Minnie was a loving
and kindly woman, always concerned with the welfare of others but wanting
nothing for herself. When she died in
1948, she still lived in their original house -- no running water -- only an outhouse and a pump in the kitchen
sink. The house stood along a fairly
busy road outside of Ellwood City, and at her request, John had a gas pump put
in the front yard so she could make a bit of pin money during the day. And later, they added a small lean-to on the
side of the house, where the children sold candy to their friends.

As a child, I was
fascinated by Aunt Minnie's outhouse. It
sat out back among the trees,
And I thought it was
great fun to use it. Not until I was
much older did I realize what a living cliché it was. It was a two-seater, which meant my mother often went with me and
we would sit side by side.
Toilet paper was an unknown luxury, but I was always eager to discover what old book Aunt Minnie was using -- maybe the Sears catalog, or an old telephone book. We'd rip off a page, and then I'd sit there and read it before using it.
Then there came the
year when we were warned not to approach
the outhouse without making a lot of noise.
It seemed that a porcupine had moved in, because he loved to chew on wood.
If we were loud enough, he would run away. But if we startled him in the
doorway, he might stick us with his quills. I remember singing all the way to
the outhouse, hoping to see him come scurrying out.
I never met him, but
he made a good story for one of my novels many years later. (See Damned Yankee, Chapter 30.)
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