My first trip to Kansas On October 8, G. W. Cutshall and I left Meadville, Pa., via the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad for Cincinnati, Ohio, arriving there on tuesday morning and leaving the morning of the same day for St. Louis, Mo., where we foundourselves at dusk the following day. Leaving behind us this great city of the Mississippi at 10 o'clock on the night of October 9. we passed swiftly over the Central Pacific, and entered Kansas City at daybreak. p. 86 Even before I came of age I believed with Scripture that "It is not good for man to be alone," and carrying out the Apostle's idea I became engaged to Eliza C. Masiker nearly thirteen monts before my twenty-first birthday upon which we were married. My find upon the question of marriage remains unchanged to this day. All my experience of married life leads me to favor it. p. 88 Reaching Emporia, we found a lively town of 12,000 inhabitants, where we stayed until the following morning, and then drove across the country to Ivy, where I have living a second cousin, Mrs. Lydia Putnam. Mrs. Putnam is a daughter of Cyrus and Martha Brown, of Warren County, Penn. She was married about seven years abo to Mr. Fred D. Putnam, and moved with him to Ivy, since which time she has made one visit to her Eastern home. I paid, while at Ivy, a visit of a few hours to Mr. Sydney D. Putnam, and then we returned to Emporia. p. 89 We arroved at St. Louis at an early hour on October 19. and as Mr. Cutshall wished to remain in the city I went alone to visit my cousin, Mrs. Addie Whicher, who resides at Mt. Vermom, Ill., on the line of the St. Louis & Nashville railroad. Mrs. Whicher's maiden name was Simmons, she being the youngest daughter of Philander Simmons, of Jamestown, N.Y. On her return, from a trip to her native town in October, 1886, she had visited Meadvile, where I had seen her.* My call at Mr. Vernon was a surprise to my cousins, and I trust not an unpleasant one. I called upon Mr. whicher at his store, and accompanied by him and his eldest son, Archie, we went to his pleasant home where we found cousin Addie. The younger children, Baertie and Bessie, soon came in from school, and as we sat down to dine we formed a very social family party. I was much interested in an account that they gave me of the cyclone that devastated Mt. Vernon on February 19, 1887. The town suffered very severely, and many lives and much property were lost.