home for ourselves about one-half
mile west of the station. It was not long until we had a home,
not a palace, but a home though humble, yet tidy, convenient and good
enough for a queen, as in fact, it was occupied by a queen. Nor do I
think, boys, could anything but compliments be placed by our old
neighbors upon the way things were kept all about our farm when you
were there. Do you remember the old Farm? And let me say just here
that while God has always been good to me and comparatively my whole
life has been a happy one no period of it was more happy, more
hopeful and sweet than the few years in our old home where I was the
head, your mother the queen and you children were about our knees.

For just twenty-five years we (wife and I) lived at Farmington. This
is just half of the life of my man-hood days. Here all our children
were born. By us no threshold was ever crossed more than this one.
No paths were ever trodden more frequently than the paths to the
well, the barn and the post-office, and the church. No neighbors
were ever so long ours in kindness and love. No birds ever sang so
much and sweetly as those in the very trees that had been planted by
our own hands. And no home was ever more truly dedicated day by day
to Almighty God upon bended knee and in the reading of His word.

Do you remember the old home, boys? But life is not always
sweetness. It cannot be, under the present sin-curst environments.
The first bitter experience and great sorrow that came to us, was
when death came our way on the 21st day of July 1877, and took away
our fourth little boy whom we had called Wiley Warren. He was only 1
year, 6 months and 17 days old.

I had preached the funerals of many little children before the death
of our little boy, and had thought that I knew how to sympathize with
parents who had to bury their children, but I did not. If I were not
an old preacher I would like to say now what I have said often when
younger, that everything else being equal, an old preacher is better
to preach, and do pastoral work for a congregation than a young one.

---0---

C H A P T E R F O U R T E E N

110 years. 28th of June, 1884. 4 and 3.

Closing school at Farmington in 1873, I quit teaching and took up
farming and preaching, as I had teaching and preaching until the year
1907 when I retired at the age of 70. So then I attended school off
and on 10 years, taught 15 years, farmed 35 years, preached