33 
KANSAS. 
Vdth. — A, dark, dull day ; almost raining. We sit with cloaks 
and bonnet on to keep warm, and sew a little. Have some calls. 
We walk to the door occasionally, — which will, when hung, open 
into the other room, — forgetting it will not open at one’s bidding 
now. It is cramped up to stay in one room always, though, as I 
hoped before leaving Massachusetts, we “have out-of-doors a 
plenty.” Doctor brings from town our dinner, to save our 
going down. It consists of slices of cold ham, cookies and 
doughnuts. We laugh at him because he brought no bread, 
which is worth more than all. 
20 th. -— A slight rain to-day. The flowers are springing all 
over the hill-side; purple and straw-color being the prevailing 
colors. A little lilac-colored flower, of fern-leaf variety, fragile 
and beautiful, grows under every step, and yellow flowers, resem¬ 
bling lupine, are everywhere. The hammering, the continual 
pounding of a dozen workmen is confusing, and we walk out upon 
the brow of the hill for quiet and rest. How lovely nature has 
made this Kansas valley, and yet it seems as if, from a full lap of 
treasured gems, she had poured out the fairest here! More ham 
and cake to-day, — no bread. Our merriment over it will aid 
digestion, even though it be cake and ham. 
21st. — The floor in the dining-room is laid. The windows are 
in. The door between the rooms is taken away, and the stove is 
set, with the pipe out of the window, after the true pioneer fash¬ 
ion. The stove, however, will put one’s ingenuity to work in 
using, it being second-hand. Having been used six months in a 
boarding-house, not the most carefully, the furniture is minus; 
and what there is, is of unknown use to me. There is one large 
iron boiler, which would cover the whole front of the stove, one 
broken gridiron, one large dripping-pan, two tin boilers holding 
six or eight quarts, one of which, near the top, has a nose — the 
other, close to the bottom, has a spout. The furniture, which is 
the minus quantity, are iron kettles, tea-kettle, spider, shovel and 
tongs. However, we get supper, stew apples, — brought from 
Massachusetts, — and have biscuits without butter. It is a real 
Graham supper, with cold water. Provisions are scarce. 
22d. — The old Westminster catechism allows works of neces- 
