One night I had extra kitchen work
to do. My husband and children had been in bed for some time when I had to go
to the outhouse. So I lit the lantern and away I went. The door on the outhouse
opened in instead of out. I pushed it open put the lantern down, turned around
and the door moved, and here came a skunk. I had closed it in when I opened the
door. I took out on high, leaving the lantern till morning. I was lucky, I
could of smelled like a skunk or it could of turned the lantern over, causing a
fire. This happened before we had electric power. I thought
Dad and the children would never forget
my experience.
Edna Hines
Rich Hill, Missouri
Back in 1955 a call
went out from the editors of the then Capper’s
Weekly asking for readers to send
in articles on true pioneers. Hundreds of letters came pouring in from early
settlers and their children, many now in their 80s and 90s, and from
grandchildren of settlers, all with tales to tell. So many articles were
received that a decision was made to create a book, and in 1956, the first My
Folks title – My Folks Came in a
Covered Wagon – hit the shelves. Nine
other books have since been published in the My Folks series, all filled to the brim with true tales from Capper’s readers, and we are proud to
make those stories available to our growing online community.
