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They were happy with each other, and all were in good health, and they had plenty of the plainest of nourishing food to eat. For evening meal, oatmeal cooked in boiling milk, forming a gruel, was almost always a constant evening diet. During this period of adventure and misadventure, two more chidren came to bless the home of the Mies family Charles B., born July 22, 1877 and Anna Mary Elizabeth, born April 17, 1881. The writer will now digress for a moment to consider the horses on the farm because there were few of them - their memory is very distinct. There was a large team of horses named Nellie and Doll. In all probability this was the team that brought the family to the farm from Mendota, on the last occasion. Nellie was a large, beautiful bay, and she loved children. She would permit children the greatest freedom. Dolly on the other hand, was cross and disagreeable. One could not be sure that she would not kick or bite. When Nellie came to an untimely death, the writer distinctly remembers of his crying. Besides the above team there was another team, Jeff and Fox. Fox was full of pranks and was always looking for apples or other "tid-bits", and always ready to tease a youthful leader by giving a quick jerk to the halter rope and breaking away when being led. Fox came to a very sad and untimely end. One day, while hauling oats in a wagon from the threshing machine to the granary, his leg went through a crack in the approach to the granary, and his leg was broken, and as he could not recover, he was put out of his misery. Jeff suffered from an affliction that, among pole horse owners, was known as "pot-bellied." Because of this affliction, the ownership of Jeff changed hands frequently. It might be said that among the boys of the family, each boy claimed very definite ownership to certain of the farm animals. This claim of ownership had application to both cattle and horses. There was usually some interchange or trading that took place. Of all of the animals whose ownership changed hands most frequently, it was Jeff. His ownership was always on the descending scale so far as the age of the new owner was concerned. It might be said that every new youthful owner expected to become the proud possessor of a little coltie. Jeff was patient and kind and was willing to oblige, but he knew of his own shortcomings. He lived to a ripe old age, but died of a broken heart, lamenting the fact that he had caused so many disappointments to his youthful and trusting owners. A matter of great interest in the Mies family, at a little later period, and also of interest in the entire neighborhood, was the purchase by father of a team of horses, coal black, and superbly beautiful. They were named Queen and Prince. This team was furnished with a new set of harness and all the Mies family were very proud. This team next page |
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