|
A Little Miracle
All of Momma's stories are about little miracles in her life. Momma was
one of those people who just seem to attract little miracles so she had
lots of stories to share. What I am about to tell you wasn't the first
miracle in Momma's life--I'll tell you about that another time. This
wasn't even the second or third miracle in her life. All I know is that
it happened when she was about ten years old, which puts it around 1922,
and that it happened in South Texas in a tiny town called Lyford that
was the Valley's first railroad stop on the way to Brownsville.
Momma and her siblings were raised in Lyford although Gramma usually
managed to make the pilgrimage to her own birthplace of Chicago whenever
a baby was due. When Momma was born the closest thing to an actual
doctor in the Valley was the barber in Brownsville who could also pull
teeth. Gramma did not hesitate to board the train to Chicago.
Somewhere in between babies, Gramma acquired a maid named Eulalia.
Eulalia was a good maid and hard worker, and Gramma and Grampa were very
fond of her. Around the time of this story, Eulalia had two small
children who were just toddlers--maybe two and three years old. Their
daddy--Eulalia's "man," as Momma called him--worked on one of the local
ranches. Eulalia and her man may have had some Spanish blood, but they
were mostly Indios--local Native Americans. However, they were Catholic,
and, although they spoke Spanish mixed with a little English and had not
been taught to read, the Church had educated them well in the horrors of
sin and hell.
One of Gramma's neighbors in Lyford was an old
woman who can best be described as a meddler and local gossip. I don't
remember her name now, but she managed to convince Eulalia that because
she and her man were not formally married, the two toddlers were going
to burn in hell. Well, the thought of her babies burning made Eulalia
extremely unhappy; she cried day and night, night and day for her
babies, and needless to say she was unable to fulfill her duties as maid
to Gramma. Now weddings in South Texas at this time were restricted to
the wealthy. It cost money for a proper fiesta and a priest, and I don't
think that Lyford even had a bona fide church at the time. Also the
priest only came through every month or so--on horseback--so marriage
ceremonies were few and far between.
As matters worsened at home,
Grampa decided something had to be done. Eulalia would not be comforted
in any manner. So when the priest arrived, Grampa confided in him, and
the priest said he could repair all the damage done if Grampa would pay
for the marriage ceremony and a small fiesta for Eulalia and her man.
Grampa had his doubts, but he was half-Danish and half-Irish and a darn
good Catholic, and he could only trust the priest would salvage the
situation. Eulalia's man was sent for; chickens and a pig were
butchered; and sweet tamales, tortillas, and pan dulce were made. Gramma
dressed Eulalia in one of her long, full-skirted dresses, as the priest
requested.
When the appointed time came, Gramma played the
wedding march on the piano Grampa had paid so dearly for, and Eulalia
and her man walked very, very slowly to the priest. The Spanish-language
ceremony was a swift one, admonishing the bride and groom to love Jesus
and be good and to help each other in life. Finally the priest
pronounced them to be in the State of Holy Matrimony, and then with the
slightest smile, he nodded to Eulalia and said, "May you be fruitful and
multiply and bring forth children into this world through this Holy
Union consecrated by Our Lord and God and into the Salvation He has
promised to all who Believe." With that said Eulalia lifted her skirts
to reveal her two toddlers who now tumbled out into Salvation. Everyone
cheered the small miracle worked that day by the priest. Eulalia's smile
was so bright, and so tightly did she hug her babies, her man, Gramma,
and Grampa, that there was no doubt that life in Momma's home in Lyford,
Texas, would now return to normal.
Sharon Armistead
Austin, Texas
Published:
November 14,
2005
Categories
Related Handbook of Texas Online articles
|
