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>Diary entry Nov. 1917 >Lord, Norman is a good man with the patience of a >saint. He works so hard to carve a life for us out of >this woebegone, hardscrabble place, please keep him >safe. Help me to get over the tears and the >bitterness in my heart. I know you have your hand on >our shoulders, and there was a reason you took the >babies, even though I don't understand. >Grant me strength enough to face the wintry solitude >and humor to face the coming months of turnips and >cabbage. Bless us with a better yield of potatoes >next year. Help me accept this life and make the best >of the gifts bestowed on us. Help this heart to see >clearly, what my eyes cannot. And please Lord, end >the war soon and bring our soldiers' home safely from >France. Amen > > >Sharp winds whined through the long valley making the >power lines hum a mournful harmony. Yellow brown >leaves danced wildly up the canyon, harbingers of >winter. Ada stuffed the last clothespin into the >swaying bag on the line and hefted the basket of clean >laundry onto her hip with icy hands. A gust of frigid >air billowed her worn sweater as she hurried for the >warmth of the house. > >The fragrance of simmering chicken filled the kitchen, >and while Ada folded the laundry on the kitchen table, >she thought about dumplings for supper. Norman >enjoyed a fluffy dumpling, and would surely appreciate >a hot, filling meal, with winter pushing at them >earlier than usual this year. Ada sprinkled and >rolled the ironing, deciding to do it later after >supper. That activity would keep her mind off the >cold, and eliminate a Tuesday chore. She enjoyed >ironing at night, while Norman sat in the kitchen with >his coffee, listening to the radio. Sometimes he read >aloud while she rhythmically pressed his shirts on the >old wooden board, his deep voice faltering only over >the most difficult words, or strange names in the >Missoula paper. She loved his rendering of bible >passages; it was flawless due to the training of his >father, a Presbyterian minister. > >Ada especially enjoyed her husband's reading skill. A >childhood illness rendered her nearly blind, leaving >the world little more than a hazy blur before her blue >eyes. With the help of a strong magnifying glass she >could read, but it was difficult and frustrating to >have to study each letter, with her nose pressed close >to the paper. Norman enjoyed sharing the newspaper >and books with his wife, so they got on fine. > >Ada was not a pretty woman. Along with her weak eyes >and plain features, her hair also turned white when >she was about eleven, giving her an aged appearance. >She was tall like her father and big boned. Her >mother despaired that Ada would wind up a spinster, >until Norman bought the farm next to theirs. He saw >past Ada's ordinary features, finding comfort and >delight in her enthusiasm for life. A genuine goodness >toward humanity shone like a beacon to all who knew >her. She was true pioneer stock, born on a homestead >near Ft. Benton, Montana, just eight years after the >foolhardy Custer and his gallant band met their >destiny at the Big Horn. > >Ada's Grandfather came early to the territory with the >American Fur Company. When beaver played out, he >turned to trading, then farming and running a ferry >across the Clark Fork River near Horse Plains. At his >urging his two daughters and their husbands moved up >from their homes in St. Louis, arriving on the last >steamboat to carry passengers up the Missouri. By the >time Ada was born the Indians were subdued, but the >horrifying events at the Big Horn were still a fresh >memory to the homesteaders. They remained well armed >and vigilant for the occasional renegade outburst. >Racial hatred festered and thrived in Montana for >generations. >As a child Ada was more frightened of the cowboys than >Indians. She would run behind the soddy and hide >whenever she heard horses approach. The rough living >white men always made such a whoop-up of their arrival >on the prairie, but the Indians were silent and >respectful when they stopped by for a handout or trade >for meat.

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