The Family After Mary's Passing Analysis

The Family After Mary’s Passing

Their childhood has ended. With the sudden death of their mother, twelve-year-old Tillie and eight-year-old Minnie must grow up fast. They are now required to do all of the cooking as well as the housework for their father and three brothers. A neighbor steps in to teach the girls how and what to cook.* Often Tillie and Minnie cook the food at the neighbor’s house and bring it home in a little red wagon. The neighbor writes out recipes for the girls to use when cooking at home. (K55)

*Many times growing up, Minnie’s daughter, Clara (Mowe) Merckel, heard the story of the neighbor woman who taught her and her sister to cook. She was not sure what the woman’s name was, but thought that it was Mrs. Hintiler or Hintiteer. In addition to Tillie and Minnie, Mary

Renting one half of a duplex as his residence, he also rents the lower floor of a nearby building and opens a saloon. His younger children, Tillie, Fred, and Minnie, are now raised in a barroom atmosphere. According to family lore, it causes one of them, Minnie, to never drink alcohol because of the things she sees in her dad’s saloon while growing up. Usually referred to as “Pappy Koehler’s Saloon,” it is on Main Street, that is Highway 157 today, at the southeast corner of O’Fallon Street. Inside the saloon there is a special chair. Why? Because Henry is not just a saloon keeper, he is the Caseyville’s barber and dentist. Serving as a barber during the day is a natural for Henry. He is a trained professional. Being the town’s dentist is another matter. He has no training and is, in reality, just a man who makes a little extra money pulling teeth when a patient’s pain becomes great enough. Undoubtedly he charges extra for the shot of whisky he probably offers the patient to steady his nerves before undergoing a very painful procedure.