“At about five o’clock the second day out from St. Joseph we drew up in front of the Pacific Hotel in this city, which was then _the_ hotel of Council Bluffs and comprised about half of what has since been known as the Inman House. Here we remained two weeks hoping in vain that a rise in the river would float a boat bringing our household goods up from St. Louis; but finally went to housekeeping with a few things kindly lent us by a friend in a home purchased some months before and in which, with some additions, we have continued to reside for thirty-eight years. We had brought with us from our eastern home a trunk full of choice shrubbery and fruit grafts. It was necessary that these should be planted and cared for; so we went into our home under these discouraging conditions, and only planted out our shrubbery to see it sicken and die under the burning sun for want of water. “SUFFER FROM DROUTH. “For weeks there was no rain and no water in the well to give the thirsty plants, which had beautifully sprouted in the trunk, and so we lost them all. One morning a great mystery came to us. We had set out a patch about twelve feet square with apple grafts. These were budded and growing about two feet high, when all at once we discovered that every one had been cut off near the ground with a sloping, smooth cut as with a sharp knife. We could come to but one conclusion, and that was that some one envying us the trees had taken off half of them, thinking to root the tops. But why did they not pull them up and take the whole? was our query. It was to us ‘a nine days’ wonder,’ but was finally solved by our learning that rabbits had been the thieves and had cut them off so smoothly with their teeth. “FURNITURE WAS SCARCE. “Our first housekeeping in Council Bluffs was in two rooms with bare floors and bare walls. The furniture consisted of two old wooden chairs, an old table, a bed made on the floor, and three trunks. The bedstead lent us with the bed went together with screws, but as the screws could not be found the bedstead was useless and the bed had to lie on the floor. To these borrowed things, we added an old-fashioned cook stove that we were so fortunate as to find here and a few common dishes. Here, with these surroundings, I received my first calls and made my first acquaintances. If more than two happened to call at the same time the two chairs were utilized as far as they would go and I and the others sat on the trunks. It was sometimes unpleasant and a little mortifying, but I made the best of it, knowing it would not always last. “DAYS OF HOSPITALITY.