Page 191 - Always Virginia

Always Virginia 179

remember, a kitchen and a bedroom and a hall and a livingroom.
’Course that was enough just for two, you know. They’re nice yet.
They used to call it Kansas Street, now it’s called “Holly Hills.”
They look as good as they ever did.

Jack: Pershing Street was changed to Kansas Street?

Mary Pearl: No, you’re thinking of Pershing Avenue, that was
the last place Dad and I lived when we were in St. Louis [during and
just after the War, 1941-1946]. But our first place was on Kansas,
now called “Holly Hills” so it sounds a little more stylish. When
we were first married we moved to Hamburg [Bart’s hometown]
and then we moved back to St. Louis [Mary Pearl’s hometown]
on Kansas Street.

Jack: Tell me the story about when Grandpa found the
butterfly.

Mary Pearl: Oh God. [Laughing.] Norine was living a block
from us in the hotel up there [on Pershing]. She had an apart-
ment. Jim [Chumley, Norine’s husband] was still in the service
and “across” [colloquial for overseas, fighting the War in Europe]
which John [as an Army Chaplain] was also, and Daddy went up
to see Norine for a little while in the evening. I don’t know. For
some reason I didn’t go.

Virginia: Daddy went to walk Norine home.

Mary Pearl: Yes, and when Daddy came back he found this
great big butterfly. He saw it on the bushes in the front yard of the
hotel and he went back up to Norine’s and wanted to know if she
had a sack, and she said, “Why would you want that?” And he said,
“Oh, I saw a great big buttefly down there. I think its asleep on the
bush, so if I can get it, I’ll bring it home to mom.” So he did catch
it, and he got it in the sack, and he came home laughing. He came
home, and I was in bed, and he said, “Come here. I wanna show