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Lincoln, Neb., Aug. 6, '88. Dear Louie and all the household : I arrived here last Wed. at 1:30 P.M., having been delayed
nearly two hours about 40 miles from here by the giving out of the engine which brought us over the mountains. The day being
excessively warm this was no small discomfort, but Dan was at the depot to meet me, which was a surprise, as I had not attempted
to announce the hour of my arrival, so uncertain were all our movements. I had begun to feel very tired the day before, and
at Denver we were changed to chair cars, in which I found it impossible to sleep or rest much. Consequently I found myself
very weary, dusty, and worn, and so glad to leave the cars and enter a clean quiet room once more. But until this morning
the weather here has been very warm day and night and on three of the five nights which I have spent here we have had a good
energetic thunderstorm with wind and torrents of rain. On the second evening after I came, while the storm was on, Dan went
out to do something by way of preparation and just after a flash of lightning touched a water pipe with his thumb, when it
was immediately doubled up with a jerk, and a sharp pain ran up his arm. But it was all over in an instant, and he suffered
no inconvenience from it. They have had plentiful rains all summer, and the country looks beautiful -- green and fresh --
not a faded leaf anywhere. The corn is said to be an unusually fine growth and crop -- 13 ft. being nothing uncommon for a
stalk and bearing from three to five fine ears. And the sun-flowers, which are very numerous here, grow to an incredible height.
A man came into Dan's office since I have been here and stated that he and a 14 year old boy went out into the country near
here a few days ago, and seeing a remarkably large sun-flower the boy undertook to climb it, and did so, reaching the top
and breaking off a flower. It was afterwards measured and proved to be 14 ft. high. This is vouched for as a fact. But to
go back to my journey as far back as Salt Lake. We reached that city at 3:30 P.M. instead of early morning, and so were too
late for the services in the tabernacle, which was a disappointment. But a Mormon man came through the cars before we reached
the place, taking names at one dollar apiece for a ride in carriages about the city to all the places of interest (which were
pointed out and explained to us) and a dinner at the best hotel and returned to the train in time for starting. As this was
the best we could do in the time, many bought tickets, I with the others, and it proved delightfully satisfactory in every
respect. We were taken to the tabernacle and admitted to a sight of an immense audience room, said to seat 9000 people, and
to accomodate 12,000 when pressed to its uttermost capacity. The organ which was built in the building is one of the largest
in the world. We also saw the Temple, which is still unfinished. I go to Crete tomorrow, where I will probably stay about
a week, soon after which I will start for Wis. Please let me find a letter awaiting me there, for I long for news of you all,
and especially of the little girlies of whom I find myself speaking and thinking very often. Anite has grown very lovely and
charming. The other little girls are not quite so pretty as when I last saw them. Love to all from Annie L. Muir