smoke coming from. Then we would take our fire shovel and go over to get coals to start our fire to save matches. During our first winter here, we lost one cow and one oxen for the want of food for them. Father cut what little hay he could in the hills, but did not have enough to last. In the spring both father and mother sheared sheep and took a share of the wool for their pay. Mother carded and spun the wool to make clothing for the family. They raised flax and hemp and Mother spun it, and when I was eleven years old, I wove it into sacks and wagon covers. Mother went into the fields every day with Father and I took care of the children. Father would cut the hay with a scythe and Mother would rake it with a hand rake. He cradled the wheat and she would bind it. The years were hard. I have a vivid picture in my mind of my mother's face and tears running down her cheeks when her little children would ask her for bread and she had none to give them. Our lot was fenced with poles. They were crooked and wiggly, but us children could run on the top pole around the lot, but remember we were barefooted. I remember a deep pit they had a fire in to warm the flax so they could work it up. We would run and jump across this pit. One day a girl caught my dress and I fell in the bottom of this pit. There was a little excitement until Mother got me out, because I was knocked cold. We had a heavy wooden box we brought food in across the plains. Father made two wooden stools of logs to set this box on; we used this for a table. We also had the same kind of stools to sit on. The beds were made by driving posts in the ground and placing other poles across these, then straw on top. The children's beds were made the same way, only not stationery, and it was lower so it could be put under the larger bed in the day time. Our fireplaces were made of rock and sandstone with an iron bar across the hooks hanging down from this to hang our kettles on. For baking, we had a heavy iron bake kettle. We would rake the hot coals out and put the bake ovens in the fire, and then the hot coals on top of the lid. Our only light was the light from the fireplace. Mother would spin yam by this light. Later on when we had a little grease, we would put a little in a plate and put a rag in it and light the rag. Still later on, when we had more grease or beef tallow, we made candles. I don't know whether I can make you understand how Mother made the candles. Before they got the molds, they took a sort of cord strong enough for about twelve candles. Then they melted grease, Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together and to save on that, they poured it on top of a pan of water. Then they dipped the strings in the grease and hung them up until the grease was set. Of course, the first time they would be real small, but as they hardened they would dip them again and again and each time the candle would grow a little. They could not afford enough grease to make them very large. But mother would always make a special one for Christmas so it had three lights. Later they used the candle molds. They raised flax, and Mother spun the thread for the candles from this. For soap they made a sort of grate and put straw in it and then filled it with ashes and pour water over the ashes. When the water drained through, it was strong lye water. By boiling this it made a soft jelly substance or soft soap. It seems as though we didn't have any food. We boiled wheat mostly. Some of it we ground with an old coffee mill. After they started to raise vegetables, it helped so much. We gathered wild fruit and dried for winter. We also dried wild rose leaves and steeped them for tea. The schools in those days were being held about three months of the year. The teacher would board around with different families, spending two weeks in each home. Church and parties were held in the same old building. I fancy I can see that old school house now with a bunch of willows in one corner, and a young boy standing in one comer with a girl's bonnet on, another with both arms in the air, his hands loaded down with book; and still another bent over standing on one leg with his finger on a crack in the floor. It sounds funny, but it wasn't funny then. One of our teachers was an old lady named Mrs. Parkinson. She was a sweet, old lady and a good singer. She owned the only hymn book in our town and she used to teach us to sing from it. Sometimes when we would ask Mother for bread, she would feel so downhearted, and she would ask us to sing some of the songs that the old lady had taught us. Then the sun would shine a little brighter again. There is another thing I can never forget, how kind the people were to help in sickness or trouble and would never think of asking for pay. Father used to tell about things that happened in the old country. Then we young people would make a play out of his story. Zet Thurston and I were the only girls that would take part. We sure had a good time and there were never any charges. The people used to enjoy it and we had fun. When I was eleven, I wove cloth to make myself a dress. Mother was so happy to know I could do so many things, but she was not here long to enjoy it.