The Coolidge examiner., 1930-10-24
KATIE FLYNN'S
DREAM HOME
ARIZONA DREAMS
(Ted Healy)


we felt at liberty to ask the Old
Timer after he helped himself to
one of our favorite cigars.
"Any old kind of a home suits
nowadays, and they rush them up
in a hurry; but give me the old
adobe like | used to own, or the
home little Katie Flynn used to
dream about"
Katie Flynn? Never heard you
mention her before; who was your
lady friend?"
Mind, l am just calling her Katie
Flynn. Her real name was just as
Irish, but here in the Valley, when
she was on a homestead and taught
a parcel of kids, she was just one
of the nervy women who fought the
desert to get herself a proved-up
claim
'I used to drop around occasion
ally to see if | could help her
about the place. At least that's
what | told Katie, but the main
reason was the fine soda biscuits
she could make, and there was a
young fellow who had the adjoining
claim who must also have had the
biscuit idea. / never did find out
whether Katie or her mother di3
the cooking"
Her mother was there?'
Sure; forgot to mention her,
She didn't talk much and was very
deaf: couldn't hear anything at all.
"The women were both plain
folks, dressed plain, arranged their
hair so plain it almost made them
homely, and Katie didn't seem to
like men, only just to talk to, yet
her plans about a home hit me
right. She longed for some place
right at the foot of the hills, with
a spring close by, and she wanted
the place to be built of four-foot
adobe walls, with roof of red tiles.
The whole plan of the house to be
Mexican style, garden in the center.
You know, one of those square
houses with high ceilings and long
porch and veranda in front, and
verandas running all around the
DdllO III the Cc1lSI. 1Ou get Iuc
idea, don't you?"
We assured the Old Timer that
we had the idea, and wanted to
know whether she ever got such a
home, and he replied by saying
Katie got both the home and his
homesteader friend.
''Got your friend, too, how was
that?"
"Well. | wasn't surprised much.
for sometimes when | came along
and found my friend already at
Katie's home. l kind of got to be-
lieve that maybe three was some
what of a crowd. The war started
p,and the young fellow went away
Shortly after during vacation time
Katie used to disappear for few
days, and the mother would never
say where she had gone. 1t was
none of my business, of course.
about this time l received word
to go down to one of the border
towns and while there | visited a
well-known resort they called the
Cave. because the place, elegantly
fitted up, was built in the side OF a
hill. and the dining room was in a
sort of tunnel.
"While drinking beer | was at
tracted by the conversation of some
folks who were dining near me.
They were talking in some foreign
language. knew it wasn't Ger
man. There were two women anu
one looked like Katie, or like Katie
would look if she was all dolled up,
hair fixed in latest style, etc. The
resemblance was so striking that
| stared, but the woman looked
right at me. and passed me; and so
| knew was mistaken.
mot long afterwards Katie quit
teaching, secured a leave of absence
from her homestead and accompan-
led by her mother went east.
after the war was over | met d
friend of mine in Tucson. The
lobby of the hotel in which we were
seated was filled with people. OF
a sudden my friend excused him.
self. walked over to where a lady
and gentleman were standing and l
see him shaking hands with them.
l recognized the gentleman as my
friend of the desert homestead, and
was surprised when the lady turned
her face towards me. 1t wGs the
lady of the Cave. The one that
looked like Katie. Presently the
party came over to where l was
sitting and it was then | discov
cred that Katie Flynn and the lady
of the Cave were one and the same
person. We all had happy half
hour chatting together and Katie
and her husband departed to get
ready to catch west-bound train.
MY friend, who stands high in
the customs service and is well ac-
quainted with all branches of gov
ernment work, told me that Katie
was born in one of the New Eng
land states and taught school after
her graduation. Later she had
spent number of years study
ing languages in Europe, and when
she entered the services of the gov
ernment as one of its special oper-
atives her duties took her among
foreigners, who took her for Euro
pean. The man she married was
also in government service. He had
been transferred west to regain his