Annals of our ancestors; one hundred and fifty years of history in the ...

26o ANNALS OF OUR ANCESTORS
age. All, all are gone; but I thank the Lord that such a
home and such a memory remains to me through the years."
We stayed on in the home of Mrs. Waterhouse until after
the birth of our first child, Charles Emerson, on October 4,
1862. My husband's sister, Elmina Frost (Mrs. E. F. Brown
Gordon), was with me and was a good help. I recovered
rapidly from this momentous experience, and in three weeks
I felt strong enough for the return home, although I knew how
much I risked; and I remember to this far-away day what I
endured on that journey of two days' duration. It turned
zero weather, and when we reached the crossing our ferry boat
was the last one for the season. I was well wrapped in blankets
and had my fine baby boy of twelve pounds in my arms; I
kept him there, not venturing to hand him over to mother for
even a little change; for the wind was sweeping, bitter cold,
and I feared to expose my little one in the least, so I sat in
one position through all the long and weary miles. Whatever
the physical discomfort, I was going home and my heart was
singing for joy! Emerson Vandervort was driving us back,
Alvah and the others having all preceded us. Late in the
afternoon of the second day we took the home folks by surprise.
Alvah had planned to go down in the carriage and bring us
home in good form, but now that we were united once more we
could just be glad and satisfied, and go to work to begin life
anew.
My buried wedding dishes were exhumed from their imperfect
burial in the garden, and though the Indians had left
them untouched, one of the steers had not — he had jumped
over the garden fence and walked over our "buried treasure,"
breaking some of the dishes, though we counted this but a small
loss. We could but look with dismay upon the wreck of the
fine garden we had planted so hopefully in the spring upon our
rich claim. It was our new household's first real garden.
We had set out four hundred cabbage plants which, when we
left, were already giving promise of a large yield; corn, potatoes,
beans,— all had been given into the care of the rich earth by
us and then left. How hard Alvah had worked over that
garden, and now what a ruin 1 The fence was poor, and cows,