LA CROSSE COUNTY HISTORICAL SKETCHES


harvest time and he would give me
a job.
   In the meantime I went north to
Oshkosh looking   for work, and
from there went a half mile north
to Algoma where I found a job
making crotch fence at 75 cents a
day. At harvest time I went back
to Ripon only to find my friend had
secured his hands for harvest and
I was left out again. He told me,
however, of a man near town who
had 100 acres of wheat and 20 acres
of oats to cut, and I applied for a
job there. The grain was not ready
to cut, but he tried me out at hay-
ing and said I would do and so gave
me the job.

         Works on Farm
  When it came to harvesting he
asked me if I could stack. I had
never built a stack in my life, but
had worked with my father who
was a good stacker. I immediately
told him I could stack, and he set
me to work at 75 cents per day.
While I was at work some visitors
came out and watched me, and I
overheard them saying I was cer-
tainly an old hand at the work.
  The season was a rainy one, and
the work was delayed a good deal.
One day I overheard the old lady
tell her husband the time would
pass and I would have to leave be-
fore the harvesting was done. I
stepped to the door and      said,
"Mother, don't you worry, I will
not leave 'till the grain is all
stacked."
  The old man had taken quite a
liking to me, and offered to sell me
a farm where the city of Ripon now
stands, for $10 per acre, and allow
me time to pay for it. I was anxious
to get back to school, however, and
set out walking. I went to Milwau-
kee, and there bought a pair of
bocts. My feet were so sore I could
ha'.dly step when I left Milwaukee.
I never was so thankful for a ride
as I was when a man with a team
and wagon came my way. I finally
arrived at Milton and spent my sec-
ond year there.
  After finishing this year I was
fitted to teach, and set out to look
for a school. My first school was
eight or nine miles south of Milton
academy. I told the members of
the board I had no certificate, but
they said that could be arranged


afterward. I went to teaching im-
mediately.
  Tries For Teaching Certificate
  When a day was appointed for
me to take the examination for a
certificate, I walked to the official's
house several miles away only to
find he had been called away on
business. Another day was appoint-
ed, but when it arrived    another
member of the board     had some
work that he    wanted to do and
wanted me to help as he was short
a hand. I told him of my appoint-
ment, but he said that did not mat-
ter. When I insisted   on keeping.
the appointment he was quite put
out about it.
  When I arrived at the place of:
the examination I found the mem-
ber of the board who had been ap-
pointed to examine me had so little
confidence in his ability to conduct
the examination that he had asked
a Congregational preacher to come
and do it for him.
  I soon saw by the manner in
which he asked the questions he
was not sure of his ground, and af-
ter a bit I turned questioner and
with his consent asked him ques-
tions, and  he soon gave up. He
could not answer the questions I
put to him in grammar.
  I had to board around, getting
$13 with my board. The first win-
ter was severe, and some of the
homes were not comfortable. One,
of them was a log house which was
open to the weather so that when
I went to bed I had to step through
the snow that was on the floor. One
morning when I awoke I found an-
icicle' hanging from  the ceiling:
about a foot from my head.
  For several winters I taught
school, and worked on the farm the
rest of the time helping  to build-
and improve the house. I had plan-
ned to go to Beloit college, but in
1850, the  year of the California
craze, my older brother, Isaiah, said
he wanted me to stay at home and
take care of the folks while he and
another brother went to California.
  They got a large company togeth-
er for protection against the Indians
and set out. My brother and I made
a compact to write as often as we
could though it cost 25 cents to send
the letters. I have several of the
letters he wrote me enroute that are'
interesting.