68 
KANSAS. 
and read, in the corner most removed from the exposed side; but 
the wind suddenly shifted, and by agility alone I escaped the 
deluge pouring in from the east. No place was now secure but 
the little corner where the straw pallet lay, with the sick lady, 
weak and nervous, tossing restlessly, and wishing the heavy 
shower would cease. To avoid cold and sickness, wrapping myself 
in blankets, I lay down upon the bed, which we supposed the rain 
would not reach. In all previous showers this had been the dry 
corner'; but the rains were searching. Soon, buffalo robe upon 
the bed, and umbrella spread over our heads, so arranged that 
the water should run off on to the floor, was our only protection. 
Yet we slept at last, wearied out by the furious raging of the 
elements, and hearing, as the last thing, the pattering rain-drops 
upon the umbrella. 
18^. — The morning sun never shone more brightly than now. 
We found everything in the house damp, but had taken no cold. 
The cholera patient was doing well. The gentleman of the house 
assured me he slept well, but it was a mystery to me where he 
found a dry nook. Had a fine ride home in the early morning 
light, which gives to every object a double value. “ Old Gray ” 
nibbled at the 44 compass plant,” which always points northward 
in these prairies, occasionally cropping its bright yellow flowers 
with a satisfied air as he trotted along. The rattlesnake weed 
was also blooming in profusion. Nature is ever mindful of the 
needs of her children, and provides an antidote against the bane 
of rattlesnakes, and a sure guide over the wide prairie in the 
compass plant. When I reached home, found the doctor gone to 
attend upon a broken limb. A man, in rafting logs down the 
river, had met with this misfortune. The doctor has many calls 
professionally, and, though he assures them all that he is not now 
a practising physician, he looks in upon many to advise them. 
19*A. — It was just eleven and a half by the clock when a 
carriage-load drove up from Kansas city. We completed our 
work at four, p. M. We had more company over night. We had 
arranged a cot bed to sleep on for the night in the dining-room, 
and I was just planning my morrow’s work before I slept, when 
the window came in with a frightful crash. With a quick spring, 
