Fearful Childhood Night

Stephen Douglas Poston known as "Pop" to his children was left to rear three of his four children due to his wife dying when his youngest child, Ollie May, was 6 months old. Pop's parents took the baby to rear and he kept the three older children -- Dora, Shouda, Clarence -- to rear. The children said they had it hard as thir Pop had to leave them alone many times to work and make a living.

Dora, Shouda and Clarence told of living with their Pop in a house near Lincoln, Edmonson County, Kentucky, about 1897-1905. It was a log room with an attached side room; there were two windows with board shutters over the windows' glass panes they closed at night. The log room was heated by a fire place and the children cut logs into about three feet lengths to use for fire wood.

One night the three children's Pop had to go somewhere and he told the children to go to a neighbor's house to spend the night. The children went to the neighbor's house and they were not home. So, the three children went back home and spent the night alone. It was a cold night and little fire wood was stored in the house as the children were expected to be at the neighbor's house. Just about dark an animal (They thought it was probably a coyote) came up against the the outside chimney corner of the house and howled and howled all night. The latch on the door was fastened and the board shutters over the windows panes were closed. The howling animal scared the children and they were afraid to let the fire die down for the night as they thought the animal might come down the chimney as the chimney did not extend much above the eave of the log cabin. The wood supply stored inside the house was low; so, the three children huddled together wrapped in a quilt for warmth while fearing the howling animal might come down the chimney if the fire went out. About sun up the next morning, what a relief to see Pop coming home and to know they had survived the cold of the night without being harmed by the animal.

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