anything
with which to plow, and, moreover, our so-called "cleared" land was
thick with sturdy tree-stumps. Even during the second summer plowing was
impossible; we could only plant potatoes and corn, and follow the most
primitive method in doing even this. We took an ax, chopped up the sod,
put the seed under it, and let the seed grow. The seed did grow, too--in
the most gratifying and encouraging manner. Our green corn and potatoes
were the best I have ever eaten. But for the present we lacked these
luxuries.

We had, however, in their place, large quantities of wild
fruit--gooseberries, raspberries, and plums--which Harry and I gathered
on the banks of our creek. Harry also became an expert fisherman. We had
no hooks or lines, but he took wires from our hoop-skirts and made
snares at the ends of poles. My part of this work was to stand on a log
and frighten the fish out of their holes by making horrible sounds,
which I did with impassioned earnestness. When the fish hurried to the
surface of the water to investigate the appalling noises they had heard,
they were easily snared by our small boy, who was very proud of his
ability to contribute in this way to the family table.

During our first winter we lived largely on cornmeal, making a little
journey of twenty miles to the nearest mill to buy it; but even at that
we were better off than our neighbors, for I remember one family in our
region who for an entire winter lived solely on coarse-grained yellow
turnips, gratefully changing their diet to leeks when these came in the
spring.

Such furniture as we had we made ourselves. In addition to my mother's
two chairs and the bunks which took the place of beds, James made a
settle for the living-room, as well as a table and several stools. At
first we had our tree-cutting done for us, but we soon became expert in
this gentle art, and I developed such skill that in later years, after
father came, I used to stand with him and "heart" a log.

On every side, and at every hour of the day, we came up against the
relentless limitations of pioneer life. There was not a team of horses
in our entire region. The team with which my brother had driven us
through the wilderness had been hired at Grand Rapids for that occasion,
and, of course, immediately returned. Our lumber was delivered by
ox-teams, and the absolutely essential purchases we made "outside" (at
the nearest shops, forty miles away) were carried through the forest on