19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Friday, August 28, 1914: Ruth and I went to town on the train this morning. I was to bring some things home that she didn’t want to bother with. By good fortune I got an auto ride and tore my dress on a pane of glass I was carrying.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Grandma—
Did you want to go to town with your sister Ruth to bring things home that she “didn’t want to bother with”? . . . .or did your parents make you go?
Somehow it doesn’t seem like an older sister should be able to force her younger sister to carry a pane of glass. It sounds dangerous. Did you break a window?
At least you got to go into town . . . and, you got an AUTO RIDE! What fun! Overall it sounds like an okay day—except for the torn dress. Is it repairable? . . . or is it ruined?
A Hundred Years Ago 
Your questions are so good – it is a pity they cannot be answered! I suppose your very young grandmother had no clue her diaries would be read by random strangers from around the world who would be impatiently requiring more information. But I am quite enjoying making up my own wee scenarios to fill in the gaps – I think your blog is enjoyable and just a little bit addictive 🙂
I enjoyed reading your comment. Thanks for the kind words.
A day in town, a mishap and a ride in an automobile – what an adventure!
It was the perfect kind of day to inspire Grandma to write about it in her dairy. 🙂
Thank goodness she got out again and has found her voice. Wonder what the auto was like?
I agree! It’s hard to guess what kind of car it might have been. There were lots of types of cars made in 1914, including the Model T Ford.
How tricky, carrying a pane of glass!
I’d worry that I’d break it.
Yes, and glass is heavy to carry.
Aw….I’m sorry she tore her dress. It reminded me of the time I was riding home from the hardware store with my mom and grandma, and cut my leg on a roll of screen wire we’d bought. (I know – it’s really not the same, but it brought back that memory.)
That pane of glass must have had a rough edge! Glad it didn’t cut HER.
Ouch! I can see why this post made you think of it. There are a lot of similarities between your story, and the diary entry.
‘By good fortune I got an auto ride…’
🙂
Car rides were really special back then.
Those autos are becoming handy 🙂
I had a similar thought. In the past Grandma mentioned riding in cars several times–but those rides seemed like an adventure or novelty rather than serving a useful purpose.
I love the dry sense of humor that shows through in her report of the incident.
I like it, too. Even as an older woman, she was known for her sense of humor.
She doesn’t sound to concerned about the tear. Maybe she was so excited by the ride in an auto that the tear was a minor event, just a blip. 🙂
I had the same impression. The car ride must have been really special.
I am delighted to find this story and your other writing on this blog. I look forward to reading more.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you like it.
By some good fortune? This sounds like Helena’s wry sarcasm and sense of humor. Imagine having to carry a pane of glass home though.
She did have a wonderful sense of humor. It sounds awful to have to carry a pane of glass home. Since it tore her dress, it must not have even been wrapped.
A pane of glass does sound dangerous to carry!
I agree–It seems like it would been so easy to either cut yourself and/or break the glass.
I’m glad she didn’t have to try to carry it on the train.
So am I. It’s hard to imagine trying to carry a pane of glass on a train–though that apparently was the original plan.
How ironic that an auto ride is as exciting to Helena as it is for me to go on a horse or a horse and buggy! Times have indeed changed. Like the one commenter, I let my imagination run wild with what what Helena did during her days. It helps that I was able to drive around and see where she and you were raised. I hope we can meet some day – that would be fun. Blessings
I always enjoy your comments because you can picture the area that the diary is about. Maybe our paths will cross someday. It would be fun.