And as painful as even yet is the remembrance of her sufferings, and the loss sustained by my little children and myself, yet I have no wish to lift up the voice of complaint.

I was left with three children.

The two eldest were sons, the youngest a daughter, and at that time a mere infant.

It appeared to me, at that moment, that my situation was the worst in the world.
"I couldn't bear the thought of scattering my children; and so I got my youngest brother, who was also married, and his family, to live with me.

They took as good care of my children as they well could; but yet it wasn't all like the care of a mother.