wedding march. Another performs the ceremony. It was vow renewal par excellence. The reception afterward rang with toasts to the bride and groom, and music from the “Sons of Belial'' played discordantly until Reverend Moorehead paid them to stop.


A beautiful cut glass bowl and a purse of money were given as gifts by the parishioners. It was a fantastic event, but there was just one small problem. It wasn t their twenty-first wedding anniversary. That wouldn’t occur until precisely six months later. It begs the question of how this friendly faux pas came to be. How do they manage to have a gown designed after one Jenny Lind wore and have it fit Molly’s tiny stature? If common sense prevails, it must be assumed that it could have only happened with willing participation from Molly and possibly John. Surprise weddings typically do not come with surprise fitted gowns, flowers, a banquet, or a wedding cake.


Mother and Grace

Mother was a different type of vacationer. She enjoyed not being tied to her home and always wanted to go somewhere to see things. I inherited that from her. When Mama meets Grace, Papa is freed from the drudgery of a vacation somewhere Mother wants to go.


Grace and Mother were the closest of friends. They met each other at Papa's church and instantly

became friends. Grace was a sweet woman who worked as a bookkeeper for the hardware store in Reedsburg. She, like Mother, joined in church functions whenever possible. As Mother got to know Grace, she discovered

they enjoyed the same things; they loved traveling, fishing, music, and adventure. Every year, they went on vacation together. They went everywhere together, and that continued until the day Grace died. Pegg and I loved it because Mother would come home rested, fat, and sassy because she hadn't had to endure either Pegg or me for one or two weeks.


June 26, 1921

Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Sunday

On this date, Molly returned from her summer vacation, which took her to Chicago and Lake Bluff, Illinois. She didn’t go alone. From then on, Molly never went on vacation alone; she would travel with Miss Grace Conklin.


1922

“I think I prefer doing comedy to tragedy,”

Agnes Moorehead

How handy it is to tell this story outside of time! I had no idea! 1922 was the year Peggy grew

up, and she did it way too fast. I loved her sister with every inch of my being and had always

admired her fearless nature. 1922 made me question my appreciation of that fearlessness. 

Pegg had started high school in St. Louis in the Fall of 1921. I disagree entirely with Mother

and Father's decision to allow her to live with Uncle Jake and start ninth grade in St. Louis.

Uncle Jake was like a father to us, and Peggy greatly admired and respected Uncle Jake.

It felt like Pegg should be with Mother and Father in Reedsburg, not alone with relatives in a

vast city. However, Mother and Father did not feel that way. 


In January of 1922, Peggy came to Reedsburg High School for the second half of her first

year of high school. Peggy joined the orchestra, and she played violin. She danced en pointe

at school functions. Peggy even entered a declamatory contest. It made me feel so proud of

her.


Peggy even had a boyfriend practically from day one. What troubled me was my sister's

relationship with Marden. Mind you, Marden was a lovely young man! Very polite and

well-mannered. Peggy worshipped him. She was plainly smitten with him whenever she 

talked to me about him, either in a letter or in person. Pegg was naive when it came to boys or men. I knew better

but she had never learned that men cannot be trusted!


When my Pegg hit that little pond, she made a huge splash, and everybody noticed her.

Six individual articles feature Pegg's name, and she sent every one of them to me.

She played the violin in the school orchestra. She dan ed en pointe for “The Loyalty Banquet.”

and a celebration of Spring.  Marden ook her to the prom! My sister got a junior for a

boyfriend as his prom date. Marden was made King of the prom, making Pegg the queen. 

How proud I was of her!


Although many didn’t know it, this was pure Peggy. She was a magnet for boys.

She was gorgeous. But Pegg, my darling tiny Pegg, was so naive regarding boys.

She was oblivious to her beauty. When Pegg would look in her mirror, she never saw the

gorgeous face staring back at her, only the curly hair and billions of freckles.

She hated both. It didn't help that I teased her about it. Pegg has no concept of how boys or

men saw her. Because of that, she tended to get too close and did it too fast. 


On the other hand, I had a perfect understanding of how they saw me.

I was always the ugly duckling to Pegg’s movie star drop-dead glamor. Peggy was the

princess,and I was the angel with the cockeyed halo. Pegg was coping with a problem

I never had the unfortunate pang of teenage love, so relating to her was difficult.


Mother never ceased to remind me that my tiny sister was “the pretty one” and that I

was “the smart one.” Balderdash, I say. Peggy was brilliant, well-spoken, and well-read.

Peggy was smart as a whip, but Mother would have none of that. I was intent to let

Mother believed whatever she wanted as long as I didn’t get in trouble. I’ll say it

one more time. My sister was brilliant!!


One of the first things you must know about my sister Peggy is that she loved entertaining people

and was so good at it. Pegg was a wisp of a girl with golden red hair that dropped in ringlets around her cherubic face. I was the awkward olive-skinned girl with dark hair and long, gangly legs. Pegg wore glasses, but it did not mar her beauty because her

beauty began on the inside, making its way out of her like light from a brilliant star in the

deep darkness of space. She could be seen, and everyone around Peggy could feel it. 

Peggy was what we who worked in the theatre and musical arts call a triple threat.

She could dance, sing, and play the violin. This kind of performer works a lot because you get

all three talents, but you only have to pay one person. My Peg was this kind of performer. 


The Register

Santa Ana, California

Thursday, September 18, 1952

“To this gifted actress, the stage has always been her goal. Midway between childhood

and maturity, she would appear in school plays, although she says she was always the ugly duckling to her sister’s glamor.

If her golden-haired sister played the fairy princess, Miss Moorehead would gratefully be

an angel with halo awry.”


Authors Observations: Where and What Is Going On

Agnes spoke about Peggy to a newspaper in a way she never had before. “The ugly duckling to

her sister's glamor.” Peggy was the pretty in Agnes’s and her mother's eyes. Peggy was the tiny,

delicate, beautiful angel of a girl who danced, sang, and played the violin.

Peggy, the epitome of perfection in the eyes of her overbearing mother, and Agnes, the

epitome of awkwardness. Aggie loved her sister more than life but knew she was never

meant to be the pretty one. Agnes knew she was meant to teach school. College would free her and

allow her to exist in the world beyond her sisters' perfection, where she bloomed!


Cleveland High

Peggy enrolled in Cleveland High School in St. Louis in the Fall of 1921 with Mother and

Father's blessing. She looks adorable in the 1922 yearbook. Her sweet, demure self was 

sitting on the steps of Cleveland High,

and she looked perfect.


In the photograph, she is seated with her knees pulled up to her chest and wearing a plaid skirt,

a white shirt, and a sailor's tie. Her expression is very serene. She is entirely at ease. 

This was a group photo of the Alethinae club, which she joined because of me,

who devoted time to studying plays.


We studied them in depth, attended performances, and did readings ourselves. 

Pegg loved it as much as I had! The study of playwriting and plays prepares you for

performance. To do a thing, you must understand it.


Peggy said she studied it to understand it. The bug had bitten my sister, and I was beyond happy! Remember the “triple threat.” I told her that Mastering theatre would have made

her a rare “quadruple threat.” This was her first step to that end. I was bursting with pride!


Peggy Hits The Ground Running

By the time Spring of 1922 rolled around, Pegg had abandoned St. Louis and gone home

to Reedsburg. Mother enrolled her in Reedsburg High School, and she began a

tending school in January. In St. Louis, the schools were so large that she felt she was just a face in classes and or at activities.


You wouldn’t stand out as a freshman; nobody does. You are at the bottom of the pecking

order in ninth grade, and she wanted to be in a small school because she felt overwhelmed by St. Louis.

None of us knew that her suddenly being overwhelmed and needing to come home would start a pattern

of behavior that my beautiful Peg would struggle with for the rest of her life.


But, as I told Pegg, you will be seen front and center if you have talent in a small town with a

small school. Everyone knows who you are and who your family is. You go from

being a little fish in a big pond to a big fish in a little pond. When Pegg hit that

little pond, she made a huge splash. She got noticed immediately. Six individual

articles feature my sister's name. She played the violin in he school orchestra.

She danced en pointe for “The Loyalty Banquet” and a celebration of Spring. 

She snagged a junior for a boyfriend and was his date for that prom. She gave a

speech on being charitable and participated in a declamation contest.

Suffice it to say my sister was known and was seen by everyone.


“All Emotion Isn't Sublime” 1923

Agnes Moorehead

Quietly back to St Louis

When 1923 approached, Pegg quietly returned to St.Louis and Cleveland High.

She had broken up with Marden, which motivated her return. Mother and Father never felt

they had to explain it to anyone, including me, and I certainly wasn’t going to push them.

When Pegg came home for vacation, I was there. I had expected to spend time

with Peggy and perhaps go skating. I loved skating but was awful at it; Peggy was like an

angel on skates. When I got home from college, Peggy was there.


I was stunned at the change in Pegg. She was so thin! Her face looked drawn

and tired like she hadn’t slept in a month. Sometimes, she would be caught sitting in the 

front parlor, appearing to stare at nothing. There was no peace in her gaze. It was heartbreaking.


I tried desperately to get Pegg out of the house, but she would have none of it.

Summer ended, and I went back to school. It would be a tough semester, but it was my senior

year, and I was determined to enjoy it. Back on the train, I could only see my poor, beloved sister,

who had become a shell of herself. She never even touched her violin all summer.

This was so far from normal I could barely stand it. What happened? I was offered no

explanation by anyone.  


Mother's lips were sealed, and Papa avoided the subject like the plague. I knew something

awful had happened, and I was more than miffed that nobody saw fit to tell me so that I might help

my sister through whatever had occurred. I thought this entire counterintuitive experiment

would end, which would be that, but it didn’t happen that way.


On September 1, 1923, Mother and Father had a set of most intriguing visitors. The newspaper even

announced they were there the Friday after they departed. I didn’t find that out until much later. Uncle Jack and Aunt Bessie came from St. Louis and brought Judge O’Hallman and his wife! Something horrendous happened because our newspaper announced that Peggy was going to Aurora, Illinois.

This newspaper article, which I saw later, offered no explanation, and no school was

named.


Mother refused to speak about it. I had to wait for my return for Christmas. When Mother met me at the station, she was gray in the face, but

she still would not explain what was happening. She said only, “You are better off not knowing

what has happened.” On the platform stood I beside my trunk, with my mouth hanging open.

I dug but could not get a peep out of Father either. Papa looked like he wanted just to

break down and cry. My lord, what has gone on here? I begged and prayed, but it moved neither

of them. Eventually, I had to return to Soldiers Grove without an answer, and I would not

get an answer for the next few years. When I finally got it, I wished I had left well enough alone.

What I got for Christmas that year—a Christmas without my sister.


Mother and Father remained silent about Peggy and me, being too timid to pester them, let it go. On

December 4, Papa boarded a train and took Peggy to her new school in Aurora, Illinois. 

I never even got to say goodbye to my sister, and it became an issue with my mother

for the rest of my life.


In April 1924, Pegg came home to spend her “vacation” with Mother and Father.

I didn't get to see her then either, as I could not go home until school was out in

Soldiers Grove. When I finally got there that June, Peggy barely left her room.

She didn’t want to speak with anybody. Peggy didn’t eat enough to keep a tiny mouse alive!

Mother tried but to no avail. Papa seemed very withdrawn.


Then presto, on July 11, 1924, Pegg suddenly goes on a camping trip with a group of

young ladies escorted by Mother. When I went to Baraboo only a month earlier,

Peggy wanted nothing to do with it. She emerged from her room like a butterfly from a chrysalis

wholly changed into something beautiful and magnificent on July 11. I could make no sense

of any of it. I stayed home and read.


Why, what, or who was going on with my little sister? What did Uncle Jack and Judge O’Hallman

do? Was she being kept out of the public eye for a reason? Why did she not want to speak with

me about it? 


I was so confused by what was going on. This a mystery with my

parents at the forefront, keeping everyone and everything away from Pegg. I was

furious, to say the least. I also attempted to talk with Mother about it,

and she promptly changed the subject. I told Mother exactly how I felt.

Mother responded with silence. I pondered what Mother or Peggy would say to me

when the time was right. That was the end of that discussion.


For the next few months, I obligingly put myself through the wringer, trying to figure out what

was happening. Naturally, it makes you wonder if you are an average human; wondering will lead you

to two conclusions. The first is that my beautiful sister cracked up and had to be institutionalized,

but no evidence supported that. That led me to the second conclusion: Pegg had found herself in a family

way. As I pondered it, I knew I would be devastated by both options.


My poor, beloved, tiny sister having to deal with any of this alone was too much for my heart.

It broke into a million pieces. My cousin  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his 

Sherlock Holmes would say, “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how

improbable, must be the truth.” I tried to put it all out of my mind. Hoped Peggy would let me

know if she needed to. I would have dropped everything there as quickly as modern transportation

could move.


I found out all right. Five years later, I learned that this crisis was associated

with another name: Mr. Washauer.


Life Is Never Free 1924

 “My life has been very free” 1924

  Agnes Moorehead


1924 was not destined to be a good year. , for no other reason than the amount of

damage loosed on us, and it was awful for us to try to survive.


Authors' Observations: Don Washauer

Mr. Washauer and A Few Facts

 Fact: Peggy cannot be traced for seven months.

 Fact: Peggy rejoined society on July 11, 1924.

 Fact: Peggy stopped playing the violin and dancing publically after September 1923. 

 Fact: Peggy was displaying all the symptoms of severe depression, and with
things so unclear regarding her departure, I fear it is postpartum depression.

 Fact: This man got a marriage license on June 2, 1923, to marry another
woman, but there is no record of when the marriage occurred.

Fact: When the math is done, Peggy, if she got in a family way, it would have had to
have happened around the end of May or the beginning of June 1923.

Fact: Peggy committed an indiscretion with Mr. Washauer.


When she finally returned to singing in 1925 in the Choral Club at Cleveland High.Fact: There

is a Mr. Washauer in St. Louis when Peggy is there. Peggy got in a family way; it would

have happened around the end of May or the beginning of June 1923. 

If the child had been delivered in late March and Peggy had returned to Reedsburg

on April 8, 1924, she would have needed 6 to 8 weeks to lose some of the baby weight,

which would have gotten us to June 1924. In her outing on July 11, 1924, she would

have looked maybe plump but not like a girl who delivered a baby. September of 1924,

Peggy returned to St. Louis and began her senior year of high school, but she looked different.

The yearbooks prove that. She has the look of someone who has survived a harrowing event. I


Without Agnes, we would not know that she firmly believed that a  disgrace with

Don (Mr.) Washauer was ultimately the cause of Peggy’s suicide. Since we have no written record

of any of this, it comes down to reading everything you can find about every person involved in

the situation. ving a last name has brought me here, and now I will throw a few more darts

at the board. The picture it creates is incredible and outrageously sad. 


Mr. Washauer came from a prominent family in St. Louis, members of a strong, close-knit

Jewish community. e Jewish Hospital was built on Delmar Boulevard. e neighborhoods

were very safe, and you could walk just about anywhere. The Jewish Hospital Hospital is the

linchpin of this story. 


Peggy studied at “The Jewish Hospital” to be a nurse until February or March, when

she briefly became a TB nurse for St. Louis, but that job ended in 1928. 

By the fall of 1928, she was on her way to Dayton, Ohio, with her parents. 

It is unknown whether she completed her course of study in nursing.  

Ask yourself why Peggy chose that hospital. The hospital to that is unknown.

But I see a link between Peggy and that family that prompted her to select that hospital, which leads me to the last dart I have to throw. y did John transfer to Dayton the same

year Peggy stopped being a student at the hospital? Hospital John went back to St. Louis

after four years in Reedsburg? If you answered Peggy, you and I would have reached

the same conclusion. Peggy has a crisis of one sort or another, prompting her family to relocate

at least twice. All of this trouble, Peggy asks her mother to forget? I believe it is. 


What's The Matter With Peggy

Papa accepted a posting in St. Louis in 1924. It happened so quickly that I barely had time

to think about it. The next thing I knew, Mother and Father were in St. Lous, and Pegg

had gone with them for unknown reasons. What struck me odd at the time was Mother

saying that Peggy had done all her schoolwork and would graduate as

expected in the summer of 1925.


My first thought, humiliated by it though I am, was that those places don’t teach school.

I had the idea and immediately put it out of my mind. I was so discouraged that Mother

and Father felt I shouldn’t know. My visits home became such a complex dance that they put me in a

position of not wanting to go to my parent's home and tiptoe around the obvious.


I was overjoyed to learn that Pegg had returned to singing! She joined the

Cleveland High Choral Club and she loved music so much. Pegg never touched her violin again,

and her ballet shoes collected dust in the closet. Watching someone you love turn away from

the things that once brought a gleam to her eyes is heartbreaking. I would not wish this on anybody.


As I learned much later, Peggy had committed an indiscretion with Mr. Washauer. Peggy

was all heart. She could fall in love faster than anybody you ever saw. Peggy was naive, though,

and she believed every word that came out of a man if he said it romantically. Mr. Washauer was no

different to any man I have ever met. I am sure he saw my gorgeous sister and had a desire for her.

He fulfilled that desire at my sister's expense, and Peggy paid the full price. What’s worse still is

that immediately after committing the indiscretion with my sister, he married the woman he was

engaged to when he took advantage of Pegg. 


Even I am forced to admit that when the math is done, Peggy, if she got in a family way, it would

have been around the end of May or the beginning of June 1923. adequate time for a man to

turn his back on a young woman that he used and broke. When Pegg returned to

St. Louis and started her senior year of high school, she looked different. It withers me

to say this, but she seemed like someone who has survived a harrowing event. Whenever I think

about it, I have to shed a tear. It’s disgusting that he would use my sister and dispose of her, and

well, frankly, it makes me livid! My little sister is so broken, so broken, and

if I could have gotten my hands on the Don, I would have throttled him outright!


Don Washauer

Mr. Washauer came from a prominent family in St. Louis, which is composed of members of a strong,

close-knit Jewish community. Louis was a diverse city. In 1907, forty

thousand people of Jewish faith were in St.Louis. They knew many of this community and

often spoke with them on the streets or in their place of business. They knew that these folk were

early immigrants to the United States, and without immigrants, the United States

would have died on the vine.

When my parents and sister returned, Delmar Boulevard comprised large and small business

ventures streamed down each side of the street. This was our neighborhood, and both Pegg

and I loved it! When I was a baby, on her mother’s knee, The Jewish Hospital was built

on Delmar Boulevard. It was one of the best hospitals in St. Louis. The neighborhoods

were very safe, and one could walk just about anywhere.  


Pegg was studying to become a nurse after graduation. I was shocked right out of

my slippers! My sister had always been an artist; now, she was walking away from her music and dance.

Peggy studied at “The Jewish Hospital” until February or March when she briefly became a TB nurse

for the St.Louis Health Department, but that job ended in 1928. By the fall of 1928, Mother and Father

were on their way to Dayton. I was never told whether Peggy had finished her studies.


My parents knew the Washauer family. The family was in St. Louis when I was a girl.

Pegg had an affair with the youngest son. I have always said this indiscretion was why

Pegg was so determined to study nursing at that particular hospital. She kept her business to

herself, but I see a link between Mr. Washauer and my sister.


Pegg was one of the sweetest people on this planet, but she was never very good at

judging people and trusted her instincts, which, for Pegg, was a bad idea. P gg always looked

for the good in people, which landed her scrape after scrape. I do not doubt that Mama and Papa

were at wit's end. Father had to transfer to Dayton in 1925 because

Pegg didn’t use her head again. Why did Papa suddenly return to St. Louis

after four years in Reedsburg? PPA loved the place so much. The answer is Pegg. 


Pegg, my lovely sister, was a walking series of scrapes of one sort or another, and I am

sure Mother never let her forget that either.  , the shouting matches

she had with Peggy were legendary. When angry, Mother could be intentionally

vicious with her words when she loses her temper, and Peggy never escapes her ire. 

Mother thought she would live vicariously through Peggy, but she didn’t

count on Pegg’s wild and stubborn streak. The way they used to go at each other in the kitchen!


Allowed To Go Or Had To Go

Still, I cannot fathom why my sister was allowed to go to St. Louis to attend high school.

I kept asking myself why and could not help but think of another potential scandal. Mother

would not abide scandal; there had to be something else that

Mother and Father decided that I did not need to know. Peggy never spoke about any of it in front of

our parents. I had shipped me off once, too, but it was for my health.

I had a whooping cough, and the family doctor said I needed to breathe in a dryer.

Of course, they sent me to my Uncle and Aunt in Colorado so I could recover.

But never had I been removed from the home and sent away because of something

I had done. As I said, my sister had abysmal judgment. Uncle Jake and Aunt Bessie

had allowed Peggy to live with them. They would never have sent her if Mama and Papa had known

about the upcoming events.


But I still wonder why Uncle Jake showed up at Mother and Father’s home with that judge in

1923. P eggy, sweet Peggy had, yet again, gotten herself into a scrape, but mother and

fFatherbailed her out physically; however, emotionally, it was a different kettle of fish.


Without Peggy

January in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is so cold. But then January in Soldiers Grove is even colder,

if you can believe it. In winter, I had to wear my fur to school to keep from freezing to death

on the short walk from my rooming house. Everything would have been fantastic if Mother’s letters

were accurate. Those letters, I am sorry to say, no longer exist. Mother would never have

admitted any difficulty whatsoever to anybody. Heaven forbid a scandal invaded her space.

Mother would have had a fit.


As I prepared to make the trip home for Christmas, I learned that Papa was elected

Chaplain of the Masonic Lodge that evening. I knew Father would be filled to the brim

with happiness! He was a good, solid Mason. I joined the Rebecca Lodge in Soldiers Grove,

and my FFatherwas proud. Mother saw life rolling along as if it had good

sense, and John’s congregation had grown incredibly. Even the Presbytery had noticed and

commented that Papa was good for the church. When Mother wrote to me,

it was all about the hustle and bustle around the town and the church.

There were no letters from my sister, so Mother was going a long way around and was not

giving me any or all the information about what was happening with Peggy.

They refused to address the elephant in the room, which was Peggy’s complete absence! 


Mother maintained the outward appearance of perfection. I was beyond upset because

Mother and Father were pretending that everything was quiet and beautiful on the outside,

but on the inside, everything was all ripped to shreds over Peggy. Papa was a

minister, and in 1924, he was the quintessential father figure to our entire congregation

and protector of the flock. Papa constantly prayed for the well-being of his

flock. He saw that the congregation expected him to be a stalwart man. Father

lived up to all the congregational expectations. Over the years, I saw that as a minister of the cloth,

my fFatherwas gifted with the ability to be all things to all people daily except for his family.

With Mother, appearance was everything, and any indication of a failure at home in her domain

was translated into a failure to serve God correctly. Reedsburg was a small, wonderful, precious town,

but in small towns, everybody knows your business. Things must be kept private, and Mother would

have insisted they all comply. We had no choice, so we did. 


That meant things went on as if nothing was amiss. Papa performed wedding ceremonies, attended

the Fellowship Banquet, and gave a speech or two. Mother contributed to the normality by giving a

recital. She had a beautiful voice—stunning.


Mother and Father maintained the illusion of peace on the home front well into February.

Two of our family friends from Lake Bluff stayed at the house for several days. Mother was genuinely

in her element when she entertained. She loved having guests even when things were not perfect.  


Being in Soldiers Grove kept me safe from any line of fire at home, and I

was eternally grateful for that. I had peace outside of the children in Soldiers Grove.

I was born to be a teacher and found it most satisfying. Watching your students

grow intellectually was gratifying in a way that was hard to explain. I genuinely loved the school

and the students.


On February 10, I had the opportunity to give a reading at their Lincoln Washington Celebration.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everybody was so responsive and kind. Some of the world's kindest

people lived in the village of Soldiers Grove. I often questioned my sanity forever leaving that

school. Occasionally, you find a place that just attaches itself to you. Soldiers Grove was that for me. I was fortunate to be there because I had no

reason to pretend everything was jolly and gay. It was as cheerful and gay because I

made it that way.


Father would give the opening prayer for “Old Settler’s Day.” Old Settlers Day was always fun.

Everybody bundled up and went out into the freezing air to proclaim our thanks to God for leading their ancestors to this good pasture so that we might graze on the peace it gave. Mother took time to visit

friends in Lake Bluff, and she gave a recital there. Mama was always at her finest during a recital.

She had such command of the music. It is truly wonderful to behold.

After Lake Bluff, Mama and Papa would visit Chicago to see old friends.

Both my parents behaved as if all was well with the world, yet I still had no answer from

either of them about my sister. They were letting sleeping memories lie.


Mother stayed in Chicago until March 8; then she returned to Reedsburg. She was gone for

two weeks with no explanation. Papa did not explain at all. This silence from them

wrote me a letter longer than my arm. Whatever mother was up to involved Peggy. I can’t prove it,

but I’ve had ample opportunity to learn Mother's tongue's sharp side; believe me, she

was a force to be reckoned with. You never talked back to Mother in our home unless

you were my sister Pegg.


Suddenly, I was struck with an enormous question. Why did the newspaper say Mother left

Lake Bluff with Father on February 29, yet the same newspaper says she will be in Chicago

until March 8. Mathematically, that does not come up with the correct sum! Perhaps she

got her dates mixed up. It wouldn’t be the first time Mother had done that. Mother could keep

track of religious dates but was lax regarding the newspapers. 

Still, I am bothered by the idea that nobody told me where my sister was!

It felt like I was losing her mind one drop at a time. I've never understood why

people keep secrets, but Mother and Father would have been perfect teachers of

secret-keeping for Pegg and me. When you have a house full of secrets, you learn to look at faces, eyes,

and gestures from the people around you. Even though they weren’t spoken words, they were words

nonetheless; there is no mistaking that.


What was going on with Peggy? Mother was deeply unhappy with Pegg because she said

so many times. There, I was left to figure out how to negotiate the roiling waters between Peggand Mama

while trying to be a confidant to my sister without causing more waves in the small, strained, deep

ocean that has become our lives. It always happened this way. I was the peacemaker when

Peggy got wound up; I was often the only one to make her see reason. That ability is handy, but you have to go through a process. I would let Peggy pitch a fit and listen to what she had to

say to get it out of her system. No reasoning, just listening, which was something Mother couldn't do.

Father got shaky when Pegg was that way. He had no background in that kind of child management.

Come to think of it, neither did my mother, but she had been taught by her mother that winning

the argument was the most important thing. My sister was trying to win anything; she was

just trying to live her life in a manner that suited her. That was her first mistake.


Dear Agg,

Summer has finally arrived. The air is sweet with honeysuckle blossoms, and butterflies and

bumblebees are busying themselves around the plants. I am finally graduating! I've waited an

eternity to be done with school. Mother is excited, and Father is too. Mother fusses at me daily about

practicing the violin or when I want to start dancing again. Honestly, Agg, I don’t think I’ll

ever go back to either of them. They’re so much work; I would rather spend that time doing

something worthwhile. I'm unsure what, but I will think about it. Mother and Father are

letting me go to California by myself. Ray's family is there, and he will have a big party

at the manse. I've never been further West than Colorado. Just think, Agg, I’m going to

see Hollywood! I do so hope I will get to see a star or two. I feel so grown up doing this on

my own. I wish you could come with me, you would have such fun!

I hope you'll still be here when I return this summer. I have tons to tell you! 

I love you, Agg!

XXX Pegg


Reality 1925

"Nothing is as dull as constant reality." 

Agnes Moorehead

July 19, 1925

St Louis, Missouri

Sunday

I opened the St Louis newspaper today at breakfast. What greeted me was a photograph of Peggy

looking surprisingly grown up, along with a short paragraph reading “Miss Margaret Ann Moorehead,”

daughter of Reverend and Mrs. J.H. Moorehead of 535 Dover Place, who left to attend a house party

in the West.”  It is purposely vague and utterly unnecessary since it merely announces Pegg is going West.

Fresh out of high school, Pegg took it upon herself to go; therefore, Mother chose to announce it in the

paper as if it were a debutante ball. The accompanying photograph is a profile picture of Peggy

gussied up like a silent film star. Pegg was nineteen and no longer under our parents' thumb, or so

she believed. I believe the purpose of the trip was to celebrate graduation from high school. 

It is the first positive presentation of Peggy in public media since 1922. It wasn't a particularly

newsworthy subject, and this had Mother written all over it. This was Mama's way of

wiping the public slate clean for Peggy. I knew the trip would be no good for her

because Pegg thought she knew it all, and she knew nothing about our world nor how to survive in it on her own. I had always been there with her, and the minute I wasn't, it all went to Hades in a handbasket.


Dear Agg,

I am enclosing a newspaper clipping with my picture in it! Of course, Mother felt compelled

to tell everyone about my upcoming trip! P pa says you’ll be here by the end of next week,

so I’ll get to see you before I leave. We must take a long walk and discuss the comings and goings.

See you soon, my dear sweet sister!

XXX Pegg

As I read the letter, I noticed something that didn’t feel right with Peggy. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels unbalanced. Her enthusiasm feels too over the top. It felt engineered, just like her high

school graduation photograph felt engineered. My sister had never been given to such swings in mood

before, and I had no idea why it was happening now. Quite honestly, I was still furious at our parents.

 

Ray Of No Sunshine

It wasn’t just one man who had jerked Pegg around. Marden, the boy I’m referring to, was

Pegg’s high school sweetheart in 1922. This is also one of the most extended relationships Peggy has ever had. The Pegg and Marden breakup debacle caused a

massive uproar in our home. Pegg was so dramatic about it. But when Pegg was returned to St Louis

in 1923, my sister quickly latched on to Don Washauer. This relationship,

or whatever it was, either sent Pegg spiraling into a nervous breakdown, or she ended up pregnant

Mother and Father didn't see fit to tell me, and I didn't want to push my sister.

She disappeared until her return to Cleveland High in St. Louis in the Fall of 1924, and

her subsequent graduation was all I knew, and it seemed as if it was all I'd ever know.









































2 comments:

The Oddest Note?

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