He was anxious to design a country farm house that should be a credit to his own skill and ability. Our new house was completed in the latter part of July of that year. We found it somewhat inconvenient to be so far away from our church privileges and from business, but took great pleasure in improving our grounds and setting out fruit and ornamental trees for our new home. I had the old road changed so as to run east of the house. My wife soon became very much attached to the new home and here we had many pleasant reunions with our old friends and neighbors.

In 1886 I rented the farm, including the land in section 20 bought of Sneer, to Mr. Charles West for the term of three years, he carrying on a dairy farm on the place, reserving from his lease the right to occupy the orchard as well as my own residence, and also the right of pasture for a team of horses and a couple of cows. The next year, 1889, my son contracted marriage with Miss Elizabeth Baehring, and here were born my two grandchildren, Clinton Baehring Nourse on April 14, 1890, and Lawrence Baehring Nourse on October 5, 1893. My son and his wife and first child made a trip to Europe in the year 1892. In 1895 my son purchased a property on Fifth street and removed to the city and occupied the same until the fall of the year, when the children were both taken down with diphtheria. He put them both at once in a carriage and brought them out to our country home, where the oldest of the two children died September 10th. This was the first death we had in the family, and I purchased a lot in Woodland Cemetery where the little one was laid away.

The following year my health became somewhat impaired and I had a serious attack of what they called la grippe. I was somewhat overworked at that time, and under the advice of my physician I went with my wife to the state of Florida and spent the winter in St. Petersburg in that state, returning early in the spring and resuming my practice. For several successive years since then I have spent my winters in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In the year 1902 my son's health became seriously impaired, and early that fall with his wife and child he visited California, and in December of that year my wife and myself joined them. My son suffered from severe nervous condition that made it impossible for him to sleep only a few hours out of each twenty-four. He was reduced in flesh to about 117 pounds weight and I became seriously concerned for his future. Finding outdoor travel to agree with him better than treatment of the doctors, we finally in the month of April, 1903, determined upon a camping expedition and a visit to the Yosemite valley. We fitted out two teams with camp wagons and tent, and started from Long Beach about the 26th of April, traveling about twenty miles a day, going first via the coast to Santa Barbara and thence via Merced over to the Yosemite valley. At Santa Barbara my wife concluded she would not go any further with us on the trip. Our roads over mountains were very narrow, the outer wheel of the wagon only three or four feet from the precipice, and she suffered nervous apprehension that deprived her of any real enjoyment of the trip. I secured the services of a young man to accompany us on the further trip and to aid in the work incident to camp life. My son's wife had suffered from a spell of nervous indigestion and was scarcely able to do the cooking for her husband and child. I became the cook for myself and my assistant and acquired considerable skill in making coffee and flapjacks and frying breakfast bacon. The scenery upon this trip and in the valley of the Yosemite has been described by many writers more skilled than myself in putting their impressions upon paper. I can only say that we all enjoyed the trip exceedingly and were strongly impressed with these wonderful mountains and valleys and great trees that have acquired a world-wide reputation. My wife and myself returned to Iowa and to our home early in July, 1903.

During the second year of the tenancy of Mr. Chas. West I had the misfortune of losing all of my barns and outbuildings by fire. The loss amounted to about $3,500 and I only had $500 insurance on one of the barns. I immediately rebuilt the barns and granary and corn cribs, taking the precaution also to build a separate barn for my own use. A few months after my return from California in that year I discovered that one of my eyes had failed, supposed to be caused by a callous condition of the optic nerve. Soon after the other eye became affected in the same way, and later in the fall I was unable to read. I first applied to and received treatment from Dr. Pearson; afterwards I visited Chicago and took treatment of an oculist of some reputation there. The following winter I took treatment from Dr. Amos of Des Moines, and spent two weeks in the Methodist Hospital without receiving any relief or seeming benefit. These physicians were all candid enough to confess their inability to do me any good, and since that time I have been partially deprived of the use of my sight, and have not been able to read or write. My physicians promised me several years ago that I should lose my sight entirely, but in this I am happy to say they were wrong. I can still see imperfectly to get about and avoid collision with objects, but I am not able to recognize the features of friends and acquaintances.

I have continued every year to visit St. Petersburg during the winter season, and have made many pleasant and interesting acquaintances among the tourists who visit annually that place.

On the first day of November, 1906, my beautiful home was totally destroyed by fire. We lost all our furniture and clothing, except my private library and furnishings on the first floor of the house, which we succeeded in rescuing from the flames. The previous winter my wife had accompanied me to Florida and remained with me there during the season. After our house was destroyed we removed to the city and occupied apartments with my son and his wife in a block of flats then belonging to my son on Fifth street. The following winter, 1906-07, I spent in St. Petersburg, returning home in April of that year. I had been home only a few days before we made the sad discovery that my wife's health was fast failing. At her earnest solicitation, however, we rebuilt our house on the farm and in August of that year reëstablished ourselves in the location of our old home.

And now comes the saddest event of my life. On the 11th day of November, succeeding, my wife passed away. The previous 21st of March was her eightieth birthday. A short time before that date while at St. Petersburg, Florida, I received from my daughter Elizabeth a letter stating that she intended to have some friends spend an evening with my wife to have a birthday celebration, and requesting me to write some verses and also to send a new silk dress pattern to be presented to my wife on the occasion. I had a premonition that the sad event that later transpired in the fall was not far off. I wrote as cheerfully as I could under the circumstances and sent my daughter a check with which to purchase the silk dress pattern, and the following verses I composed as well as I could with my defective sight. They were read on the occasion, and those present assure me that my wife was cheerful and enjoyed their visit very much:

My Dear Wife:—

Elizabeth, our daughter, writes to me