I have written this story of my army life at the urgent and ceaseless requestof my children. For whenever I allude to those early days and tell to them thetales... » 

I have written this story of my army life at the urgent and ceaseless requestof my children. For whenever I allude to those early days and tell to them thetales they have so often heard they always say Now mother will you writethese stories for us? Please mother do we must never forget them. Thenafter an interval Mother have you written those stories of Arizona yet?until finally with the aid of some old letters written from those very placesthe letters having been preserved with other papers of mine by an uncle inNew England long since dead I have been able to give a fairly connectedstory. «