The wonderful and the sorrowful years
Verity gave birth to twin boys Van and Vivian in the fall of 1902. The children were all ecstatic about having twins in the family again.
With such a large family, another renovation was overdue. Besides, Vance's business in town was flourishing, so he decided to add to the property.
First, he wanted to give Verity and the children spaces to enjoy their few moments of relaxation. He had a contractor from town come over to plan a sort of gazebo, but in the back of the yard.
Verity loved the gazebo! Many an evening was spent there while the children jumped up and down on the nearby trees.
Then, Vance indulged himself. He had seen a large gramophone and was very keen on getting one for his house. When the delivery parcel arrived, he was the happiest man on earth. To be able to listen at home to the great music from the music hall was something that he never thought he would do.
Verity believed that Vance had the gazebo done before just so that there would be no opposition from anyone when the gramophone arrived. Clever man her husband was.
The next improvement was to make the house large enough to be comfortable for the whole family. Vance was very busy with his produce farm, so he relied on the same contractor who made the gazebo to have new blueprints made. Construction started when the twins were still in their prams and it was a long series of projects that took place as the seasons allowed it. Verity was happy about the changes, but she was not looking forward to having dust in her food and her clothes.
Vance McPherson was always excited to go into town and see the novelties at the furniture stores. When he saw a huge mirror, he could not help himself. He wanted that mirror for his girls. He made sure there would be several bedrooms large enough for things like that.
Another great improvement was the electricity in the house. The contractor convinced Vance that it would not set the house on fire, and that it was exactly where modern construction was leading. Electricity throughout a house! Soon enough there would be wireless everywhere, too!
One thing that the contractor could not convince Mr. McPherson of having in his house was indoor privies.
He agreed on having the bath indoor, and to have a sink as well, but the privy? That had to be outside, he thought. Why on earth would anyone want to have their waste inside their home?
The main floor had another renovation. The first staircase was moved out and there was a new access to the top floor.
Wall paper was put on every wall, making the rooms look much brighter.
Verity's sewing machine was placed closer to the family area, which pleased her immensely.
The most expensive and time taking project was to work on the exterior of the house. Vance wanted the house to look modern and solid, so he chose brick walls in a modern fashion for the new walls. It took years, but by the Summer of 1905, the house had been extensively improved and Vance McPherson was proud of his property.
The future looked bright and full of work and accomplishments. Vance could not wait for his sons to grow up and become involved in his business. His daughters were sure to give him great connections to help him become more influential in town. He never thought he wanted that, but now, considering all his assets, he was sure he wanted to have a bigger say in the politics in town.
As Life has it, things were not meant to be.
In the Fall of 1905, Vance suddenly collapsed on the dining floor. Verity sent for the doctor on the other side of the island, but she could tell that there was nothing to do for her husband. The doctor confirmed her thoughts: Vance had passed away.
He had not been ill, but the doctor suspected he had had a bad heart. After a lifetime of hardship, Vance McPherson died a rich man at the age of five and forty.
The children and Verity were inconsolable. For a few days, Verity did not know what to do. Mr. McPherson had been the head of the family, he was always in charge of everything. Very quickly, things started suffering from neglect. The household was full of sorrow, and grief clouded Verity's mind.
But then, the reality of having to provide for her ten children gave Verity a new spurt. She started by telling Valerie and Vanessa to help in the house, while the boys were in charge of cleaning the yard and making sure that broken things got mended.
She pulled Vernon out of school and asked him to help with the harvest, which needed to be in for the season.
Even though it was not what he would have chosen, Vernon knew that his family needed him, so he did not complain. He worked side by side with his mother, who, in her grief, some days even forgot to get dressed before moving onto her daily chores.
Vernon also knew that his siblings needed him. Mother had to care for the littlest ones, but he took it upon himself to help with Velvet. The little toddler was so sad that it broke his heart each time he hugged her or tried to console her. But the boy had to cope with his own pain. He had lost his father, too.
When Vance had passed, the doctor, knowing the ways of the business world, told Verity that he would not mention his passing in the city. He would do everything legal, of course, and give her the correct papers, but, perhaps, giving the time of the year, it would help the widow and her large family to get back in their senses before having to deal with Mr. McPherson's business partners in the continent. Trade was slow for the rest of the season, so it could be hoped that no one would find out and come over with requests before the widow was ready and her mind was clear. Also, the time would give Vernon an opportunity to grasp the main aspects of his father's business deals.
He was barely fifteen years of age, and Vernon was now supposed to be the head of the McPherson clan and their farming stead.
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