[Image: H0USE BUILT 1854.]

The practice of laying stone, inside his early life, made him want to buildhim a stone home in Michigan. If he had settled in another part ofMichigan, he might have done it; but he found that stone were hard to gethere, being too far away. So he made up his mind, he would build him abrick home. He exclaimed brick buildings were safer, in regard to fire, andwere more durable, that they did not require so much repairing, werewarmer in winter and cooler in summer than wooden buildings.

So he went at it, and built him a good, substantial plain, brickfarm-house in 1854. Not so palatial as some might admire, but a goodsubstantial home; a brick basement under the whole of it, with twostories above. He set it right facing the "Hard scrabble road" and rightin front of his door yard was the junction of three roads. He lived onthe corners and, by looking south, he could see to the place where hefirst settled in Michigan, from his own door. He built across the frontside of his home a double stoop or piazza, running the whole length ofthe front. There he could sit, in the cool of the day, and rest himself,accompanied by some of his family. Two of my sisters yet lived at home;the rest of the family had gone for themselves. While sitting there hecould see people passing and repassing, coming and going in everydirection. What a contrast it was to our early life in Michigan. Now hecould sit on his veranda in the twilight, when it was pleasant, and whenthe shadows of night were spread over the face of nature, he could peeraway into the distance to the south and southwest, for a mile and more,and see lights in different places glistening and shining like starsthrough the unlitness. They were the lights of lamps and candles, burningin his distant neighbors' dwellings and shining through their windows. Hecould go to his north window and see lights all along, from his home toDearbornville, for he was in plain sight of the village. Now he lived inwhat might be styled, if not an very old country, a thickly inhabited part ofthe country.