"Willful" Aunt Sadie

In about 1903, one of Della's sisters came to live with the Davis family.  Sadie must have seemed very glamorous to the Davis children who were growing up in a large family on the Colorado plains.  She was just 7 years old when her mother died and had been living with another sister, Cannie.  Moving to the ranch must have been a real shock to Sadie as the contrast in lifestyles was evident even to 10 year old Birdie.

Birdie - Aunt Sadie Schafer, one of Mother's sisters, came to visit us about this time.  She was fifteen, very nice looking and real well dressed.  She had lived with her other sister in Raton, New Mexico ever since her mother died.  She became willful, and Aunt Cannie couldn't handle her (so we learned later) so they sent her to live with us.   I remember the day Daddy brought her home.  She was dressed so nice and had such good luggage and carried a new banjo.  We children really thought Aunt Cannie must be a real rich person to give her so much.  She stayed three years and ran off with a boyfriend and went back to Aunt Cannie.

Norman - Aunt Sadie Schafer was sent to live with us as her sister, Aunt Cannie, was having trouble with her.  At 15 years of age she had a mind of her own and was not easily directed.  After two or three years, she took off with her boyfriend and never came back, though we did hear from  her occasionally.

I love the descriptions - "willful" and "not easily directed."  Obviously she was a handful for her sisters!  But I wonder what life was like for 7 year old Sadie when her mother died.   I can't really imagine how lonely and displaced she would have felt when she went to live with her sister even though her father was still living.  I wonder how hard it was for all of them (Aunt Cannie was just 23) to adjust to the new family situation.  

I'd sure like to read her journal . . .