In the first few months of 86 Father was surprised to read about the 500 or more strikes that had broken out at eastern industrial points. Rioting in Chicago resulted in 7 dead and 60 injured police by a dynamite bomb. Four ringleaders were hanged. The cause? Capitol and labor disagreeing.

Mother and Father were thankful for the distance away and freedom from such strife and for the opportunity to spend their days training us in useful activities and as Father sometimes put it "plain horse sense and arbitration".

On his occasional drives to Norfolk, Father combined business with visits among his many friends and learned with satisfaction of Norfolk's onward progress. Her population was more than 1,000 and so declared herself a city of the second class. H.A. Pasewalk contracted to do more diking along the river bank - cost $336. Father was interested in the County Seat vote held August 13th. Madison lacked the 2/5th vote to retain, and Norfolk lacked the 3/5 vote to secure removal from Madison. Thus the matter postponed itself. The railroads tried to have a Union Depot at 6th and Phillip, but the city refused to aid the C&NW Company who fostered the idea. Father thought Norfolk had passed up a wonderful improvement chance.

Never caring much for the operation of killing, nevertheless Father was exceptionally handy at butchering and in preparation of meat curing. He taught us this, also how to read an animal's spleen in relation to the winter weather in general.

On June 16th, James Coleson came to make a bid for the purchase of our 80 acre farm home. The offer of $600 cash appealed to our parents and since they were quite certain that sooner or later it would be necessary to enlarge the acreage in order to keep busy their ever growing up junior farm boys, the deal was closed and we reluctantly moved from the sodhouse castle, ground floor and all.

Father immediately rented a farm from a neighbor Littell, only 3/4 mile to the west - 160 acres with half to be broken up for the next years cropping. A contract to build a frame house was soon carried out and then was moved into while it still was unfinished enough to be very warm in the summer and air-conditioned this first winter of occupancy. Busied with this, with engineering the efforts of we boys, Father also built a house for neighbor Brodhagen, sold the 86 mule to Sam Thatch for $50, bought two more cows and taught us how to be cowboys. We herded the small drove barefoot, which so toughened us up that we could outrun he orneriest animal that ever tried sneaking into a corn field.

This was the year the mare "Dolly", not to be outdone by her team mate "Fly", foaled a horse colt. Father was the "vet" but Mother as the nurse did more of the exacting details. We christened him Frank.

On June 27th, Father purchased a young Galloway bull at Norfolk for $35. This animal was something like a wild buffalo at first but he was ready to tame up after a few months with us young cattlemen.

On Sunday mornings, if she might catch a few moments before company arrived or at evening after quiet was partially restored, Mother would get out her small red bound bible for her usual reading. This volume was printed in 1868 and acquired in 1873, the year of her marriage. It celebrated along with the family, the 50th, 60th and 64th wedding anniversaries of our parents. As we turn the well leafed pages and oft marked passages we can know how very much she sought and found comfort and inspiration therein, even though the print was so fine that it takes a good glass to make it easy reading. She and Father too encouraged us to study the word. Some of us had read the New Testament through at the age of 12.

In the one room domicile with ladderway to the sleeping loft we 5 boys and two good parents managed to eat well and with such simple furniture as trundle-bed or cradle slept the sleep of the tired and healthy.

We Christmassed together with few but highly appreciated gifts. With popcorn, parched sweet corn and plenty of mush and milk we were fairly content while hustling fuel to make hot the little iron cook stove and keep warm enough to be healthy.

From the weekly newspaper, Father read where on October 28th there occurred in New York harbor the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, presented to the U.S. by the French government and its people. On this 151 foot bronze figure of liberty enlightening the World there appeared the inscription "Send these, the tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the Golden door"!!! Father, much impressed by the message, mentioned then and many times since how important that our America is and must be a light to the nations of the World.

Among our occasional athletic activities, aside from strenuous farm exercises, was one that may be termed a sport - ice skating. Father encouraged us in this and demonstrated to us his skillfulness and speed. He had learned while a boy upon the frozen Schuylkill river at Philadelphia. Later on the kept in winter trim on the Rock river in Illinois, from Erie to the great Mississippi.

This calls to mind the relating of Father's exciting experience on ice though not with skating. In the winter of 1870 he, with two neighbors, volunteered to pull by sleight the casket and remains of a friend whose relatives earnestly desired the burial to be made upon the Iowa side of the Mississippi. Being late in the freezing season, it was thought unwise to use a team or horse for this trip. All went well until near the middle of the Father of Waters when the ice began cracking. While not admitting fright to one another, Father remembered his own came near to upending. By stringing out the pull rope and distributing their weight they moved on carefully and so reached their destination with great relief.

The year 1886 sees the passing on of another ex-President, Arthur, age 56.

Railroads throughout the United States were prospering - growing powerful in lobbying for further government assistance or backing. This was becoming one of Cleveland's leading problems.

From the Norfolk newspaper we learned of that cities steady growth. On January 25th a special election was held - voting on a street Railway franchise which carried 209 to 121. First sewer bonds won - aye's 194 to 43 nay's. July 12th, $10,000 were approved for a water works system.

On one of Father's Norfolk trips he met up with Fred Dedderman of rural school District #24, Madison County, who sought him to teach the three months term beginning in January. Father reluctantly accepted. He had taken no course to fit him for such a job at school or much after. Only a determination to tackle anything to help out in the teacher shortage, as well as to earn much needed funds for the family and the farm operations decided the venture. Above all he was deeply interested in education and what knowledge his school days did not afford him he sought always in practical ways to acquire. If he might help any youth to see the importance of study he would gladly aid. The weekly transportation to and from this school, six mile to the SE, was mostly aboard the mare "Fly" with one of we eldest on the rumble seat, hanging on, taking Father early Monday morning to bringing him home Friday night. Sometimes when weather permitted he would foot the distance, being blessed with a good pair of feet and strong legs he would walk with the best and enjoy it. Some of the names enrolled were: Fix, Jordan, Rhorke, Heckman, Dedderman. A young man known as "Tom", a stranger in the locality also attended, was athletic, holding his own among the nearly grown young men pupils and a clown who credited him with an everlasting appreciation. Father studied and practiced the art of diplomacy in school and out and so a good measure of success was his reward.

March the 8th, Mother carefully noted in the account book "commenced sowing wheat". This is proof that she and we boys were busy on the home front. March the 24th, teaching school days of Father were over and he came home with $57.00 for the three months labor.

On the morning of April 9th, we began sowing oats but by noon there occurred the most terrific wind storm of our farm years. At 3 PM it grew dark, so dark chickens roosted and we could not see our cattle out on the prairie. We boys were nearly blinded trying to locate the milkers. At this season of the year much of the prairie had been burned over and the fire ash not only soon blackened our faces, there was a smarting of the eyes that was terrible painful.

Prairie fires were a semi-yearly hazard - each spring and again in the fall. One time the families Wilgocki and Lederer went "plumming" down along the Elkhorn river. Two were left to guard the homes, Oscar W. and the 11 year old Lederer. With real Indian made bows and arrows, bargained from the Sioux by Oscar's father, the boys roamed the prairie from one home to the other, playing the hunter and the make believe buffalo and other game. About 2 PM distant smoke was noticed to SE and in half an hour high winds on the increase brought lines of fire, some jumping the guards and headed toward the Wilgocki buildings. Carrying buckets of water from the windlass well and with wet sacks they fought to check the flames between gusts of wind. When they gained a good size strip another wave of wind and smoke drove them back again then had to work on another stretch of flame nearer the buildings. Still fighting but nigh exhausted their folks came driving back over the hill, horses on the run. Taking over, Father and Henry W. soon burned a safety backfire. The boys were freely credited with saving the home by "Aunty Gosky" and Father. All of we boys were taught how to be successful prairie firemen.

On Washington's birthday proceedings were worked out to divide school District #6 - our portion to be known as District #33. Littell, Lederer and Coleson were the first board members with Charles Gates as County Superintendent. A schoolhouse was ordered built, the first in Pleasant Valley. Father hired a helper Mort Williams, and began the building, the sills and foundation timbers fastened together by mortise and tenon secured by hard wood pegs (No nails here if you please). A much later write-up by one of the grown up boys was construed and titled by a newspaper editor to read "No nails used in this school building". The writers' face grows red each time this is mentioned, since he drove in some of the old square-toed iron nails in the siding and 59 years after pulled one of them out as a souvenir. Mr. Harvey hauled the lumber for the building from the Norfolk yards.

Father read an early item from the "Call" of 1878, that deer and antelope were seen just north of Pierce. This reminds us of the cuts of venison we enjoyed through Littell and Harvey who killed several deer in western Pierce Co., as late as 1895. The "Call" also noted that T.C. Verges was the Counties first sheriff and that Dr. Verges from Norfolk came to Pierce Co to attend some of the sick.

Neighbor Harvey passed away October 22nd. We Lederers all came to know him well. His ever kindly word and neighborly deeds were deeply missed by the entire neighborhood.

Just before Christmas, Father accompanied we three older to Battle Creek, went into Mr. Bates store and we were fitted out with boots and caps. John was hardly boot broke as yet while Cleo wore long skirts for foot warmth. Three of us didn't have to wait for Santa to make us proud and happy. We beat him to it. But as usual, the ingenuity of our dear parents always promised a surprise for the youngster as well as oldsters at Christmas time.

Word came from the Seidels at Sterling announced the birth of Florence Pearl, March 18th. All birth announcements from the Seidels, the Oltmans and Pfundsteins of Illinois and the Lederers of Kansas were of Father's nieces or nephews - first cousins to us Nebraska Lederers.

A famous American educator, Mark Hopkins, of Williamstown, Mass., dies at age 85.