(in Linn County Oregon)

     Father met with an accident on the 25th day of September, 1870.  He had a spasm and fell in the fire.  A few coals were in the fireplace; his right hand and right side of his face were frightfully burned.  Mother dressed his burns four times in twenty-four hours.  That fall I could not go to school.  Baxter had a crop to put in.  I had the cows to milk, three of them, and potatoes to dig - to be "Handy Andy" generally.  As soon as Father was able to work, he began working on the arm chair he longed for, an arm chair to lean his head against.  It was sent to Albany to be stained and varnished and a rawhide bottom put in.  He had several offers to make others like it, but Baxter, Mother and William Cluster made up their minds to come to Washington.  They had decided in June.  I think they didn't have the courage to tell Sarah until in July.  She and Father went out one Saturday afternoon and stayed until Sunday evening.  They had a battle royal.  She was determined she would not move again, and it made her so mad to have them tell of the failure of the grain crop.  [Jacob] Houk would have liked to come but he did not take a stand at that time.