The second year of sickness and I was affected with the rest, though it was not generally so bad as the first year.

I suffered a great deal and felt so miserable that I began to think I had rather live on the top of the Rocky Mountains and catch chipmuncks for a living than to live here and be sick, and I began to have very serious thoughts of trying some other country.

In the winter of 1839 and 1840 I went to a neighboring school for three months, where I studied reading, writing and spelling, getting as far as Rule of Three in Daboll's arithmetic.

When school was out I chopped and split rails for Wm.

Hanna till I had paid my winter's board.