Some times of a morning

the life and homes of Jane Love

Lorne Cook

On The Run

[Mom wrote in her album above and below this picture:] Lorn Cooke, dad's best friend. "Cooks" stole a car and came over to take Dad for a ride. The law thought Dad helped steal the car, and came looking for them. Cook ran away and was never found. Dad had
to go into hiding for many years. Mom was always mad at dad because of this, he never took mom anywhere. They really had some "knock-down-drag-out" fights about this.

Soon after that we moved to Alton, Illinois. I guess Dad was still running from the law [because of] the car "Cook" stole. Cook was "on the lam". He never ever came backto Marion, ILL [as far as we know]. Dad changed his name from Hemphill to Stanley Hill. He really impressed on us kids that our name was Hill.

We lived in a crummy apartment over a grocery store with one room and a kitchen. There was a bathroom down the hall. It was our first experience with indoor plumbing and a bath. I came down with Scarlet Fever and almost died! There was no place for us to play, so we played on the sidewalk by the grocery store on the corner.

One day a lady saw us there and asked us our name. I told her it was Hill. She said we looked like the Hemphill Kids. I was scared and inssited it was Hill. She wanted to know where we lived and I told her on the next street somewhere. I was afraid she would tell the law about Dad being in Alton.

Dad worked in the steel mill. I guess he made money, but he was still gambling. We never had a decent place to live because of his gambling and drinking.

My Third grade class in Marion, IL
We soon moved to St. Louis, where Dad had a construction job working on skyscrapers. Again we lived in a crummy apartment with a bedroom and kitchen, behind a Chinese laundry, and outside toilets. It had 3 stories, and we lived downstairs. We had no place to play except under the overhang of the upstairs rooms.
I was put [back] in the third grade, and Donald was in first grade. We went to school alone together. Many days Donald would mess his pants and I had to get him and take him home. I guess mom didnt know how to raise kids.

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