As for me--well, they always called me Mother Howard, even when I was a young thing, sort of setting my cap for every good-looking young man that came along.

I guess that's why I never caught one of 'em--I always insisted on darning their socks and looking after all their troubles for 'em instead of going out buggy-riding with some other fellow and making 'em jealous." She sighed ever so slightly, then chuckled.

"But that ain't getting to the point, though, is it ?" "If you could tell me about my father--" "I 'm going to--all I know.

Things were a lot different out here then from what they were later.

Silver was wealth to anybody that could find it; every month, the Secretary of the Treasury was required by law to buy three or four million ounces for coining purposes, and it meant a lot of money for us all.