The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Precious Memories




Memories in my life:

The little downy softhaired head of a baby boy of two years laid upon my young chest when I held him close in my arms. He was the angel that first listened to my heartbeat.

He laid as still as if he could feel the love I had in my young life of 19 years old. I couldn’t understands why he laid so still and never moved and was wide awake when I looked down at his little face so soft and pink and warm.

I looked at his baby body so quietly still and I finally realized what he was doing. He was listening to the thumping beats of my heart and he got so still I first thought he was asleep, but he was wide awake and no one was with us to see.

Oh! That was one of the sweetest moments of my young life.

I was baby-sitting for his mom and dad who owned the Quillen Drugstore on Railroad Street. They were such wonderful people to my life. His father was Cossie Quillen and he was blind. His mother was so precious in my life also.

They had a very beautiful apartment over the drugstore, and I had never known a place so beautiful. The floors were almost like walking on glass. I was so afraid, I would tiptoe as I walked until I got used to everything.

I was raised in a loving home on Linefork, but the floors were plain old lumber and there was not water in every home, just a little spring that ran down a little hollow close to the house. We carried water in a water bucket with an aluminum dipper to drink from. We cooked on a coal and wood cookstove and washed dishes in a big dishpan and rinsed in another pan and dried the dishes with big cloths. Our table was a big, long table with a bench made from lumber Dad made and four old homemade chairs made by Calvin Fouts in the Doubles of Pine Mountain, which is now the Little Shepherd Trail.

I had never seen an electric stove or a sink with running water before that, and when we had our first meal at the apartment, I had never head a blessing of the meal and family times. I was so embarrassed I almost lost my breath. It was such a beautiful thing to me to hear those wonderful prayers. I learned so much in a few short weeks that I didn’t know what to do. It was a whole new world to me.

The daddy felt bad one day and stayed upstairs with me and the baby. Scooter Quillen, that is what they called the baby. He was listening to a big floor model radio, which I had never seen before either. He got the baby and was rocking him and he began singing him — “A tiny turned-up nose, two cheeks just like a rose. To me, you’ll always be that little boy of mine.”

I was weeping so hard, but I tried not to let him hear me. It was so beautiful to hear him say such heavenly words to his baby, that he would never see.

I will never forget that time in my life.

I was there by myself with the baby and the doorbell rang. I went to answer it and I opened the door and I saw myself standing there. It scared me so bad, I must have almost fainted when a man popped around and he saw me so scared. He said, “I’m here to deliver this mirror to Mrs. Quillen.”

She was downstairs in the store. I told him I was the baby-sitter and I really don’t remember what he said or did, but she came and told me the mirror was for the bathroom door. I had never dreamed of that.

This was in the year of 1949, summertime. That has been 65 years ago now and I am 84 years old and can still remember those happy days of being 19 years old and getting ready to be married to my sweet and handsome husband. We were dating then, but didn’t get married till July 6, 1950.

He and I were proud parents to five wonderful boys. I would rock them and think of Cossie singing that little song.

Now I’m alone without my darling Claude. We had 63½ wonderful years of marriage. He left us Jan. 17, 2013 to go to his forever home. We miss him so much. He was a good dad to all of his boys and was so proud of them as they came along.

He loved to hold them and sing to them and helped feed them when they were old enough to eat regular food. He taught them how to tie their shoes and helped them to learn to walk, etc.

Just a wonderful dad and husband!



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