e Indians first came to the house, they
used to smoke the peace pipe with us, but later, they never did.

Bears and wolves were very plentiful. We had an outdoor summer kitchen
where we kept a barrel of pork. One night a bear got in there and made
such an awful noise that we thought the Indians were on a rampage. We
often saw timber wolves about the house. They would come right up to the
door and often followed my father home.

A French woman by the name of Mrs. Traverse lived near us. She came from
Little Canada. Her husband bought some dried apples as a treat and she
served them just as they were. Poor thing! She was very young when her
baby came and she used to get wildly homesick. One day, she started to
walk to Little Canada carrying her baby. A cold rain came on and she was
drenched when she was only half way there. She took cold and died in a
few weeks from quick consumption. Strange how so many who had it east,
came here and were cured, while she got it here.

In the Spring when the wheat was sprouting, the wild ducks and geese
would light in the field and pull it all up. They would seize the little
sprouts and jerk the seeds up. They came by battalions. I have seen the
fields covered with them. They made a terrible noise when rising in the
air. I have seen the sun darkened by the countless myriads of pigeons
coming in the spring. They would be talking to each other, making ready
to build their nests. In the woods, nothing else could be heard.

We had one wild pair of almost unbroken steers and a yoke of old staid
oxen. The only way father could drive the steers was to tie ropes to
their horns and then jump in the wagon and let them go. They would run
for miles. I was always afraid of them. They were apt to stampede and
make trouble in finding them if there was a bad storm. One evening
father was away and a bad storm approached. I took the ropes and told
mother I was going to tie the oxen. She begged me not to, as she feared
they would hurt me. I had a scheme--I opened the front gate and as they
came through the partly opened gate, threw the ropes over them and
quickly tied them in the barn. The old oxen, I got in without any
trouble. I tied them and went to reach in behind one, to close the barn
door and bolt it. He was scared and kicked out, knocking me with his
shod hoof. I did not get my breath for a long time. The calk of the iron
shoe was left sticking in the barn door.

Some drovers stayed near us wit