Mrs. Brown was a very old lady who lived all alone down in
the woods about three fourths of a mile in front of our house. She always wore men’s pants, shirts, and hats
and she wasn’t pretty at all. But we
enjoyed going over to her house because it was always so neat. The path she had made over the years was very
pretty. It ran along the fencerow for a
few yards and then it just went one way and then the other. Wild flowers of all colors bordered the small
path. Hazel Nut bushes, Flowering
Dogwood, and Redbud trees were on both sides of the path and a small bridge
with a rail crossed the creek many times.
Everywhere you saw the ferns and wildflowers reaching down into the
rambling creek as you made your way along.
Soon you came to a clearing, which was her yard. Towering trees almost completely prevented
any of the sun’s rays from reaching the one room log cabin that was her
home. Here she had raised two
children. She carried her water from a
spring that was about one quarter of a mile away. She cooked the meals in a kitchen in the back
yard. The one room of the cabin was the
living room, the bedroom, whatever all in one.
This lady always fascinated me.
Her children were both married and had families of their own, and she
lived here all alone for about 20 years.
After we moved away, mother heard that Mrs. Brown had
died. She had been out in her chicken
house and it had fell down on her. She
was so old she could not free herself. I
have often wondered how long she lay there in the rubble of the old chicken
house. They think she may have possibly
been there for two or three days before she was found.
As I child I often thought how much I wished that I could
live in a lovely place like that. You
could always see Mrs. Brown as she made her way along the fencerow on her way
to her mailbox. Rain, snow, or sleet,
she never missed her mail.
If you wonder why I mention this lady, it is because I
believe I learned from her. She was a
lady that stood alone. She was pleasant
and she was happy and she loved to see us children.
11:30AM - April 6, 1981.
Jeanne has come back from surgery.
She sure is a tough little knot.
They took good care of her. She’ll
probably get to come home tomorrow.
