My grandparents, Henry Melvin and Elise Cannon Howell lived in Nunnelly, Tennessee. This is a small community in Hickman County. The train traveled through the area.
My grandfather often walked to the Nunnelly store to buy himself an RC cola and peanuts. The old train depot was across the road from the store and men would sit on the porch talking and playing checkers. Grandpa was
one of those men. He would sit down, pour his peanuts in his RC Cola and spend hours at the depot.
This was the case on the day an expensive fancy car pulled up. A man in a suit and dressy felt hat stepped out of the car. The stranger walked up to grandpa and asked, " Sir do you know a Mr. Henry Melvin Howell?"
Grandpa continued his snack for a second as he mulled over this stranger asking him questions. He glanced toward the car to see a well dressed lady with a hat on sitting in the car but could not see her face.
"Revenuers", thought grandpa. It seems grandpa had a homemade whiskey steal and he was sure someone had turned him in.
"Yes Sir, I know Mr. Howell", grandpa replied.
"Could you give me directions to his house", Asked the stranger?
"Well Sir I can do better than that. I will show you the way", grandpa announced.
Grandpa crawled into the backseat of the car. As he gave directions he thought about how slick this revenuer was. The stranger brought a fancy woman with him to throw people off track. I will surprise him!
The stranger pulled up to the house as directed by grandpa. Grandpa stepped out of the car as did the well dressed stranger.
I am Melvin Howell! Now who in the hell are you and what do you want", grandpa demanded!
In a soft kind voice the stranger said, "Well Sir! I have someone here that has waited a long time to meet you!"
As grandpa stood there confused, the lady with the hat stepped out of the car. To his surprise he was looking into the tear filled blue eyes which were a copy of his own clear blue eyes.
The stranger said, " Sir I am John Stuckey and this is my wife and your daughter, Audie Lou. She has been searching for you for a very long time."
His Daughter who he had not seen since she was about three months old. The daughter he searched for but could not find. She was standing in front of him, looking at him through his own eyes.
One of the greatest gifts to our family was that Aunt Audie found us. And I am sure happy Uncle John told grandpa who they were before grandpa ran for the shotgun.
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