Who Was Nell ?

 As she walked back to her mother's bedroom she stopped and stared at the pictures on the wall. One was a picture of her mother in her nursing cap and uniform. The other was her grandfather Nathan H. Hayes, her grandmother's father. She grinned as she looked at his picture. He loved children and would dress up in his fur coat and throw a bag over his shoulder. He always carried candy in his pocket and would stop children and give them a piece of candy as he made his way around town for his daily walk. "Boy, he couldn't do that nowadays, or he'd be arrested. Isn't that just the saddest state of affairs? He was dearly loved. He and his wife Catherine had only one child together, Lulu Hayes Banister, but Catherine had six children, all boys when he married her. "Wow, not many men would do that. I can remember mom telling me about you, Mr. Santa, she grinned. I think I would have liked you. I hear you spoiled my grandma even though her mother disapproved. What is your story I wonder. Someday when I'm not knee deep in life's stuff I just might look you up. I have a feeling you made your mark on this old world.

On the wall close to her great grandfather's picture was the picture of her mother proudly wearing her nursing uniform. "Well, Mom, you showed them didn't you? You wanted to be a nurse so badly, but they refused to let you. They said, 'Be a teacher, then get married.' You were such a smart cookie. You graduated from Wilson High School when you were only sixteen years old. Then went on to attend the Community College and graduated from there with your teaching certificate.  You did teach school for one year and got stranded out in the country in the one room school house. Thanks goodness your brother rescued you. I'll never forget you telling that story. I can't even imagine how scared you were."

Below her mother's picture she saw the books that she had seen her entire life. They were encyclopedias that were given to her Uncle Leslie on his birthday, by his Aunt Nettie. Oh the stories I have heard about you. You know they called you a spinster behind your back. Mom always said you were an astronomer. She said she wanted you to go to college to be a teacher like her. But eventually you had your way, but you had to wait until you were almost fifty-eight years old before you made your dream come true. I am so lucky to have had you and dad for parents. Of course, I didn't think so at the time like most kids.

"Wait what's this book? Oh I thought there were four encyclopedias. This says the History Of Iowa. Oh I might just take this to bed with me and see who I can find."

But she never got back to it. She decided to go see her mom at the hospital then she went to bed with a letter she had found from her dad to her mom when they were dating. Theirs was a true love story. But in the letter he asks her if she got a new string for her guitar. She never played a guitar. Oh my. Their story is surely a mystery. Plus her dad was a prankster. He wrote a the letter and then turned it upside down to finish it. What a card."

                                                           

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Grandma Lu jumped when the phone rang. It was her friend, Grandma B. "What are you doing, Girl? I've been baking and have a fresh pot of coffee. Why don't you come over?" Grandma Lu looked at her hand and said, "I think I'm going to pass. Can I have a rain check? I really need to get through all of Mom's things. Do you ever remember me saying anything about a Nell? No? Hmm, okay. I'll call you later."

"Who is Nell? And who is this little girl? I seem to remember my grandma having a picture of a little girl and a dog by her bed. I know this lady. You got yourself in the paper with your baking. Oh mama why didn't you label all these pictures? At least you put her first name on there. So it looks like she was a seamstress. Okay, get busy and see if you can't solve this mystery."