This autobiography was written at an undefined date. It is in the Austin History Center under the file for the Hirschfeld family. When writing and reading this what catches my attention is the sadness that I feel coming from Miriam’s words at the end. Jeanine Plumer
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Always most fortunate in my surroundings, Scranton was exceptionally beautiful. Being a valley surrounded on all four sides by the Pennsylvania Mountains, the scenery was indescribably lovely.
The roads thereabouts were ribbon, smooth, and a ride on the mountains compensated for any amount of cold in winter and sticky, humid heat in the summer. We used to start in the early morning, riding up, up, always up and in the heat of the day take lunch on the top of mountain with valley spread as a panorama below. Then we would start down, by another route, through another state, and through entirely different scenery, until in the late afternoon the circle would be completed and the road would become familiar.
The school was a sure enough one, though anyone ever hinted at my having only been to a kindergarten before, I would have been highly indignant, and we were compelled to carry. It was not really necessary that we carried this much prized book home. In fact, homework was a thing yet to be acquired with a higher grade, but of what earthly use was this arm breaking treasure if it was not to be shown to the world? I have had a few disappointments in my life, but none that hurt quite as much is when I discovered on reaching the school corner that the grade above used a larger book than mine. School life was not to be without its disappointments. Scranton also held a chum for me, and we too lived in a marvelous world of our own, peopled with characters from The Little Colonial books.
When we had one, another two was company and a 3rd, unless in the abstract, more than a crowd. In common parents, I could twist Eleanor around my finger and my greatest fun came from convincing some wonderful make believe and have her follow blindly. But tragedies will occur. And the day Eleanor first said, ‘’oh, that’s so silly, don’t let’s pretend’’. Sent my castles toppling around my ears. It was only a natural consequence of the sophisticated feeling acquired when the freshman year at high school, but it was the end of our oneness.
I once knew a woman who went to Europe on her wedding tour.
Though that time is now 40 years past, she still refers to it whenever style is mentioned. I am just like that for it has been four years since my one lone high school year and it is constantly brought up as a match for other school experiences. But it was the grand finale of my life in Scranton, before going to Texas for good and all, and as such deserves due respect. It was also, the last day of my school days. That incident of the geography must have been prophetic. Yes, school had its disappointments. When the girls used to talk over our plans, as to what we should do after leaving high school, I always contented, in spite of their scorn, that college was my objective point. Father’s teasing voice advised. Look in the glass, if you’re looking you don’t have to go’’. I did not go to college. It was not a decision of mirrors, but rather of thermometers.
And so I became a captive Princess.
But being a captive Princess and living in the nearest approach to a Bard Tower, a modern house affords, A sleep porch, could be very much worse. For Other prisoners, Keep Me Company, a most diversified motley crew, beginning with the book Little Women and ending with Don Quixote and Uncle Remus. It is not possible to get lonely with such tried and true friends. And we get along remarkably well, for my friendship was lasting, though whimsical, and one day Kim was the favorite swain, while the next it was two Little Knights of Kentucky. I lost nothing by not being able to go to the theater as long as Brander Matthews could tell me about it, and then one can always dream. Once a dream came true. It was this summer, when the monotony of my captivity was broken by a long dream of return to the East.
Was the captive Princess escaping?
The sea evidently thought so, and raged accordingly. It was quite an experience and never to be forgotten. But it was wondrous, even the fearful part. And when three years absence was atoned for in four days and part of Scranton came over to New York to make amends, even the storm paled as the chief feature of the dream. But now that too seems only another dream. It began and ended as such. Once I received a book dedicated to an indoor flower. I am that exactly a milkweed or possibly an eggplant? In the three years since my arrival in Texas, the combined efforts of the family have made me loathe a chicken and detest a cow. That is all of my life, my love and my hates. Yes, that is all of me that was. There is, I hope, more to come. I can say, like the mouse in Alice in Wonderland. ‘’Mine is a long tail and sad’’. Please let no doubting Alice make reply: ‘’I see it’s long, but just where is it sad’’?
