The old farm house like I said stood just below the crest of a hill. Next to the house was a cellar were mom kept potatoes and some can fruit . West to the corner across a fence was the orchard south of the orchard was the hen house, the outhouse was on the S.E. corner of the hen house next to that East was the smoke house East of that was the garden another hen house or shed for something then the barn yard fence with a wood pile for cooking and heating and on down the hill to the East was the barn which was built into the side of the hill with rock walls and concrete floor with wood structure on top being the loft where you could drive a wagon up a ramp and inside the loft if you needed. Inside was a another floor or platform about 10 feet high you reached with a ladder built in the middle. The floor was about half the length of the loft. There they kept loose hay for the cows before baillers were invented and by this time all the hay was bailed with wire and stacked tight and neat almost to the ceiling of the old barn. If you needed hay you cut the wire next to a hole that was kept clear all the way to the concrete manger below. This hole was about 3 ft square so you could drop a whole bail down if you wanted.
My double cousin Jerry Gene Inman came to stay a week or so and we played in the old barn if it was rainy. We were about the same age, him being a few months older and one day we were chasing each other for some reason on top of the stack of hay. I turned around and Jerry was gone. At first I thought he was hiding then I hear this low moan from the manger below. I ran to the hole and looked down and there he was on his back about 20 ft below spitting out hay and trying to breath with the wind knocked out of him. I guess he had fought like a tiger to keep from falling to fast so it didn’t kill him, but he was no good for the rest of the day.
The Story of the hound dog went something like this. The Inman boys was a tough bunch they liked to party and have a good time and was known to drink a little (my uncle Port more than a little). One day they were sitting in the yard in front of the old family home near Nixa Mo. It was hot summer day the sun was low work was done and I guess they were passing the jug around the Oldest boy my uncle Jim was runnin’ booze up from AK. in the back of an old Model T ford ( later spent a year in jail which cured him of that). then there was Port my Dad Red, Jack, and Eldon being the youngest. I don’t know if they were all there or not but there was an old hound dog that someone had dumped and was always hungry and hangin’ ’round lookin’ for a meal and he looked like he needed one two. Now I know this sounds cruel but it was the great depression and food was hard to come by. Dad said here comes that ol’ hound Port said I’ll get rid of him and pick up a small can of coal oil poured a little on the poor old dogs rear end and lit it. In about 2 seconds the dog yelped and ran right through open door to the house and under the bed. In those days the mattress was made from straw ticking. My grandma saw what happened and yelled get that dog outta hear he’ll burn the house down…. someone dove under the bed and the dog took off knocking over chairs and trying to find away out. He found the back door headed down hill toward creek below and never came back. My grandma came out of the house with all 5 ft. of her stature braced for action with the broom ready to strike. The boys took off a safe distance and gave her all the room she needed.
