aude's recollection of the dreaded "belling"--the first incident of married life--was vivid. "It was exciting rather than terrifying," she recalled. There was a lot of noise--the beating of tin pans, loud shouts and desultory firing of shotguns. Looking out from their new home, Lee and Maude found the front yard overflowing with a hundred or more laughing men, women and children.

When the revelers broke into the house, they promptly separated bride and groom. Maude was taken aside by the women and, from their superior knowledge and experience, given instructions on how to cope with her new status. She was warned of possible arguments, the certain conflict of wills, the necessity of maintaining a low profile, a quiet temperament and a worry-free attitude.

Lee, by contrast, was subjected to an entirely different kind of ordeal by the men. Their comments were often crude. He was advised to see that his wife be taught to harness the horses, do some of the plowing, take over the twice daily milking chores, mow the lawn when needed and, in her spare time, cultivate a large garden, then do the canning, cooking and all household duties--meanwhile caring for the children!

The tormentors dallied with the idea of keeping bride and groom in separate places during that first night but were dissuaded by their wives who had learned that the bride was "in a delicate condition." Their first child was to arrive five months later.

It was rumored at the time that the pregnancy was intentional. Maude and Lee Williams were in love. She wanted to get away from her parents and three brothers (about to move to Toledo, Ohio), and he wanted to leave Ohio Wesleyan University.