life was unknown, and before accepting the offer she made to
him a full revelation of her soldier-days. At first he could
not believe it, but when she proceeded to narrate events and
incidents which could be known only to active participants
in them, told of marches, camps, skirmishes, battles, and
the thousand and one things which never appear in print, but
which ever remain living pictures with "old soldiers," he
was obliged to accept the strange tale as true. The story,
however, did not lessen his regard for her, and about the
first of February they were married.

The lady's father, after hearing the tale of her life, was
still incredulous, and only satisfied himself of its truth
by a visit to the adjutant-general's office and an
inspection of the records. By comparing dates furnished him
by his daughter with the original rolls there on file he
became fully convinced that it was all true.

A few of the inventions patented by women of Iowa are the
following:

Fly-screen door-attachment, by Phoebe R. Lamborne, West
Liberty; photograph-album, Viola J. Angie, Spencer;
step-ladder, Mrs. Mary J. Gartrell, Des Moines;
baking-powder can with measure combined, Mrs. Lillie
Raymond, Osceola; egg-stand, Mrs. M. E. Tisdale, Cedar
Rapids; egg-beater, and self-feeding griddle-greaser, Mrs.
Eugenia Kilborn, Cedar Rapids; tooth-pick holder, Mrs.
Ayers, Clinton; thermometer to regulate oven heat, Mrs. F.
Grace, Perry; the excelsior ironing-table, Mrs. S. L. Avery,
Marion; neck-yoke and pole-attachment, by which horses can
be instantly detached from the vehicle, Maria Dunham,
Dunlap; invalid bed, Mrs. Anna P. Forbes, Dubuque.

In the various business avocations I find the following:

Mrs. T. Nodles is the largest fancy grocer in the State,
doing a yearly business of $80,000. Mrs. C. F. Barron, Cedar
Rapids, designs and manufactures perforated embroidery
patterns. Statistics show there are nine hundred and
fifty-five Iowa women who own and direct farms; eighteen
manage farms; six own and direct stock-farms; twenty manage
dairy-farms; five own green-houses; nine manage