Dear Mrs. Smith,
I seen a poster at KMA that you are here and so are we. I would love to talk with you after the show if you got the time.
Minnie Oatman
Dorothy quickly wrote on the bottom: "Wonderful! Meet me at the stage door when it is over. Dorothy," and gave it back to the lady to deliver.
Dorothy would be more than happy to see Minnie Oatman and hoped that Betty Raye would be with her. She had thought about Betty Raye so many times and wondered how she was. But after the show, it was Minnie alone who met her at the stage door.
The two women walked across the street to a little cafe and sat in a booth that Minnie had trouble squeezing into. After catching up on all the places the Oatmans had been, Dorothy asked what she had wanted to ask from the beginning. "And how is Betty Raye?"
A look of concern suddenly crossed Minnie's face. She hesitated a moment and then confessed, "Not so good… To be honest with you, Mrs. Smith, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. She don't know I'm here but you and your family was so sweet to her and with you having your own daughter and all, I thought maybe you could give me some advice, because I don't mind telling you I am just worried to tears over her."
"Oh dear. Is there anything wrong with her?"
"Not as of yet but I am having a terrible time right now. Both the boys is on the verge of a rebellious streak, and Floyd is gone more woman crazy than ever, and Ferris ain't in his right mind."
Dorothy was alarmed. "What's the matter with him?"
"Oh, every once in a while he gets saved again and goes off the deep end with the spirit but this last time was the worst he's been. I tell you, Mrs. Smith, right now he's about one step up from snake handling and I have to keep my eye on him every minute to keep him from falling back. You know all his people from Sand Mountain is like that. Three of them is dead from snake bites right now." She heaved a sigh. "And I don't have no one to blame but myself. My momma warned me about marrying a Sand Mountain man but nothing would do till I got Ferris Oatman, so I have made my bed and I've got to lump it. But I can't look after him and the whole family too. And Betty Raye is now getting of an age to where all the boys is wanting to date her. I'm afraid when I'm not looking one of them little hip-wiggling hot-lipped gospel boys that's always hanging around at them all-night sings is liable to go behind my back and run off with her."
"I see. How does she feel about it?"
"As of yet she don't pay them no never mind. She ain't interested in anything but sitting in a corner and reading. She's ruined her eyes so bad we had to get her glasses but she hates traveling from place to place so bad I'm afraid she'll marry one of them just to get herself off the road."
"Do you really think so?"
"If she's anything like me at that age she will and we don't have the money to hire another singer to take her place, so I'm just at the bottom of my rope with worry."
"Yes, I can understand your concern." Dorothy's face showed her own concern. Minnie then leaned over and confided to her: "Mrs. Smith, I know I'm not a very smart person. I've had little or none education. And don't get me wrong, I love 'em to death, but Ferris and the boys and, God knows, Floyd is not the brightest of men. This life is all right for folks like us but Betty Raye's different. She's smarter than the rest of us. She thinks I don't notice but I see her reading her books, wanting to learn things. I tried my best to keep her in school over at my sister's but they was too many kids in that house and it made her nervous. But, Mrs. Smith, if I don't do something soon she's gonna wind up just like me and stay dumb all her life."
An idea suddenly occurred to Dorothy about a possible replacement for Betty Raye, but she decided not to say anything specific yet. Dorothy sat back. "Minnie, I don't know if this will work out or not but will you call me at home next week?"
Minnie said she would, and squeezed her way back out of the booth. They parted with Minnie promising to call as soon as they landed somewhere that had a phone.
The next day Dorothy was on her way back to Elmwood Springs, and the Oatman family left Iowa early in the morning, headed straight down to Nashville, Tennessee, known as the Belt Buckle of the Bible Belt, to appear on Wally Fowler's all-night sing at the Ryman Auditorium.
Minnie prayed all the way there that Ferris would not roam around backstage and preach at all the other gospel groups about going commercial and that Floyd would not start chasing after the Carter sisters again.
The last time they had sung with the Carter family Chester, the dummy, had made a suggestion to June she did not like and she'd ripped his wig off. It had cost them twenty-eight dollars to replace it. All the way back home Dorothy was torn. She wanted to help Betty Raye but she would also hate to lose another girl she cared about. But she also knew that same someone longed to travel. Oh well, she rationalized, it couldn't do any harm to ask. The first day she was at home she and Beatrice were sitting in the kitchen when she broached the subject.
"Guess who I ran into up in Iowa?"
"I don't know."
"Do you remember the Oatmans?"
Beatrice smiled and petted her Seeing Eye dog, Honey. "Oh yes."
"And Betty Raye?"
She nodded "Yes… the girl who stayed here. How is she?"
Dorothy cleared her throat. "Not well, it seems. She's not doing well at all."
"Oh, that's too bad."
"Yes. Her mother tells me that she is not really that happy traveling. She would like to stop for a while and maybe go back to school."
"Really?"
"Yes, her mother said she would like for Betty Raye to have a chance to at least finish high school." Beatrice nodded but said nothing. "But," Dorothy continued, "it doesn't look like that is going to happen." She paused.
"Why not?" asked Beatrice.
Dorothy had hoped she would ask. "Well, in order for her to stop singing they would have to find someone to replace her in the group."
"Oh," said Beatrice. She began to pet Honey's head a little faster.
"Really?"
Dorothy stirred two more teaspoons of sugar into her coffee to give Beatrice time to think. "Of course, it would mean a great deal of traveling for someone… always going from one place to another…"
"Really?"
"Oh yes. I didn't say anything to Minnie… but you wouldn't be interested in anything like that, would you?"
Beatrice immediately stood up. "Oh, Dorothy, do you think they would take me? Do you think they ever would? I know all the songs and I can learn the harmonies."
"Well, Minnie is calling me in a few days and if you want I can certainly ask her. But now, I don't think it would pay much."
"I don't care about that. And if they're worried about me being blind, tell them about Honey. Tell them we get around fine. I can do almost anything. I would not be a burden. Tell them I'd sing for free."
They were both on pins and needles until Minnie called, as promised. Dorothy told her that Beatrice would be available to go on the road in Betty Raye's place if they wanted her. Minnie said she would talk it over with Ferris and call back.
An hour went by and finally the phone rang again. "Mrs. Smith, you tell that girl if she is willing to put up with us we would just love to have her. Hold on, I'm gonna put Betty Raye on the line."
While she was waiting Dorothy called out to Beatrice, who was in the kitchen waiting to hear. "They want you, honey." Then Betty Raye came on.
"Hello?"
"Betty Raye… has your mother told you everything?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Is this all right with you? You know, we really want you to come."