Flinch! Have you ever played it?

Saturday, January 31, 1925: It is a warm day. The warmth broke up the roads and the creeks are running. Yesterday was a very nice day also. We baked and Len & Ruby went to town in the afternoon. Mother washed a few pieces.

Thursday, Mother cut out two night dresses* and partly made them. I felt tough* that day. Wednesday was quite cold in the morning. We didn’t know what to do about coming home. Everyone thought it too cold to walk from Station. I was in a terrible way to know what to do. At last we bought tickets to Scales Mound, thought we might get a chance* home but didn’t. Then Len came up with some hogs. But I was afraid I couldn’t stand to ride in the wagon. So Mother and I went to Galena on the noon train. We didn’t know how we would get out from Galena to home but we met Aunt Annie right away. So we had a dandy chance out. We had so much time we even went up to the library. Uncle Edd brought us home.

Wednesday when we were still in Apple River we called on Emily Elbren* and Mr. Leathlain* in the afternoon. Sadie came down to invited us all up to supper so we all went. Had a fine supper. Played flinch* till after ten then had popcorn and went home.


* Night dresses are what we,today,call a woman’s nightgown.
* Tough, as Deb told us last time, means not to feel well.
* Chance means catch a ride, as in hitch hike.
* Elbren & Leathlain - I cannot find any documentation of either of these surnames
in Apple River or the Galena area, so am not sure of their actual identity.
* "Flinch is a card game, played with a custom deck, invented in 1901 by A.J. Patterson. This deck has 150 cards, consisting of ten sets numbered from one to fifteen. Some variations use a 144-card deck. It is based on "Spite and Malice". Rules of play;
• The cards are dealt face down.
• The first player turns over his top card and if it is a one it is put in the middle of the table; if it is not a one it is put face up so that everyone can see it.The second player takes his top card,and again if it is not a one it is put face up; and so forth for the rest of the players.
• The first player goes again: if his face-up card happens to be a two it can be placed in the middle, on top of the one; or, if the face-up card is either one more or one less than another player's face-up card, that card can be placed on top of the other player's card. For example, if the first player's face-up card is a seven, it can be placed on another player's six or eight. If the player is able to get rid of his face-up card in one of these ways, he turns up his next card and attempts to discard it using the same methods. He continues until he is unable to discard any more cards. Play then continues with the next player.
• Note that cards may be placed in the middle only in ascending order,starting at one and continuing to fifteen, whereas cards may be placed on other players' cards
in either ascending or descending order.
• The object of the game is to get rid of all one's cards.
• If the current player's turned-up card could be discarded, but the player fails to
notice this, other players may yell "Flinch!". Source: Wikipedia

A Busy Week of Visiting

Monday, January 26, 1925: Aunt Mag & Mother went calling this forenoon. This afternoon Sadie came down for us to help her start to make some forget-me-not beads. Then we called on Mrs. Price. Yesterday we went to the Presbyterian Church in Apple River*. Then in the afternoon we all went up to Uncle George’s. In the evening we went to the Methodist Church*.

Saturday in the afternoon we called on Lena Fisher and heard their radio. Then we went to the store awhile. Friday, Uncle George, Aunt Lizzie, Sadie and Naomi were down in the evening.

Thursday, Len helped Butchers saw wood. We didn’t know if we should try to walk to the Station and go to Apple River that day or wait and have Len take us to Scales Mound on Friday. At last we got the car ready and Ruby and Len did some chores and then we went to Scales Mound. We went out on the five o’clock train. We surprised them, although they were looking for us for quite awhile. Uncle Henry & Helmer were up there having the car fixed. They were at the Aunts’ for supper and stayed awhile because we were there. Tillie Trevethan and two children came there also.

Wednesday, just as we were ready to eat dinner, the Atwater Kent radio man came and wanted to leave a radio on trial. But we didn’t let him do it. We felt as if we would have to buy it once it was in the house. We ironed, baked bread, coffee cake, cookies and made applesauce. We also cooked apricots and etz. Got new auto licenses. Ours is 277301. Len’s is one less.

Tuesday we washed. It had thawed quite a little. Len, Ruby & I went up to Johnny Tippet’s that evening. I took up a string of beads that I made for Ethel. (like Ruby’s.) green, white and yellow daisy beads. I got $2.75 for them. We heard the radio all that evening. Monday we all went to town in our car. The roads had thawed in some places.

Len, Ruby Mother & I went to town to church on Sunday morning. Had a temperance sermon. That evening we all went to Aunt Annie’s. Tresidders were up there also.

*[note the picture on the right above]"In the year 1858, the people gathered in the school-house to listen to the teachings of Rev. S. S. Guyer, a Methodist circuit-rider, and in the same year, a Methodist Sunday-school was organized, by T. F. Hastie, in the railroad office. This was soon transferred to the school-house. Two years after, the Methodist Church, a good frame building, was erected, costing about $2,000, and seating three hundred persons. At present, Hans Lamont is the Sabbath-school Superintendent. The church was dedicated by Rev. Peter Cartwright, a pioneer of Methodism in Illinois. The ministers in succession have been: Revs. J. Clendenning, E. B. Russell, J. M. Clendenning, J. Odgers, H. U. Rey­nolds, S. 0. Foster, T. L. Olrnsted, A. D. Field. Joseph Crummer, Joseph Caidwell, Thomas Cochrane, concluding with the present pastor, Rev. D. W. Linn." Source: http://genealogytrails.com

*[note picture on the left above] "The Presbyterian Church was organized by Rev. John Reynard, in April, 1861, at the residence of Mr. Vroman, when Joseph C. Jellison was made elder. From this time, the association took no action until 1864, when Rev. J. W. Cunningham came, reorganized the society, and caused the church to be built. Rev. Rufus King was their first permanent minister. He was followed by Rev. G. M. Jenks, then John Cook, D. B. Gordon and E. B. Miner, who remained until 1876, since which time the church has been unable to maintain a regular pastor." Source:http://genealogytrails.com. I don't know if this church is still an active one or not.