|
Three pages from Marietta's House: a grandmother's cottage
Pages 56 and 57:
|
The bed in the “big bedroom” is placed catty-corner to two walls, an arrangement carried over from old plantation days. The fashion had a practical origin – the triangular space created by the bed and walls gave a semblance of privacy in the days before chamber post were replaced by indoor plumbing. The trunk at the foot of the bed contained Marietta’s trousseau. |
 |
Pages 92 and 93:
|
In the small frame above the mantelpiece in the “big bedroom” is the deed to the house. Above it is a portrait of Pope Leo XII. There is a story that goes with the pope’s picture. Once Oniel had a pig that took sick, and he promised St. Jude – the saint Catholics regard as a miracle worker – fifty cents if the pig got well. At the time of the pig’s recovery, a “drummer”, or traveling salesman, came around selling pictures of the pope for fifty cents, the same amount that Oniel had promised to St. Jude. So instead of paying off the saint, Oniel figured his pledge could be satisfied by buying Pope Leo’s picture. It has hung above the bedroom fireplace ever since. |
 |
Pages 94 and 95:
|
The Gothic-style clock no longer keeps time. |
 |
|