Father wanted to be on his own as he could see lit- tle future in his job. Unluckily an old chum came back to town with an idea for a machine but no money. Moth- er could not describe it exactly, but it was some sort of power-driven hoe. Ours was a market garden count- ry. so if it worked it would save much hand labor. So he borrowed all he could on his insurance, rented a shop, bought machinery, and started to make a model' machine. It was a failure, no automatic adjustment for uneven land. Meanwhile, a large implement company got the same idea and brought out one that worked. So father's dream collapsed Savings gone and in debt, he went back to his old job. But mother said it broke him down in mind and health. When I was just three he got pneumonia, his heart quit and he died.

Debts and expenses took what little insurance was left. Mother had the three of us, all too young to help. She was advised to sell the place and get some job, but no one would want her with us three, and she was determined to keep us together. She decided to take in washing and advertised about doing so. It seem- ed that even with all the automatic washers, some peo- ple did not want to bother washing things. So she did washing and fine ironing at home. Alice was big enough to collect and deliver with her small wagon. A neigh- bor plowed our garden and we all worked in it, so it supplied much of our food, and cut our living expens- es down a lot.

The greatest help was an older and very independ- ent minded sister of father's. She lived in a city not far away, disliked being tied down to one job so took short time positions as housekeeper or companion when the wife was ill or away on visits. She was constantly busy and had many chances to get clothing no longer wanted at the places where she worked. So she kept mother supplied with most of the things the girls need- ed. I wore dresses too small for Irene, but when I was five some small boys things arrived in one bundle. Mo- ther had decided to put me into pants when I started school at six, as while nearly all small boys in town wore dresses at least in early years at school, and many as I said before, all through school, we were surround- ed by farms and the boys wore pants or jeans, to school 18