Father Was A Caveman: The First Book in the Echoes in My Mind Series by June Harman Betts

From the Publisher

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in rural and small town America during the roaring twenties? Or experience the great depression of the thirties? Or actually hear Franklin Roosevelt's voice announce America's entry into World War II?

This book takes you on a journey to those times as seen through the eyes of Burrel Harman and his young family. Taking place in Newark, Ohio, Seneca and Smokehole Caverns and Petersburg, WV, The Cave Dwellers tells the story of the family's adventures as Burrel fulfills his and his family's dream to open to the public the unexplored cavern his grandfather had discovered on the family farm.

When Burrel became the cavern's first manager, his children, whether playing within the cavern's stone walls, waking to the sight and sound of a carrousel in their yard, soaring over the 1000 feet peaks of Seneca Rocks in the open cockpit of a barnstormer's airplane, or watching country music performances from their own front porch, life seemed enchanted.

Then the lure of an unexplored cave took him to Smokehole Caverns where he worked with other fearless spelunkers to transform it from its primitive state to an underground wonderland, and to stay on as its first manager. After moving to nearby Petersburg, the family quickly adjusted to being "townies."

Then, unknown forces began to work behind the scenes to destroy life as they had known it. While they faced tragedies, loss of loved ones, and a bushwhacker's bullet, nothing had prepared them for what happened next.

As Burrel struggled from the depth of his despair to restore order to their family, and the children yearned for what they had lost, a stranger appeared andhelped bring the magic back into their lives.

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The smoke burned his eyes and the dim light made it difficult for Burrel to make out her dark flashing eyes and saucy smile as she leaned across the table and asked, "What do you think of my favorite place to go to have some fun?"

He glanced around at the surrounding tables and the well dressed men and women sipping coffee from dainty tea cups. "I've never been in a Tea Room before, but I always thought they were only open in the daytime, and that no self-respecting man would be caught dead in one," he replied.

Her laughing response was, "I'm not sure how self-respecting these men are, or even how respectable they are, but you will see why they come to this particular Tea Room." He was puzzled by her strong emphasis on the words, "Tea Room."

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the waiter who announced, "Your coffee, Sir. I hope you enjoy it. If you want a refill, Della knows what to order."

Burrel looked down at the pale liquid in his cup and sputtered, "He must have mixed up our order. I didn't ask for tea!"

She coaxed him to try it before he decided whether or not he liked it. His large hands dwarfed the delicate tea cup when he brought it to his lips and sipped. He gasped as the burning liquid slid down his throat. "Good Lord Almighty!" he gasped. "That's whiskey!"

"Of course, it's whiskey," she laughed. "You didn't really think it was coffee or tea, did you?" A flush spread across his face at her teasing laughter as realization hit. She had brought him to a speakeasy! He felt like the country bumpkin that she probably thought he was.

He had never met a woman quite like her. She was the epitome of a modern day flapper with her dark hair cut in a smooth bob, her lips painted a fiery red, and the hem of her skirt barely skimming the top of her rouged knees.

He was saved from further conversation when the band struck up a rousing tune. "Do you do the Charleston?" she asked.

"No just the two-step and square dance," he haltingly admitted.

A man about four inches shorter than Burrel's six foot leaned down and asked Della if she would like to dance. He looked to Burrel for his approval. "That's up to the lady," Burrel responded.

"Well, twenty-three Scudoo!" the man exclaimed as he grabbed Della's hand and hurried her onto the dance floor. "Let's shake a leg!"

"So that is the Charleston," Burrel mused as he watched the dancers fling their arms and legs in the wild gyrations of the newest dance craze. As he kept his gaze on Della and the dapper young stranger, he felt an unexpected twinge of jealousy. "I'd better have her teach me this dance if I don't want to share her with some of these pretty boys," he thought.

When Della returned to the table, she sank into her chair, took a large gulp from her coffee cup, and reached into her beaded bag for a cigarette. Lighting it for her, he hid his surprise at seeing a woman smoke. Looking around the room, though, he realized that half the cloud of smoke in the room came from women's cigarettes, and he had a strong suspicion that like his date, they weren't drinking coffee or tea.

"They will play a two step in a little while. Shall we give it a try?" she asked.

He had barely nodded when the band began to play a slow dance, and they merged with the crowd on the dance floor. When she rested her head against his shoulder as they moved to the music, he was glad she had tricked him into coming to this speakeasy. Her dark beauty and the illegal consumption of alcohol, during prohibition, had combined to make this an exciting evening. He definitely wanted to see her again and find out what was behind that flirtatious smile.

* * *

The next morning when Burrel walked into the kitchen, his brother Mace and sister-in-law Mabel were sitting at the table drinking coffee from thick mugs. Burrel moved to the stove and poured the steaming liquid into the mug he'd adopted as his own when he had moved in with them three months earlier. Sliding into a chair across from his brother, he remarked, "At least I know this is coffee."

"Why shouldn't it be coffee?" Mabel asked. "It has been coffee every morning of the five years Mace and I have been married."

Smiling ruefully, Burrel related his experiences from the night before. When he'd finished talking, Mace glared at his younger brother before he unleashed his well-known temper as he shouted the words, "She took you to a speakeasy? What were you thinking? Those places are against the law! Didn't you know the place could have been raided, and I'd have had to drive all the way to Columbus to bail you out?"

"You probably would have had to bail Della out too," Mabel quipped.

"I might have let her stay in, just to teach her a lesson!" he retorted. "I never should have introduced you to that woman!" he fervently added. "I've heard a few things about her since you two started dating that you should know about."

Unfazed by his brother's outburst, Burrel calmly finished his coffee before he responded, "If you are talking about the baby she had when she was fourteen and her broken marriage when she was twenty-three, she's told me all about it." He refilled his coffee cup and took a big gulp before he continued. "She was only fourteen when a neighbor boy got her pregnant. Then when she told him about the baby, he just laughed and told her that was her problem, and that she shouldn't have let him do it if she didn't want a baby."

"Poor little girl." Mabel sympathized. "She was only a baby herself. That must have been a horrible experience for her."

"Having the baby wasn't the worst of it. She said that all the neighbors treated her like a piece of trash and wouldn't even talk to her."

"I bet they talked about her though," Mabel interjected.

"Yes, I guess the gossip was really bad, but with the help of her family, she managed to weather it."

"What happened to the baby?" Mabel asked.

"Since she was so young, her parents took over and have raised her daughter as one of their own," he replied.

The young couple listened intently as he went on to tell them how Della had gotten married when she was eighteen to get away from home and escape the gossip. "She said the marriage was good until she got pregnant for their little boy, then her husband started rehashing everything about her first pregnancy. Like the neighbors had, he treated her like a wicked woman. That was the beginning of the end of the marriage. She stuck it out for a few more months before moving out. Her husband kept the little boy."

"I admit she had a rough time, but I don't want you to get too serious about her until you know her a lot better," Mace cautioned.

"Okay, Big Brother," Burrel laughingly replied. "We've only had a few dates. It's not as if we're talking about marriage ... yet."

Mace's eyebrows shot up in alarm when he heard the emphasis on the word yet, but relaxed when he realized his brother was putting him on.

On the Saturday night of their next date, when they strolled around the courthouse square, men and women alike cast envious glances their way. They were an attractive couple; her dark beauty and slender figure were the perfect contrast for his broad shouldered frame, dark blond hair, and blue eyes.

Despite his brother's misgivings, Burrel was beginning to think this woman was going to play an important role in his future, and he didn't have to wait long to discover what that role would be.

* * *

The day that changed both their worlds started as an ordinary one, but before it was over, the course of their lives took an unexpected turn. Anticipating no more than a pleasant outing, he'd arrived at her apartment before noon to drive the twelve miles to her parents' farm home in Rocky Fork for dinner.

Route 79 north of Newark was a country road built for buckboards and farm wagons with few improvements made to adapt to the automobile. Though it was a challenge to dodge the potholes, they were in a festive mood and enjoyed the ride. As they went around a particularly sharp curve, Burrel commented, "These roads are like a trip home for me. Add some mountains in the distance and this would be just like where I grew up in Germany Valley." Della could tell his mind was on those distant West Virginia mountains when he added, "You can put me in a town or big city, but no matter where I live, I'll always be a country boy at heart."

Her father Harvey greeted them warmly when Burrel drove into the farmyard. Then Della led him into the house where her mother Rhoda was busy in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on the meal. Her wrinkled face lit up with pleasure at the sight of her daughter and this new beau.

Burrel was drawn to Della's parents instantly, but never in his wildest dreams would he have known how important they were to become in his life.

After a few pleasantries, Rhoda removed her apron, hung it on a peg near the door, and ushered them into the dining room where the table was lavishly spread with some of the best tasting food Burrel had eaten since he last sat at his own mother's table.

Burrel was surprised to see a girl of thirteen already in the room. When Della introduced the girl as her daughter Velma, he was startled at the lack of affection between them. Though they hadn't seen each other for weeks, Della didn't hug or kiss her daughter, and Velma didn't seem to expect it. It was obvious to him that Rhoda had replaced Della in Velma's mind. Since Rhoda had mothered her since birth, this was understandable, but Della's cold reaction to the girl left him strangely disturbed. "What kind of mother would she make to our children if we were to get married?" he wondered.

When they'd finished eating, they went into the parlor where they continued their dinnertime conversation. After a while, Harvey asked Burrel if he liked fiddle playing. When Burrel replied that he loved it, the older man got out his fiddle and started sawing away at "She'll Be coming Round the Mountain."

As his audience tapped their feet to the lively tune, Harvey said, "Don't be shy. Come on and sing."

Burrel laughed and said, "This is my kind of music," before he added his bass voice to Della's alto, and Rhoda's soprano.

After playing a few more songs including Burrel's favorite hymn "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder," Harvey put his fiddle away. While Burrel complimented him on his playing, Rhoda and Della hurried out of the room to return a few minutes later with a pitcher of lemonade and five glasses.

"Where'd you ever learn to play like that?" Burrel asked.

"I learned from my grandpa," Harvey replied. "He said when the family came here with a wagon train full of people from Pennsylvania to settle in Ohio, some of the men folks played fiddle around the campfire. One of the old men taught it to my grandpa, and what he didn't learn from him, he picked up on his own."

"Grandpa said that at night sometimes he thought he heard Indians in the hills and actually saw smoke signals in the distance once. Since he was just a boy, his Ma told him, he was just being fancy in his mind," Harvey concluded.

Rhoda pitched in with, "Well, my family was on that same wagon train, and they did see Indians. Mom told me about an aunt of hers who had beautiful long black hair that was her pride and joy. She was washing her hair in the creek one day when she saw Indians. Fortunately some of the men were nearby and heard her scream. When they ran to see what was happening, they saw three Indians on horseback at the top of a knoll intently watching the young woman. The Indians rode away when the men arrived, but no one could ever convince her that they weren't after that scalp of beautiful black hair." Rhoda grinned and added, "I guess from then on, not wanting to tempt fate, she kept her hair covered except at night in the wagon."

Burrel said, "I'd say she was probably right. My folks were pioneers too. They settled in this beautiful valley that they named after their homeland of Germany. Since the Seneca Indians roamed the valley and mountains around it, my ancestors built a fort where they lived and the settlers around came when there was any danger from the Indians."

"You sound like, you miss that valley," Harvey commented. "Why did you leave it?"

"I was raised on a farm, but farming wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. Since jobs were scarce at home, I just packed everything in my Ford and followed my brother Mace and sister-in-law across the mountains to settle in Newark. Mace got me a job where he works," Burrel responded.

"Do you plan to stay in these parts?" Harvey asked.

Burrel had noticed Della's sigh of boredom as Burrel and her parents had talked, but she seemed pretty interested to hear his response to that question. She relaxed visibly when he told her father that he planned to stay awhile and get some money saved. "My dream is to someday return home to West Virginia."

He had never shared this part of his dream with anyone before except his Pap, but the older couple seemed so interested in what he was saying that he found himself adding, "Several years ago, when my grandfather was out hunting on his land, he stumbled across a large hole in the ground. Thinking it might be a sinkhole, he went home and got his lantern and crawled down into it. When he got to the bottom, he found this huge stone room full of the most beautiful formations. He didn't go any further that day, as other than the light from his lantern, the room was in total darkness. When my brothers and I got old enough, we took lanterns and flashlights and explored the rest of it. It was at least a mile long, filled with the most beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. When we got to the end, we saw light coming from a hole at the top of a steep slope. We were able to crawl to the top and get out that way."

Burrel concluded by saying that his dream and that of his family was to be able to open this cavern to the public. "My family is trying to get the money together to be able to do that. I am a spelunker at heart, and I want to save enough money to add to the pot, and someday with me and my brothers working together, we should be able to accomplish it. It will be a lot of work, but it will be worth it."

"What would you do once it is open?" Della asked. He noticed that she wasn't very pleased with his answer that he'd stay on as the manager.

When he'd finished talking Harvey remarked, "That is quite an ambition. I hope you will be able to do it someday."

Della gave her father a withering look.

"I don't think Della likes the idea of you returning to West Virginia," Harvey said.

Burrel replied that it would be awhile before the family had enough money to even think about putting their plan into action. After Harvey nodded in understanding, Burrel sat back and gazed around the room. While admiring the rustic furnishings and noting the similarity to his West Virginia home, his gaze settled on a photograph of a young blonde haired, blue-eyed woman. There was a certain sweetness, innocence, and purity about the face; and something about those wide set blue eyes that fascinated him. As if transfixed, he stared at the picture. To him, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had a feeling that fate in the form of the dark eyed beauty, sitting beside him, had led him to this moment. The instant he saw her picture, he knew his destiny was sealed. He had found the woman he wanted to marry.

Although he was sure everyone in the room could hear the pounding of his heart, he tried to keep his voice casual when he asked, "Who is the girl in the picture?"

"That's our daughter, Priscilla," Rhoda replied. "She's with her friends, the Wilson girls. They've gone to a church meeting, and she won't be home until after church tonight."

Seizing his opportunity to meet this young woman, he said, "I haven't been to church for awhile. Is it too late for us to go?" Della was startled at his sudden interest in attending services. She declined to go, reminding him they couldn't stay out that late, as they both had jobs to go to the next morning.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Father Was A Caveman by June Harman Betts Copyright © 2007 by June Harman Betts . Excerpted by permission.
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