It was in late October when yellow, red, orange and purple leaves were falling fast that Mama’s Uncle Cyrus came to our gray house. On a busy Saturday we heard the honking of a car horn in front of our house. "Oogie, Oogie," sounded the horn. Pledge went out to see who was in the Model A Ford.

"Where is your Mama?," asked the tall thin man as he stepped off the running board of his car.

"She is in the bedroom sewing on my shirt," answered my brother. "I’ll go get her".

Pledge ran fast into the house and told Mama that a man wearing an overcoat wanted to see her.

Mama came forth and stood on the front porch. When she recognized the tall thin man with graying hair she ran out to the automobile and soon she was hugging him.

The rest of us ran out to see what was taking place.

"Children", said Mama, turning around. "This is my Uncle Cyrus. He’s come here from Oklahoma."

"A handsome brood," remarked the man, smiling and stroking Mac’s hair.

Mama grabbed Uncle Cyrus’ arm. "Come in," she invited. "It has been a very long time since I saw you."

"Yes, my little humming bird," he agreed. "remember when you were small and had long rolls of auburn hair hanging from your head that is what I always called you, my little humming bird."

"You were my favorite uncle," said Mama. "You played games with me when no one else would play. You pretended that you could not find me when I hid behind the smoke house."

In hardly any time at all, Mama made tea and set a lunch for the tall thin man.

"You’re a good cook," said Uncle Cyrus.

"The credit goes to Margaret," said our mother. "She has been a blessing since she came to live with us, cooking most of our meals and she does make delicious cornbread."

I could see the smile on Margaret’s face. I knew she was happy with the compliment, but I felt a tiny bit jealous that my uncle didn’t hear a good word about me. Mama had a way of making people feel good about themselves.

One day I made biscuits and they were hard.

"Never mind," said Mama. "It’s about the best tasting bread I have ever put in my mouth."

I knew she was trying to make me feel good and she did.

One of the first questions Uncle Cyrus asked was, "Where is Fred?"

I could hear the pain in Mama’s voice when she told him that Papa had gone away to find work and had not returned. She hoped that he was all right. It wasn’t like Papa to go away and leave her and the children so long. He loved his family. It was then that a terrible thought came into my mind. Something terrible must have happened and we might not ever see our father again.

"There, dear," Uncle Cyrus said, comforting Mama. "Don’t’ worry. Just keep the faith. One day he will be home and explain his long absence. I feel sure everything will come out fine. If he had been killed or died from disease the police would have found you and told you so."

The sad countenance left Mama’s face and she talked about other things like Pledge and his job selling newspapers and how Margaret came to live with us. She spoke of Papa’s relatives, the Blankenship ladies who lived in Gabletown and how nice they were to us. She told Uncle Cyrus about Mrs. Pearl, her husband Wayne and her brother, Theo, our wonderful neighbors and that she could always depend on them to help.

Our great uncle told us he had been living with his son, Malcolm and his wife, Marie. Marie’s mother had moved in with them and he couldn’t stand that woman. He said the woman was a bossy old hag so he decided to look up our family as he was always fond of Mama.

"I’m so glad you came to us," said Mama. "You can sleep in Pledge’s room and he can sleep on the davenport in the parlor room while you are here." Mama thought he was here for a visit.

"Dear," said the man, "I would like to stay here for a while."

Mama’s mouth opened in surprise. She had not expected this desire from him.

"We don’t have a lot of room," said Mama, "Especially since Margaret is my daughter now."

"Do you have an attic?" asked Uncle Cyrus.

"Oh, there is an attic floor with a push-up door," answered Mama. "There are no inside walls and stairs in the hall."

"If you would be kind enough to let me stay," offered the old man. "I would build steps and fix up the attic for my room."

"Let me think about it for a few minutes," replied Mama.

She went into the bedroom. After a short time she came out.

"I prayed about it," she said. "It’s all right for you to stay as long as there is food for all."

"Oh, I will help," promised the man. "It’s a deal. I’ll find enough odd jobs to buy my food. I can build. I can paint and fix things like cars."

"Sounds good," Mama said happily.

Uncle Cyrus became a strong part of our family which had grown larger since Papa left. He wasted no time in helping our family. The day he arrived he went out and chopped all the wood in the back yard. In the late afternoon Terry and Mac helped our uncle clean the yard. With a sickle Uncle Cyrus cut the old dead flower stems and my brothers raked the yard.

His coming interrupted our house work somewhat. We didn’t get all the wash and ironing done but Mama said the weather was cold and most of the clothes weren’t that dirty. We would catch up with the laundry next week.

Margaret peeled and cut up extra potatoes for our supper. Mama put her sewing away and baked two apple pies, using canned apples. It was a great meal. We had potatoes, canned sausage and biscuits browned so nice.

Our uncle said grace: "God in Heaven, bless these provisions, you have supplied, to the good of our bodies. Bless the loving hands that cooked this meal. Thank you. Amen."

Everyone in the gray house took baths after supper. Mama went about laying out clothes for us to wear to church next day.

We all, except Mama settled down by the hearth in the dining room. Uncle Cyrus had a good fire going in the fireplace.

Uncle Cyrus sat in the green painted rocker with five slats in the back of it. Mac stood on one side of him and Marcella on the other side. With flames dancing inside the grate of the fireplace and making long shadows dance on the wall, the man told tales of long ago when he was a young cowboy, of wild horses, longhorn cows and western trails. He told about a time when he got lost from his friends and lived many days with kind Indians. He learned to make bows and arrows and ate wild foods prepared by the Indian squaws.

Margaret and I sat on the braided rug made from old socks. Terry and Pledge sat in another green rocking chair. We all listened more than we talked. Now and then Pledge asked uncle Cyrus a question but the old man had so much to tell there was not need to ask anything.

Mama came into the room and my brothers gave her the rocker they had been sitting in. The boys pulled up straight chairs to our semi-circle near the fire.

Mama and her uncle talked about her childhood days and how things had changed so much. Talking movies were replacing the old silent one where one had to read on the screen what the actors were saying to each other.

In a little while Mama said, "It’s time for you youngsters to be in bed. Tomorrow is Sunday and Pledge has to be up early to get his job done so he can be in church."

"I’d like to help Pledge in the morning," offered our great uncle.

This made my brother very happy. He was going to get along fine with this uncle. It wasn’t the same as having Papa to help, but having a man in the house again gave him a good feeling. Someone was going to share the responsibility Pledge had felt for the family.

We girls got up to leave the room and the boys lingered.

"Goodnight, ladies," sang the man. "We’re going to leave you now".

Margaret, Marcella and I gave him our best smiles and went to our rooms.

"Nice old chap," remarked Margaret as we climbed the stairs. "You know, Minnie, I like living here with all of you. I never had sisters or brothers before. It’s such a warm feeling and I’m not lonely anymore".

After Margaret went to her room, Marcella and I talked about the old man who suddenly had dropped into our world.

"I don’t remember Mama ever telling us about Uncle Cyrus before he came here," said Marcella.

"And Mama, his little humming bird," I laughed.

I don’t remember saying anything else or even thinking about anything. I slept through the night.

By 7:30 a.m. we were all up, eating breakfast, making beds and getting ready for church.

When I first went into the kitchen Mama and Uncle Cyrus were having a cup of coffee. He had brought along a 3 lb. can of coffee and he brewed the coffee in the old blue enamel pot that Mama had not used since Papa went away.

Uncle Cyrus got up from the table and left with my brother to deliver the newspapers.

We ate and cleaned the kitchen in a hurry so we could read the funny papers before time to leave for church.

In hardly any time it seemed that Pledge and our great uncle returned home.

"Your boy has a lot of hills to climb," Uncle Cyrus said to Mama. "But that’s good for him, will make a strong man of him. All that exercise can’t do me any harm either. By the way, I met Aunt Beulah. She is a charming lady!"

"She’s very friendly," Mama agreed.

"I’d best get ready for church," declared the man. "I’ll put on my Sunday suspenders with the inset of pearl buttons. Let’s all ride to church today."

"Great!" said Margaret. "I’ll feel special riding in the automobile."

We all agreed it would be nice to ride in the old Chevrolet which had a running board and fenders on each side and ising glass windows on the sides and back. We never cared that the model was old, it was good to get to ride.

Eight of us went to church in the old car. Mama, Mac and Uncle Cyrus were in the front seat. Five of us sat in the back seat.

When the car pulled up in front of the church, folks in the church yard turned and looked at us.

"Mama, the people are staring," I said.

"They are just curious," returned Mama. I wasn’t sure what that word curious meant.

Mrs. Blabberson and Mrs. Snootkin were speaking to each other in a low voice. I wondered what they were saying. I was a Christian now and supposed to love everyone but I had a hard time liking these two women.

Uncle Cyrus wasn’t bashful. He never waited for Mama to introduce him to the small crowd in the church yard. He went about shaking hands with the people and telling them he was our mother’s uncle and had come to live with her and her handsome children. The man really knew hot to make us feel good. It was important to me that he thought we were good looking. I’m sure Mama did, too, but she wasn’t one to brag big about her youngsters.

We all squeezed into a pew in the church. Mama whispered to Pledge and Terry to move to the pew in front of us as we were too crowded. They did move.

We sang several songs such as: "We’re Marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion" and "At the Cross." Uncle Cyrus’ voice was strong and clear, rising louder than our childish singing.

I saw Mrs. Blabberson look our way. She actually smiled. I think she liked the sound of my great uncle singing. I guessed that maybe I could learn to like her. Maybe she was a nicer lady than Mrs. Snootkin.

Uncle Cyrus was looking kindly toward Aunt Beulah, who was signing in the choir that day. I realized I hadn’t asked the old man if he would ever marry again. There were questions popping in my mind that I wanted to ask him later.

When the preacher asked if there was any one who had a testimony, Margaret rose to her feet and told how God had provided a wonderful home for her to live in after her mother had died. She said that now she was most happy since a great uncle came to stay. She said she liked the sweet old man.

Many people gave short testimonies but I was too shy even though I had many thoughts about what God was doing in our lives – the blessings he was sending our way in people like aunt Beulah, Cousin Jane and now my special great uncle.

After preaching was over, we sang the last song and were dismissed to go home. The preacher shook hands with everyone as they came out of the sanctuary.

Uncle Cyrus told the minister who he was and where he would be living. The preacher invited him to come out to the night service.

"I just may do that," returned the old man.

Riding in the old automobile, we were home in hardly any time at all.

Uncle Cyrus took off his meeting – clothes, folding his vest, jacket and trousers over the arms of the davenport.

Mama put on her apron and went into the kitchen while we changed our clothes, the boys into overalls, and the girls into faded dresses.

It was almost as cold inside the house as it was outside until our uncle stirred up the fire in the fireplace and added more wood. Pledge brought two armfuls into the kitchen so Mama could make our lunch on the cook stove.

Mama put a big pot of white beans on the stove. The beans had to cook for over an hour. She made enough biscuits dough to fill two very large pans. There she made more dough, rolling it out in pin-wheels with sugar and cinnamon between the curled dough. Early in the morning she had set out a big bowl of strawberry Jell-O on the back porch. The hens weren’t laying much because molting was taking place but Mama saved enough eggs for each of us to have a deviled egg.

My brothers were in the back yard pitching horseshoes. Uncle Cyrus joined them. There were two teams – Pledge and Mac and Terry and Uncle Cyrus. Terry and Uncle Cyrus won the first game.

"Next time, you are my partner," Pledge said to his great uncle.

It wasn’t long until Mama called Margaret to the kitchen to set the table and take up the food on the stove.

We were all so very hungry by the time lunch was ready. We all had a cup of tea with our meal, which all agreed was very good.

When we finished eating, Margaret and I cleaned the kitchen. Then Mama said that we could do something that we wanted to do.

"Let’s go to aunt Beulah’s house and borrow some books to read," I suggested to my older sister Margaret.

"Good idea!" exclaimed Margaret, "If it is all right with Mama Huddle."

"Sure, you may go," my mother said, "But don’t stay too long."

Margaret and I climbed the high hill to our Aunt’s house and looked over her large collection of books.

I selected A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Margaret chose the story, Oliver Twist. Then we thanked Aunt Beulah and left for home.

Coming down the hill was fun, once started running, we had to keep running.

When we arrived at the house, our neighbors Mrs. Peal and her husband Wayne were there. Mr. Wayne and our great uncle were discussing World War I and the American soldiers in France and how the flu epidemic had kept many service men on American soil. They spoke of the hard times that had come upon our nation, causing many of the men to be hobos and drifters. Entire families had to travel dusty roads trying to find work in new towns and places to live.

We children listened and I thought of my own dear Papa. How I longed to see him and run into his arms again. I saw tears in Terry’s eyes. My brothers and sisters were feeling the same emotion as I was.

Mama noticed that we were sad and she said, "You children, go get some fresh air before night fall."

"Yes," said Mac. "Let’s play ball and he got the string ball from under the side-table. It was a ball made from an old sock rolled up and wrapped many times with twine. Mama saved the twine that was wrapped around cheese and side bacon that we bought at the store. Also twine that was wrapped around dress material and other things was kept for making a ball or a kite.

We went out and made a big circle and passed the ball around until the boys decided to play marbles.

Uncle Cyrus had given me the old rope that was tied around his belongings which included a pillow and two patch-work quilts. These items were covered with a canvas and tied to the top of the old Chevrolet. Margaret, Marcella and I had fun jumping rope, sometimes single and double-Dutch when the rope was tied to a tree.

The neighbors left about five o’clock and Mama made a quick supper of biscuits and fat-bacon gravy that was velvety smooth and golden brown. She opened two quart mason jars of cherries for dessert.

"Who wants to go to church with me?" said Uncle Cyrus after supper.

"I won’t go tonight," said Mama. "I think I’ll lie down and rest."

"I’ll go," said Margaret.

"Me, too," said Terry and me at the same time.

So Uncle Cyrus, Terry, Margaret and I stepped on the running as we got into the car.

"This is the way we go to church, go to church on this Sunday night," sang our uncle. He sang two more verses and then we were there at church.

It was a bit early when we arrived. Only one old man and one old woman were there.

Marcella went to the piano and played a short tune, then she slid off the bench and came to sit with us.

The minister came in and asked Terry to put song books on the pews. I could see this pleased my brother very much to have the responsibility. He placed four books on each bench.

It was really a sing-song service. The preacher had little to say that night.

"Each one of you pick your favorite hymn," said he. "We will sing a lot of songs."

Margaret wasn’t timid at all. She was the first to call out. No. 34 "That Heavenly Mansion Will Be Mine." That girl loved the songs about heaven where her pa and ma had gone.

"How about singing No. 39," said Uncle Cyrus. "I love the old hymn, Nearer My God to Thee."

We sang so many songs my throat was getting dry when the preacher said, "Just one more hymn." The service was ended by all singing. "God Be With You till We Meet Again."

Mama was still resting when we got home. My little sister was asleep. Pledge and Mac were getting ready for bed, taking one more drink of water from the dipper in the bucket on the back porch.

Uncle Cyrus, are you going to help me again in the morning?" asked Pledge.

"No, son," replied the great uncle. "Not unless the rain is pouring down. You won’t grow to be an industrious man if I help you all the time. But I will help when the weather is severe."

Pledge was disappointed. He never said anything more. He went straight to bed.

Then Margaret and I went to our beds to crawl under the covers. The sheet was always cold when I first got in bed. I snuggled near Marcella and got warm.