Going Back to America

At last, our furlough being up, we left for Lagos to set sail for home. I remember on our way back to Abbeokuta we were held up for several days at the very river we had crossed the year before by hearing that a week of "our confinement" was in progress in Abbeokuta and we should not pass through. But we did pass later with no harm done.

We reached Lagos and about the middle of October sailed for New York via Liverpool. We reached my fathers home, at Sturgeon, Missouri, in December and were met by the family, happy to see us of course. But best of all was to see our little boy who three years before had left us, a puny, sickly baby, now a healthy, hearty boy of five years. Of course, he knew us by name only and was glad to see us. But his real love was for the dear Aunt Emma who had been a real mother to him for three years. Also for Uncle Johnnie who loved him devotedly. And no child ever had a better mother She had earned his love.

We had no thought at that time but to return to Africa but family conditions arose that made it necessary for us to remain at home. So my husband took up pastoral work at home till the time of his death, twenty-three years later.