This is the fourth part of the autobiography of Allie Oen Beymer. He was Born in Elmdale, Chase County, Kansas, 11 June 1882. It covers Chase County Kansas, a short period in Arkansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Norman Oklahoma; Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and Eugene, Oregon. I (Mike Beymer) am transcribing this as written with no intentional changes.

School is out for the summer and I am going to work for Mr. Hardie this summer. One of the twins came back to visit her aunt again, and I am pleased with the arrangement for Daisy is my favorite. The only way I could tell then apart was by Rosy wearing glasses and that made it easy for them to fool me; but Daisy was alone this time. This gave me a chance to become better acquainted and I liked her better as time passed.

Now Mr. And Mrs. Hardie were full of fun and several times when Daisy was asleep they tried to get me to steal a kiss, but I was so bashful I wouldn't do it no matter how much the temptation. Mr. Hardie had a system of quitting in the field at 11:30 a.m., taking two of three hours at noontime, according to the heat of the day, then quitting at sunset. He said it was easier on man and beast. It suited both Daisy and I for we spent a lot of that time getting acquainted. We were both fourteen years old. At noontime and in the evening she would wave a flag as a signal that it was time for me to come into the barn and feed my team. How I looked for that flag.

Sometimes when I would be ready to start home, as I always went home nights; she would have my hat hidden and make me beg her to give it to me. I wore a broad-rimmed hat and she knew how I liked it so one night she refused to let me have it at all and having to go home without it hurt my feelings a little bit.

We finally arranged a fishing trip down on the creek about two miles away thinking we would get some time off together, but no such luck. On our way to the creek, of course, I had to stop and tell my mother where we were going, so of all things they had to let my little brother George go along. Now I began to put up the plea that George would only make a noise and scare the fish away so we couldn't catch any if he went along; but it didn't stick. George went too. After not having any luck fishing we all three sat down on a log to eat our lunch. Daisy said, "why do you sit on the other end of the log? Are you afraid of me?" I immediately moved up to about three feet of her.

When lunch was over we persuaded George to stay at the log while we looked around so taking the long barrel, ramrod loading shot gun they let me bring along, we crossed the creek looking along the bank for a squirrel, but instead saw a shitepoke on a limb. "Shall I shoot it?" I asked. She didn't know what it was but thought I should for we might not see anything else to shoot so down came the shitepoke with its long neck and long legs. "What shall we do with it?" I asked. "Oh I know you keep one wing and I will keep the other one." I am sure they were kept a long time.

I was getting big enough; I thought to call my father pa and got his consent to do so as the older ones did. Also Jimmie was changed to Jim, but for some reason, Willie was always Willie. Jim was converted this year, and the young people would gather at our house for singing and a sociable time. I enjoyed all this as much as they did. Then the best of all happened; my father converted, threw away his tobacco and was so happy he could hardly eat his meals for days. "Now," said Willie, "I think it's time to start family worship." "It will suit me just fine," my father answered and from that day on it was established in our home. Now the entire family attended Sunday school at the schoolhouse.

It was about this time that a revival meeting started at Wansaview, in a tent, conducted by the Free Methodist Church. Jim was going with Viola Allen, and Willie was going with Alice Tittle. They went mostly on horseback or sometimes would put three of four spring seats in the wagon and a crowd of young people would go together. My father made good use of their buggy attending this meeting. It was six miles south of our place.

It was during this meeting that Willie asked me one day as we were walking along the road, if I was sure that I had been saved and I told him I wasn't sure of it. "Well you can be sure and I wouldn't go on like this," he said. From there on I began to seek the Lord in earnest. I was the last day of the meeting and all had left but one long-whiskered preacher whose name was Church. He talked to me in such a simple way that my faith took hold and my burden was gone in an instant. It was so real I could never doubt it afterward. My mother was converted also during this meeting, but it was at home when she was alone.

At the close of this revival there was an old fashioned camp meeting to be held at Wichita Kansas about seventy miles from where we lived. Zone and I were left in charge of things at home while our parents attended this meeting. We had a good time but we sometimes got careless. One day I wondered what we were going to do with all the butter we were making and decided to try my hand at making cookies in order to use up some of it for it was getting to be what my mother called ransom. It so happened that just as I was removing the cookies from the oven there was a knock on the door and in stepped a neighbor. Maybe the suddenness was the cause but I touched a hot spot and cookies went rolling all over the floor. I don't remember if he ate any or not but I remember why he was there.

He said Mr. Allen wanted to see me quick for one of our cows had been in his cornfield and was swelled up so bad he stuck her with a knife but was not sure she would live. Zone and I rushed down to her but she was dead already. Mr. Allen skinned her for us and the next day we took the skin to Clements in the cart and received seventy-five cents for it. After finding out the truth, the thrashing crew had gone through the fence and left it down. Our father never did blame us for the loss but we felt plenty bad about it as we had been left to watch things.

Anyway things don't always go against me for Dick is back home for awhile and doing some plowing. "I think this would be a good day for some fishing," he said, for it was raining gently. As I went by where he was plowing he said, "hope you get enough for supper," and I really did. I took shelter under an oak tree and in a little while had eight nice catfish to take home. I thought to myself, oh this is the life for me; for all boys like to fish.

One evening when I was working for Mr. Hardie I was visiting with Daisy and stayed a little too late, and it was dark when I started home. I had looked across the pasture earlier in the evening and could see no cattle, so thought I would cut through to save some walking. The moon was not out but the stars were shinning brightly and I started merrily down the slope toward home. There were two ravines to cross between me and home and they were just deep enough that a critter could not be seen from one to the other. I had crossed the first one and was coming up out of the next when silhouetted against the starry sky I saw three long horn steers with their heads high in the air watching me approaching them. I knew there would be more farther ahead and quickly decided to best thing to do was to stampede them if possible so with hat in one hand and coat in the other I make a dash straight at them yelling with all my might. They ran but in a circle as I expected they would and came right back in front of me again. This time it took nerve to face the whole herd of about fifty, but I knew it was my only chance so made another try and went straight through the herd. I knew the next circle would be shorter and ran with all my might calling the dog and wondering if he could hear me yet as I was getting close to home. The steers made their next circle and came so close they scared me. After they had passed I was down on my knee taking a quick glance to find our how far they were going this time when my dog came up behind me so fast I thought it was a steer and almost fainted.

Before I took time to look, I screamed, whirled around and struck the confused dog with my coat. I was ashamed of myself by quickly spoke a kind word to him and sent him bounding after the cattle, while I stretched my legs toward the house which was now faintly visible in the starlight. Shep made it back to the house at the same time I did and I gave him a big hug.

It was while living here on the Glover place we planned a fishing trip with our cousin's family. We were to try night fishing in the Cottonwood River, and loading two wagons one evening went to the river, built up a big fire and were having a good time but getting very few fish. A big black cloud was forming in the northwest and it began to thunder and lightening. We went back in a hurry, glad to get home before the storm struck. Storms like that were common and we respected them. When caught out in a terrific storm with a horse and buggy, it was better to turn with our back to the storm and wait until it was over or the horse might refuse to face it and in turning might upset the buggy.

After wheat harvest I went to work for Harve Mowry again. I went back and forth to work in a wagon and used a riding plow with three horses. He had a field rented about three miles from his home and the sunflowers were about five or six feet high on it. I did get awful tired and sleepy just sitting in the hot sun all day long driving three horses and watching the log chain pull the weeds under. I thought it would be more interesting to operate a walking plow, then I would have something to do, so I insisted until he let me have my way telling me I would be sorry.

How I sweat and struggled with those tall weeds and that heavy fourteen-inch plow no one but me will ever know. One day I could hear thunder but could see no clouds and I knew what that meant on a hot afternoon. In about two minutes some clouds began to form near me with a few flashes of lightening. That was enough for me. I unhitched the horses from the plow and tied them to the wagon, thinking I would get under the wagon box for shelter form the rain, but it rained so hard and blew so hard that I was soon soaked to the skin and the water was almost ankle deep under the wagon with no let up.

I made a dash for the two round oat stacks nearby and tried to pull out some sheaves to maim a knoll large enough to shelter me but they were so tight, it was hopeless. It seemed the wind blew from every direction around the stacks. I finally gave up and got back under the wagon to wait for the storm to quit. It was useless to think of more work that day so I hitched the horses to the wagon and started for home.

The creek crossed the road twice between me and the house and when I got to the first crossing, it was bank full. There was nothing left for me to do but start going through pastures, letting the fences down and working my way around on the prairie. I was about half way there when Mr. Mowry met me doing the same thing. When he saw me he shouted,"hello, I thought you might need help that was a bad one." You couldn't blame him for worrying for about three years before a cyclone had smashed his house down on top of the cellar in which was his family and sister-in-law but all were saved.

Where he lived now he made a dugout arched with cement for a cyclone refuge which he entered at all times in the night whenever he thought the storm looked too severe.

Mr. Mowry owned a beautiful Indian pony with wavy mane and tail, which I had the privilege of riding at any time I wanted to saddle it up. She was a little mean but never did throw me.

It seemed I didn't get a chance to see Daisy very much any more and about school time she went home before I knew it.

Now it was time for me to go back to school again and to Mr. Barretts for another winter of cold rides with old Nell and the buggy. I actually got in such a habit of saying "get up" to that old mare that when I would be talking to someone as soon as I stopped talking I would say 'get up' before I would know it. It made me feel silly but shows what habit will do.

I had the same teacher each year, which made the schoolroom seem like home to me. The same bad boys were there too. One white boy and one colored boy, whose name was Jonny Brooks, would be stood on the floor quite often and given a whipping before the school. At one time Miss Carrie was laying the whip too hard for Jonny and he grabbed the stick, broke it in pieces and threw it over in the corner. Then the teacher said, "Jonny you go through the door there into the principal's room." We always quandered just what happened in the other room.

Now I guess my father was due for another move for without previous notice, I received a letter form mother saying they were leaving for Norman, Oklahoma leaving Him and Willie to harvest the crop by the first of the year when the rent was due on the place. This was quite a shock to me, as I had not seen them since school began.

Well the weeks passed as usual until holidays, then I got a letter from Jim saying he would meet me at Cedar Point if I wanted to come home to spend Christmas holidays with them. Needless to say I was at the station at the appointed time where he met me with an extra horse to ride. How I enjoyed being with my brothers again for a while being relived from my routine of duty.

During my stay with them Viola Allen gave a party for the young people of the neighborhood and what a crowd. Most everyone came on horseback, but there were a few buggies. It was near midnight when Willie took Alice home and shortly after Jim and I rode home. We did some hunting, husking corn and other things and the holidays were soon over and it was time to go back to school.

When the day arrived, there was a blizzard on from the northwest. Jim says, "Allie, can you stand it to ride today?" "Of course, I'll have to. I must get back to school on time." I answered. "Well it's six miles to Clements and five miles to Cedar Point; if we go to Clements, it will be a little sidewise to the storm and if we go to Cedar Point, it will be directly in our face. Which way will you choose?" "I'll take the nearest way and not be out so long in the cold."

We were not sure that we could persuade our horses to face the storm and make any time, but they put their heads down, so did we, and went on a gallop all the way to town.

It was warm inside the train, but when I got to Strong City I caught my hand in the car door mashing one finger which bled so much I had to wrap a handkerchief around it. After riding over to Cottonwood Falls on the one horse streetcar, I walked from there to the farm, which was home to me now.

I would get a little lonesome and discouraged sometimes but all in all I stood it pretty good. There was no place for me to go or no way to get there, so I tried to take an interest in everything I did making life as pleasant as possible.

I was standing in the schoolroom one day looking out the window when Miss Carrie came up to me and said, "Allie you look lonesome. Why don't you go out and play football with the boys?" I answered, "Oh, I'll be glad when school is out so I can get into the field again and plow." I guess she read my mind for she handed me a dime and said "here take this and go play; it will do you good." She knew it took a dime to share the price of the ball.

During my school day at Cottonwood Fall I paid the necessary tuition by carrying drinking water for the school which took a considerable amount of my study time and also my playtime at noon and recess, especially in hot weather. The water was kept just outside the door in four buckets. There was no well on the school grounds, so I had to carry it from private homes one to three blocks away.

I was given fifteen minutes exemption from tardy marks because of the distance I had to drive to school. One thing I learned here was if I was diligent in my labor or studies, there was always someone to help me along. Another thing I learned was to stand up for principal. I knew it was wrong to fight and refused to do it; therefore when someone tried to pick a fight with me, there was sure to be some who would say, "let him alone; you know he don't believe in fighting." They all respected me for my stand and were ready to defend me without my asking.

Finally school is out, and I am excited about going home again. The first thing I did was to go see my sister Lizzie who lived about ten miles west of where I was and near a town called Elmdale the place where I was born. While visiting with her I was strolling around on the polling prairie near her house and saw two men on horse back approaching a herd of long-horn steers. I hid myself to see what they were going to do when suddenly one of them gave chase to a steer, roped it, tied it, and waited until the other men came up, talked a while and released the steer. I tried to figure out why they did it but could see no reason. The next night I was at the depot to flag the train which I was to board for my trip home. There was also a man waiting for the same train so we got a conversation started and boarded the train together. After talking a while I began telling him what I had seen on the prairie the day before and he said, well that was me. I was visiting a friend and he wanted me to show him how easy I could rope and tie a steer. You see I am from the IOI ranch in Oklahoma and happen to be the champion roper in the U.S.A" I had no reason to doubt it as I had watched his demonstration which he had performed so quickly and easily.

It was my first ride of any distance on the train and I really enjoyed it as I would dreamily listen to the click of the wheels on the rails, and sing to myself softly, as I realized that every click was bringing me closer to home, to my dear parents whom I had not seen for months. Queer, I don't remember the meeting, but remember looking over at the Hammil place which they had rented.

This was a one hundred sixty acre farm perhaps half of it cultivated, and they had planted it to corn and cotton on share rent. There was also pasture for stock and timber used for wood.

Now my folks had no money when they arrived in Oklahoma and it behoved them to find work that they might have something to eat. As we were in the edge of the "black jack" timber they began cutting wood into stove length and hauling it to town for sale, getting $1.25 per rick which was four feet high and eight feet long. Many of the farmers in the timber country were doing the same thing which made some real competition causing them to stand on the street and wait for a customer, sometimes unloading on a vacant lot to be sold later.

They had written me telling me what a good neighborhood it was and how they liked it here, but Willie had a peculiar experience on the way from Kansas. I'll tell it as it was told to me.

"I was riding along one sunny day and leading my other horse, making good time as usual when I met two men with two mules and one horse. They stopped me and one of them said, "How'l yu trade for the mules?" I don't care to trade. These horses are good enough for me," I told them.

"Well these are good mules and we'll trade you even; you'll never do any better."

Then they got off and began looking around my horses, talking all the time, and making sure they were in position to keep me from getting away. They finally got me on the ground then said:

"We want you to try out this one," then they took my saddle off and put it on the mule. I objected, but there was nothing I could do about it. I rode a short distance and when I returned told them I wouldn't trade, but they said;

"Oh, yes you will. You've already traded or you wouldn't have your saddle on the mule."

Argument didn't do one bit of good and there was no use trying to use force against two such burley looking guys, so there was nothing I could do but ride on with the mules and be thankful I had my saddle left. The mules were a sorry pair.

Well the next day after I arrived home, we went over to the Murphey place where they were cutting wood. As we were going by their house, one of the girls came out the door and ran around the corner of the house barefooted.

"That girl's name is Amy", said one of the boys.

This was the first glimpse of my future wife, but little did I know it at that time. We walked on to where they were cutting wood, and I had my first try at cutting tough blackjack oak.

Isn't it a good thing we don't know the days ahead?

I was to spend many weary hours at this hard work, and I don't believe I ever worked at anything harder than cutting blackjack oak into stove wood when I stood in the sand and the thermometer registered over a hundred.

But I can tell the world that life is enjoyable anywhere after you get acquainted with Christ and enjoy his presence.

I soon became acquainted with all our nearest neighbors and went to church at the schoolhouse two miles away. Also Sunday School and there was prayer meeting during the week at one of the neighbors. We did lots of visiting too, which makes life worthwhile and brings happiness to all.

On June 11th of this year I was fifteen years old and my religious training began in earnest. The question of school bothered me some as I wanted to go back to Cottonwood Falls another year but knew my parents didn't have the carfare let alone all the other expenses at school.

In July there was a two-weeks camp meeting held on our property in the oak timber near a spring. There were some good old fashioned preachers there, and learned a lot about the Bible every day.

One Sunday when I was visiting at Murpheys, Clem who had a good Christian experience said to me as we were lying in the shade of an oak tree, "Allie, Let's take a walk." I knew at once that he wanted to get me into the woods and pray with me. It was back over the hill in a ravine out of sight of the world that afternoon that God sanctified me while we prayed together. It seemed to me Clem was as happy about it as I was.

Now going away from home to school would seem different for I felt sure I had the strength within to stand anything. I learned that being humble was the secret of strength, and to keep the wonderful joy and deep peace I possessed seem all that really mattered. So as the days passed I was as happy as it seemed possible for one to be.

My working days were spent mostly in the cotton field, chopping cotton from early morning til sunset, but still there seemed to be some time left to go swimming in the muddy water that filled the tanks which were holes scraped out on the prairie to preserve water for the livestock. At different times I have seen boys with so much fever they should be in bed, sitting on the bank of one of those tanks wishing they had enough strength to go in.