"If I thought it was music through which I could express myself,
he paid for lessons and detected hidden ability that should be
developed. Through the days of struggle he stood fast; firm in
his belief in me. He was half the battle. It was he who demanded
a physical standard that developed strength to endure the rigours
of scientific field and darkroom work, and the building of ten
books in ten years, five of which were on nature subjects, having
my own illustrations, and five novels, literally teeming with
natural history, true to nature. It was he who demanded of me
from birth the finishing of any task I attempted and who taught
me to cultivate patience to watch and wait, even years, if
necessary, to find and secure material I wanted. It was he who
daily lived before me the life of exactly such a man as I
portrayed in `The Harvester,' and who constantly used every atom
of brain and body power to help and to encourage all men to do
the same."

Marriage, a home of her own, and a daughter for a time filled the
author's hands, but never her whole heart and brain. The book
fever lay dormant a while, and then it became a compelling
influence. It dominated the life she lived, the cabin she
designed for their home, and the books she read. When her
daughter was old enough to go to school, Mrs. Porter's time came.
Speaking of this period, she says: "I could not afford a maid,
but I was very strong, vital to the marrow, and I knew how to
manage life to make it meet my needs, thanks to even the small
amount I had seen of my mother. I kept a cabin of fourteen rooms,
and kept it immaculate. I made most of my daughter's clothes, I
kept a conservatory in which there bloomed from three to six