I find it interesting to open up the collections from time to time. Recently I opened one of the plastic tubs that Jackie has learned to keep and file these documents in. It seals them up so they are protected from the weather and varmints. Jackie has lived with me for fifty-two years and has determined a good way to protect my collections.

Jackie is always reminding me of when after we had only been married for a couple of years that as we were cleaning under the linoleum rugs, we discovered old newspapers flattened about to about one-half inch thickness. These newspapers formed an excellent cushion for the rugs and some of the newspapers dated back to 1858.

One old paper stated that the name of the village was Ornega, but that old paper was dated back during the 1930's, and was printed as a feature story write-up from another town. I also have a printed column that the Cherokees printed on their press when they met one more disappointment in their journey to nowhere as the headlines on the paper read "Indians lose their Indian name Unega" to a newly arriving immigrant from Alabama that suggested the name of Aubrey.

I know I have told you before how we found the old newspapers, however, new readers don’t know this and sometimes I am reminded to bring you up to date on what I have just found and located in a particular box in the dust and dirt in my barn attic.

I have found a telephone directory that was printed with the date of February 6, 1912. On the top half of the cover is the name of the directory which is D-C Telephone Directory with W.D. Keen, Manager. On the bottom half is a half page advertisement for the Reno’s Drug Store with O.R. Dyche as proprietor.

Instead of a photo for this week, I am going to include a copy of the rules in the directory and the last two pages in the name and number section. Please notice that the number is followed with the number of long and short rings that Leon Milton, our well known Cherokee Historian and retired pastor who just celebrated his birthday in Indianola, Oklahoma was talking about in last week’s story. The long and short rings were used by the phone system during his childhood.

Leon is working on another funny story that I will be submitting later.

I would like to wish Corine Adcock a belated birthday. I just read that she was surprised with a surprise 90^th birthday party. I am sure Corine can remember the short and long rings of the telephone system.

The telephone directory is courtesy of the George Button family. They were Aubrey residents for many many years.