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We never had any children of our own but raised nine whom we had taken in. I sent four of them through the University here.
Before the Bryans got into Lincoln there wasn't a democrat in town. The Republicans being in full power. One time they built another wing on the second capitol building here and the rock was dressed at the penitentiary under the Warden Stout.
He had already made a price of $10,000.00 for this stone, but when he saw what a lot of waste there was he put in an extra bill for $5,000. and got it. There were no democrats to object. It was customary for the Republicans to do those things, such as padding beef hills and cost of supplies. [?] Moran said that they would steal corn from a blind hog. I belonged to the Populist Party when it was organized by Governor [Holcomb?]. Nebraska was made up of a hard class of people. Of course there were lots of good pioneers moved out here to take advantage of the free or cheap land, but lots of the people came here to get away from some trouble in the east.
It might seem that they never would amount to anything or their children but they became fine citizens in time. It was a new land and they mostly settled down to a good honest life with their troubles left behind them.
Jesse James and his band were blamed for a lot of robberies and raids around here but most of it was done by the local people.
You've heard about the milkman putting water in the milk. Well a custom was followed which permitted adding 2 gallons of water to every 8 gallons of milk. Now I thought we hadn't ought to put water in the milk but sometimes when the Fair was on or something to bring a crowd, there was'nt enough milk to go around. As I didn't believe in putting water in the milk, I did it the other way around by just putting the milk in the water.
There was a man by the name of [Saulsberry?] came out here from Vermont. He worked some for me and one day as we drove along, a hitching strap came loose and drug under the horses feet. He saw it and said, 'say, the run strap is down.' He talked wit lots of different expressions like that and continued to use them.
I speak Swedish and Norwegian both, but the greenhorn Swedes from the old country taught me a lot of differences in the language.
Nebraska people have learned to talk according to Webster and are dropping the silly expressions which were carried in here from out of the state.
We had a [mock?] church trail once and tried the minister who was accused of kissing one of the sisters. Several of the lady members said they would vote to find him guilty because none of them were the sister he had kissed.
Then the sister who was the victim of the scandalous conduct of the preacher was asked to stand up and denounce him. She stood up but didn't scold him. It was his wife.
We need some nonsense, now and then, or life gets too serious.
One time in the eighties I asked an Irish girl at Davey to go to a dance with me on Stevens Creek. Her sister didn't like the idea and tried to side track her so she could go with me. But they both went to the dance and got into a fight about it. I never liked the sister who butted in for many years after until I met her at [Ravelock?] and danced with her. At a dance there some years ago they wanted to see how many couples they could get out who had danced here 50 years ago. There were eight of them. In the Prize Waltzes we used to have to dance along straight lines marked off on the floor.
The girls were all afraid of becoming old maids and 'wall flowers'. Before they got married it was much better if they learned to cook as every man expected a good cook.
A lot of people around here would probably say, "Oh, that old Dave Holms' is just puttin' out some big lies." They are that way and don't even believe themselves.
I have my funeral all arranged and paid for and the announcement cards are addressed ready to go. I don't want one of those steel boxes which snap shut on you in the grave. I don't like the idea."
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