sonablysafe，unlessourguestsdecidedtoburnthecabin。
Theeveningseemedendless，andwascertainlynerve—racking。TheIndiansateeverythinginthehouse，andfrommyseatinadimcornerIwatchedthemwhilemysisterswaitedonthem。Icanstillseethetableautheymadeinthefirelitroomandheartheunfamiliaraccentsoftheirspeechastheytalkedtogether。Occasionallyoneofthemwouldpullahairfromhishead，seizehisscalping—knife；
andcutthehairwithit——amostunpleasantsight！
WheneitherofmysistersapproachedthemsomeoftheIndianswouldmakegestures，asifcapturingandscalpingher。Throughitall，however，thewhiskyheldtheircloseattention，anditwasduetothisthatwesucceededinreachingtheatticunob—
served，Jamescominglastofallanddrawingtheladderafterhim。Motherandthechildrenwerethenputtobed；butthroughthatinterminablenightJamesandEleanorlayflatuponthefloor，watchingthroughthecracksbetweentheboardstherevelsofthedrunkenIndians，whichgrewwild—
erwitheveryhourthatcrawledtowardsunrise。
Therewasnoknowingwhentheywouldmissusorhowsoontheirmoodmightchange。Atanymomenttheymightmakeanattackuponusorsetfiretothecabin。Bydawn，however，theirwhiskywasallgone，andtheywereinsodeepastuporthat，oneaftertheother，thesevenfellfromtheirchairstothefloor，wheretheysprawledun—
conscious。Whentheyawoketheyleftquietlyandwithouttroubleofanykind。Theyseemedastrangelysubduedandchastenedband；probablytheywerewretchedlyillaftertheirdebauchontheadulteratedwhiskythetradershadgiventhem。
ThatautumntheOttawatribehadagreatcorncelebration，towhichweandtheothersettlerswereinvited。Jamesandmyoldersistersattendedit，andIwentwiththem，bymyownurgentinvita—
tion。ItseemedtomethatasIwassharingtheworkandtheperilsofournewenvironment，I
mightaswellshareitsjoys；andIfinallysucceededinmakingmyfamilyseethelogicofthisposition。
Thecentralfeatureofthefestivitywasahugekettle，manyfeetincircumference，intowhichtheIndiansdroppedthemostextraordinaryvarietyoffoodwehadeverseencombined。Deerheadswentintoitwhole，aswellaseverykindofmeatandvegetablethemembersofthetribecouldprocure。Weallatesomeofthisagreeablemixture，andlater，withoneanother，andevenwiththeIndians，wedancedgailytothemusicofatom—tomandadrum。Theaffairwasextremelyinterestinguntilthewhiskyenteredanddiditsunpleasantwork。Whenourhostsbe—
gantofalloverinthedanceandslumberwheretheylay，andwhenthesquawsbegantoshowthesameilleffectsoftheirrefreshments，weunostentatiouslyslippedaway。
Duringthewinterlifeofferedusfewdiversionsandmanyhardships。Ourcreekfrozeover，andthewaterproblembecameaseriousone，whichwemetwithincreasingdifficultyasthetemperaturesteadilyfell。Wemeltedsnowandice，andexistedthroughthefrozenmonths，butwithanamountofdiscom—
fortwhichmadeusunwillingtorepeatatleastthatspecialphaseofourexperience。Inthespring，therefore，Imadeawell。Longbeforethis，Jameshadgone，andHarryandIwerenowtheonlyout—
doormembersofourworking—force。Harrywasstilltoosmalltohelpwiththewell；butayoungman，whohadformedtheneighborlyhabitofrid—
ingeighteenmilestocallonus，gavememuchfriendlyaid。Welocatedthewellwithaswitch，andwhenwehaddugasfaraswecouldreachwithourspades，myassistantdescendedintotheholeandthrewtheearthuptotheedge，fromwhichI
inturnremovedit。Asthewellgrewdeeperwemadeahalf—wayshelf，onwhichIstood，hethrow—
ingtheearthontheshelf，andIshovelingitupfromthatpoint。Later，ashedescendedstillfartherintotheholeweweremaking，heshoveledtheearthintobucketsandpassedthemuptome，Ipassingthemontomysister，whowasnowpressedintoservice。Whentheexcavationwasdeepenoughwemadethewallofslabsofwood，roughlyjoinedtogether。Irecallthatwellwithcalmcontent。Itwasnotathingofbeauty，butitwasathoroughlypracticalwell，anditremainedtheonlyonewehadduringthetwelveyearsthefamilyoccupiedthecabin。
Duringourfirstyeartherewasnoschoolwithintenmilesofus，butthislackfailedtosaddenHarryorme。WehadbroughtwithusfromLawrenceaboxofbooks，inwhich，inwintermonths，whenouroutdoorworkwasrestricted，wefoundmuchcomfort。Theyweretheonlybooksinthatpartofthecountry，andwereadthemuntilweknewthemallbyheart。Moreover，fathersentusregularlytheNewYorkIndependent，andwiththisadmirableliterature，afterreadingit，wepaperedourwalls。
Thus，onstormydays，wecouldlieonthesettleorthefloorandreadtheIndependentoveragainwithincreasedinterestandpleasure。
OccasionallyfathersentustheLedger，butheremotherdrewadefiniteline。Shehadaspecialdis—
likeforthatperiodical，andherseverestcommentonanywomanwasthatshewasthetypewhowould``keepadog，makesaleratusbiscuit，andreadtheNewYorkLedgerinthedaytime。’’OurmodestlibraryalsocontainedseveralhistoriesofGreeceandRome，whichmusthavebeengoodones，foryearslater，whenIenteredcollege，Ipassedmyexaminationinancienthistorywithnootherprep—
arationthanthisreading。Therewerealsoafewarithmeticsandalgebras，ahistoricalnovelortwo，andtheinevitablecopyofUncleTom’sCabin，whosepagesIhadfreelymoistenedwithmytears。
Whentheadvantagesofpubliceducationwerefinallyextendedtome，atthirteen，bytheopeningofaschoolthreemilesfromourhome，Iacceptedthemwithgrowingreluctance。Theteacherwasaspinsterforty—fouryearsofageandtheonlygenuine``oldmaid’’Ihaveevermetwhowasnotamarriedwomanoraman。Shewastherealthing，andhername，PrudenceDuncan，seemedthefittinglabelforherrigidlyuncompromisingpersonality。IgracedPrudence’sschoolforthreemonths，andthenleftitatherfervidrequest。IhadwalkedsixmilesadaythroughtracklesswoodsandWesternblizzardstogetwhatshecouldgiveme，butshehadlittletooffermyawakenedandcriticalmind。MyreadingandmyLawrenceschool—workhadalreadytaughtmemorethanPrudenceknew——afactwebothinwardry——admittedandfiercelyresentedfromourdifferentviewpoints。BeyonddoubtIwasapertandtryingyoungperson。IlostnoopportunitytoleadPrudencebeyondherintellectualdepthandleaveherthere，andPrudenceventedherchagrinnotaloneuponme，butuponmylittlebrother。Ibecameathorninherside，andoneday，afteranespeciallyunpleasantepisodeinwhichHarryalsofigured，shepluckedmeout，asitwere，andcastmeforeverfromher。FromthattimeIstudiedathome，whereIwasamuchmorevaluableeconomicfactorthanIhadbeeninschool。
ThesecondspringafterourarrivalHarryandI
extendedouroperationsbytappingthesugar—
bushes，collectingallthesap，andcarryingithomeinpailsslungfromouryoke—ladenshoulders。To—
getherwemadeonehundredandfiftypoundsofsugarandabarrelofsyrup，buthereagain，asal—
ways，weworkedinprimitiveways。Togetthesapwechoppedagashinthetreeanddroveinaspile。
Thenwedugoutatroughtocatchthesap。Itwasnolighttasktoliftthesetroughsfullofsapandemptythesapintobuckets，butwediditsuccess—
fully，andafterwardbuiltfiresandboileditdown。
Bythistimewehadalsoclearedsomeofourground，andduringthespringwewereabletoplow，dividingtheworkinawaythatseemedfairtousboth。
Thesewerestrenuousoccupationsforaboyofnineandagirlofthirteen，but，thoughwewerenotin—
ordinatelygoodchildren，wenevercomplained；wefoundthemverysatisfactorysubstitutesformorenormalbucolicjoys。Inevitably，wehadourlittletragedies。Ourcowdied，andforanentirewinterwewentwithoutmilk。Ourcoffeesoongaveout，andasasubstitutewemadeandusedamixtureofbrownedpeasandburntrye。Inthewinterwewerealwayscold，andthewaterproblem，untilwehadbuiltourwell，waseverwithus。
Fatherjoinedusattheendofeighteenmonths，butthoughhispresencegaveuspleasureandmoralsupport，hewasnotanadditiontoourexecutivestaff。Hebroughtwithhimarocking—chairformotherandanewsupplyofbooks，onwhichIfellasastarvingmanfallsuponfood。FatherreadaseagerlyasI，butmuchmoresteadily。Hismindwasalwaysbusywithproblems，andif，whilehewaslaboringinthefield，anewproblempresenteditselftohim，theimperishablecuriositythatwasinhimmadehimscurryatoncetothehousetosolveit。Ihaveknownhimtospendaplantingseasoninfiguringontheproductionofacertainnumberofkernelsofcorn，insteadofplantingthecornandraisingit。Inthewinterhewassupposedtospendhistimeclearinglandfororchardsandthelike，butinsteadheporedoverhisbooksandproblemsdayafterdayandoftenhalfthenightaswell。Itsoonbecameknownamongourneigh—
bors，whowererapidlyincreasinginnumber，thatwehadbooksandthatfatherliketoreadaloud，andmenwalkedtenmilesormoretospendthenightwithusandlistentohisreading。Often，ashisfamegrew，tenortwelvemenwouldarriveatourcabinonSaturdayandremainoverSunday。Whenmymotheroncetriedtocheckthisinfluxofguestsbymildlypointingout，amongotherthings，thewasteofcandlesrepresentedbyfrequentall—nightreadings，everymanhumblyappearedagainonthefollowingSaturdaywithacandleineachhand。
Theywerenotsensitive；and，astheyhadbroughttheircandles，itseemedfittingtothemandtofatherthatwegirlsshouldcookforthemandsupplythemwithfood。
Father’stoleranceofidlenessinothers，however，didnotextendtotoleranceofidlenessinus，andthisledtomyfirstrebellion，whichoccurredwhenIwasfourteen。Foronce，Ihadbeeninthewoodsallday，buriedinmybooks；andwhenIreturnedatnight，stillinthedreamworldthesebookshadopenedtome，fatherwasawaitingmycomingwithabrowdarkwithdisapproval。Asithappened，motherhadfeltthatdaysomespecialneedofme，andfatherreproachedmebitterlyforbeingbeyondreach——anidlerwhowastedtimewhilemotherlabored。HeendedalongarraignmentbypredictinggloomilythatwithsuchtendenciesIwouldmakenothingofmylife。
Theinjusticeofthecriticismcutdeep；IknewIhaddoneandwasdoingmyshareforthefamily，andalready，too，Ihadbeguntofeelthecallofmycareer。ForsomereasonIwantedtopreach——totalktopeople，totellthemthings。Justwhy，justwhat，Ididnotyetknow——butIhadbeguntopreachinthesilentwoods，tostanduponstumpsandaddresstheunresponsivetrees，tofeelthestirofaspirationwithinme。
Whenmyfatherhadfinishedallhewishedtosay，Ilookedathimandanswered，quietly，``Father，somedayIamgoingtocollege。’’
Icanstillseehisslight，ironicalsmile。Itdrovemetoasecondprediction。Iwasyoungenoughtomeasuresuccessbymaterialresults，soIadded，recklessly：
``AndbeforeIdieIshallbeworthtenthousanddollars！’’
Theamountstaggeredmeevenasitdroppedfrommylips。Itwasthelargestfortunemyimaginationcouldconceive，andinmyheartIbelievedthatnowomaneverhadpossessedorwouldpossesssomuch。SofarasIknew，too，nowomanhadgonetocollege。ButnowthatIhadputmysecrethopesintowords，Iwasdesperatelydeterminedtomakethosehopescometrue。AfterIbecameawage—
earnerIlostmydesiretomakeafortune，butthecollegedreamgrewwiththeyears；andthoughmycollegecareerseemedasremoteasthemostdistantstar，Ihitchedmylittlewagontothatstarandneverafterwardwhollylostsightofitsfriendlygleam。
WhenIwasfifteenyearsoldIwasofferedasitua—
tionasschool—teacher。Bythistimethecom—
munitywasgrowingarounduswiththerapiditycharacteristicoftheseWesternsettlements，andwehadnearerneighborswhosechildrenneededinstruc—
tion。Ipassedanexaminationbeforeaschool—
boardconsistingofthreenervousandself—consciousmenwhosecertificateIstillhold，andIatoncebeganmyprofessionalcareeronthemodestsalaryoftwodollarsaweekandmyboard。Theschoolwasfourmilesfrommyhome，soI``boardedround’’
withthefamiliesofmypupils，stayingtwoweeksineachplace，andoftenwalkingfromthreetosixmilesadaytoandfrommylittlelogschool—houseineverykindofweather。DuringthefirstyearI
hadaboutfourteenpupils，ofvaryingages，sizes，andtemperaments，andtherewashardlyabookintheschool—roomexceptthoseIowned。Onelittlegirl，Iremember，readfromanalmanac，whileasecondusedahymn—book。
Inwintertheschool—housewasheatedbyawood—
stove，towhichtheteacherhadtogiveclosepersonalattention。Icouldnotdependonmypupilstomakethefiresorcarryinthefuel；anditwasoftennecessarytofetchthewoodmyself，sometimesforlongdistancesthroughtheforest。Againandagain，aftermilesofwalkingthroughwinterstorms，I
reachedtheschool—housewithmyclothingwetthrough，andinthesesoakedgarmentsItaughtduringtheday。In``boardinground’’Ioftenfoundmyselfinone—roomcabins，withbunksattheendandthesolepartitionasheetorablanket，behindwhichIsleptwithoneortwoofthechildren。Itwasthecustomontheseoccasionsforthemanofthehousetodelicatelyretiretothebarnwhilewewomengottobed，andtodisappearagaininthemorningwhilewedressed。InsomeplacesthemealsweresobadlycookedthatIcouldnoteatthem，andoftentheonlyfoodmypoorlittlepupilsbroughttoschoolfortheirnoondaymealwasapieceofbreadorabitofrawpork。
Iearnedmytwodollarsaweekthatyear，butI
hadtowaitformywagesuntilthedogtaxwascol—
lectedinthespring。Whenthemoneywasthusraised，andthetwenty—sixdollarsformythirteenweeksofteachingweregraciouslyputintomyhands，Iwent``outside’’tothenearestshopandjoyouslyspentalmosttheentireamountformyfirst``partydress。’’ThegownIboughtwas，Icon—
sidered，abeautifulcreation。Incoloritwasarichmagenta，andtheskirtwaselaboratelybraidedwithblackcable—cord。Myadmirationforitwasjusti—
fied，foritdidallayounggirl’seagerheartcouldaskofanygown——itledtomyfirstproposal。
Theyouthwhosoughtmyhandwasabouttwentyyearsold，andbyanunhappychancehewasalsotheleastattractiveyoungpersoninthecountry—
side——thelaughing—stockoftheneighbors，thebuttofhisassociates。Thenighthecametooffermehishearttherewerealreadytwoyoungmenatourhomecallingonmysisters，andwewereallsittingaroundthefireintheliving—roomwhenmysuitorappeared。Hiscostume，likehimself，leftmuchtobedesired。Heworeablueflannelshirtandapairoftrousersmadeofflour—bags。Suchtrouserswerenotuncommoninourregion，andtheboy’smother，whohadmadethemforhim，hadthoughtfullyselectedanicecleanpairofsacks。Butononelegwasthenameofthefirmthatmadetheflour——A。andG。W。Green——andbyacharmingcoincidenceA。
andG。W。Greenhappenedtobethetwoyoungmenwhowerecallingonmysisters！Onthebackofthebags，directlyintherearofthewearer，wasthesimplelegend，``96pounds’’；andthestrikingeffectoftheyoungman’scostumewascompletedbyabrightyellowsashwhichheldhistrousersinplace。
Thevisionfascinatedmysistersandtheirtwoguests。Theygaveittheirentireattention，andwhenthenew—comersignifiedwithaneloquentges—
turethathewascallingonme，andbeckonedmeintoaninnerroom，thequartetaroseasonepersonandfollowedustothedoor。Then，asweinhospit—
ablyclosedthedoor，theyfastenedtheireyestothecracksintheliving—roomwall，thattheymightmissnoneoftheentertainment。WhenwewerealonemyguestandIsatdowninfacingchairsandindepressedsilence。Theyoungmanwasnervous，andIwasbothfrightenedandannoyed。Ihadheardsuppressedgigglesontheothersideofthewall，andIrealized，asmyself—centeredvisitorfailedtodo，thatwewerenotenjoyingtheprivacythesituationseemedtodemand。Atlasttheyouthin—
formedmethathis``dad’’hadjustgivenhimacabin，ayokeofsteers，acow，andsomehens。Whenthisannouncementhadproduceditsfulleffect，hestraightenedupinhischairandasked，solemnly，``Willyehaveme？’’
Anoutburstofchortlesfromtheothersideofthewallgreetedtheproposal，buttheardentyouthignoredit，ifindeedheheardit。Witheyesstaringstraightahead，hesatrigid，waitingformyanswer；
andI，anxiousonlytogetridofhimandtoendthestrainofthemoment，saidthefirstthingthatcameintomyhead。``Ican’t，’’Itoldhim。``I’msorry，but——but——I’mengaged。’’
Herosequickly，withtheeffectofahalf—closedjack—knifethatissuddenlyopened，andforanin—
stantstoodlookingdownuponme。Hewassixfeettwoinchestall，andextremelythin。Iamveryshort，and，asIlookedup，hisflour—bagtrousersseemedtojoinhisyellowsashsomewhereneartheceilingoftheroom。Heputbothhandsintohispocketsandslowlydeliveredhisvaledictory。``That’sdarneddis—
appointingtoafellow，’’hesaid，andleftthehouse。
AfteramomentdevotedtoregainingmymaidenlycomposureIreturnedtotheliving—room，whereI
hadtheprivilegeofobservingtheenjoymentofmysistersandtheirvisitors。Helplesswithmirthandwithtearsofpleasureontheircheeks，thefourrockedandshriekedastheyrecalledthepicturemygallanthadpresented。ForsometimeafterthatincidentIfeltastrongdistasteforsentiment。
Cladroyallyinthenewgown，IattendedmyfirstballinNovember，goingwithapartyofeightthatincludedmytwosisters，anothergirl，andfouryoungmen。TheballwasatBigRapids，whichbythistimehadgrowntobeathrivinglumbertown。Itwasimpossibletogetateamofhorsesorevenayokeofoxenforthejourney，sowemadearaftandwentdowntheriveronthat，takingourpartydresseswithusintrunks。Unfortunately，theraft``hungup’’inthestream，andthefouryoungmenhadtogetoutintotheicywaterandworkalongtimebeforetheycoulddetachitfromtherocks。Natu—
rally，theyweresoakedandchilledthrough，buttheyallboretheexperiencewithagayphilosophy。
WhenwereachedBigRapidswedressedfortheball，and，asinthosedaysitwascustomarytochangeone’sgownagainatmidnight，Ihadanop—
portunitytoburstontheassemblageintwocos—
tumes——thesecondmadeofbedroomchintz，withalowneckandshortsleeves。Wedancedthe``moneymusk，’’andthe``Virginiareel，’’``hoeingherdown’’（whichmeanschangingpartners）intruepioneerstyle。Inevermissedadanceatthisoranysubsequentaffair，andIwasconsideredthegayestandthemosttirelessyoungpersonatourpartiesuntilIbecameaMethodistministeranddroppedsuchworldlyvanities。ThefirsttimeI
preachedinmyhomeregionallmyformerpartnerscametohearme，andlistenedwithwide，understand—
ing，reminiscentsmileswhichmadeitveryhardformetokeepsoberlytomytext。
InthenearfutureIhadreasontoregrettheex—
travagantexpenditureofmyfirstearnings。Formysecondyearofteaching，inthesameschool，I
wastoreceivefivedollarsaweekandtopaymyownboard。Iselectedaplacetwomilesandahalffromtheschool—house，andwaspromptlyaskedbymyhosttopaymyboardinadvance。This，heex—
plained，wasduetonolackoffaithinme；themoneywouldenablehimtogo``outside’’towork，leavinghisfamilywellsuppliedwithprovisions。I
allowedhimtogototheschoolcommitteeandcol—
lectmyboardinadvance，attherateofthreedol—
larsaweekfortheseason。WhenIpresentedmyselfatmynewboarding—place，however，twodayslater，Ifoundthehousenailedupanddeserted；themanandhisfamilyhaddepartedwithmymoney，andIwasleft，asmycommitteemensympatheticallyremarked，``highanddry。’’Therewereonlytwodollarsaweekcomingtomeafterthat，soIwalkedbackandforthbetweenmyhomeandmyschool，almostfourmiles，twiceaday；andduringthisen—
forcedexercisetherewasampleopportunitytore—
flectonthefleetingjoyofriches。
Inthemeantimewarhadbeendeclared。WhenthenewscamethatFortSumterhadbeenfiredon，andthatLincolnhadcalledfortroops，ourmenwerethreshing。Therewasonlyonethreshing—
machineintheregionatthattime，anditwentfromplacetoplace，thefarmersdoingtheirthresh—
ingwhenevertheycouldgetthemachine。Ire—
memberseeingamanrideuponhorseback，shout—
ingoutLincoln’sdemandfortroopsandexplainingthataregimentwasbeingformedatBigRapids。
Beforehehadfinishedspeakingthemenonthema—
chinehadleapedtothegroundandrushedofftoenlist，mybrotherJack，whohadrecentlyjoinedus，amongthem。Intenminutesnotonemanwasleftinthefield。AfewmonthslatermybrotherTomenlistedasabugler——hewasamereboyatthetime——
andnotlongafterthatmyfatherfollowedtheexampleofhissonsandserveduntilthewarwasended。Hehadenteredonthetwenty—ninthofAugust，1862，asanarmysteward；hecamebacktouswiththerankoflieutenantandassistantsurgeonoffieldandstaff。
BetweenthoseyearsIwastheprincipalsupportofourfamily，andlifebecameastrenuousandtragicaffair。Formonthsatatimewehadnonewsfromthefront。Theworkinourcommunity，ifitwasdoneatall，wasdonebydespairingwomenwhoseheartswerewiththeirmen。Whencarehadbecomeourconstantguest，Deathenteredourhomeaswell。
MysisterEleanorhadmarried，anddiedinchildbirth，leavingherbabytome；andtheblackesthoursofthoseblackyearswerethehoursthatsawherpass—
ing。Icanseeherstill，lyinginastuporfromwhichsherousedherselfatintervalstoaskaboutherchild。
SheinsistedthatourbrotherTomshouldnamethebaby，butTomwasfightingforhiscountry，unlesshehadalreadyprecededEleanorthroughthewideportalthatwasopeningbeforeher。IcouldonlytellherthatIhadwrittentohim；butbeforetheassurancewasanhouroldshewouldclimbupfromthegulfofunconsciousnesswithinfiniteefforttoaskifwehadreceivedhisreply。Atlast，tocalmher，Itoldherithadcome，andthatTomhadchosenforherlittlesonthenameofArthur。Shesmiledatthisanddrewadeepbreath；then，stillsmiling，shepassedaway。Herbabyslippedintohervacantplaceandalmostfilledourheavyhearts，butonlyforashorttime；forwithinafewmonthsafterhismother’sdeathhisfathermarriedagainandtookhimfromme，anditseemedthatwithhisgoingwehadlostallthatmadelifeworthwhile。
Theproblemoflivinggrewharderwithevery—
day。Weekedoutourlittleincomeineverywaywecould，takingasboarderstheworkersinthelog—
ging—camps，makingquilts，whichwesold，andlosingnochancetoearnapennyinanylegitimatemanner。
Againmymotherdidsuchoutsidesewingasshecouldsecure，yetwitheverymonthofoureffortthegulfbetweenourincomeandourexpensesgrewwider，andthepriceofthebarenecessitiesofexis—
ence{sic}climbedupandup。ThelargestamountI
couldearnatteachingwassixdollarsaweek，andourschoolyearincludedonlytwotermsofthir—
teenweekseach。Itwasanincessantstruggletokeepourland，topayourtaxes，andtolive。Cal—
icowassellingatfiftycentsayard。Coffeewasonedollarapound。Therewerenomenlefttogrindourcorn，togetinourcrops，ortocareforourlivestock；andallarounduswesawourstrugglereflectedinthelivesofourneighbors。
Atlongintervalswordcametousofbattlesinwhichmyfather’sregiment——theTenthMichiganCavalryVolunteers——orthoseofmybrotherswereengaged，andthenlongerintervalsfollowedinwhichweheardnonews。AfterEleanor’sdeathmybrotherTomwaswounded，andformonthswelivedinterrorofworsetidings，buthefinallyrecovered。
Iwaswalkingsevenandeightmilesaday，anddoingextraworkbeforeandafterschoolhours，andmyhealthbegantofail。ThosewereyearsIdonotliketolookbackupon——yearsinwhichlifehadde—
generatedintoatreadmillwhosemonotonywasbrokenonlybythegrimmessagesfromthefront。
MysisterMarymarriedandwenttoBigRapidstolive。Ihadnotimetodreammydream，butthestarofmyonepurposestillglowedinmydarkhorizon。
Itseemedthatnothingshortofamiraclecouldliftmyfeetfromtheirploddingwayandsetthemonthewiderpathtowardwhichmyeyeswereturned，butIneverlostfaiththatinsomemannerthemiraclewouldcometopass。AscertainlyasIhaveeverknownanything，IKNEWthatIwasgoingtocollege！
III
