As my years at Harding as a student were drawing to a close, I wrote Grandma on May 7, 1937 as follows:
Harding College
Searcy, Arkansas
May 7, 1937
Dear Grandma:
I have been intending to write you for quite some time. But you know how time slips up on a fellow when he is rather busy. It will not be very long until school is out. In fact, a little less than a month. We have our graduation exercise the third of June. I will be rather glad to graduate. However, I will miss school very much. I certainly have appreciated the time that I have spent out here and would not have taken anything in the world for it. I think that I am going to be around in the country for about a week or so after school is out and then I plan on going home. Perhaps I will also go down into Florida for a meeting sometimes in June.
How is everything coming along down on the farm: Who is farming for you now? How are the Masseys? Give them my regards. Clayton and Frank are in St. Louis which is just about three hundred miles from here. I have intended to go up there some week end but as yet I have been unable to do so.
Expect to be quite busy this summer doing some preaching. By the way I am beginning to make plans to go to Africa in the fall and preach in Capetown, South Africa.
I am supposed to go to Sullivan, Indiana again this summer and help hold a meeting but I do not think that I will be able to do so.
Let me hear from you soon Grandma if you feel like writing.
Surely hope that this letter finds you in good health.
Love,
James
I did not know it but Grandma Davis was very ill. At 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, May 23, 1937 my sister Mary wrote me a card from Fitzgerald, Georgia. She said: "Grandma just died -- funeral Monday. They said she was so proud of the letter she just received from you. Had all of her children reading it, even the preacher. Will write soon, Mary." Mary had gone to Fitzgerald to be with Grandma.
I am so glad that I wrote Grandma who had been so patient with me when I lived with her. Too often in life we have a "wish I had done this or that" haunting remembrance. Perhaps there is someone you ought to write or call. Do it now. Have as few regrets as possible. Life is brief at its longest.
I had decided to go to South Africa to preach after I graduated from Harding, but I was unable to raise support. Of course, as I look back I can understand why the handful of congregations from whom I asked support did not give it to a young man just out of college especially when no one else planned to go with me. I was still determined to go. As I had told Dean Sears, in a rash moment, I was going even if I knew that boat was going to sink. When an opportunity came to go to Toronto, Canada to preach, I went with the thought that since it was in the British Empire, as was South Africa, perhaps I could finally make my way to South Africa.
I am now 76. I have thought that my typing is getting worse. But I just counted fifteen mistakes in the original of the letter I wrote Grandma. Let's hope my typewriting has not gotten worse.
In March 1992, my wife helped my self esteem by saying my typing had not gotten worse. (In other words, it was never very good!)
On May 22, at 4:40 p.m. -- Dot (Frank's wife), Frank and Clayton wired a Western Union telegram to Grandma which said: "Wish you a speedy recovery, Our Best Love. "
On May 28, 1937 Mary wrote me a letter in which she mentioned more concerning Grandma's passing.
May 28, 1937
Dear James:
Am real busy so will just have time for a line or two.
I went to Fitzgerald Saturday morning arriving there about 2:00. Grandma knew me for a minute or two but wasn't able to talk. She died 2:30 AM Sunday morning. She was unconscious from early afternoon on until the time she died although I do think that she came to herself once or twice for a minute or two in the last evening. Her going was very peaceful -- she didn't gasp for breathe or struggle. She just gradually quit breathing. All of her children were there, Aunt Mabel, Uncle Jesse & Aunt Retha with Betty Jane, Uncle Raymond, Uncle Jim and Uncle Charles. Wilson came down for the funeral. By the way he is here in Ft. Mcpherson and would like to see you when you get home. Martha came up from Jacksonville and Mildred came down too. Randall didn't get to come. They've closed up Grandma's house and are planning to sell it. It is badly in need of repairs but in view of her age and everything, I think she kept it up pretty well. I can't hardly realize that she is gone, she is a person that you thought of keeping on forever. They think she had cancer of the intestines. The doctor said she had probably been suffering for several months before she gave up and went to bed. She was just in bed a week. She surely appreciated your letter. They said that she had everyone that came there to read it. We have some pictures that we took when we were down there in February which I'll show you when you get home.
I'm afraid that I won't get to come to your graduation. I would like to very much but to be perfectly honest about it, I just haven't the money. The trip to Fitzgerald took the little extra cash I had -- then too, I was off from work several days and rather hate to ask off again so soon. It would mean being off Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We've had so many expenses lately, repairs to the car, insurance, etc., then too, Randall's business is just holding its own due to graduations, school plays, etc. All of these end of the years activities at the school cut into his business and even though he is doing better this year at the end of school than he did last year, still there is not a lot of extra cash. So I guess you'll just have to have a private graduation for me when you come home. I would like very much to come but it is quite a long walk so guess I had better stay here.
I sent some flowers to Grandmother's funeral with a card "BALES GRANDCHILDREN", which included all of us.
I'm enclosing a check for $25.00 -- $20.00 from Randall and me for your suit and $5.00 from Mildred to buy you a new shirt and shoes. If you can do without the suit for graduation and would rather get the suit here than in Searcy, just hold the check till you get here. But I want it spent for a new suit. I'm also enclosing a check for $15.00 to pay the miscellaneous bills that you have there which according to your letter will leave you little over. You can pay me the $15.00 back -- $25.00 is a present and of course not to be paid back. Maybe you will get enough work this summer to take care of the $15.00 check and the other two or three -- how ever many there were.
Must close -- best wishes to you in your graduation exercises. I suppose we'll see you some time next week end. Sorry I can't be there when you graduate but you know that I'm going to be very proud of you just the same.
Love from all,
Mary
Email:Mail@jonbales.com
