For a while after we moved into Stallings we had no bathroom (toilet). The house was brand new and the house payments were high ($12:00 a month) but we had not set up an out house yet.  Miss Carpenter out  next door neighbor the good person that she was would allow us to use hers until we could get one of our own. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter (Clarence and Alice) had a nice one down in the edge of the woods, it was a one seater with a concrete floor and a commode seat, they always had toilet paper, that was nice!  Well after a time we came upon a deal to good to be true. My mother's sister and her husband (Swindell and Thelma Conner) lived in Thomasboro next to a church. It seems that the church had put in indoor plumbing and their two outhouses were going to be given away first come first served. My Aunt Thelma contacted my mother with the news, excitement abounded around our household. 
My daddy borrowed a pickup truck and we were off to see the out houses. Arriving we immediately went to the area of location. We had first choice on which one we wanted, they were both two seaters but the ladies house was in the best shape and so that was the one. We loaded it onto the pickup and away we went through downtown Charlotte and down highway 74 (Monroe Rd.) to Union County. When we got to Stallings we slowed down as we passed Duckworth's service station and CJ Squires grocery store. I waved at everybody I saw because I was proud. After unloading the out house and showing it off to the rest of our neighbors daddy started to dig a hole. When finished the house was placed and all agreed that Daddy should be the first.
   I have many memories of that little house. I remember when it was cold and you had to go, but with a good union suit at least you didn't have to take all your clothes down. I remember when it was dark at night and you had to go, unless the moon was bright you had to know where everything was located. I remember when it was hot and the odor may have been offensive to some, I remember the catalogs and newspapers. You couldn't go in and set down because you were afraid that a black widow spider might be just under the boards waiting to bite you where you don't want to be bit. In our out house you could go in, shut the door and turn that little latch on the inside and have a moment of privacy.  
   My daddy was a smoker, (smoked Lucky Strikes) and so one year we as a family got him a brand new Ronson cigarette lighter for his birthday. Well he hadn't had that thing no time when he dropped it down through that hole of darkness. You know that lighter meant a lot to him but I don't think he even tried to get it. 
   One year we (my brother Dub and me) got air riffles for Christmas. We had a little female Cocker Spaniel dog named Snafu and when Snafu came into heat we would lock her up in the out house to keep her safe from harm. Well we realized that she would have visitors at night and so we both got up on top of the house and laid real still and quite. It wouldn't be long before male dogs would come a courtin, they wouldn't know we were up there to protect her and then all of a sudden we would raise up and begin to play army with our guns. We knew we couldn't hurt them just scare'em off, but for two young boys that was excitement. 
   I guess the excitement wore off after a while because when we knew we were going to Charlotte to visit my mother's sister the coming Saturday my brother Dub and me would not use the out house all week in anticipation of getting to use indoor plumbing. I don't know what my Aunt Thelma must have thought because every time we came to her house the first thing we would do was race to see who could get to the bathroom first.           Were those the "Good Ole Days?