THE YOUNGEST OF TEN

by: GAIL

Sheldon has asked me to write a chapter in his book on the Helle family. This I will attempt to do. I have never wrote anything for a best seller as I'm sure this will be, but if future generations produce as well as the past and present generations, he will have plenty of future customers.

I am dedicating my contribution to my nieces, nephews, my own dear grandchildren and all the future generations of Helle's who might find this interesting enough to read. I might add that if Sheldon gets scissor-happy and cuts this like he does his movie films, a lot of you will be cut out and never get born.

You know, being the youngest of ten boys is not the easiest place to be. It has its' drawbacks as well as it's rewards. Of course if I had my druthers, I druther do and be exactly as I have done and been.

Now Ethel, being the stubborn Helle that she is, decided that if she was going to have ten brothers, that at least she could split them up. So to be fair to all of us, she decided to split us with five older ones and five younger ones. This way she would not be showing any favoritism. I think I fooled her though cause by the time I came she was big enough to have to help look after me.

Now Walt and Sheldon paired off and Verle and Gene paired off. This kind of left me a loner. Then when my older brothers and Ethel started having their families, I got a whole raft of nieces and nephews. I was no longer a loner as I was not only an uncle but I, being the youngest, could relate to these kids and become their friend.

Then I married a young girl and we were not just an aunt and uncle to all these nieces and nephews, but we, together, became their friends. I think we are still able to communicate this feeling to most of them. So see, being the youngest does have its' rewards.

Sheldon says to give you the highlights. Well, you can't have highs without some lows. So you put them together and arrange them, then they are like the notes and become your song: A happy song, a sad song, some sweet and some sour. I like to think my life has been a beautiful song, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but still a beautiful song. I have had a lot of help writing my song. The name of my song is "My Family."

It all began on a hot June 23, 1920. Walt told me that he and Verle went down to Grandma's and when they came back I was there. I was really something! I was born to be in a very unusual place. I was the only son of George and Ida Helle who had nine older brothers and a sister to look after me.

Upon my birth George looked at Mom and said, "Mom, we have reached perfection - no more boys!" Mom looked at me and said, "Pop, (she always called him Pop) please, no more boys. They get worse with each one, and my God, look what we've got here." That is why they never had any more boys. They got a couple of girls after that cause Mom wanted some dish washers, but I think we boys did our share of dishes anyway.

It isn't easy to be the tail end of a big family, but we had a lot of fun. I still think I had about as happy a boyhood as anyone I ever knew. I had a built-in alarm that never let me down. If we boys were out in the woods playing or doing what boys do, it could thunder ten-miles-away and I would hear or see a thunder cloud on the horizon. I would take off for home on the run. I always made it and let my doubting brothers get wet.

I could write my own book on the things we did. Walt hollered in his sleep one night, "A bear, I'll get him!" Man, I knew it was time to head for safe quarters, I tore down stairs and took off for Mom and Pop's room, made it to the dining room, and saw two great big eyes shining in the dark. I knew I had cornered Walt's bear! I let out a yell, put her in high gear and took off. There was a huge crash! I had hit all the chairs and benches on one side of the table... sent them flying.. .woke everyone up in the house.

All my brothers and sisters, Mom, Pop and even Grandma came to help with that bear. Such a commotion you never saw, but they couldn't catch that bear. He really took off. Course, they tried to tell me it was only a cat under the table with his eyes shining in the dark. Try telling that to a five year old boy when his older brother had already seen that bear!

We had a little place behind the house where everyone went called a "privy". (such an odd name because it was not very private.) I always talked Gene into going out there with me after dark cause I was scared. For some reason Verle always went with us; never figured that out 'til Gene complained one night about having to take Verle and me out to prime us.

We never had any money, didn't need any, didn't know what a barber shop was. We always looked forward to cousin Ella Kaler coming in her horse and buggy to cut our hair. If she didn't get our hair cut, Lloyd would catch us and scalp us.

I grew up to be a scrawny skinny kid. Of course, I never knew a chicken had anything but the neck and the feet till I got married. Then Bernice started fattening me up a little. I'm just a wee bit plump but it is all her fault.

I remember my first tablet with yellow pages and it had a flag on it. Ethel brought it home to me. I loved that old flag from that day on. We'd get a Sears catalog and cut out pictures. We'd have a farm with people, animals and farm equipment. Boy! We had everything. In the summer we had sawmills and cut down big old weeds for logs - really a busy time. These were happy times - the high notes in my song.

Some of my low notes were: our home burning when I was about seven, losing my Christmas gifts (especially my Mother Goose Book). Dad lost the farm - we were moving all the time. Walter being sick and Doctor Welch telling me I had to keep water in him or he might not make it. I think he was about thirteen, which would have made me about five or six. I really kept it in him. I don't know if I saved his life or not but I always thought I did.

Gene went out swiming on a mild winter day--next day pneumonia. Everyone had the measles at the same time - what an experience! Of course, the lowest note was little sister passing away when I was twelve. (My first experience with the grim reaper.) The sadness was as yesterday. I went to eight grade schools in six years, which was quite an experience and these were the dark days of the thirties, dark for everyone.

I still had a lot of fun; fishing, meeting and making new friends - just being a boy. We finally settled in Wyoming, Illinois where Dad set up a sawmill and bought a home. That is where our little sister was lost to us. After the darkness of that, good things began to happen. I had a lot of high notes for a good many years. I finished grade school and high school at Wyoming. I graduated in 1938. I guess that is why Wyoming is so dear to me - after all the low notes I began my high notes here.

When I was in the seventh grade I found the cutest little dark eyed girl I ever saw. She was in the sixth grade. I fell madly in love right then and that was the beginning of the greatest romance of all time. All I could do was give sickening love sick looks. I did not dare to speak to her. When I was a sophomore in high school and she a freshman I finally asked her for a date and she said yes! My dreams came true and we never looked any further. We dated all through high school and when she graduated a year after I did I made her my wife in July 1939.

By combining our high and low notes we have made a beautiful song. Our rewards have been many. Our greatest reward has been three beautiful daughters, a great son, son-in-laws, a lovely daughter-in-law and beautiful, healthy, grandchildren. Friends galore... So what man could ask for more. Our cup runneth over.

The good Lord has blessed my whole life with good parents, brothers and sisters. My in-laws have been dear and treasured friends. Through my own dear family I'm blessed and I thank the Lord every day for the many blessings he has sent my way.

Our song has had so many high notes, but naturally we have had our share of low notes. One I'll mention was the loss of a sweet little granddaughter, Kathy. Linda's daughter. We lost her when she was fifteen months old.

Now I'll continue with Sheldon's request of some of the highs with each of my brothers and sisters. Here are some of the thoughts going through my mind.

Starting with Lloyd, who had to put up with us as little bothers and sisters. What a guy he has been! There's a special place in my heart for him. He was quiet, unassuming, always gentle, kind, never cross. He gives you a quiet strength just to be around him. I used to think when I was a kid that he was kind of dumb. Every morning when we would go past him on the way to school he would say, "Where you boys going?" and at night when we came home he would say, "Where you been boys?" We would always answer, "Been to school Lloyd" or "Going to school Lloyd." I don't know who was the dumbest. .we boys or Lloyd.

One day Gene finally blew his stack and really tore into Lloyd. He let him know he was getting tired of being asked the same questions every day when he knew darn well where we were going or where we had been. I think that was what Lloyd was waiting for because he knew Gene wasn't too darn fond of school anyway.

I remember what a thrill it was when Lloyd brought us our first new sister-in-law. It was nice to have older sisters. I used to go and stay with them when I was a little guy. Opal bought me a hand full of commies. (These were poor boy marbles made of clay and painted all colors.) Was I rich! My first suit of clothes was given to me by Opal. Her brother had outgrown them. I always looked forward to Lloyd coming to Wyoming on Sundays. We had running water and he would ask me to wash his car. He would always give me a dollar. Another reason I thought he was dumb. Lloyd knew I would have done it for nothing. That is Lloyd... .One of the greatest!

Now Royle was something else! As a kid I remember his Christmas presents: my first pair of skates, boy magazines we got to enjoy all year, and our first tool box. I remember a walk across country late at night when I went home with him at Christmas. The roads were bad and Lloyd let us off and we walked the rest of the way.

I remember Royle's musical ability, his family of well behaved little blond kids, Alta's bread pudding, but most of all I remember Royle's great sense of humor. I could easily write a book about that guy. So many times we sat up and settled the world's ills. We had all the answers. How one guy could mean so much to so many different people is an amazing thing. When he talked with you, he made you feel he cared, that you were important to him, your opinions and ideas were important. This was Royle Helle at his best. A plain dirt farmer with cow smell on his hands, but oh what a man among men he was. Royle has gone to the big farm now to sit by the Supreme maker. What a privilege it was that he was with us and oh how we do miss that guy.

Joe and I will always feel close too. It was Joe, the Rock of Gibraltar, the responsible guy. He took it upon himself to be a good second father. Knowing how busy Dad was and not having the time to spend with us, he looked after us to see that no harm came to his little brothers and sisters. One time Gene, as a small boy climbed the silo. He stuck his head up just as Joe was coming in with a load of hay. By the time Gene hit the ground, Joe had made---continued