Mollie and Albert Rosene

Beyond Nellie Scott’s house, across the street to the south lived Mollie and Albert Rosene — unmarried brother and sister. Their house at the time lacked indoor plumbing of the toilet variety and their outhouse was one of the targets of Halloween escapades. I dimly recall seeing it in a tipped-over state on the morning-after one year. The house I believe had been the home of their parents and on their death the two of them just continued living in the house that they grew up in.

Albert had at one time worked for the railroad on the track maintenance crew, but when I was aware of him he no longer worked at that trade. He had a large yard and garden and that serve to keep him occupied. He also spent time caring for the city park which was just across the street from the Rosene house. Care of the park consisted primarily of mowing the grass during the summer months. But Albert spent considerable time grubbing out quite a few tree stumps left over from the activities of his predecessor on the job, one Griffee. I seem to recall Albert telling me that Griffee merely cut down the trees for firewood. Albert never, or hardly ever appeared in anything other than his everyday clothes of overalls and chambray shirt — I think I saw him once at some church function where he was wearing a hat dating back to the 1920s or even earlier.

Mollie was less of a homebody and often participated in a vocal duet at the church we attended with Anna Blomgren (the Blomgrens had the lot which formed part of the path between the little brown house and grandfather Strand’s house). Mollie was the alto in the duet, Anna was the soprano. Mollie was relatively tall and thin, Ann was short and fat.

I can remember being in the Rosene house. Once I was there at some sort of women’s church function (I think it was) and we were in the front room or parlor. There was a player piano in the parlor and in the course of the afternoon Mollie operated it. I was entranced.

Mollie and Albert subscribed to the Sunday paper (the Des Moines Register and Tribune) which we did not. When they finished with the paper they would give it to us children and I at least was enthralled by the colored comic section. I can recall going in the kitchen of the Rosene home and Mollie getting the paper to give it to me. Whether I was the only one of us to actually get the paper from them I don’t know. I also have an extremely dim recollection that we as a family were invited once to a meal at the Rosenes’.