The first recollection I have of sister Myrtle was when we lived on the Old Home Place, near Bryant, S.D. My older sister and I had shared the bed, but now that another sister, who is Cora now in South America, had come to gladden our home, it was decided that Myrtle should be tucked in between us upstairs.

Little Myrtle cried the first night she was brought up to sleep with us. I remember how my father tried so hard to console her, and said (in Norwegian of course) "I don't see why a big girl like you should be afraid to sleep in the dark up here." Myrtle had an answer right away and said, "It's nice for you as you have Mama to look after you."

That week we were blessed with visitors and Sweet Soup. One of the visitors asked Pearl, who was the oldest, how she liked her little sister, and the reply was that she loved her alright, but, she could think of a lot of things we needed more.

How true, maybe, but how happy we were for every one of the nine who came. When I used to see them weigh all my sisters and brother I used to wonder just how much a pound they were paying for all these babies. I know better now of course. One evening after supper we were all sitting around the table talking and laughing. Myrtle was so busy scratching herself. My mother asked her why she was scratching herself. Her reply was, "No one else knows where I itch."

The day we moved on the New Place my father and mother had purchased was a thrill we will never forget [this was 1919, when the Stadem family moved to what would be called Plain View Farm in rural Bryant].

The chickens were as glad as we were to run and romp on this new soil. We were going to sleep in the garage until our new house was finished, and our beds were hoisted up to the ceiling every morning to make room for the daily routine. One day we were all over by the granary and we knew there was a skunk underneath, so my father told us all to look underneath to see if we could see him. Myrtle spotted him and said to my dad in Norwegian, "Han seer paa mig." In English, that means "He's looking at me." I can hear Papa [chuckling] yet as he really enjoyed that answer.

We had always said that Myrtle had been sitting in the front row when the faces were given out as we always thought she was better looking than the rest of us sisters and consequently had lots of attention from the opposite sex, for which she was, more often, called on the carpet.

You may know already that Courtship is the period during which the girl decides whether or not she can do any better. We noticed there was a definite sifting, until Bill came along. We know nowadays a girl no longer marries a man for better or worse, it is for more or less.

The first time I knew the Myrtle and Bill romance was serious, was when they went for a sleigh ride from the Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls where we were attending. The horses could not stop short, times enough, that night so this couple would have to grab on to something or someone (if you please) to be able to stand up.

Bill came from a Christian home. The family consisted of our brothers and one sister. He lived mainly in South Dakota most of his life after coming here as a youngster from Norway. He was, and still is, an ambitious young man, and was going to college at the time they were going to get married. He knew every young man should have even more college education, but he told us one day:

"The more I study the more I know.

The more I know the more I forget.

The more I forget the less I know.

The less I know, the less I forget.

The less I forget the more I know.

So why study?"

It was not long after this the college days were over for Bill, like many others that enter into the state of matrimony.

We were at Luther League one evening and I overheard Bill tell a boy friend of his, "I am thinking these days of asking a young girl to marry me, what do you think of the idea?" Myrtle, who as standing closer than Bill thought, spoke up and said, "It's a good idea if you ask me." And you will find he did [follow up this good idea].

Myrtle and Bill decided it would be nice to have Pastor Hofstad [also president of Augustana Academy] marry them as he had been such a wonderful spiritual help in Myrtle's Christian life at Augustana Academy. Bill, not knowing Hofstad, happened to come to his home the same day Hofstad advertised for someone to help him with the load of work he had since his wife had been gone on an extended trip. When Bill introduced himself the Pastor said, "Can you start the fires in the morning, get breakfast by seven o'clock?"

"I guess so," answered Bill.

"Well, can you wash the dishes, keep the house nice and tidy, polish silver, etc.?"

"Say, Pastor," said Bill, "I came here to see about getting married, but if it is going to be as much work as all that, you can count me out right now."

When this was straightened out, and a good laugh over with, Bill went away feeling better and [with] the consent to marry them, without working for it].

After many months of figuring and scheming, with facts and figures, these two very much in love with one another decided it was time they set a date, and so they did, which was May. 31st, 25 years ago this week. There were lots of parties, showers and preparations for the big day. You can ask me, I have had five sisters to help, but it's lots of fun. It seemed to me May 31st came upon us so fast, but not fast enough for Myrtle.

The day of the wedding there were things to do at the church, so we sisters went down early. Everything was ready but no bride. We waited and waited, the hour was getting late and in comes the bride all decked out, but a little nervous. She whispered to us that they had been in an accident, but not to tell anyone about it to mar the happy time. She told me afterwards that Ray Wicher, a good friend of the family, who was responsible to get her there, was run into by another car, which delayed them.

He went to the closest neighbor to get a monkey wrench. To this day I do not know what he was going to do with it. An old man came to the door [of the house Ray went to find help at]. The old man said, "Now my brother done got a cattle rench out east here, my cussin got a sheep rench near town, isn't it too cold to have a monkey rench around here?"

Putting all jokes aside, the wedding went just as planned, and it was a very impressive and a real testimony to those who came. I overheard a jealous oldmaid whisper to a friend of hers sitting beside her, "You know, it takes a mother 20 years to make a man of her boy, and another woman can make a fool of him in 20 minutes."

After the Wedding and Honeymoon this happy young couple settled in Iowa and the first opportunity I had I went to visit them. They were some of the best vacations I have ever had. Their love has stretched out to where they now have eight plus one more, very wonderful youngsters and by the Grace of God are doing what they think is God's best for every one of them.

In our daily walk together with Him, who has given His all for us, let us sum up our thoughts in these thoughts that we profess only one desire, to put God first, to make Him everything and man nothing. To exalt Him and abase man. To honor His Word and glorify His Christ is our unchangeable goal. Our one desire and determination is to delight ourselves in the Lord and in His Word, and leave Him to look after our reputation, success, honor, and interest, and to defend us against all enemies.

--9 am, Bernice Schaefer, Myrtle's sister, Redlands, Calif.