Before I start telling about the trip from St. Louis, I forgot to tell about a funny happening at the Owensboro, Kentucky Camp Meeting. One day Helen, Sis Johnson, and I were sitting in one of the little tents that we lodged in. We heard some one come driving up out front and they called to us. We went out to see who it was. We found an old man and a lady, possibly his wife, and he hollered out, "We came to take you pretty California women for a ride." He had a spring wagon and was one of those jolly old southern gentleman. We didn't know him but apparently he had seen us at one of the meetings. He told us to come on and get in, and so we did. He took us around quite a ways. We went up to a hilly area called Seven Hills. The area was covered with timber. We had a nice little sightseeing trip and enjoyed ourselves. We just had to laugh to think he thought we were pretty. We felt privileged to be the honored California woman.

Meanwhile, back at the St. Louis train depot. We had to have our tickets validated for our return home. We had quite a time of getting them fixed up. We went into the depot and up to the ticket window. The fellow there sent us to another window and they acted like they didn't know how to handle them. It all got quite confusing and I started to get worried. After getting the run-around for awhile, we finally got the tickets straightened out. We had arrived in St. Louis in the afternoon and we had to wait until 9 o'clock that night before the train finally left. We were kind of short on money and I knew we would have to pay some local extra fare when we got to Kansas City for our side trip. We wanted to go sight-seeing in St. Louis, but we were afraid to spend any money for fear we wouldn't have enough for later. So we just stayed at the depot the rest of the day and bought a little supper at an eating place there. At 9 o'clock we boarded and were off to Kansas City. We traveled all night and arrived in Kansas City at sun up. We had to change cars in order to get to Aunt Nancy's in Burden, Kansas. The conductor came and checked our tickets and said that we owed some extra money and we paid him. I didn't think much more about it. Later, However, he came back to me and said he wanted to see the tickets again. We had stopped at a little station and he wanted to get off and find out if he had charged me the right amount. He got off the train and went into the depot. A little later he came back on, and the train pulled out. Pretty soon, he came back to me and gave me the tickets along with $2.00. He said he charged me to much. Oh was I ever glad. And to think, that I could have gone sight-seeing in St. Louis. It was now to late!!

We got to Winfield, Kansas after dark. We got off the train, bag and baggage. We went into the depot to wait for our train to Burden. We knew that Aunt Nancy had a half-brother living in Winfield not far from the depot. Helen left me with the bags and she went out to see if she could find Austin Davis, Nancy's brother. Well, she found him alright and he came back with her to the depot. Nothing doing, but they wanted us to go back to their house and stay over night. Austin's wife telephoned Aunt Nancy in Burden and told her some folks from California was in Winfield, but didn't tell her exactly who it was. Aunt Nancy took the morning train and arrived before Helen and I got up.When she got there, she saw in the front room, our hats and things. She figured out that it was Helen and I. We got up and had a joyous meeting. We spent the day with them and that evening we took the train and were soon at Aunt Nancy's. We stayed there about two weeks and then stopped back by Austin's before we left. I remember that the weather was very warm both day and night. It didn't cool up in the evening like it does in California. Instead it was hot and sultry all night. It was so hot one day that I said to the girls that I believed I could put an egg on a large flat rock out in the front yard and that it would cook itself in that hot sun. I got an egg and broke it in a pie pan and set the pan on that rock. It sizzled around the edge but didn't cook completely. If I had broken the egg directly on the rock, I think it would have cooked all the way. Aunt Nancy was glad we came because Uncle Dave was away harvesting. We didn't get to see him at all. We finally bid Aunt Nancy good-by and at Winfield, Austin met us and got on the train to see us off again. What a lovely visit we had with them all.

Our next stop was Wichita, Kansas and we had to change cars again and wait a few hours. Next came Hutchison, Kansas and another change of cars and short wait. It rained there and that helped cool the air a little. Before we arrived in Pueblo, Colorado, we had to cross a large river. There had been a big rain and it had washed out the railroad bridge. It was completely gone. There was a wagon bridge still standing and it was right next to the place where the railroad bridge had once been. The train pulled up to the river and that was as far as it could go. Another train came up to the other side of the river to meet ours. We all got off the train with our baggage and walked across the wagon bridge and then got on the other train and we were off to Denver. The people in the Denver depot were all talking about the rain and washouts. We wondered if it was safe to try to go on. I told Helen, if the trains are running and people are traveling, we're going too. We had planned to stay over-night in Denver to visit some friends of Eva's who she used to work with. Our train had been so delayed that we arrived in Denver late. One of the girls had been waiting for hours at the depot for us. She had finally gone back home. There was no one there to meet us when we arrived. We took the street car and found her place. She had a lovely chicken dinner for us and showed us a nice time. The next morning, we went to the depot and were on our way again. We went through Colorado Springs, and through some low lands that were covered with water from the rains. When we got to Royal Gorge, the train people put on a sort of flat car with seats. They told passengers that they could sit out there and look at the scenery, such as the huge rocks and the river that flowed down through the canyon. Helen and I bought some sun glasses from a fellow to shield our eyes while looking at the sights. They were amber color and made like goggles. I didn't use mine because I didn't want to go out on that flat car. It was raining a little just as we entered the Gorge and I told Helen I didn't want to go out. I could see quite good from the car window.

Soon we arrived in Salt Lake City, but we didn't get off. We could see the Mormon Temple off in the distance. Next we arrived in Ogden and changed cars after staying all night. We had to stay in a rooming house. They took us up stairs and showed us our room. We went in and soon Helen called me. Her voice sounded like she was scared. She said she had seen a mouse and that she set the suit case down on top of it. I lifted the suit case up and sure enough, there was the little thing just about dead. I picked it up by the tail and went to the head of the stairs. I hollered to a fellow below and showed him what we had found. He came up and got it. We got our things arranged and then went down town to get something to eat. We saw a Salvation Army Hall and decided after dinner to go to their meeting. I got nervous before it was over for fear that we were staying out to late and to far from our lodging place. We go t back alright, however. We went to prepare for bed and when we turned down the covers, we found a big black bug. Well that scared Helen even more and I certainly didn't enjoy that bug myself. I tried to be cheerful and act like it hadn't bothered me. Helen was always afraid of mice and things like that. The next day, as we waited in the depot, we met some nice people who were also waiting for the train. As we were sitting there, we saw a woman in her thirty's come into the station with her family. She acted like she was crazy. She talked all the time but didn't make any sense. She walked out on the depot porch and started hollering. Everybody just tried to ignore her. I was glad when our train came, so we could get out of there.

We next arrived in Sacramento and we stopped to look up our Aunt Eva, We didn't know just how to find her place and we hadn't let her know that we were coming. It was a Sunday morning, and I mentioned to Helen that I knew where she worked. I knew she wouldn't be there on Sunday, but we thought perhaps someone might be there who might know where she lived. She worked at Hub Clothing Co. We found a man there and he told us how to find her place. She was sure surprised. We stayed all day and all night. That evening we took a street car ride and went to the park for a while. The next morning we resumed out train journey and headed for San Francisco. Aunt Eva had a daughter named Kate who lived on Oakland. She telephoned Kate and had her to meet us in San Francisco. Kate wanted us to go home with her and stay a while. We were getting anxcious to get home so we bid her good-by and went on to San Jose. We stayed there all night with Hazel Haworth Kersey. From there we went to Oxnard and stopped off and stayed a day with Sue and Earl. The next stop was Los Angeles and "home again." Reflecting back on this trip, I loved seeing the sights and especially the handiworks of God. I've always loved nature and things like that. It blesses my soul to behold the things He had made.

Speaking of lovely sights, brings to mind the time that Walter and Stella lived over on Catalina Island. Stella came to Los Angeles and wanted me to go back with her for awhile. At first I did not know whether I wanted to go or not. I had a cold and was a little afraid to go on that account. Stella called her mother and mentioned that she had invited me to come. Her mother told Stella to tell me to go, that the trip might cure my cold. I finally picked up courage and decided to make the trip. My sister Dora went also. This was our first boat ride. We were afraid we would get sea-sick. We sat very quietly outside in the air. We never felt sick at all and it was a lovely, but little cool, trip. We wrapped up in some blankets that the boat people furnished. We enjoyed the trip fine and my cold all but disappeared. Walter and Stella had quite a nice place back away from the beach. We went sight-seeing and took a glass-bottom boat trip and also a trip to the summit of the mountain. We could see all over the island. The grade was quite steep and I dreaded coming down but it ended up not so bad. I felt quite blessed to see all the wonderful nature things on the island. I was so glad I hadn't missed it.

Dora stayed a week and then she went home. I stayed a little longer. I was there a total of twelve days. One Sunday, I went to church there. I thought I must go home, but I hated to go alone. I thought that if Dora could go alone, I could do it. I left one afternoon and I got along fine. I saw flying fish, and the water was quite rough. I didn't get sick, though.

Earlier in this chapter, I mentioned being short of money during our trip home from St. Louis. I wrote a letter from Aunt Nancy's in Bursten to the people who were renting the little house in Los Angeles. They sent me $45.00 and from then on we had no fears about having enough money for the balance of our trip. Also I wanted to note that Eva went to Oxnard and stayed with Earl and Sue while I was gone. Earl and Sue took Eva on a little trip up north while I was on my journey. I was glad that she had a good time. I didn't like to leave her. While I was gone, she became aquainted with a man named Mahlon Hunsinger, who worked for Earl. He seemed like a very nice fellow. Earl liked him a lot and we all became fond of him. He came originally from Pennsylvania. Eva and Mahlon became sweethearts and after Eva came home, Mahlon came to Los Angeles and got a job. He rented a room not far from us and spent a lot of time at our house.

A cousin of mine and her husband, Chinda and Earnest, were visiting in Southern California from Oregon. They told me that they were interested in living in California full time. We decided to move back into the big house and they moved in also and rented rooms from me. We all cooked and ate in the kitchen and had a lovely time. Shortly after that, Mahlon moved in and took room and board with us. He took one meal each day with us. As time went on, Eva and Mahlon's love grew stronger and they decided to get married. They wed on Oct 24, 1924. My cousin, Chinda, just took delight in helping us get ready for the wedding. We had a nice home wedding and everything was wonderful. Brother Washburn performed the ceremony. We just had near relatives and a few friends. Earl and Sue came down from Oxnard and then went back that evening. Mahlon and Eva went to Oxnard that night also. They stayed at a hotel and then went to Sue's the next day. From there they went to San Francisco and visited Walter and Stella and then back to Los Angeles. They lived with me for awhile.

Another courtship was also going on. Walter Jones was making frequent visits to our house to see Helen. It wasn't long until they decided to get married on November 27, 1924. We did everything all over again. My cousin worked so hard preparing for the wedding, just like it was for her own daughter. This was my last daughter to get married and I wondered what I was going to do. I hated to give her up just like the rest. I felt better knowing that Mahlon and Eva lived with me. They too, eventually left, and moved to Highland Park. I knew that I didn't want to live alone. That just was not in my make up at all. I went and stayed a little while at Helen's and a little while at Eva's, and then on to Sue's. Effie wanted me to stay with her and John for awhile at the Holiness Mission down on Town Ave.

Since I am relating to you about my life's history, I must bring up this next part of my life. There was a man staying at the mission. He was a Holiness preacher and had recently joined the Holiness Church at Redlands. He was an elderly man who had been a preacher for years. He had come originally from Oklahoma. His daughter lived in Redlands. After loosing his wife and being quite upset about it, he decided to come to California and spend some time with his familly there. The pastor, Brother Matney, of the Redland's Holiness Church told him of a job at the Mission in Los Angeles.He decided to come and help out there. Well, of course, I was staying there and thats how we became aquainted. We were both alone and could sympathize with each other's loss. We decided to get married and did so on May 20, 1926. Helen and Walter took us to Riverside and we got married there in Brother Houghten's home. His wife made us a nice supper and later we all went to Pomona where my husband, Mr. Martin League, conducted a tent meeting. The meeting lasted for several days and we stayed right there. From Pomona we went back to Riverside and held another tent meeting, and from there to Redlands for still another tent meeting. We stayed at my husband's daughter's place until that meeting closed. From there we held the last tent meeting in Murietta. Finally we came back to the Mission in Los Angeles. We took up housekeeping at the Mission for awile. One day we took a trip to Santa Barbara and visited the church there. We though maybe that church might want Mr. League to become thier pastor. They decided, however, to keep the fellow they had. We were disappointed and had to come back to Los Angeles. We thought maybe that church might want Mr. League to become thier pastor. They decided, however, to keep the fellow they had. We were disappointed and had to come back to Los Angeles. We made up our mind to move back into my little house and live there for awhile. We seemed happy enough but in January, Mr. League got very sick and had to have an operation. After that operation, he recoveredphysically but somehow his mind was affected. I tried to keep him at home but it was just to much. We put him in a hospital for feeble-minded people. It was a nice place but he didn't get any better. His son in Oklahoma wrote and wanted to know if I though he could be brought by train back home. They thought they could do something to help him there. I must say that he wasn't out of his mind all the time. Some days he talked as rational as before the operation. He wasn't violent at all and mostly he was kind and good. He would sit and read his bible quietly. I wrote back to the son and told him that my son-in-law and daughter were making a trip to Kentucky and amongst the three of us we could manage to bring Mr. League home to Oklahoma. The son sent the fare for all of us to come. We got a state room for Mr. League and Jim to stay in. Jim slept in there at night to keep watch over him. Before we got to Woodward, Oklahoma, Mr. League had a bad spell and we thought he was dying, Alta and I had our berths in the coach and Jim came and woke us up to help him. In a few hours, however, he came out of the spell and seemed a little better. He got up and dressed himself and was ready to get off the train that morning when we arrived in Woodward. Well, we were sure glad he was alright. His son and wife were at the station to meet us and Mr. League acted so natural that they had a hard time understanding that he was even sick. Later that day, though, he had another spell and they saw just how bad he really was. They called the doctor and he examined Mr. League. He told them that there was nothing could be done to improve his condition. I told his children that I had done all I could for him and that I intended to go home and leave him in their care. I felt discouraged but I knew there was nothing more that I could do. I had mentioned, to Walter, Mr. League's son, one morning at breakfast that I had relatives in Kansas. He thought it might be a good plan for me to go and make a visit in Kansas. I wrote Aunt Nancy that I would be coming. I mustered up courage to take the night train alone and change cars at Wellington. One of the neighbor boys took me to the depot at Moorland for my trip. My train didn't leave until 9:00 PM, and I was soon aboard and on my way. I got to Wellington at 3:00 AM so I had to wait until 7:00 AM at the station for my connecting train. I met some other women while waiting and I was sure glad to have the company. When the train came I boarded and arrived at Burden, Kansas about 10:00 AM. I got off the train and started down to Aunt Nancy's house and met one of her brother's girls coming to pick me up. They seemed glad to see me. Nancy fixed me breakfast and we had a lovely visit together. I stayed for several weeks. While there I wrote to a niece that lived about fifty miles from Burden. She wrote back that she and her husband would come for me and take me to stay with them for awhile. They lived in Laharp, Kansas. One Saturday evening, they took me to visit their married daughter who lived in Hallet about 60 miles away. We had to cross the Arkansas River. There had been a big rain and it raised the river to overflow the banks. There was water all over the road. In some places you couldn't even see the road but we just plowed right through the water. We came to a bridge and checked to see if it were safe before crossing to the other side. We made it to the daughter's house and stayed all night and the next day with her.

Another weekend, we went to visit a place called the "101 Ranch". It was owned by the Miller brothers who put on the big circus shows all over the United States. Well it was quite a sight. It looked almost like a little town. All the buildings were painted white. Most of the animals were gone because it was summer and they were away at the circus shows. The town was well worth seeing. They raised grain and fruit ant it looked like it was self-supporting. When we left the ranch we drove up into some scrubby timber area and visited the little towns of Homing, Pawhuske, and Cleveland. After a few weeks, I went back to Aunt Nancy's. I helped her make some quilts and did quite a lot of sewing for her and a little for myself. I found the people in Kansas are very sociable. One day I got a letter from Walter and Lexie telling me that I had better come back to Oklahoma and see Mr. League. She was afraid that I might never see him again. I wrote back and told her I would come back and told her when I would be there. I arrived in Moorland about midnight and Mr. League was there with a hired buggy to meet me. There was a storm and it began to rain and lightning flashed and thunder rolled and cracked. I was afraid it would strike us. Well we soon ran out of it and made it to the house. Lexie was up to greet me. She was just like a daughter to me. I loved her. She tried so hard to make me feel at home and happy. She felt sorry at the way things turned out. I stayed another two weeks in Oklahoma. I began to think that I had better get back to California before the cold weather set in. I had to get real brave to take the long train ride home. We got everything ready for my journey back. Lexie fixed ma a nice lunch and she and Walter took me to the train station. Mr. League bid me good-bye very cheerfully. I was glad he felt alright about it because it would have been hard to leave him, if he was going to take my leaving badly. I told him that I had received a letter from Lillie and that she wasn't well. He knew that I must go home for her sake. There wasn't anything striking about the trip home, as I remember. We rolled along mostly through desert. I saw no buildings no vegetation, just dry grass and rock. We arrived in Los Angeles about 9:00 oclock in the morning. Several of the children were at the depot to meet me. I was so glad to get back and so happy to see my children. I went home with Effie. I don't recall how long I stayed with her. The year was 1927.

The following year in July, 1928, Stella, Johnnie, Walter, and I took a trip up north with our final destination to be Vancouver, British Columbia. We left early one foggy morning in July. Walter could hardly see to drive. We made it as far as the ridge-route when Walter got really sleepy. He pulled off to one side of the road to take a nap. It was very hot by this time. The rest of us just sat and waited for him to wake up. We weren't there to long. When he woke up, we headed for Bakersfield. The car had some trouble so we had a little work done on it in town. We were there for two hours. We arrived in Stockton after dark. We looked for a place to put up for the night and found an auto-court and they rented us a little cabin. We cleaned up and went to bed. The cabin was nice and new and furnished. We could have cooked our meals if we wanted to. We were tired and it felt good to have a nice bed to rest on. The next morning, Walter drove to see some friends of his that lived there. We visited for awhile and then traveled on. I enjoyed the scenery and told Walter and Stella so. Walter said that I hadn't seen anything yet like what I would see later on. He was right. We did see wonderful sights. I have mentioned in earlier chapters about the wonders of nature that I had seen when we lived in southern Missouri. What we saw on this trip was even more wonderful!

One day as we were driving in the mountains, we saw a dwelling place that had a sign that they served meals. We stopped and went in and ordered a berry pie. They gave us the largest serving of pie that I ever saw. We sure did enjoy it. After we ate the pie we returned to the car and began going up grade on this mountain. I noticed out the window these funny piles that didn't look exactly like rocks. I said to the children, "That looks like volcanic lava." Some of the piles were small and some were quite large. Sundown came and we came to the top of the mountain. As we looked out, all you could see was lava. We stopped the car and got out. I picked up some pieces of lava and was surprised how light it was. It looked heavy but was light as a feather. The road we were on had been cut right through this lava bed. I felt strange to think that at one time there had been a volcano spouting out lava and here I was traveling right over it. We made it down the other side of the mountain all right. We came to the McKenzie River and crossed over it on a big bridge. Later we saw some people with a campfire just off to the side of the road. Walter stopped and saw an old man and his son were camped there. They were taking a bunch of horses somewhere. One of the horses was sick and unable to travel. They welcomed us kindly and made us feel comfortable. We sat around the campfire and visited. Walter pitched out tent and we all retired for the night. The next morning early, the men and horses left. We overtook them away up the line that evening as we pulled into Salem, Oregon. We stopped to visit Chinda and Earnest. We stayed over Sunday with them and the women went to church. Walter and Earnest drove around and looked at the town. Later they took me and showed me the principal sights of the city. We also went out in the country a little way and got some of the lovliest logan berries I ever saw. They grow all trestled up as high as your head. The vines were just loaded with nice ripe berries. The people just let them stay there because the market for them was so poor. I would have loved to have had them in Los Angeles so I could have canned some. Chinda and Earnest decided to go with us for just a day's journey. We took a trip up Mount Hood to the timber line and oh, we could see that snow capped mountain above us. It sure looked beautiful but it was very cold. The snow was very deep in the little depressions on the sides of the mountains. The children took some pictures of each other sitting on some large rocks. That night we found a camping place. The boys soon had a campfire going. There was a little country store near by where we got some things. I decided that I would fix the supper that evening. We peeled a lot of potatoes and some onions. I put them to cook in a great big kettle. I fixed some bacon and poured that into the kettle. We soon had our supper all ready. We ate at a rustic table and enjoyed my Bacon Stew. When you are tired and hungary, things just taste so good. The boys put up the tents and we retired for the night. The next morning we went back to Portland and there we separated from Earnest and Chinda. They went back home to Salem and we left for Washington. We went up to Seattle. We saw the Columbia River and crossed it on a ferry boat. We went into a building and bought some scenic post cards. We saw some beautiful water falls. I never saw such wonderful falls. We went up into a canyon not far from the highway and looked at one very large falls. It was quite a stream of water flowing down the mountain. Then the water struck the ledge it made a spray several feet across. I can't describe the beauty. After the water hit bottom, it flowed off like a river. Walter and Johnnie walked right up to the falls. Stella and I only went part way. We had to walk on stepping stones and I was afraid I would slip off and fall in the water. I didn't want to get my feet wet. Behind the spray there was a cave and Walter and Johnnie went in behind. They walked right into the mouth of the cave.

We left the falls and traveled on to a large lumber mill. We stopped and tried to take a tour of the mill. They had a sightseeing bus that took people around to see the sights. We checked in with the office and found out that there was quite a wait. We got disgusted and decided we wouldn't wait and went on our way. I'll always be thankful that I got to take this trip up north. I feel it is worth anybody's time and money to see the wonderful things we saw. We went through this one huge cave in Oregon, I remember. They had special tours through it. You had to rent coveralls to put on just to enter the cave. You had to climb ladders and go through narrow passageways, so it was better to protect your good clothes. I decided to go only part way. The guides took some people clear through and one guide took me and another lady just part way through. I sat around outside and waited for the children to come out. It took them two hours to make the entire tour. Afterwards, They had a big bonfire for all the people who came out. There were great long sticks of wood that stood up on end like an Indian wigwam. They lit the fire and it was beautiful. We stayed for awhile and warmed up and them started down the mountain. We saw a mother deer and two little fawns in the road just ahead of us on the way down. They all scampered off when they saw our headlights.

We went to see Crater Lake, another place of interest. They just opened the road that day. The air was cold and crisp. We got to the top and looked down on the lake. It looked wierd to me. I didn't enjoy the sight as much as some of the other people did. The water in the lake was several feet down from the top walls or banks. The banks looked like lava rock and the water looked very dark and murky. Perhaps because it was so deep, it gave this illusion. There was a lava formation in the water that looked something like a ship. They called it the "phantom ship". It was quite a sight. There was little boats on the water and people could go down and take a boat ride. I talked to a woman who said her husband was down taking a ride. I wouldn't have gone down to the water's edge myself, much less take a ride on that eirie lake. I think the fact that there had been a volcano in that spot at one time scared me to death. We went into a little building and bought some scenic cards but didn't tary there long. Near the building were some pinnicals; they looked like large poles that came to a sharp point made out of dirt. I don't know what caused them to be so. You will just have to use you imagination as to what they looked like. We camped that night by a lovely mountain stream. The water was so beautiful and clear as crystal. It ran swiftly and just tumbled over the rocks. I sat there the next morning for awhile and just watched and listened to it.

One night we camped at a large place where they had a community kitchen. It was enclosed and under cover. There was a large furnace to cook our supper on. Later Stella went to a public phone and called Bob, one of my mother's cousins who lived near Seattle. I had not seen him since he was a small boy. Stella asked him on the phone about his brother Frank. He told her that Frank had died just two weeks before we arrived. Frank was two years older than I, and he would have remembered me well. We had been neighbors in Missouri. I felt badly that he was gone. Bob couldn't make us a visit that night, so the next morning we went on to Vancouver. We got to the Canadian border and they asked Walter what he had in the car. He had to leave his gun and ax with them until we came back We drove into a camping place in an old orchard near Vancouver. There was no cabins so we used the tent again. Stella and Walter wanted some steak and they went down the street to a butcher shop and got some lovely steaks. We tried to cook the steaks on a grille in the community kitchen. It was a large wood range. Stella built a fire in it and then put on her steak to fry. She had an awful time and the steak just wouldn't cook. We finally got out an a little gasoline stove from the car and cooked the dinner on it. You would have thought that the steak would be so tough that you could hardly chew it. But it wasn't so. It was the best steak I think I most ever ate. It was so good, but of course, we were very hungry!! The steak turned out tender and juicy!! The next day we drove around Vancouver a little. We could see Victoria Island, but we didn't have time to go over onto it. Several days later, we headed back for Seattle. This time we got to see Bob. He lived up on a hill in the timber. It overlooked the sound. I met Bob's wife and we had a nice visit. It was kind of akward at first, since we felt almost like strangers.

We left the next day for San Francisco. We crossed the bay on a ferry. It was late in the evening and the sun had gone down. We crossed in the twilight. We got out of the car and stood looking at the Golden Gate bridge and the great ocean beyond. I have always been amazed at God's handiwork and how he rounded the ocean so it couldn't pass over the land. He gave wisdom to mankind to be able to invent wonderful things. I read in the Bible that Man's wisdom is "foolishness" compared with God's. That night we stayed in a rooming house because we couldn't find an auto-court. The next morning we went out to see the Cliff House and from there to Golden Gate Park. The wind was so cold that I couldn't enjoy myself. That afternoon we started back down the coast. We camped in Pismo Beach and from there to Oxnard and stayed with Earl and Sue and from there back to Los Angeles. It was one of the most wonderful trips I ever had. I'll always be thankful that I got to take it. I thanked Walter for making the way for me to have that lovely time.

I moved back in with Effie and stayed there for awhile. Jim Adams told me one day that he had to make a trip to Kentucky. I decided that I would go with him as far as Oklahomaso that I might visit Mr. League and his children. I didn't want them to think that I wasn't interested in his welfare. I wanted to do my duty. I made ready and left with Jim. When I arrived at Woodward, Oklahoma, there the folks were at the station. Jim got off the train, also. He met the folks and talked briefly and then jumped back on the train to finish his journey. I went home with Walter, Lexie, and Mr. League. Mr. League seemed just about the same as when I last saw him. He had several bad spells and that didn't bring much pleasure. I enjoyed visiting with Lexie and I tried to help her with her work. She was a very busy woman. She had the house to keep besides helping in their hardware store. I tied two bed comforters for her. She treated me just like I was her mother. Walter told me to write Jim and tell him to stop in Woodward on his way back from Kentucky. They wanted him to preach at their church in town. It was a Methodist Church. I wrote and Jim answered and told me what day he would arrive. We all got in the car and went to the station to greet him. We then went to some other friends in town and had a nice dinner. After dinner that night we went to church and a nice crowd had gathered. Jim preached for them. The next day, he and I bid all good-by and started back home. I felt like I would never see any of them again.

When I got home, I found it necessary for Eva and I to rent a little house next door to Effie's. She and I lived there for about a year. I received several letters from Mr. League. He was able to write pretty good. He also sent me money from time to time. Eva also worked and we managed fine. Lexie also wrote me and told how Mr. League was doing. One day a letter came from her saying that Mr. League wanted to make a trip on the train back to California. He got the notion into his head and there was no stopping him. Well, sure enough one day here he came. I thought it best for us to move up home into the big house. It was empty so we all moved in. Mr. League just got worse and worse. After he was there for awhile, he decided he wanted to go to Oklahoma for Christmas. He wanted me to go too. I refused him, however. I fixed him up for the journey and sent him off. He hadn't been there long when he got so bad they had to put him in an asylum. He died a short time later. Eva and I stayed in the big house. Eva was having serious personal problems and finally had to quit her work for awhile. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I thought she and I both needed a change. I rented out the big house and we went to live with Walter and Helen out not far from Belvedere Gardens. Eva got some better and started working part-time. All the children got together and decided it would be best for me to make my home with Effie. Even though she was my daughter, after she was grown and married, she seemed more like a mother to me. I lived with her and John and Eva went to live in Oxnard with Earl and Sue. I know it was hard on Effie and John. The times were awful and John couldn't find much work. I didn't have any money because the houses weren't rented. I knew that I was a burden on them. I felt awfully discouraged during these times. I guess that was just my nature. I liked to feel that I could be independent. I was always teased that my mother and pa had babied me and let that be as it may! One day Effie told me she realized how unhappy I was. She suggested that maybe my sister, "Aunt Dora", and I would like to make a home together in my little house. That sounded like a good idea. Aunt Dora was staying with first one and then another of her children, just like I had been. Dora was living at the time with her son Charlie in Whittier. My Walter took me one day out to see her and to discuss the matter. Everybody seemed to like the idea. We began making plans to move. We moved in and got things nicely fixed. We both felt a lot better not having to shift around from place to place. We lived together for quite awhile and then one day I took sick. Helen came to take care of me. In the mean time, Aunt Dora's daughter, Ethel, got sick. Aunt Dora went to take care of her. This was up north at Wasco, California. Walter and Helen moved in with me until I was able to be up and around. When I got better, I went up to Oxnard and stayed with Sue and Earl. This was the 17th of March 1935. During the time I was staying there, our family suffered a terrible tragedy. I will elaborate on it later on in my story.

I went back to Los Angeles and lived in my old home for a long time. I sold the house on October 19, 1943. It was a little hard to part with the old home where I had lived for so many years. Papa had given me the home and he had lived there with me and had died there. There were things about it that were "sacred." Everybody thought it was best to sell it because it became to much responsibility for me in my 85th year. I'm glad that I don't have to worry about it anymore. I am staying with Sue now and have been for almost two months. As I am writing this today, it is the 21st of February, 1944. I was 85 years old December 4, 1943.

Recently, Walter and Helen took me down towards San Diego to see Al and Louise. Al was working in a defense plant in the area. They lived in Solano Beach. Al worked away up on the mountain at a large camp. They were building this camp to house defense workers. We went down on Saturday and stayed until Monday. On Sunday, we went to church over in Escondido. It was quite a ways to get up through the mountains but I enjoyed the drive. I had heard people talk about Escondido but I had never seen it and had no idea what the country looked like. There were lots of ranch houses, planted fields, and lakes. The whole area looked fresh and green. It seemed like they had plenty of water there. All and all, Escondido wasn't a bad looking town.

We visited the Nazarene Church and I saw a lady that I used to know named Mrs. Brand. Al took us up to show us his work place on the mountain. That evening we went to a restaurant in the area and had dinner. I forgot the name of the place. After dinner, we all drove out to the Army Camp hoping that we might be able to see LIVING, Lillie's second boy. He was stationed there, but they wouldn't let us see him. We headed back to Solano Beach and Helen and Walter went back to Los Angeles the following morning. I decided to stay with Al for awhile. One evening, after he came home from work, he said to me, "Let's go fishing." I said that I would after supper, we headed fifteen miles down the coast to Oceanside. Louise laughed at the idea of me going fishing. I have to say that I did enjoy that little excursion.

One day a lady friend of Louise's, took she and I up in the mountains to see a house and ranch that they were building. The house didn't appeal to me. Somehow it seemed to isolated for my taste. I like the country to visit, but I wouldn't want to be stuck out there.

We took a trip out to Lancaster, one weekend. Jim, Clara, Al, Louise, and I all drove. Jim was looking for land. There were alfalfa fields I remember. You are probably bored and tired of my stories about these little trips. But, these were what made up my later life. These are the things I did, and the experiences I had. I always enjoyed Christmas and the family gatherings we shared.

Another trip I remember was up through Mojave and into the Tehachipi mountains. I think I have had some wonderful trips in my life on this land. I never had a voyage at sea except for the trip to Catalina. I am afraid of the water. I like to look at it but not to take a very long ride on it. I always wanted to visit the Holy Land where Jesus was born. I couldn't figure out a way to get there without crossing the "Briney Deep." As I think about it now, my life is to near spent for me to be planning a trip of that nature. I really am well satisfied with the "wonders" that I have already seen!!