144 SPENCER FULLERTON BAIRD 



delay After the marriage my father's 



belongings were transferred to the Churchill residence. 

 This was at first a house belonging to a Mrs. Stevenson 

 near the College; this house is, or was lately, the rectory 

 of the Episcopal church. About two years after the 

 marriage they moved to a house next door then owned 

 by a Mr. Fetter. In the rear there was a building which 

 my father took possession of for a workshop and study. 



"My mother never had any especial taste for Natural 

 History, although always very much interested in any- 

 thing which my father was doing. At the time of his 

 courting, he was exceedingly busy with his college work 

 and also studying very hard. After he became engaged, 

 he was anxious of course to spend his evenings with his 

 fiancee and yet did not feel that he could take all that 

 time from his studies; so he fell into the habit of taking 

 a book with him in order that he might carry on his studies 

 and still have the pleasure of sitting in the room with her. 

 Being an early riser and often taking long walks with 

 his class, making collections, my father would be apt to 

 grow drowsy towards the end of the evening and was 

 apt towards its close to fall asleep over his book; so when 

 the hour arrived at which my mother knew he expected 

 to leave, she would wake him up and send him home; at 

 least, this is the tale which she used to tell in after life 

 and as she was a truthful woman, it is probably not 

 exaggerated! 



"Another story which she told of those days was that 

 on one occasion when she was walking with him in the 

 country they came to a little stream in which there were 

 some curious fish which he wished to secure. He had no 

 net, and my mother very obligingly lent him her bonnet 

 with which he proceeded to catch the finny treasures. 



